Have you ever gotten into skiing and then started out on a mountain that even a seasoned skier would admit can be quite difficult? I haven’t, but I imagine what I did is sort of similar.
I started a new job as a cloud engineer in the fall of 2022. I decided to finally get AWS certified at the beginning of 2024. I figured “Hey, I have over a year of experience in AWS, why start with the bunny slopes?” and then I darted over to the ski lift that would carry me up to something that I was most definitely underestimating.
Before I became an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, I had knocked out the Certified Developer Associate (CDA) and Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA) certifications. It’s not to say that these are extremely challenging. I think that they are both doable in a couple months each, even for people who have zero experience in AWS or cloud computing, but it doesn’t make sense to start at step 2 when there’s a step 1.
I only used a 20-question practice set offered by AWS Skill Builder to prepare for this exam specifically, but the training materials offered by Stephane Maarek and TutorialsDojo that I used for the SAA and CDA were what really prepared me. Both of them offer material specific to the Cloud Practitioner. I would highly recommend both.
I only used AWS Skill Builder because I still had several months left with my annual subscription, but personally I’m not a big fan. That being said, there is a game there called CloudQuest. You go through this virtual city solving real-world problems with AWS services. You finish each quest by completing the various objectives for a simulated lab in AWS. There is a guide for each quest before the accompanying lab begins. Once you properly finish the quest, you earn experience points and the chance to tackle increasingly challenging quests. If you have little experience in cloud-computing, this is a great place to start. And don’t think it’s geared towards kids! The labs can be tricky, and the problems we are solving are common problems that cloud-computing solutions help solve every day.
This is tricky to answer. In one way, I only spent like, an hour preparing. In another way, I spent months. If I had gotten this before the other AWS certifications, I think it would have taken me a couple weeks before I felt confident that I could pass. This exam covers a lot! It’s almost all surface-level, but AWS covers a whole lot of surface.
While this has the same amount of questions as the associate-level AWS certifications, it has a lower bar for a passing score. We only need a 700 to pass, compared to a 720 for the associate-level certifications and a 750 for the professional-level certifications. Don’t stress if you fail it, but definitely put in more work before moving up the ladder as they only get more difficult question-wise and grade-wise.
This was easy to pass to me, but only because of where I started on the path to getting AWS certified. As long as you understand the Six Pillars of the Well-Architected Framework, the basics of cloud computing architecture, and the high-level functionality of the in-scope AWS services, you will be fine!
After this one, you have your pick between the various associate-level AWS certifications. I would highly recommend the SAA next. My first AWS certification was the CDA, but I would have had an easier time if I started with the SAA… and an even easier time if I started with the Cloud Practitioner.