3. Solve Practice Tests
Also known as practice tests or exam simulator, this is the single biggest thing which can be the difference in jus passing the exam or scoring well. Mock tests have several benefits like:
1. They train you to solve problems in a limited amount of time, which is really important. I know many people who have just got 5 to 10 questions wrong because of time pressure.
2. Practice tests also help you to consolidate and solidify your learning because when you answer the question, your mind works. It recalls and analyzes concepts to answer the question, which helps you to remember the idea longer and also understand it better.
3. Mock tests also help you to find out your preparation level. If you went for the Whizlabs test and found that you can only score 50%, then you not ready for the exam, and you need more study and practice. Similarly, they also help you to pinpoint your weak areas, I mean, where you need more focus.
Now that you know Mock tests are essential, here are some of my recommended practice tests for AWS Solution Architect Associate exams
3.1 Udemy AWS Practice Tests
Along with online courses, Udemy also has some practice tests sold as online courses that you can use for preparing the AWS solution architect exam. Out of many AWS SAA-C01 Practice test on Udemy, I recommend these two, both are the most up-to-date tests:
3.1.1 Jon Bonson's AWS Solution Architect Practice tests (390 questions)
This course contains 6 practice tests of 65 questions each, goo for your final preparation.
3.1.2 A Cloud Guru's AWS architect Mock tests (195 questions)
This is another excellent mock test on Udemy for the AWS solution architect associate exam. It's from Cloud guru's and contains 3 practice tests, each with 65 questions. It's slightly tricky than previous ones but worth doing.
3.2 David Mayer's AWS Dumps (987 questions)
This is another big list of AWS practice questions if you like to really go for those 900+ scores. This mock test has got 987 questions and 20 exam tests, which make it the mother of all AWS practice papers. You don't need anything else after doing it.
3.3 WhizLabs (620 questions) (Most Comprehensive)
Includes 6 full-length mock exams and 620 unique questions for AWS Solution architect associate exam practice. It has both full tests as well as topic wise tests to improve your weak areas. On top of that explanation for every question is provided, which further helps in your learning.
4. Work on Hands-on AWS Labs
Practice inside AWS console is very important if you aspire to work as a Solution Architect for AWS Cloud. In general, I advise students to join a course that also has practice labs and also opens an AWS free tier account.
Since you only remember if you do the stuff, these AWS practical sessions will help you to understand and memorize the services which you are reading like EC2, S3, DynamoDB, IAM, and others. You can sign up for a free AWS account
here.
5. Read AWS White Papers
If you are someone who is not happy with 800+ core and want to go for a 900+ score, then I also suggest you read White Papers and Case studies provided by AWS. These are some of the most in-depth and practical content you will get anywhere on the internet.
If you want to go one step more, you can also read AWS documentation as it provides the most up-to-date information, which is undoubtedly an essential factor given AWS is still evolving, and there are hundreds of updates to catch up.
Alternatively, you can also signup for AWS weekly on ACloudGuru, which is a great way to keep up-to-date with new AWS changes. Here is the
link to read AWS whitepapers
5 Tips to Pass AWS Certifications in First Attempt
1. Passing marks for the AWS Certified Solution architect exam varies daily. It could be 60% or 72% or even more, but you should always prepare for 75% to pass the exam in the very first attempt.
2. How much time you need to prepare for the
AWS Solution Architect Associate exam? Well, preparation time mostly depends on experience level. If you have some AWS experience under your belt, then 2-3 weeks of preparation is enough, but if you are a complete beginner to AWS, then 4 to 6 weeks is a reasonable time.
3. Hands-on lab exercises are a must if you don't want to become a paper certified AWS developer or solution architect. All the things you will learn and earn via certification also need a backup of hands-on experience. It's even more critical for people who are not actively working in AWS like as part of their day job. In short, get a free AWS account open and try to break things and learned how to fix them.
4. Join the courses which are most up-to-date and also include lab exercises for the reason I have mentioned above. Since AWS is still evolving and there is a new feature coming up daily, it's essential to choose the course which is not most up-to-date, not just in terms of the certification syllabus and curriculum but also with AWS feature and how to do things in the best and latest way in
AWS.
5. Solve as many practice questions as possible. This is, by far, the most important tip from me. Since you are going to appear for an exam, where you need to solve questions in a limited time, you got to do practice to be able to read, understand, and solve those problems quickly.
I know many people how have got 1o to 15 questions wrong just because of time pressure. Mock tests and practice questions also help to solidify your knowledge and highlight gaps in your learning. For example, you can use them to find your strong and weak areas and then cover them better before the real exam.
That's all about how to
pass the AWS solution architect associate level exam. AWS Certifications, particularly the solution architect, is significant. This not only gives you approval from the AWS but also prepare for your interviews and further work. AWS Solution architect is also most high paying professionals with annual salary ranging from $120,000 to $130,000, and as more and more company are moving towards the cloud, there is a lot of opportunity for cloud developers and architects.
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