What is the SAA-02 Certification?
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification showcases knowledge and skills in AWS technology, across a wide range of AWS services. Studying for the SAA-02 certification has been one of the most challenging exams I have completed in recent memory. I passed and completed the exam on 7/31/2022.
The SAA-02 certification is for individuals who perform in a solutions architect role. The exam validates a candidate’s ability to use AWS technologies to design solutions based on the AWS Well-Architected Framework. Design Resilient Architectures, Design High-Performing Architectures, Design Secure Applications and Architectures, and Design Cost-Optimized Architectures.
The exam is 65 multiple-choice-based questions. The exam is 130 min and with a scoring range from 100-1000 with a passing score of 720. The exam costs $150.00 USD to complete. The exam is offered with 2 different test-taking options. The first choice is a testing center in your area. The second option is an online proctored exam by PearsonVue.
Study Guides and Exam Preparation
When studying for the Solutions Architect exam, there are plenty of resources that can be utilized for free on various platforms. On Youtube.com there is the Go Cloud Architects Channel, which offers a free AWS Solutions Architect Bootcamp once a month. Another great free resource is AWS Skill Builder which offers over 500+ free digital classes. There are also paid resources that can be used to study and prep for the Solution Architect exam. Neal Davis from digitalcloud.training offers an in-depth video-on-demand Solutions Architect course which provides a video course along with free practice exams and also free training notes via a downloadable ebook. I used his course along with courses and an ebook from Whizlabs to help me study and pass the SAA-02 exam.