5 tips for AWS Certification exams from AWS Solutions Architects

Are you in the process of studying for your first AWS Certification—or additional AWS Certification(s)? Regardless of where you are in your certification or preparation journey, we believe this blog can help you focus your efforts. We’re both solutions architects at AWS, and between us, we hold 10 active AWS Certifications. Our tips have helped learners attain AWS Certifications, including the notoriously difficult AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional. AWS Certifications are available for any level of learner, whether in a technical role or not, to build cloud skills for a particular role or domain. If you’re not sure where to start, use the AWS Certification pathways guide to choose!

In this blog we’ll break down five tips AWS Solutions Architects swear by to prepare for and pass AWS Certification exams—and you can borrow these techniques! You’ll learn how to use AWS Official Practice Question Sets, free digital courses, and other resources on AWS Skill Builder, the official AWS online learning center, to skyrocket your learning objectives. You’ll learn how to effectively use your time during the test, and maximize comprehension of the questions and exam objectives to reap the full benefit of your certification after you earn it.

Prepare with AWS Training and Certification resources

AWS Certifications are industry-recognized credentials, and as such, the exams are thorough, testing your knowledge and expertise. The more you prepare and practice, the more confident you will be, in both successfully passing the exam and demonstrating the knowledge with practical application. Learn more on the exam preparation page. AWS does not require you to take AWS-provided training to prep for the exams. However, there are recommended steps that can help you get started.

• Get to know the exam—review the exam guide available on each AWS Training and Certification’s exam preparation pages
• Sign up for an AWS Skill Builder account and get to know exam-style questions by taking AWS Certification Official Practice Question Sets
• Learn about exam topics by:
  • Enrolling in courses on AWS Skill Builder where you need to fill gaps in your learning based on exam topics
  • Reviewing white papers and AWS service-related FAQs available on the exam pages
  • Subscribing to AWS Skill Builder to get hands-on and build in the AWS Console with AWS Builder Labs and AWS Cloud Quest
• Prepare for your exam by:
  • Taking an AWS Skill Builder exam prep course
  • Using your AWS Skill Builder subscription to gauge your preparedness with a full-length AWS Certification Official Practice Exam

In addition to the above, here are five tips AWS Solutions Architects swear by to prepare for an AWS Certification exam.

1. Break it down

If you’re training for a marathon, do you start by running a marathon on your first day? No. So take the same approach here: break it down. Take the AWS Certification Official Practice Question Sets, which you can find for free in AWS Skill Builder. Start by doing 10 questions at a time and build up from there.

When you take the AWS Certification Official Practice Question Sets, turn on the “Review Answer” option. This gives you immediate feedback on the answers so you don’t have to wait for the end of your study session to find out how you are doing. By reviewing the incorrect and correct answers to each question, you’ll be on your way to understanding the concepts more quickly.

Break up your study time into 30-minute to one-hour chunks and be sure to take a break after you finish each portion of the Official Practice Question Set. This pacing helps the study sessions feel (more) enjoyable. After a week of answering 10 to 20 questions at a time, take a full-length, scored AWS Certified Official Practice Exam. Aim to take at least one full-length practice exam before you take the official, proctored exam. This prepares you for what it takes to last through the entire exam.

2. Use the process of elimination

The process of elimination is a mechanism that helps weed out the incorrect answers and identify the correct answer quickly. Avoid wasting precious time on answers that are there to distract you and throw you off. Scan over the answers and eliminate ones that are clearly wrong. It helps you focus on the valid choices.

3. Learn key concepts from the Official Practice Question Set

When working towards a challenging certification, avoid leaving points on the table. Start by focusing on valuable concepts. How do you know what are the valuable concepts? Review the exam guide that outlines all the exam domains and tasks that will be covered, as well as how each domain is weighted. Then utilize the Official Practice Question Sets that cover all the domains. You won’t likely see the questions from the Official Practice Question Sets verbatim on the actual test. You will likely see the concepts covered from those questions in some form. These concepts you can expect to see on the test are like free points. Take them!

4. Build your practical knowledge

Nothing beats practical experience when it comes to tackling an AWS Certification exam. While studying is essential to your preparation, building projects inside your AWS account builds expertise and proficiency. We (and our fellow AWS Solutions Architects) recommended a time distribution of 80% building to 20% studying. Everyone is a little different so do what works for your unique learning style! Facts, figures, and concepts can be difficult to understand and retain by reading or watching videos alone. You will develop deeper understanding when you put your new knowledge into practice. You can get started by enrolling in free digital trainings, and upgrade to an AWS Skill Builder subscription to unlock hands-on learning in a live AWS environment through AWS Builder Labs and AWS Cloud Quest.

5. Work backwards

Whether you’re employed at Amazon or not, you may have heard of our Leadership Principles. These ideas, values, and axioms represent 25 years of experience and wisdom and can help you to pass your exam. When faced with any type of opportunity or issue, Amazon Leadership Principles help Amazonians decide how to move forward. The scenario-based questions presented in an AWS Certification exam are challenging. A test taker can leverage two of our leadership principles to discern the path forward in any given question: 1/ weed out answer choices that don’t live up to Amazon’s relentlessly high standard of excellence; and 2/ work backwards.

Do you know the saying, “Save the best for last”? While that isn’t something test writers strive to do, we suggest you read each question starting at the end. Why? Each exam is a test of skill, endurance, and discernment. Each question includes several pieces of information, but only some are useful to honing in on the right answer. Start by reviewing the last line of the question. Armed with this information, read the beginning of the question and then each answer choice. You will quickly discern relevant information from extraneous information. See for yourself: re-read this post starting from the bottom.

Conclusion

Now you have a set of proven methods to approach exam day with confidence, so log into AWS Skill Builder and start preparing. By putting these tips into practice, you’ll be in an optimal position to retain and apply what you’ve learned. Good luck on your AWS Certification journey! It’s all about learning and building experience that you’ll use for the rest of your career.

For some bonus tips, check out the following blogs that share valuable pointers:

• Steps to start your AWS Certification journey
• Slay imposter syndrome while prepping for AWS Certification exams