Preparing for AWS certifications has been one of the most rewarding (and sometimes frustrating) parts of my learning journey.
I quickly realized it’s not just about memorizing services — it’s about understanding how AWS wants you to think when solving real-world problems.
In this post, I’ll share the key lessons I learned while preparing for the AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) and the AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03).
And since practice exams were such a game-changer for me, I’ve also included free full-length resources at the end.
🚀 Lesson 1: Understand Core Services in Context
It’s easy to memorize what S3 or RDS does. The real challenge is knowing when to use them.
For example:
- Do you use S3 or EFS for file storage?
- When is RDS better than DynamoDB?
Think in terms of scenarios, not just definitions.
🚀 Lesson 2: The Well-Architected Framework Is Gold
The five pillars (Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization) are not just buzzwords — they’re the DNA of AWS exam questions.
When I understood how AWS evaluates trade-offs between these pillars, the scenario-based questions started making a lot more sense.
🚀 Lesson 3: Hands-On Beats Reading
Spinning up an EC2 instance, configuring IAM roles, or building a simple 3-tier architecture on the free tier taught me more than hours of reading docs.
If you can touch it, you’ll remember it.
🚀 Lesson 4: Practice Exams Teach More Than Scores
The first time I tried a practice exam, my score was disappointing.
But then I realized: the explanations are the real value.
Every wrong answer was a chance to fix a weak spot — and that’s how I improved fastest.
Free Practice Exams 🎓
Since full-length, high-quality free exams were hard to find, I decided to create and share a couple for the community.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)
👉 65 real-style questions + detailed explanations
🔗 Try it hereAWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03)
👉 65 real-style questions + detailed explanations
🔗 Try it here
No signup, no paywall — just open and practice.
Final Thoughts
Studying for AWS certifications is not about chasing a badge. It’s about building a mindset for cloud problem-solving.
If you’re starting your own journey:
- Focus on scenarios, not just facts.
- Get hands-on, even with small projects.
- Treat practice exams as a learning tool, not just a test.
I hope these lessons (and the free practice resources) help you as much as they helped me.
Best of luck on your AWS journey — you’ve got this! ☁️🚀
🌐 More free AWS practice exams & resources: CloudExamPro
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