I have recently cleared the “AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional” (SAP-C01) exam. It is hard and tests your architectural knowledge apart from AWS skills.
Here is the approach I followed to prepare and successfully clear the exam. Preparation may take from a few weeks to many months based on your AWS / Solutions architecture experience and the amount of time you dedicate each day.
- Understand the exam overview, format, cost, delivery method, the minimum score to pass the exam, and requirements at the AWS Certification portal. There is no pre-requisite for the exam although you are expected to have working experience with AWS.
- Learn more about the exam content by going through the exam guide.
- Buy the “Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional 2021” course by Stephane Maarek on Udemy. It covers the exam content, solution architecture options, and considerations.
- Stephane Maarek’s course is theoretical. If you have hands-on AWS experience, you can play around on your AWS personal account. If you want deep-dive sessions or need help with practical sessions, you can buy the course by Neal Davis on Udemy.
- Once you complete the course, it is very important to check for exam readiness by answering sample questions/ practice exams. It helps immensely to identify the gaps and prepare for the exam. Here are the materials I used for the same.
- AWS Sample questions (Free)
- AWS Exam Readiness Webinar (Free)
- AWS Practice Exam ($40) – If you have prior certification, you can book it for free.
- Tutorials Dojo Practice Exams ($14.99) – They have 4 sets of practice exams (75 questions each) with detailed answers. Refer to the details answer sections for the ones you are not comfortable with ( wrong answer/guesswork). These practice exams have the same difficulty level as actual exams.
- Schedule the exam at VAE / PSI center via the AWS training portal. I have heard good reviews on VAE than PSI center so chose VAE and the experience was very good. A 30-minute exam extension is available for non-native English speakers. Please call VAE/ PSI to get this extension before scheduling the exam. It helps immensely for non-native English speakers since the exam questions are lengthy and need more time for comprehension.
Hope this helps to prepare for one of the toughest certification exams. All the very best!
