AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification Exam Final Review
Use the following resources to solidify your understanding of key AWS concepts:
1. Compute
Review topics such as EC2, Lambda, and ECS. Understand use cases, configurations, and pricing models. Learn more about Compute
2. Storage
Study services like S3, EBS, and Glacier. Focus on storage classes, lifecycle policies, and security options. Learn more about Storage
3. Networking
Understand VPC, CloudFront, and Route 53. Pay attention to network security, DNS, and content delivery. Learn more about Networking
4. Database
Focus on RDS, DynamoDB, and Aurora. Review database engine options, backups, and scalability features. Learn more about Databases
5. Machine Learning
Study SageMaker, Rekognition, and other ML services. Understand how to train, deploy, and manage models. Learn more about Machine Learning
6. Security & Compliance
Review IAM, KMS, and WAF. Understand access control, encryption, and security best practices. Learn more about Security
7. Developer Tools
Explore services like CodePipeline and CodeDeploy. Understand CI/CD pipelines and deployment strategies. Learn more about Developer Tools
8. Monitoring & Optimization
Use CloudWatch, Trusted Advisor, and other tools to monitor and optimize your resources. Learn more about Monitoring
9. AWS Well-Architected Framework - The 6 Pillars
Study the six pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, and Sustainability. Learn more about Well-Architected
10. AWS Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)
Understand the six perspectives: Business, People, Governance, Platform, Security, and Operations. Learn more about CAF
Final Review Before the AWS Exam
Review these essential AWS concepts, study tips, and exam practices for your final preparation:
1. Compute
- Key Concepts: EC2, Lambda, ECS
- Study Tips: Understand instance types, serverless compute, and container orchestration.
- Exam Practice: Compare reserved vs. spot instances, and containerized app benefits.
2. Storage
- Key Concepts: S3, EBS, Glacier
- Study Tips: Review storage classes, lifecycle policies, and snapshots.
- Exam Practice: Calculate S3 costs and explore durability guarantees.
3. Networking
- Key Concepts: VPC, CloudFront, Route 53
- Study Tips: Understand subnetting, NAT gateways, and DNS strategies.
- Exam Practice: Configure highly available VPC and CloudFront caching.
Transit Gateway--acts as a highly scalable cloud router—each new connection is made only once
Transit Gateway--connects Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) & on-premises networks via central hub
Lift and shift your on-premises finance and video multicast applications to the cloud.
Video: Transit Gateway--Streamlining and Centralizing your cloud network--simplify and scale
AWS Transit Gateway: Helps you Design and Build Your Network Around a Central Hub
4. Database
- Key Concepts: RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora
- Study Tips: Understand backup, restore, partition keys, and indexes.
- Exam Practice: Optimize DynamoDB and explore Aurora's fault tolerance.
5. Machine Learning
- Key Concepts: SageMaker, Rekognition, Polly
- Study Tips: Review workflows, sentiment analysis, and text-to-speech features.
- Exam Practice: Build SageMaker instances and review Polly's scalability.
Learn more about Machine Learning
6. Security & Compliance
- Key Concepts: IAM, KMS, WAF
- Study Tips: Understand IAM policies, encryption keys, and WAF rules.
- Exam Practice: Analyze IAM policies and mitigate threats with WAF.
7. Developer Tools
- Key Concepts: CodePipeline, CodeDeploy, Cloud9
- Study Tips: Explore CI/CD workflows and deployment strategies.
- Exam Practice: Set up pipelines and deploy serverless applications.
Learn more about Developer Tools
8. Monitoring & Optimization
- Key Concepts: CloudWatch, Trusted Advisor, Cost Explorer
- Study Tips: Understand metrics, cost allocation, and saving plans.
- Exam Practice: Create dashboards and identify cost-saving opportunities.
Learn more about CloudWatch: Monitors AWS services in real-time, includin logs & Metrics
Learn AWS Config: Auditing Configurations for Compliance--Deploy a compliance-as-code framework
Watch AWS Config Video about monitoring configurations for auditing and compliance purposes
EventBridge: Helps you build scalable event-driven applications
9. AWS Well-Architected Framework (6 Pillars)
- Operational Excellence
- Security
- Reliability
- Performance Efficiency
- Cost Optimization
- Sustainability
Learn more about the 6 Pillars
10. AWS Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)
- Business
- People
- Governance
- Platform
- Security
- Operations
AWS Well-Architected Framework Pillars
- Operational Excellence: Focuses on running and monitoring systems to deliver business value and continually improve processes and procedures. Learn more
- Security: Enables the protection of information, systems, and assets while delivering business value through risk assessments and mitigation strategies. Learn more
- Reliability: Ensures a workload performs its intended function correctly and consistently when expected. Learn more
- Performance Efficiency: Focuses on using IT and computing resources efficiently to meet system requirements. Learn more
- Cost Optimization: Enables the ability to run systems to deliver business value at the lowest price point. Learn more
- Sustainability: Minimizes the environmental impacts of running cloud workloads. Learn more
Advantages of Cloud Computing
- Trade Upfront Expense for Variable Expense: Avoid large capital expenses and pay only for what you use. Learn more
- Benefit from Massive Economies of Scale: Achieve lower variable costs by using AWS's economies of scale. Learn more
- Stop Guessing Capacity: Scale computing resources up or down based on actual demand. Learn more
- Increase Speed and Agility: Quickly deploy and iterate workloads without the need for hardware. Learn more
- Stop Spending Money Running and Maintaining Data Centers: Focus on projects that differentiate your business instead of infrastructure. Learn more
- Go Global in Minutes: Deploy applications in multiple Regions worldwide with minimal effort. Learn more
Additional Resources
- AWS Well-Architected
- AWS Architecture Center
- Six Advantages of Cloud Computing
- AWS Architecture Blog
AWS Well-Architected Framework Pillars
- Operational Excellence: Focuses on running and monitoring systems to deliver business value and continually improve processes and procedures. Learn more
- Security: Enables the protection of information, systems, and assets while delivering business value through risk assessments and mitigation strategies. Learn more
- Reliability: Ensures a workload performs its intended function correctly and consistently when expected. Learn more
- Performance Efficiency: Focuses on using IT and computing resources efficiently to meet system requirements. Learn more
- Cost Optimization: Enables the ability to run systems to deliver business value at the lowest price point. Learn more
- Sustainability: Minimizes the environmental impacts of running cloud workloads. Learn more
Advantages of Cloud Computing
- Trade Upfront Expense for Variable Expense: Avoid large capital expenses and pay only for what you use. Learn more
- Benefit from Massive Economies of Scale: Achieve lower variable costs by using AWS's economies of scale. Learn more
- Stop Guessing Capacity: Scale computing resources up or down based on actual demand. Learn more
- Increase Speed and Agility: Quickly deploy and iterate workloads without the need for hardware. Learn more
- Stop Spending Money Running and Maintaining Data Centers: Focus on projects that differentiate your business instead of infrastructure. Learn more
- Go Global in Minutes: Deploy applications in multiple Regions worldwide with minimal effort. Learn more
Additional Resources
- AWS Well-Architected
- AWS Well-Architected Framework
- AWS Architecture Center
- Six Advantages of Cloud Computing
- AWS Architecture Blog
Exam Details
Exam Domains
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam focuses on four key domains:
- Cloud Concepts
- Security and Compliance
- Technology
- Billing and Pricing
Each domain is described in detail within the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Guide. These descriptions provide insights into the topics covered and are crucial for exam preparation.
Each domain contributes to the overall exam weight, representing the approximate percentage of questions from that domain. Note that the exam may include questions spanning multiple domains. Use the percentages below as a benchmark for your study efforts:
| Domain | Percentage of Exam |
|---|---|
| Cloud Concepts | 24% |
| Security and Compliance | 30% |
| Technology | 34% |
| Billing and Pricing | 12% |
| Total | 100% |
Recommended Experience
Candidates should have a fundamental understanding of IT services and their usage in the AWS Cloud platform. It is recommended to have at least six months of experience with AWS Cloud in roles such as project manager, IT manager, sales manager, decision-maker, or marketer, as well as roles in finance, procurement, or legal departments.
Exam Structure
The exam consists of 65 questions, to be completed within 90 minutes. A minimum passing score of 700 out of 1,000 is required. The exam includes two types of questions:
- Multiple choice: One correct response and three incorrect options.
- Multiple response: Two or more correct responses among five or more options.
There is no penalty for guessing, so it’s best to answer every question, even if uncertain. The exam allows you to flag questions for review before submission.
Recommended Resources
To prepare effectively for the exam, review the following resources: