Have you noticed many job descriptions for software developers list Cloud technologies/AWS as a valuable skill? Given that AWS is the dominant cloud service provider, I decided to take the AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam to deepen my Cloud knowledge. After 3 weeks of preparation, I successfully passed the exam today. In this article, I will be sharing all the resources and exam preparation tips to help you ace the exam on the first try.
Study Resources
I spent 10 days to finish Stephane Maarek's [NEW] [Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 Udemy course. The course length is 15 hours, I like the practice questions at the end of each module to test my knowledge, it also includes one practice exam at the end. You can play the video at 1.75 speed, remember to take notes on the key exam topics Stephane highlighted in the video.
I also bought the 6 additional practice exams and did 4 of them the week before the exam. Personally, I found those practice exams to be harder than the real test. The key is not to remember answers but to grasp the distinction between different AWS services.
For example, what are the difference between AWS Pricing Calculator vs AWS Budget vs Cost Explorer? I complied related questions under the same topic to find keywords/patterns:
- Pricing Calculator: estimate cost
- AWS Budgets: receive alerts when exceeding threshold
- Cost Explorer: visualize cost and usage, forecast cost
Sample questions:
- What can you use to estimate the cost of your architecture solution? Pricing Calculator
- What can you use to get alerts when your costs and usage are exceeding or are forecasted to exceed your budgeting amount? AWS Budget
- A company would like to choose the best Savings Plan and forecast its cost in the next 3 months. Which AWS service can help? Cost Explorer
Another secret weapon I found is this YouTube channel @sthithapragna
Never doubt an Indian YouTuber to explain technical things clearly and boost your confidence level. He also shared lots of helpful tricks to recognize the right answers quickly: for example, the "Shared Responsibility Model" is a common exam topic. Anywhere you see the term "physical/data center/hypervisor/infrastructure" is a responsibility of AWS.
I encountered a few similar questions in the real exam, so if you are pressed on time, I recommend at least going through the latest Question Dumps on this channel.
The last resource I use is the AWS official documentation. Below are the common exam topics I found helpful. I bookmarked those links and read them daily and before the exam.
- AWS Support Plan
- Shared Responsibility Model
- Six advantages of cloud computing
- AWS Cloud Adoption Framework (AWS CAF)
- 6 pillars of AWS well-architected framework
Logistics Tips
Exam Registration
- If you identify as a woman, take advantage of the AWS CloudUp program to request a 50% discount voucher. I requested the voucher when I was halfway done with the Udemy course, as the voucher can take several business days to be issued, so I recommend doing it early.
- If you are a non-English native speaker, you can get an extra 30 minutes by requesting accommodation BEFORE registering for the exam.
On the day of the exam
Make sure you clear your desk, log into PearsonVue 30 minutes early to check-in. You will be asked to do a system test, download the OnVUE software, use your phone to take photos of yourself, your ID, and the workspace. Expect a queue for proctor assignments, so allocate sufficient time for these steps.
During the exam
After reading a question, I try to formulate an answer before looking at the multiple choices to avoid distraction. You can always bookmark a question for review and come back later. I was able to finish the exam in 30 minutes, leaving plenty of time for review.
Remember, you will never be fully ready, so as long as you prep the exam with dedication and follow the tips I shared in this post, I promise you the exam will feel like a breeze! Good luck!
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