How to Pass the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

TL;DR

The AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam costs $150 USD, gives you 130 minutes to answer 65 questions, requires roughly 72% to pass, and stays valid for three years. It is the most popular and in-demand AWS certification, testing broad knowledge across five domains that map to the five pillars of the Well-Architected Framework.

Transcript

Hey, this is Andrew Brown from exam Pro. And I'm bringing you another free Eva's certification course. And this one happens to be the most popular in demand. And it is the solutions architect associate certification. So if you're looking to pass that exam, this is the course for you. And we are going to learn a broad amount of database services, we... Read More

Key Insights

• The AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam costs $150 USD, is taken at an AWS-partnered test center, gives 130 minutes to answer 65 questions, has a passing score around 72%, and the certification is valid for three years.
• The solution architect role is about big-picture thinking and finding creative solutions by leveraging cloud services instead of reinventing the wheel, deciding what to implement rather than how, then passing the architecture to cloud engineers.
• The exam covers five domains that map directly to the five pillars of the Well-Architected Framework: resilient architectures, performance architectures, secure applications, cost-optimized architectures, and operational excellence.
• Study time depends on experience: a working cloud engineer needs about 20 hours (one week), a bootcamp grad needs one to two months (80 to 160 hours), and an experienced developer new to AWS needs about one month (80 hours).
• The Solutions Architect Associate requires the least amount of technical knowledge of the certifications, making it ideal for academic or theory-based learners rather than those relying on hands-on experience.
• The associate certification alone will not increase salary much; to see bigger salary increases you need to earn the professional and specialty certifications, though the associate opens up more job opportunities.
• Resilient architecture knowledge includes reliable storage like Elastic Block Store and S3, decoupling with SQS and SNS, multi-tier design with database, web, and load-balancing layers, and high availability using Route 53, load balancing, and auto scaling groups.
• Performance architecture covers choosing between DynamoDB, RDS, and Redshift, applying caching through DynamoDB's caching layer, ElastiCache, or CloudFront for static content, and designing for elasticity and scalability with auto scaling groups.

Questions & Answers

Q: How much does the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam cost and how is it structured?

The exam costs $150 in USD and must be taken at a test center partnered with AWS, booked through the AWS portal. It gives you 130 minutes to complete 65 questions, and the passing score is around 72%. Once you earn the certification, it is valid for three years. The exam is broken into five domains covering resilient, performance, secure, cost-optimized, and operationally excellent architectures.

Q: What does a solution architect actually do?

A solution architect finds creative solutions by leveraging cloud services instead of reinventing the wheel, focusing on big-picture thinking that requires broad knowledge across multiple domains. The role is less about how to implement something and more about what to implement. Architects design solutions using multiple cloud services, create many architectural diagrams, then pass the design to cloud engineers to implement. They often work within business development teams and tend to be charismatic speakers.

Q: How long do I need to study to pass the Solutions Architect Associate?

Study time depends on your experience, broken into three archetypes. A cloud engineer already working with AWS daily needs about 20 hours and could pass in a week. A bootcamp grad needs one to two months, roughly 80 to 160 hours. A developer with years of industry experience but no AWS use needs about one month, around 80 hours. Those completely new to AWS should take the Cloud Practitioner first.

Q: Should I take the Cloud Practitioner before the Solutions Architect Associate?

If you are new to AWS and cloud computing in general, the video strongly recommends taking the Certified Cloud Practitioner (CCP) first because it is a lot easier and provides more foundational knowledge, making the Solutions Architect Associate much easier. The CCP is the direct upgrade path, so everything you learn there applies directly to the associate. Without that foundation, you might start the associate course and feel overwhelmed by missing information.

Q: What are the five domains covered on the exam?

The exam is broken into five domains: design resilient architectures, design performance architectures, specify secure applications and architectures, design cost-optimized architectures, and define operationally excellent architectures. These map directly to the five pillars of the Well-Architected Framework, which is a recommended read for study. Each domain contains additional sub-topics such as choosing reliable storage, designing decoupling mechanisms, and securing application tiers.

Q: Why is the Solutions Architect Associate considered so valuable?

It is the most popular AWS certification and highly in demand, especially with startups that need people to fill any possible role. Because it gives you broad knowledge, you are considered very valuable and it has the most utility of any certification. It is recognized as the most important certification at the associate level and helps you stand out on resumes, opening up many more job opportunities even if it does not increase salary much on its own.

Q: Will the associate certification increase my salary?

The video says the associate certification alone will not increase your salary too much. However, it will definitely lead to a lot more job opportunities. To see the larger salary increases, you will have to earn the professional and specialty certifications on top of the associate. The associate is best understood as a foundation that opens doors and gives the most flexible future learning path toward those higher-paying specializations.

Q: What AWS services do I need to know for the exam?

You need broad service knowledge across the domains. Resilient architecture covers Elastic Block Store, S3, SQS, SNS, Route 53, load balancing, and auto scaling groups. Performance architecture covers DynamoDB, RDS, Redshift, DynamoDB's caching layer, ElastiCache, and CloudFront. Security covers securing database, web, and load-balancing tiers plus data at rest and in transit. Networking requires knowing VPCs inside and out for single-VPC applications, which the course covers heavily.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Andrew Brown from ExamPro presents a free AWS Solutions Architect Associate course, shot in late 2019 and usable for 2020. The role focuses on big-picture thinking, broad knowledge across domains, and finding creative solutions with cloud services rather than reinventing the wheel, then handing architectures to cloud engineers.

• The certification is the most popular and in-demand at the associate level, especially valued by startups needing people to fill any role. It requires the least technical knowledge, suiting theory-based learners. The associate alone won't raise salary much, but professional and specialty certifications combined with it lead to higher-paying opportunities.

• The exam costs $150 USD, allows 130 minutes for 65 questions, needs about 72% to pass, and lasts three years. It covers five domains mapping to the Well-Architected Framework's five pillars: resilient, performance, secure, cost-optimized, and operationally excellent architectures, spanning services like S3, SQS, SNS, Route 53, DynamoDB, and VPC.