The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam is a certification exam provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is designed for individuals seeking knowledge and understanding of the AWS Cloud at an entry-level. The exam assesses an individual’s basic understanding of the AWS Cloud, covering services, pricing, architecture, and more. Despite being an entry-level certification, many individuals are curious about the exam’s difficulty and what steps they should take to prepare effectively.
In this blog post, we will explore the various aspects of the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam, and its difficulty level, and provide tips on how to prepare and pass the exam with flying colors.
Glossary for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Terminology
here are some common terms and definitions for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): Amazon provides a cloud computing platform called AWS. It includes various services like computing, storage, databases, analytics, machine learning, and more.
- Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2): A web service provided by AWS that allows users to rent virtual machines (VMs) on which to run their own applications.
- Simple Storage Service (S3): A flexible data storage service that enables users to easily store and retrieve data from anywhere on the internet.
- Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): A service that allows users to create a logically isolated virtual network within the AWS cloud.
- Auto Scaling: A service that automatically scales up or down computing resources in response to changes in demand for an application.
- Load Balancer: A system that spreads incoming network traffic among various EC2 instances, boosting application availability and resilience to faults.
- Identity and Access Management (IAM): A service that allows users to control access to AWS resources by creating and managing users, groups, and roles.
- Route 53: A scalable Domain Name System (DNS) service that converts domain names into IP addresses and directs internet traffic to the relevant resources.
- Elastic Block Store (EBS): A service that provides persistent block-level storage for use with EC2 instances.
- Relational Database Service (RDS): A managed database service that provides easy deployment, management, and scaling of relational databases.
- CloudFormation: A service that enables users to generate and oversee AWS resources using templates.
- CloudTrail: A service that provides a record of AWS API calls and events for security analysis, compliance auditing, and more.
- CloudWatch: A monitoring and management service that offers information and insights on resource usage, application performance, and operational well-being.
- Glacier: A low-cost storage service for data
Study Guide for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam
AWS provides official courses and study materials to assist candidates in preparing for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. These resources address all exam objectives, equipping candidates with the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully pass the exam.
- AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials: This is a free, self-paced, digital course that introduces candidates to the fundamentals of the AWS Cloud. It covers key concepts such as cloud computing, AWS services, security, and architecture, and prepares candidates for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.
- AWS Technical Essentials: This course provides an overview of the AWS Cloud and its key services, including computing, storage, and networking. It is designed for individuals who are new to AWS and want to learn more about its services and solutions.
- AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials Classroom Training: This is an instructor-led course that covers the same material as the AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials digital course. It is designed for individuals who prefer a classroom-based learning experience.
- Exam Readiness: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner: This course is designed to help candidates prepare for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. It includes an overview of the exam, tips for taking the exam, and practice questions and quizzes to test candidates’ knowledge.
- AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials (Second Edition): This is an updated version of the free, self-paced, digital course that introduces candidates to the fundamentals of the AWS Cloud. It covers key concepts such as cloud computing, AWS services, security, and architecture, and prepares candidates for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.
- AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials (Virtual Classroom): This is an instructor-led, virtual classroom training that covers the same material as the AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials digital course. It is designed for individuals who prefer a live, virtual learning experience.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Readiness Workshop: This is an instructor-led, virtual classroom training that helps candidates prepare for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. It includes an overview of the exam, tips for taking the exam, and practice questions and quizzes to test candidates’ knowledge.
- AWS Technical Essentials (Virtual Classroom): This is an instructor-led, virtual classroom training that provides an overview of the AWS Cloud and its key services, including computing, storage, and networking. It is designed for individuals who are new to AWS and want to learn more about its services and solutions.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Self-Paced Labs: These self-paced labs provide candidates with hands-on experience working with AWS services and solutions. They cover key topics such as computing, storage, and networking, and help candidates prepare for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Study Guide: This book is a comprehensive guide to the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. It covers all of the exam objectives and provides candidates with practice questions and quizzes to test their knowledge.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Blueprint: This document outlines the exam objectives and provides candidates with a detailed breakdown of the topics covered on the exam.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Practice Exams: These practice exams aim to replicate the real exam conditions, featuring practice questions with detailed answers and explanations.
What are the skills validated?
The exam validates the following skills of a candidate –
- Firstly, explain what the AWS Cloud is and outline the fundamental global infrastructure.
- Secondly, outline basic architectural principles of the AWS Cloud.
- Furthermore, articulate the value proposition of the AWS Cloud.
- In addition, outline key services on the AWS platform and their typical use cases, such as computing and analytics.
- Also, discuss basic security and compliance aspects of the AWS platform and the shared security model.
- Subsequently, clarify billing, account management, and pricing models.
- Additionally, identify sources of documentation or technical assistance, such as whitepapers or support tickets.
- Lastly, detail the basic characteristics of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud.
Recommended Knowledge:
If you are planning to take for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam preparation, Amazon recommends having some experience as mentioned below –
- It is recommended to have a minimum of 6 months of experience with the AWS Cloud in any capacity. This could apply to various individuals, including traditional and non-traditional students, educators, and those exploring the AWS Cloud. It is beneficial for project managers, IT managers, sales managers, decision-makers, marketers, as well as individuals in finance, procurement, and legal roles.
- Additionally, a basic understanding of IT services and their applications in the AWS Cloud platform is advised.
Exam Details
Now that we are done with the basic exam knowledge, let us jump to the exam details. Not to forget that knowing the exam details and some other basic information about the exam is as important as preparing and practicing for the exam. Let us now look at some of the details related to the exam, they are summarized later in the form of a table for ease of access –
- The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam format comprises of around 65 questions.
- Furthermore, all the questions in the examination will be either multiple-choice questions or multiple responses.
- You will also have only 90 minutes to finish the exam.
- The registration fee is set at USD 100. In addition, the test is offered in four other languages. English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese are included among these languages.
| 1. Exam Name AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | 2. Exam Code CLF-C02 |
| 3. Exam Duration 90 Minutes | 4. Exam Format Multiple Choice and Multi-Response Questions |
| 5. Exam Type Foundational | 6. Number of Questions 65 questions |
| 7. Passing Score 700 (on a scale of 100-1000) | 8. Exam Fee $100 USD |
| 9. Exam Language English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese | 10. Validity 3 years |
Let us now look at the course structure for the exam to then utilize our study resources judiciously!
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Guide
Domain 1: Cloud Concepts
1.1 Define the AWS Cloud and its value proposition
- Define the benefits of the AWS cloud including:
- Security (AWS Documentation: Advantages of Cloud Security)
- Reliability (AWS Documentation: Reliability)
- High Availability
- Elasticity (AWS Documentation: Elasticity)
- Agility
- Pay-as-you go pricing (AWS Documentation: AWS Pricing)
- Scalability
- Global Reach
- Economy of scale
- Explain how the AWS cloud allows users to focus on business value
- Shifting technical resources to revenue-generating activities as opposed to managing infrastructure (AWS Documentation: Business Value on AWS)
1.2 Identify aspects of AWS Cloud economics
- Define items that would be part of a Total Cost of Ownership proposal
- Understand the role of operational expenses (OpEx)
- Understand the role of capital expenses (CapEx)
- Understand labor costs associated with on-premises operations (AWS Documentation: AWS Pricing/TCO Tools)
- Understand the impact of software licensing costs when moving to the cloud (AWS Documentation: Cost and licensing)
- Identify which operations will reduce costs by moving to the cloud
- Right-sized infrastructure (AWS Documentation: Right Sizing)
- Benefits of automation (AWS Documentation: Automation, Investing in Cloud Automation)
- Reduce compliance scope (for example, reporting) (AWS Documentation: Minimizing the PCI Compliance Burden Using Containerization, Microservices, and AWS)
- Managed services (for example, RDS, ECS, EKS, DynamoDB) (AWS Documentation: AWS Managed Services)
1.3 Explain the different cloud architecture design principles
- Explain the design principles
- Design for failure (AWS Documentation: Design for Failure)
- Decouple components versus monolithic architecture (AWS Documentation: Decomposing monoliths into microservices)
- Implement elasticity in the cloud versus on-premises (AWS Documentation: Elasticity)
- Think parallel
Domain 2: Security and Compliance
2.1 Define the AWS shared responsibility model
- Recognize the elements of the Shared Responsibility Model (AWS Documentation: Shared Responsibility Model)
- Describe the customer’s responsibility on AWS
- Describe how the customer’s responsibilities may shift depending on the service used (for example with RDS, Lambda, or EC2) (AWS Documentation: Shared Responsibility, Shared Responsibility Model)
- Describe AWS responsibilities Shared Responsibility Model)
2.2 Define AWS Cloud security and compliance concepts
- Identify where to find AWS compliance information (AWS Documentation:AWS Compliance Programs, Compliance Resources)
- Locations of lists of recognized available compliance controls (for example, HIPPA, SOCs) (AWS Documentation: HIPAA, SOC)
- Recognize that compliance requirements vary among AWS services (AWS Documentation: Security and compliance)
- At a high level, describe how customers achieve compliance on AWS (AWS Documentation:AWS Compliance)
- Identify different encryption options on AWS (for example, In transit, At rest) (AWS Documentation: Encryption of Data in Transit, Encryption of Data at Rest)
- Describe who enables encryption on AWS for a given service (AWS Documentation: importance of encryption and how AWS can help)
- Recognize there are services that will aid in auditing and reporting (AWS Documentation:AWS Audit Manager)
- Recognize that logs exist for auditing and monitoring (do not have to understand the logs) (AWS Documentation: Viewing HSM audit logs in CloudWatch Logs)
- Define Amazon CloudWatch, AWS Config, and AWS CloudTrail (AWS Documentation: Amazon CloudWatch, AWS Config, AWS CloudTrail)
- Explain the concept of least privileged access (AWS Documentation: Security best practices in IAM)
2.3 Identify AWS access management capabilities
- Understand the purpose of User and Identity Management
- Access keys and password policies (rotation, complexity) (AWS Documentation: Managing access keys for IAM users, Setting an account password policy for IAM users)
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (AWS Documentation: Using multi-factor authentication (MFA) in AWS)
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) (AWS Documentation:AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM))
- Groups/users (AWS Documentation: IAM Identities (users, user groups, and roles))
- Roles (AWS Documentation: IAM roles)
- Policies, managed policies compared to custom policies (AWS Documentation: Policies and permissions in IAM, AWS managed policies)
- Tasks that require use of root accounts (AWS Documentation: AWS account root user credentials and IAM user credentials)
- Protection of root accounts (AWS Documentation: best practices for securing my AWS account)
2.4 Identify resources for security support
- Recognize there are different network security capabilities
- Native AWS services (for example, security groups, Network ACLs, AWS WAF) (AWS Documentation: Control traffic to subnets using Network ACLs, Control traffic to resources using security groups, AWS WAF)
- 3rd party security products from the AWS Marketplace
- Recognize there is documentation and where to find it (for example, best practices, whitepapers, official documents)
- AWS Knowledge Center, Security Center, security forum, and security blogs (AWS Documentation: AWS Knowledge Center)
- Partner Systems Integrators (AWS Documentation: Next-Gen MSP Meets Global Systems Integrator on AWS)
- Know that security checks are a component of AWS Trusted Advisor (AWS Documentation: AWS Trusted Advisor check reference)
Domain 3: Technology
3.1 Define methods of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud
- Identify at a high level different ways of provisioning and operating in the AWS cloud
- Programmatic access, APIs, SDKs, AWS Management Console, CLI, Infrastructure as Code (AWS Documentation: AWS APIs, AWS SDK for JavaScript, AWS Management Console, AWS Command Line Interface, Infrastructure as Code)
- Identify different types of cloud deployment models
- All in with cloud/cloud native (AWS Documentation: Cloud-Native)
- Hybrid (AWS Documentation: Hybrid Cloud with AWS)
- On-premises (AWS Documentation: Deployments on an EC2/On-Premises Compute Platform)
- Identify connectivity options
- VPN (AWS Documentation: AWS VPN)
- AWS Direct Connect (AWS Documentation: AWS Direct Connect)
- Public internet (AWS Documentation: Connect to the internet using an internet gateway)
3.2 Define the AWS global infrastructure
- Describe the relationships among Regions, Availability Zones, and Edge Locations (AWS Documentation: Regions and Zones, Regions and Availability Zones)
- Describe how to achieve high availability through the use of multiple Availability Zones
- Recall that high availability is achieved by using multiple Availability Zones (AWS Documentation: Multi-AZ deployments for high availability, Amazon RDS Multi-AZ)
- Recognize that Availability Zones do not share single points of failure
- Describe when to consider the use of multiple AWS Regions (AWS Documentation:Multi-Region Application Architecture)
- Disaster recovery/business continuity (AWS Documentation: Disaster recovery options in the cloud, Business Continuity Plan (BCP))
- Low latency for end-users (AWS Documentation: Low-latency computing with AWS Local Zones)
- Data sovereignty (AWS Documentation: Embrace Data Sovereignty)
- Describe at a high level the benefits of Edge Locations (AWS Documentation:AWS for the Edge)
- Amazon CloudFront (AWS Documentation: Amazon CloudFront)
- AWS Global Accelerator (AWS Documentation: AWS Global Accelerator)
3.3 Identify the core AWS services
- Describe the categories of services on AWS (compute, storage, network, database) (AWS Documentation: AWS Cloud Products)
- Identify AWS compute services
- Recognize there are different compute families (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 Instance Types)
- Recognize the different services that provide compute (for example, AWS Lambda compared to Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS), or Amazon EC2, etc.) (AWS Documentation: Compute Services)
- Recognize that elasticity is achieved through Auto Scaling
- Identify the purpose of load balancers (AWS Documentation: Application Load Balancer)
- Identify different AWS storage services
- Describe Amazon S3 (AWS Documentation: Amazon S3)
- Describe Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) (AWS Documentation: Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS))
- Describe Amazon S3 Glacier (AWS Documentation: Amazon S3 Glacier)
- Describe AWS Snowball (AWS Documentation: AWS Snowball)
- Describe Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) (AWS Documentation: Use Amazon EFS with Amazon EC2)
- Describe AWS Storage Gateway (AWS Documentation: Amazon S3 File Gateway)
- Identify AWS networking services
- Identify VPC (AWS Documentation: Finding information to connect to a VPC)
- Identify security groups (AWS Documentation: Finding information to connect to a VPC)
- Identify the purpose of Amazon Route 53 (AWS Documentation: Amazon Route 53)
- Identify VPN, AWS Direct Connect (AWS Documentation: Identifying a Site-to-Site VPN connection, AWS Direct Connect)
- Identify different AWS database services
- Install databases on Amazon EC2 compared to AWS managed databases (AWS Documentation: Choosing between Amazon RDS, Amazon EC2, or VMware Cloud)
- Identify Amazon RDS (AWS Documentation: Amazon RDS DB instances)
- Identify Amazon DynamoDB (AWS Documentation: Amazon DynamoDB)
- Identify Amazon Redshift (AWS Documentation: Getting started with Amazon Redshift)
3.4 Identify resources for technology support
- Recognize there is documentation (best practices, whitepapers, AWS Knowledge Center, forums, blogs) (AWS Documentation: Follow Security Best Practices, AWS Knowledge Center, AWS Whitepapers & Guides)
- Identify the various levels and scope of AWS support
- AWS Abuse (AWS Documentation: report abuse of AWS resources)
- AWS support cases (AWS Documentation: Creating support cases and case management)
- Premium support
- Technical Account Managers (AWS Documentation: AWS Enterprise Support)
- Recognize there is a partner network (marketplace, third-party) including Independent Software Vendors and System Integrators (AWS Documentation: AWS Partner Network, AWS Partner Paths)
- Identify sources of AWS technical assistance and knowledge including professional services, solution architects, training and certification, and the Amazon Partner Network (AWS Documentation: technical support from AWS, AWS Professional Services, Successful solutions architects do these five things)
- Identify the benefits of using AWS Trusted Advisor (AWS Documentation: AWS Trusted Advisor)
Domain 4: Billing and Pricing
4.1 Compare and contrast the various pricing models for AWS (for example, On-Demand Instances, Reserved Instances, and Spot Instance pricing) (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 pricing)
- Identify scenarios/best fit for On-Demand Instance pricing (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 On-Demand Pricing, On-Demand Instances)
- Identify scenarios/best fit for Reserved-Instance pricing (AWS Documentation:Reserved Instances, Amazon EC2 Reserved Instances)
- Describe Reserved-Instances flexibility (AWS Documentation: Instance Size Flexibility for EC2 Reserved Instances)
- Describe Reserved-Instances behavior in AWS Organizations (AWS Documentation: Reserved Instances)
- Identify scenarios/best fit for Spot Instance pricing (AWS Documentation: Spot Instances)
4.2 Recognize the various account structures in relation to AWS billing and pricing
- Recognize that consolidated billing is a feature of AWS Organizations (AWS Documentation: Consolidated billing for AWS Organizations)
- Identify how multiple accounts aid in allocating costs across departments (AWS Documentation: AWS Cost Allocation For Customer Bills, Cost Allocation Basics)
4.3 Identify resources available for billing support
- Identify ways to get billing support and information (AWS Documentation:AWS Billing and Cost Management)
- Cost Explorer, AWS Cost and Usage Report, Amazon QuickSight, third-party partners, and AWS Marketplace tools (AWS Documentation: Analyzing your costs with AWS Cost Explorer, AWS Cost and Usage Reports, Amazon QuickSight, AWS Managed Service Provider Partners)
- Open a billing support case (AWS Documentation: Creating support cases and case management)
- The role of the Concierge for AWS Enterprise Support Plan customers (AWS Documentation: AWS Enterprise Support)
- Identify where to find pricing information on AWS services
- AWS Simple Monthly Calculator (AWS Documentation: AWS Pricing Calculator console)
- AWS Services product pages (AWS Documentation: Using the Products page)
- AWS Pricing API (AWS Documentation: AWS Price List API)
- Recognize that alarms/alerts exist (AWS Documentation: Creating a billing alarm to monitor your estimated AWS charges)
- Identify how tags are used in cost allocation (AWS Documentation: Using Cost Allocation Tags)
How difficult is the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam?
Well, there are certifications that can be difficult to crack and the AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam is one of those. But it is righteously said that nothing in the world comes for free. Apparently, you have to put in enough hard work combined with the right set of resources for the exam. Due to the rising competition and rising demand passing the exam has become very critical. Therefore, the exam has been built to filter the best talent is making the exams more comprehensive and extensive.
Therefore, you must put your best foot forward and learn by practicing more and referring to authentic resources to help plan better. Let us now look at the resources that can be used to prepare well and help you pass the exam. To know more about the details of the exam you can also visit the AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam Online Tutorials
Learning Resources for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Preparation
Now that you have complete details about the exam, let us look into the pool of resources you have for preparation. The right set of resources will always help to clear your conceptual parts and will help you pass the examinations smoothly. Some of the resources that you can refer for better preparation and to qualify the exam without any hurdles.
1. AWS Cloud Practitioner Learning Path
The AWS Cloud Practitioner study path is targeted at applicants who want to deepen and confirm their knowledge of the AWS Cloud. Individuals that deal with the AWS Cloud in technical, managerial, sales, buying, or financial roles will benefit from this course.
Refer: Learn about AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam
2. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Whitepapers
Following that, it’s essential to delve into AWS whitepapers. These resources will enhance your understanding of the cloud through AWS technical content, offering technical whitepapers, guides, reference materials, and architecture diagrams. We’ve narrowed down the crucial ones, so be sure to explore the following:
- Overview of Amazon Web Services
- Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices
- How AWS Pricing Works
- Compare AWS Support Plans
Refer: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Whitepapers
3. Join the Online Community
Engaging in online forums and study groups is an excellent method to ready yourself for the certification exam. Don’t hesitate to connect with fellow candidates on study forums or online groups to seek assistance on topics causing you difficulty.
4. Evaluate yourself with Practice test
This is the most important part of your preparation, solve as many sample papers and practice tests as you can. This will help you improve your weak parts and also will clear your conceptual portions. You will feel more confident by practicing as much as you can. Testpreptraining.com has very good collection. Try the free test now!
