One of the most in-demand certifications in the entire AWS line-up is AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification. The focus of this article will be to share tips to clear AWS Solutions Architect level exam. Even though there are many cloud platforms available, AWS stands tall. Its certifications are most sought-after in the cloud sector. The fact is that AWS is the market leader in Cloud Computing and holds a majority share of the public cloud market.
But before proceeding with the article, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. AWS Certified Solutions Architect exam is tough to crack. It’s not some exam where you can buy practice exams, go over them, and expect to pass the exam in a single go. These exams are very scenario-focused. That means to crack these exams, you must possess sufficient hands-on experience in their platform and services.
Tips to clear AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification exam:
Earn AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification
The first step I would recommend to everyone who asks me will be to earn AWS Cloud Practitioner Cert. Even though this is not necessary, but this will serve as the first step towards achieving your ultimate goal. It will help you gain fundamental knowledge in the AWS Cloud platform. You can crack this easy easily if you have the right resources. It is a fundamental exam that will test you the basic knowledge of AWS Cloud. Take up practice tests and quizzes to test your preparation for AWS Cloud Practitioner certification.
Take up an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Course
After earning AWS Cloud Practitioner, I suggest you take a course to crack AWS Solution Architect Associate certification. If you enroll from a reputed, recognized training partner, you will be able to not only learn and master the concepts but also bag better opportunities.
Gain maximum knowledge and training from the industry experts that train you. Ask them doubts, interact with them about their experiences. Take notes, revise, solve assignments that are provided during the training, work on real projects under the mentorship of experts. These things will help you become proficient in the subject.
Some major AWS Services to focus on
AWS Cert exams are difficult and scenario-focused. That means a lot of experience in using the platform is required to crack the exam. Above those experiences, some specific AWS services need in-depth attention. Because questions from these services are asked more than often. And you need good hands-on experience in using these services to answer those questions.
Amazon VPC – Amazon Virtual Private Cloud is one important service that you must be thorough to crack the AWS Certified Solutions Architect certification exam. You must understand the difference between a VPN and Direct Connect. This exam will have many questions from VPC, so you must be very thorough in this.
Amazon S3- S3 is another service that needs serious consideration if you aim to crack the most popular AWS Cert. You must be thorough with comparisons in Bucket policies and access control lists, S3 encryption options, Lifecycle policies, various storage types, etc.
Amazon RDS – You also need to focus on RDS Service. Where you must focus on Multi-AZ Replication, Read Replicas, and understand snapshots.
Amazon Kinesis – Understand AWS Analytics and Data Warehousing tools to an advanced level. Before you learn about Kinesis: Streams vs. Analytics vs. Firehose, Redshift vs. Kinesis vs. EMR, and differences between Athena and Kinesis. Also, expect scenario-based questions from these topics too.
Amazon Lambda and Serverless Components – Try focusing on Timeouts / Limits, events, and what services are usually used with Lambda triggers. Serverless is a component that will come up a lot more in AWS cert exams, so if you’re planning to make a career in AWS, it’s better to learn it in-depth.
Read AWS Storage Services Overview Whitepaper
After reading from whitepapers, you will get a lot of scenario-based questions from these. You will know the differences between each of these services when to use each one of them.
Learn how to crack the exam
Learning and mastering the concepts and AWS services is one thing, but cracking the exam is another. So always learn how to crack the exam, learn how to tackle scenario-based questions, understand the process of elimination, understand how the online mode of exam works, gauge your understanding by giving practice tests, etc.
Conclusion:
There are many ways to crack the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Cert exam. If you belong to tech, you won’t find that difficult to crack after completing or undergoing a course or training program. For non-tech professionals, you just have to put an extra bit of effort to crack the exam. I hope I have given helpful tips following which you can become AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional.