How I would prepare for AWS Solutions Architect Associate again
Tags: cloud, learning, aws, cloudskills
Published: 2023-11-28 07:44:01

So you've decided to get AWS certified, great! Whether you're improving your cloud skills or learning cloud for the first time, this guide is meant to help you in your journey to getting AWS certified.

First, Take a breath-first approach by getting familiar with all the core services and know what they do on a surface level. For example, VPC(virtual private cloud) is your virtual cloud environment on AWS, EC2 - cloud compute, S3 - cloud storage and so on...
A good resource I found for this is Daniel Galati's video on [AWS core services](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDEpdNdFglI).

Now that you're familiar with an overview of AWS, take a practice test to gauge your understanding. During the test, you will come across new AWS services and acronyms that will be unfamiliar. The point of this step is not for you to pass,(fantastic if you do) but for you to get a sense of the material that the test will encompass. The practice tests I recommend are from [Tutorial Dojo](https://tutorialsdojo.com/) and Stephane Maarek's practice tests on [Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/course/practice-exams-aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate/). From my experience, both sources are harder than the actual exam where the Udemy practice test was more in line with the format of the real exam. Your first practice test should help you get your feet wet with the vast landscape of AWS services.

![splash](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yfuytghk4vx7yfur7f5u.gif)

After your first practice test, go more in-depth on the core AWS services.  An AWS service will usually have subcategories that you need to know.  For example, gateway storage types: file storage, volume storage, and tape storage. Another example, VPC endpoints: gateway vs interface, their differences and when to use either. I would suggest focusing on security, performance, troubleshooting, and integration between AWS services. If you have the time, you should always be putting the theory of what you learned into practice with a free AWS account; provisioning services, and seeing how they run in real-time while maintaining best practices would be extremely helpful for first-hand knowledge.

After you have gained more in-depth knowledge of each core AWS service, it is time to take another practice test (or two). This time, you need to identify knowledge gaps that you are still missing. Resolving such knowledge gaps before the actual exam is key. Resources I recommend to achieve this include AWS docs, YouTube, bard/chatGPT, Google, and asking questions on AWS discords and slack communities.

Next, you should be ready for the official AWS skillbuilder practice exam. Unfortunately, the official practice exam requires a monthly subscription to the AWS skillbuilder. However, you can leverage their 7-day free trial period to enroll in the official practice exam and cancel your subscription before the free trial period expires. I would recommend scheduling your proctored exam a week or two ahead to get your desired time block.

![skillbuilder](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/f91pi7ckw43xz46xmfeo.png)

:star: exam pro tips: 

- Take a few seconds to quickly scan the answer set before reading each question.  keep in mind the answers you scanned because you will pick up on relevant keywords and descriptions associated with the answer set while reading the question, making selection easier when going back to the answer set.

- You can usually eliminate 2 answers right away after reading the question, giving you a higher probability of choosing the correct answer.

- Use the exam marker function to mark questions that you don't know how to answer or questions that take longer to read and process. Skip those questions and come back after you have answered all other exam questions. An example of this could be multi-selection answers.

These are the steps I would take to prepare for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate if I had to start over. Hope this guide was helpful, Best of Luck! :rocket: