I passed the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Recently, I passed the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, so I’d like to jot down my preparation process and overall impressions.

What is the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner?

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is the most basic level among the AWS certifications and serves as a starting point.

According to the official website:

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner validates foundational, high-level understanding of AWS Cloud, services, and terminology.  This is a good starting point on the AWS Certification journey for individuals with no prior IT or cloud experience switching to a cloud career or for line-of-business employees looking for foundational cloud literacy.

Source: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-cloud-practitioner/?nc1=h_ls

As the official site describes, this certification is useful for demonstrating foundational AWS knowledge.

I don’t often work with infrastructure in my day-to-day work, but I’ve always been interested in AWS, so I decided to take the exam as a way to learn more.

Preparation

• Study period: About 2 weeks
• Study of hours: Around 10 to 16 hours

I followed the exam preparation guide provided by AWS and used the AWS Skill Builder platform to complete the following courses:

• AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials
• Exam Prep Standard Course: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Official Practice Exam* *requires a subscription

My general approach was to solidify my understanding of the core concepts through the Cloud Practitioner Essentials course, and then use the practice exams and white papers to fill in the finer details.

On Exam Day

I chose to take the exam online because I didn’t want to go to a test center.

On the day of the exam, I was caught off guard by the requirement to take photos of my desk area to ensure no prohibited materials were present. It made me realize the importance of keeping my space tidy on a regular basis—lesson learned:)

The content of the actual exam was pretty much in line with what I had studied, so I was able to finish with plenty of time to spare.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the AWS Skill Builder and the official study guide, I was able to go through the learning process smoothly without getting stuck. Since the Cloud Practitioner exam focuses more on understanding concepts rather than technical skills, I think it's totally reasonable to skip it and aim straight for an associate-level certification if you already have some familiarity with AWS.

Next, I’m planning to go for the AWS Developer Associate (DVA) certification and will continue deepening my AWS knowledge.