In the ever-evolving world of cloud computing, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the clear frontrunner. According to the 2023 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, AWS is the most widely used cloud platform, with 48.62% of respondents reporting its use – nearly double that of its closest competitor, Microsoft Azure, at 26.03%. 

As AWS continues to lead the cloud revolution, the demand for skilled professionals who can architect, deploy, and manage AWS solutions has skyrocketed. To validate and showcase these specialized skills, AWS offers a series of certifications, with the Solutions Architect track being one of the most sought-after.

The popularity and value of these certifications are evident in recent industry reports. According to the Skillsoft IT Skills and Salary Report 2023, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate is not only one of the most popular certifications held in 2023 but also one of the most pursued. Furthermore, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification ranks among the highest-paying IT certifications worldwide.

In this blog post, we will discuss the details of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate and Professional certifications. 

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification is designed to validate your expertise in designing and implementing cost-effective and performance-optimized solutions on AWS. It focuses on your ability to demonstrate a deep understanding of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.

The AWS Well-Architected Framework is a set of best practices for building secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure for applications. It consists of six pillars:

1. Operational excellence: Running and monitoring systems and continually improving processes
2. Security: Protecting information and systems
3. Reliability: Ensuring a workload performs its intended function correctly and can quickly recover from failures
4. Performance efficiency: Using computing resources efficiently
5. Cost optimization: Avoiding unnecessary costs
6. Sustainability: Minimizing the environmental impacts of running cloud workloads

The certification tests your understanding of these principles and how to apply them in real-world scenarios. 

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate: Prerequisite

While there are no strict prerequisites for taking the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam, here are some generally recommended guidelines based on your experience levels:

1. AWS experience: If you have at least one year of hands-on experience designing solutions on the AWS platform, you're well-positioned to take this exam. This experience will give you practical insights into using AWS services to architect and deploy cloud solutions. 
2. General IT experience: If you have 1-3 years of general IT experience, you can consider taking this exam even if your direct AWS experience is limited.
3. Limited or no IT experience: If you're new to IT or cloud computing, it's often suggested that you start with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. This foundational-level certification provides a broad overview of AWS Cloud concepts and can be an excellent stepping stone towards the Solutions Architect - Associate certification. 

To prepare for the Cloud Practitioner exam, consider taking KodeKloud's AWS Cloud Practitioner course, which is structured to be engaging and interactive, incorporating a variety of teaching methods such as videos, demos, quizzes, and exercises to facilitate a thorough understanding of the material.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate: Exam Format

Understanding the exam structure and logistics is crucial for effective preparation. Here's what you need to know about the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate exam:

Question format and duration

• The exam consists of 65 questions.
• You have 130 minutes to complete the exam.
• Question types include multiple choice (one correct answer out of four options) and multiple response (two or more correct answers out of five or more options).
• Unanswered questions are marked as incorrect, so it's best to attempt all questions.

Scoring

• The exam uses a pass/fail model.
• Scores are reported on a scale of 100-1000, with a minimum passing score of 720.
• The exam uses a compensatory scoring model, meaning you need to pass only the overall exam, not each section individually.

Exam delivery

• The exam is available through Pearson VUE in two formats:
  1. Testing center: Proctored exam at a physical Pearson VUE location.
  2. Online proctored: Take the exam from your home or office, supervised remotely.

Pricing

• The exam fee varies depending on your location.
• For detailed pricing information, please refer to the official AWS Certification pricing page.

Validity

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification is valid for 3 years from the date you pass the exam. 

You can recertify by taking the latest version of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam before your current certification expires. Alternatively, you can recertify by passing the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam, which will automatically renew your Associate-level certification.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate: Main Topics and Weightage

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam is divided into four main domains, each carrying a specific weightage. 

These weightages indicate the percentage of questions you can expect from each domain in the exam.

Let's break down each domain and its key focus areas: 

Domain 1: Design Secure Architectures

This domain focuses on the security aspects of AWS architectures. Key tasks include:

• Design secure access to AWS resources
• Design secure workloads and applications
• Determine appropriate data security controls 

Domain 2: Design Resilient Architectures

This domain emphasizes creating robust and fault-tolerant systems. Key tasks include:

• Design scalable and loosely coupled architectures
• Design highly available and/or fault-tolerant architectures

Domain 3: Design High-Performing Architectures

This domain covers optimizing performance across various AWS services. Key tasks include:

• Design high-performing and/or scalable storage solutions. 
• Design high-performing and elastic compute solutions.
• Design high-performing database solutions
• Design high-performing and/or scalable network architectures
• Design high-performing data ingestion and transformation solutions

Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures

This domain focuses on creating cost-effective solutions. Key tasks include: 

• Design cost-optimized storage solutions
• Design cost-optimized compute solutions
• Design cost-optimized database solutions
• Design cost-optimized network architectures

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate: Key Concepts and AWS Services

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam covers a wide range of AWS services and architectural concepts. While the full list is extensive, here's a condensed overview of key areas and some of the most important services you should be familiar with:

Core concepts:

• Compute
• Cost management
• Database
• Disaster recovery
• High performance
• Management and governance
• Microservices and component delivery
• Migration and data transfer
• Networking, connectivity, and content delivery
• Resiliency
• Security
• Serverless and event-driven design principles
• Storage

To see a comprehensive list of key AWS services that are relevant to the core concepts covered in the exam, please visit the following link: AWS services by category.

Remember, this is not an exhaustive list. The exam may cover additional services and concepts. It's crucial to review the official AWS exam guide for the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on exam content.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification is designed to validate your advanced technical skills and experience in designing optimized AWS solutions and the ability to complete the following tasks within the scope of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.

• Design for organizational complexity
• Design for new solutions
• Continuously improve existing solutions
• Accelerate workload migration and modernization

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional: Prerequisite

While there are no mandatory prerequisites for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam, it's designed for experienced AWS professionals. Here are some recommended guidelines:

AWS experience 

This exam is intended for individuals with two or more years of hands-on experience designing and deploying cloud architecture on AWS. If you have extensive experience working with a wide range of AWS services and architecting complex solutions, you're well-positioned for this certification.

Technical skills 

You should be comfortable with:

• Using AWS CLI, AWS APIs, and AWS CloudFormation templates
• Navigating the AWS Billing Console and AWS Management Console
• Working with a scripting language
• Operating in both Windows and Linux environments

Architectural expertise

You should be able to:

• Provide best practice guidance on architectural design across multiple applications and projects within an enterprise
• Map business objectives to application and architecture requirements
• Evaluate cloud application requirements and make appropriate architectural recommendations
• Design hybrid architectures using key AWS technologies (e.g., VPN, AWS Direct Connect)
• Implement continuous integration and deployment processes

If you're not yet at this level of expertise, consider gaining more hands-on experience. While not required, many candidates find the Associate-level certification beneficial before attempting the Professional level.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional: Exam Format

Here's what you need to know about the AWS Solutions Architect - Professional exam:

Question format and duration

• The exam consists of 75 questions.
• You have 180 minutes to complete the exam.
• Question types include multiple choice (one correct answer out of four options) and multiple response (two or more correct answers out of five or more options).
• Unanswered questions are marked as incorrect, so it's best to attempt all questions.

Scoring

• The exam uses a pass/fail model.
• Scores are reported on a scale of 100-1000, with a minimum passing score of 750.
• The exam uses a compensatory scoring model, meaning you need to pass only the overall exam, not each section individually.

Exam delivery

• The exam is available through Pearson VUE in two formats:
  • Testing center: Proctored exam at a physical Pearson VUE location.
  • Online proctored: Take the exam from your home or office, supervised remotely.

Pricing

• The exam fee varies depending on your location.
• For detailed pricing information, please refer to the official AWS Certification pricing page.

Validity

• The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification is valid for 3 years from the date you pass the exam. You can recertify by taking the latest version of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam before your current certification expires. Note that passing this exam will also automatically renew your AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification if you hold one.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional: Main Topics and Weightage

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam is divided into four main domains, each carrying a specific weightage:

These weightages indicate the percentage of questions you can expect from each domain in the exam.

The following is the breakdown of each domain and its key focus areas:

Domain 1: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity

This domain focuses on complex organizational architectures. Key tasks include: 

• Architect network connectivity strategies
• Prescribe security controls
• Design reliable and resilient architectures
• Design a multi-account AWS environment
• Determine cost-optimization and visibility strategies

Domain 2: Design for New Solutions 

This domain emphasizes creating new solutions to meet business needs. Key tasks include:

• Design a deployment strategy to meet business requirements
• Design a solution to ensure business continuity
• Determine security controls based on requirements
• Design a strategy to meet reliability requirements
• Design a solution to meet performance objectives
• Design a cost-optimization strategy to meet solution goals and objectives

Domain 3: Continuous improvement of existing solutions 

This domain covers optimizing and enhancing existing architectures. Key tasks include:

• Determine a strategy to improve overall operational excellence
• Determine a strategy to improve security
• Determine a strategy to improve performance
• Determine a strategy to improve reliability
• Identify opportunities for cost optimizations

Domain 4: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization 

This domain focuses on migrating and modernizing existing workloads. Key tasks include:

• Select existing workloads and processes for potential migration
• Determine the optimal migration approach for existing workloads
• Determine a new architecture for existing workloads
• Determine opportunities for modernization and enhancements

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional: Key Concepts and AWS Services

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam covers a wide range of AWS services and architectural concepts. While the full list is extensive, here's a condensed overview of key areas and some of the most important services you should be familiar with:

Core concepts:

• Compute
• Cost management
• Database
• Disaster recovery
• High availability
• Management and governance
• Microservices and component decoupling
• Migration and data transfer
• Networking, connectivity, and content delivery
• Security
• Serverless design principles
• Storage

To see a comprehensive list of key AWS services that are relevant to the core concepts covered in the exam, please visit the following link: AWS services by category.

Note that this is not an exhaustive list. The exam may cover additional services and concepts. It's crucial to review the official AWS exam guide for the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on exam content.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between AWS solutions architect associate and professional certifications?

AWS certifications are structured into four levels: Foundational, Associate, Professional, and Specialty. The Solutions Architect certification is available at both the Associate and Professional levels. Here's a comparison:

The Associate level is suitable for those with some AWS experience, while the Professional level is designed for those with extensive AWS architecture experience and the ability to design complex, scalable systems.

Can I take AWS solutions architect professional without an associate certification?

Yes, you can take the AWS Solutions Architect - Professional exam without first obtaining the Associate-level certification. However, AWS recommends having at least two years of hands-on experience designing and deploying cloud architecture on AWS, as the Professional-level exam is significantly more challenging and in-depth than the Associate exam. It's generally advisable to start with the Associate certification to build a strong foundation before attempting the Professional level.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we explored the details of both the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate and Professional level certifications. We covered essential aspects including prerequisites, exam formats, main topics and weightages, and key AWS services for each certification level.

The AWS Solutions Architect certifications stand out as valuable credentials. As we've seen, these certifications validate your expertise in designing and implementing AWS solutions, from fundamental principles at the Associate level to complex, multi-faceted architectures at the Professional level.

Obtaining these certifications can significantly enhance your career prospects in the competitive tech job market. They increase your employability, often lead to higher earning potential, and contribute to your overall professional growth. 

Whether you're just starting your AWS journey or looking to advance your existing skills, these certifications offer a structured path for growth and recognition in the field of cloud computing. 

Want to crack AWS certifications like a pro? Read our blog post: Crack AWS Certifications Like a Pro: 7 Game-Changing Steps You Need to Know.

For those specifically targeting the AWS Solutions Architect - Associate certification, KodeKloud offers a tailored course to help you prepare effectively. Our AWS Solutions Architect - Associate course provides comprehensive coverage of the exam topics including practice questions, exam tips, and review sessions to ensure you're fully equipped for success.     

Want to master key AWS services and prepare for these certifications? Check out KodeKloud’s AWS Learning Path. Our comprehensive courses are designed to equip you with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to excel in your AWS certification journey and beyond.