How I Crushed My AWS Certification Renewals Back-to-Back (and Why It Was a Bad Idea)
Tags: aws, certification
Published: 2024-05-09 02:11:47

I renewed all 12 of my active AWS certifications in 22 days! Most of the exams were back-to-back (based on testing center availability), and I even took two exams in a single day. The entire experience was insanely stressful, yet incredible. 

## Why?

In January, I was compiling a list of my goals this year, determined to be more accomplished than I was last year. I set some extremely ambitious goals for myself, to say the least. As if they are too ambitious, I guess we will wait and see. Since I had some AWS certifications expiring this year and some next year, I wanted to get them all renewed so I could focus on other priorities next year (Kubernetes, here I come)! The obsessive tendencies in me thought it would be nice if I could align the dates in some logical way rather than the random mess they were previously in. Although I had originally planned on finishing my AWS certifications by the end of Q1, plans changed. Aside from everyday life, there were other complications.

## Schedule

![Cert Schedule](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bl7b75l9v89sglhkvg8n.png)

* 4/08 Data Analytics Specialty
* 4/22 DevOps Engineer Professional
* 4/23 Solutions Architect Professional
* 4/24 Advanced Networking Specialty
* 4/25 Machine Learning Specialty
* 4/27 Security Specialty
* 4/29 Database Specialty
* 4/29 SAP on AWS Specialty

If you didn't already know that professional-level exams automatically renew some lower-level certifications, now you do.

DevOps Engineer Professional renews
* Developer Associate
* SysOps Administrator Associate
* Cloud Practitioner

Solutions Architect Professional renews
* Solutions Architect Associate
* Cloud Practitioner

## Retiring Exams

AWS had announced they were retiring three of their exams, which I already wrote about in [Navigating AWS Certifications in 2024](https://dev.to/aws-builders/navigating-aws-certifications-in-2024-hap).

* Data Analytics Specialty (retiring April 8th)
* Database Specialty (retiring April 29th)
* SAP on AWS Specialty (retiring April 29th)

Obviously, I contemplated skipping these exams; after all, they are retiring. Why didn't I? What's the point? Well, like I already said in [this LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wheeleruniverse_aws-awscertified-awsdata-activity-7183473344866877440-o2cP) in regards to the Data Analytics Specialty exam, "I don't agree with Amazon Web Services decision to retire this exam". 

[Big Data](https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/big-data/) is more important now than ever before. Perhaps the Data Engineer Associate is meant to replace this exam. Although I think we may need a Data Engineer Professional if we expect the same level of depth. 

I feel that the Database Specialty is equally valuable. With all of the [purpose-built databases](https://aws.amazon.com/products/databases/) that AWS has to offer, it is invaluable to build a strong understanding to ensure the best database for the job can be chosen.

My feelings for the SAP on AWS Specialty are not the same; I'm not terribly sad to see it go, yet I still wanted to renew it. Why?

* I had previously planned on taking this exam before I learned about the retirement. If I had skipped it, part of me would have always wondered if I could've actually passed it again.

* I wanted to test my SAP knowledge, as I am particularly weak in this domain. Even simple SAP configurations on AWS can easily cost [thousands of dollars per month](https://d0.awsstatic.com/enterprise-marketing/SAP/sap-on-aws-pricing-guide.pdf), which makes it impossible to experiment on my own.

## How?

I've talked about my study methods [before](https://dev.to/wheeleruniverse/fully-aws-certified-the-5-most-common-questions-i-received-1pk8#q2) and this time was pretty similar, to be honest. Except this time, I only had to focus on the new stuff since I've already passed these tests before.

These are the websites that I used the most:
* [A Cloud Guru (Paid)](https://www.pluralsight.com/cloud-guru)
* [Cloud Academy (Paid)](https://cloudacademy.com/profile/9701311f-8e5b-4b21-bb10-6ffc30932c6b)
* [ML Exam (Free)](https://www.mlexam.com/)
* [Pluralsight (Paid)](https://pluralsight.com/)

### Practice Tests

I started with practice tests to gauge my knowledge before hitting the books. This helped me focus on the newer services and concepts I wasn't familiar with. 

> Did you know that API Gateway can directly call some other AWS services without Lambda? It's called [Direct integrations](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/serverless-applications-lens/direct-integrations.html), and it's definitely something I learned through this experience. 

The scores varied wildly between A Cloud Guru and CloudAcademy, which was interesting. How can I get a 50% on CloudAcademy and a 90% on A Cloud Guru for the same exam? 🤔 

### Flash Cards

I used [Quizlet](https://quizlet.com/) to create online flashcards. The AI functionality that has been added to Quizlet recently is really great. I'll highlight two examples.

* **Magic Notes** uses AI to generate flash cards automatically from a large source of text. I used this a couple of times to paste AWS FAQs or documentation. 

![Quizlet Magic Notes](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/da3vjdsclg56xr08v6ti.png)

* **Q-Chat** uses AI to interact with your own flash cards using natural language. With this, I don't have to worry about exactly how my flash cards are typed anymore. 

![Quizlet Q Chat](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/x7y0tj9qv2vej74n2gep.png)

In the middle of this AI storm, it seems like Quizlet is doing AI the right way!

### Dedicated Study Time

For a while now, I have always dedicated time every day to studying something. This year, I just focused the allocated time strictly on AWS. Nearing my exams, I would often trade time I would've spent on entertainment like movies or shows for studying instead to ensure I was as prepared as I could be. Do you know how hard it is to study for eight exams at the same time? In my mind, it was similar to "finals week" in college.

### Dedicated Testing Time

Typically, when I take a single exam, I will take a half day and be back to work. Although, this was much more taxing, I used a week of PTO so I could focus on my exams exclusively. I prefer testing in person, which resulted in commuting to testing centers that were about 35 miles away. Still, not all of my tests were in person. I did three exams using the online option called [OnVUE](https://home.pearsonvue.com/Test-takers/OnVUE-online-proctoring.aspx).

### Expenses 

The costs can be high for these types of exams. I had access to a bunch of benefits through my company and my engagement in AWS communities.

First, **AWS Community Builders** and **AWS User Group Leaders** both provided me with a 100% voucher.

Next, I was able to use multiple 50% vouchers that I had stockpiled from earning all of the certifications previously. 

> AWS provides [benefits](https://aws.amazon.com/certification/benefits/) to certified individuals. 

Finally, [Bravo LT](https://bravolt.com/) reimbursed me for every exam I passed.

## Words of Caution :construction:

I will never do this again. If you are thinking of attempting something similar, I hope I can change your mind. Overall, I felt like everything turned out okay, but it could've been far worse.

My mental health suffered from this endeavor in a couple ways. I experienced anxiety, stress, and [Imposter Syndrome](https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-imposter-syndrome-and-how-to-avoid-it). I lost enjoyment in my life for a time because I was sacrificing all of my spare time to studying.

My physical health was impacted as well. I found myself skipping meals to finish practice tests or additional lessons. Furthermore, my quality of sleep was affected.

When planning, I want to ask that you don't overwhelm yourself. Give yourself plenty of time to accomplish your goals without rushing.

---
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