Exam Overview
Current version: SAA-C03 (launched August 2022)
- Questions: 65 (multiple choice and multiple response)
- Time: 130 minutes
- Passing score: 720 out of 1000
- Cost: $150 USD
- Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese
- Validity: 3 years
What changed in SAA-C03: More serverless (Lambda, Step Functions), more containers (ECS, EKS), heavier focus on cost optimization, security best practices, and migration strategies. Less focus on outdated services.
Exam Domains
| Domain | Weight | Study Hours | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Secure Applications | 30% | 24 hours | IAM, VPC, security groups, encryption, compliance |
| 2. Resilient Architectures | 26% | 21 hours | HA design, disaster recovery, decoupling, auto scaling |
| 3. High-Performing Architectures | 24% | 19 hours | Storage, databases, compute, caching, networking |
| 4. Cost-Optimized Architectures | 20% | 16 hours | Storage tiers, compute options, pricing models, optimization |
Critical insight: This exam tests architectural thinking, not just service knowledge. Questions ask "Which architecture BEST meets these requirements?" You need to understand trade-offs: cost vs performance, availability vs complexity, security vs convenience.
8-Week Study Plan (80-100 Hours)
Week 1-2: AWS Fundamentals (20 hours)
- Sign up for AWS Free Tier account
- Complete AWS Skill Builder "AWS Technical Essentials" (free)
- Watch Stephane Maarek's Udemy course Sections 1-5 (IAM, EC2, ELB, ASG)
- Hands-on: Launch EC2 instance, configure security groups, create IAM users/roles
- Goal: Understand core compute, IAM basics, and how to navigate AWS Console
Week 3-4: Storage, Databases, Networking (25 hours)
- Study S3, EBS, EFS, Storage Gateway
- Learn RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora, Redshift, ElastiCache
- Deep dive VPC: subnets, route tables, NAT gateways, VPC peering
- CloudFront, Route 53 basics
- Hands-on: Create VPC from scratch, set up RDS with Multi-AZ, configure S3 lifecycle policies
- Critical: Understand when to use which database (RDS vs DynamoDB vs Aurora)
Week 5: Serverless, Containers, Application Services (15 hours)
- Lambda, API Gateway, Step Functions
- ECS, Fargate, EKS basics
- SQS, SNS, EventBridge, Kinesis
- Hands-on: Create Lambda function triggered by S3, build simple serverless API
- Trend: SAA-C03 loves serverless questions. Know Lambda cold.
Week 6: Monitoring, Security, Governance (15 hours)
- CloudWatch, CloudTrail, X-Ray, Config
- KMS, Secrets Manager, Parameter Store
- Organizations, Control Tower, Service Catalog
- WAF, Shield, GuardDuty basics
- Hands-on: Set up CloudWatch alarms, encrypt S3 bucket with KMS
- Security is 30% of exam—know IAM policies, encryption options, compliance tools
Week 7: Practice Exams + Weak Areas (15 hours)
- Take first practice exam (Tutorials Dojo or Stephane Maarek)
- Review EVERY wrong answer—understand why
- Identify 3-5 weakest topics and study those specifically
- Re-watch videos or re-do labs on weak areas
- Take second practice exam from different source
- Target: 75-80% on practice exams before scheduling real exam
Week 8: Final Review + Exam (10 hours)
- Take 2-3 more practice exams (aim for 80%+ consistently)
- Review AWS Architecture Center case studies
- Memorize key limits and defaults (VPC CIDR sizes, S3 object size, etc.)
- Final review of exam objectives PDF from AWS
- Schedule and take exam
Best Study Resources
Recommended Core Resources (Pick One Course)
- Stephane Maarek's AWS SAA Course (Udemy, $15-20 on sale): Most popular, comprehensive, frequently updated. Includes practice exams. Clear explanations. Start here for most people.
- Adrian Cantrill's Course ($40): Extremely detailed, best for deep understanding. Longer course (40+ hours). Great if you want to actually learn AWS, not just pass exam.
- A Cloud Guru ($29-49/month): Good course but expensive unless you have employer subscription. Hands-on labs included.
- freeCodeCamp (YouTube, FREE): 10-hour SAA course. Not as comprehensive as paid options but good starting point if budget-constrained.
Practice Exams (Essential)
- Tutorials Dojo (Jon Bonso) - $15-20: BEST practice exams. Most similar to real exam difficulty and format. 6 practice tests. Detailed explanations. Worth every penny.
- Stephane Maarek Practice Exams (included in Udemy course): Good quality, solid for final prep.
- AWS Official Practice Exam ($20): One exam with 20 questions. Good for calibration but expensive for what you get.
Don't skip practice exams. They're the most important part of preparation after hands-on labs.
Free Official Resources
- AWS Skill Builder (Free): Official AWS training. "Exam Prep: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate" course is excellent.
- AWS Architecture Center: Real-world architecture patterns. Read 5-10 case studies for exam context.
- AWS Whitepapers: "AWS Well-Architected Framework" is must-read. Also "Serverless Architectures" and "Disaster Recovery."
- AWS Free Tier: 12 months free access to many services. USE THIS for hands-on practice.
Hands-On Labs (Critical for Passing)
You Cannot Pass Without Hands-On Practice
Reading about S3 vs actually creating buckets, configuring lifecycle policies, and setting up replication are completely different. Exam has scenario questions that assume you've built these things.
Minimum viable hands-on practice (budget: $5-20 total):
Must-Do Labs
- Build complete VPC from scratch: Public/private subnets, internet gateway, NAT gateway, route tables, security groups
- Deploy HA web application: EC2 instances across multiple AZs, ALB, Auto Scaling Group, RDS Multi-AZ
- Create serverless API: Lambda + API Gateway + DynamoDB
- Set up S3 with CloudFront: Static website hosting, lifecycle policies, bucket policies, CDN distribution
- Configure RDS: Multi-AZ deployment, read replicas, automated backups, parameter groups
- IAM policies: Create users, groups, roles with least privilege access
Cost Management Tips
- Set billing alerts: Create CloudWatch alarm for $10, $25 thresholds
- Use t2.micro/t3.micro instances: Free tier eligible
- Delete resources after labs: Terminate EC2, delete NAT gateways (expensive!), remove RDS instances
- Avoid these costly mistakes: Leaving NAT gateways running ($0.045/hour = $32/month), unattached EBS volumes, Elastic IPs not associated with instances
- Use AWS Cost Explorer: Monitor spending daily during study period
Most students spend $10-30 total on AWS while studying if careful. NAT gateways and data transfer are biggest costs—delete immediately after labs.
Exam Strategy & Common Traps
How to Approach Questions
Typical question format: Long scenario describing requirements, then "Which solution is MOST cost-effective?" or "...provides HIGHEST availability?"
Strategy:
- Read question carefully—note keywords like "LEAST expensive," "MOST scalable," "HIGHEST availability"
- Eliminate obviously wrong answers (e.g., options using outdated services, violating stated requirements)
- Between remaining options, choose based on: (a) Cost optimization if asked, (b) Simplest solution that meets requirements, (c) Managed services over self-managed
- Don't overthink—AWS wants you to recommend AWS-native solutions, not complex hybrid approaches
Common Traps
- Confusing similar services: EBS vs EFS vs S3, CloudWatch vs CloudTrail, SQS vs SNS vs Kinesis. Know exact use cases.
- Choosing expensive solutions: If question asks for "cost-effective," don't pick reserved instances when spot instances work.
- Not reading full requirements: Question might say "must handle unpredictable spikes"—this rules out provisioned capacity options.
- Forgetting regional services: S3, IAM, CloudFront, Route 53 are global. EC2, RDS, VPC are regional. Lambda is regional.
Key Concepts to Master
High Availability Patterns
- Multi-AZ vs Multi-Region
- Active-Active vs Active-Passive
- Auto Scaling strategies
- Load balancer types (ALB, NLB, GLB, CLB)
- RDS Multi-AZ vs Read Replicas
- S3 replication (CRR, SRR)
When to Use Which Service
- Block storage: EBS (single AZ), EFS (multi-AZ NFS)
- Object storage: S3 (everything else), Glacier (archive)
- Database: RDS (relational), DynamoDB (NoSQL, serverless), Aurora (high performance), Redshift (analytics)
- Compute: EC2 (control), Lambda (serverless), Fargate (containers without servers)
Memorize These
- S3 storage classes and use cases (Standard, IA, Glacier, etc.)
- EC2 pricing models (On-Demand, Reserved, Spot, Savings Plans)
- VPC components (CIDR blocks, subnets, route tables, gateways)
- Well-Architected Framework pillars (Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance, Cost Optimization, Sustainability)
- RDS backup and maintenance windows
- Lambda limits (timeout, memory, concurrent executions)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pass AWS SAA without hands-on experience?
Technically yes, but very difficult and not recommended. You can memorize concepts and pass through practice exams alone, but you won't understand WHY certain architectures work. Exam has practical scenario questions that assume you've built things. Invest $10-20 in AWS Free Tier labs—it dramatically increases pass probability and you'll actually learn AWS, not just pass an exam.
How much AWS experience do I need before studying for SAA?
Zero AWS experience is fine if you have general IT background (understand networking, servers, databases). Complete beginners should spend 2-3 weeks on fundamentals (what is cloud, AWS basics) before diving into SAA content. If you've used AWS at work, even minimally, you have enough foundation to start studying immediately.
What practice exam score means I'm ready?
Target 75-80% on Tutorials Dojo or Stephane Maarek practice exams. If consistently scoring 80%+ on multiple different practice exams, you're ready. Below 70%, study weak domains more. Practice exams are often harder than real exam, so 75% on practice typically translates to passing. Take at least 4-6 full practice exams before real thing.
Should I get Cloud Practitioner before Solutions Architect?
No, unless your employer requires it or pays for both. Cloud Practitioner is easier but doesn't qualify you for technical roles. If you have any IT background, skip CCP and go straight to SAA. CCP teaches AWS basics that are covered in first 2 weeks of SAA study anyway. Only get CCP if you're complete beginner to all tech concepts OR employer specifically wants it.
How long should I study?
8-12 weeks at 10-15 hours/week (80-120 total hours) for most people. Accelerated: 4-6 weeks if you have AWS experience or study full-time. Extended: 3-4 months if studying part-time (5 hours/week). Quality matters more than speed—make sure you do hands-on labs and practice exams, don't just rush through videos.