The best AWS certification path for most beginners is Cloud Practitioner, then Solutions Architect Associate, then one role-based certification that matches the job you want. AWS offers certifications at four levels, and you do not need all of them. This guide explains each level, which order to take them in for common roles such as cloud engineer, DevOps engineer, developer and data engineer, and how to prepare without wasting money.
AWS updates its exams from time to time, adding new ones and retiring older ones. Always confirm the current exam list, version and price on the official AWS Certification website before you book.
The four levels of AWS certification
| Level | Who it is for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational | Complete beginners, non-technical roles, students | Cloud Practitioner, AI Practitioner |
| Associate | People with some hands-on AWS practice | Solutions Architect, Developer, CloudOps Engineer (formerly SysOps Administrator), Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer |
| Professional | Engineers with real project experience | Solutions Architect Professional, DevOps Engineer Professional, Generative AI Developer Professional |
| Specialty | Deep knowledge of one domain | Security, Advanced Networking |
As a rough guide, foundational exams have historically cost about USD 100, associate exams about USD 150, and professional and specialty exams about USD 300. Prices in India are charged in rupees plus tax, so check the exact figure when booking.
Step 1: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (optional but useful)
Cloud Practitioner tests broad understanding rather than hands-on skill: what cloud computing is, the main AWS services, security basics, pricing and support plans. Take it if:
- you are new to IT or switching careers;
- you work in sales, management, support or finance and need to speak the cloud language;
- you want a quick confidence boost before a harder exam.
If you already work with Linux, networking or development, you can skip it and go straight to an associate exam. Recruiters for engineering roles give it little weight on its own.
Preparation time: two to four weeks of part-time study.
Step 2: Solutions Architect Associate (the core certification)
This is the most popular AWS certification and the one most job descriptions mention. It tests whether you can design systems that are secure, resilient, fast and cost-effective. Expect scenario questions such as which combination of services meets this availability requirement at the lowest cost?
Topics to master:
- Compute: EC2 instance types, Auto Scaling, Elastic Load Balancing, Lambda.
- Storage: S3 storage classes and lifecycle rules, EBS, EFS.
- Networking: VPC, subnets, route tables, security groups vs network ACLs, NAT gateways, Route 53.
- Databases: RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, caching with ElastiCache.
- Security: IAM users, roles and policies, KMS encryption, the shared responsibility model.
- Decoupling: SQS, SNS, EventBridge.
Preparation time: six to ten weeks with daily hands-on practice in a free tier account.
Step 3: Choose a path for your target role
Cloud engineer or cloud administrator
- Cloud Practitioner (optional)
- Solutions Architect Associate
- CloudOps Engineer Associate, which focuses on monitoring, automation, deployment and troubleshooting
- Later: Solutions Architect Professional
DevOps engineer
- Solutions Architect Associate
- Developer Associate or CloudOps Engineer Associate
- DevOps Engineer Professional, once you have built real CI/CD pipelines
Pair the certifications with Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform and a CI/CD tool. Our DevOps roadmap covers that side.
Software developer
- Developer Associate, which covers Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, SDKs and deployment tools
- Solutions Architect Associate, to understand the bigger design picture
Data engineer
- Cloud Practitioner (optional)
- Data Engineer Associate, which covers ingestion, transformation, S3 data lakes, Glue, Athena, Redshift and streaming
Machine learning and AI
- AI Practitioner, for the concepts behind machine learning and generative AI on AWS
- Machine Learning Engineer Associate, for building and deploying models with SageMaker
- Generative AI Developer Professional, for building applications with foundation models
Security
- Solutions Architect Associate
- Security Specialty
How to prepare without wasting money
- Start with AWS Skill Builder. AWS publishes free digital courses and an official exam guide for each certification. Read the exam guide first; it lists every domain and its weight.
- Practise hands-on in the free tier. Create a VPC from scratch, launch EC2 behind a load balancer, host a static site on S3, and write a Lambda function triggered by an S3 upload. Reading alone is not enough for associate exams.
- Set a billing alarm on day one. Create an AWS Budget with an email alert so a forgotten resource does not surprise you.
- Use one good video course and one set of practice exams. Too many sources cause confusion. Review every wrong answer and the reason behind it.
- Book the exam when you consistently score above about 80 percent in practice tests.
A 10-week study plan for Solutions Architect Associate
| Weeks | Focus | Hands-on task |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | IAM, EC2, EBS, AMIs | Launch and connect to a Linux instance, attach a volume |
| 3 to 4 | VPC, subnets, security groups, NAT, Route 53 | Build a two-tier VPC with public and private subnets |
| 5 | S3, CloudFront, storage classes | Host a static website with CloudFront |
| 6 | RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, ElastiCache | Connect an app on EC2 to an RDS database |
| 7 | ELB, Auto Scaling, high availability | Put two instances behind a load balancer across AZs |
| 8 | Lambda, SQS, SNS, EventBridge | Process S3 uploads with Lambda |
| 9 | Security, KMS, monitoring with CloudWatch | Create alarms and encrypt an S3 bucket |
| 10 | Practice exams and revision | Review weak domains |
Do AWS certifications get you a job?
A certification gets your resume past filters and gives you a structured way to learn, but on its own it rarely gets you hired. Interviewers ask you to explain what you built. Combine one or two certifications with two or three projects on GitHub, such as a three-tier web app deployed with Terraform, and you will stand out from candidates who only hold certificates. Practise with our AWS interview questions before applying.
Validity and recertification
AWS certifications are valid for three years. You can recertify by passing the current version of the same exam or, for some certifications, a higher-level exam in the same area. Passing an exam also earns you a discount voucher for your next one, so plan your path in sequence.
Frequently asked questions
Which AWS certification is best for freshers?
Solutions Architect Associate gives the best value for freshers aiming at technical roles. Start with Cloud Practitioner only if you are completely new to IT concepts.
Can I skip Cloud Practitioner?
Yes. It is not a prerequisite for any associate exam. Many people with some IT background go straight to Solutions Architect Associate.
How long does it take to get AWS certified?
Two to four weeks for Cloud Practitioner and six to ten weeks for an associate exam, studying one to two hours a day with hands-on practice.
Is AWS better than Azure for a career?
Both have strong demand. AWS has the largest market share, while Azure is popular in enterprises that use Microsoft products. See our comparison of AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud to choose.
Are AWS exams available online?
Yes. You can take most AWS exams at a test centre or online with a remote proctor. Read the online testing rules carefully, because a cluttered desk or a second monitor can get your session cancelled.
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