Hey everyone! I passed the AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) exam recently!

Big shoutout to the AWS certification community for all the help and advice.

The exam was tough—I remember panicking over a question that seemed out of the blue. But with a score of 801, I managed to pull through!

Here are a few things I picked up along the way that might help you:

• Get Familiar with the Exam: Reviewing the exam guide and practicing with exam-style questions really paid off.

• AWS Docs Are Your Friend: Dive deep into AWS documentation—it's super helpful. YouTube tutorials are great for extra explanations too.

• Practice Makes Perfect: I found ExamTopics practice exams really useful. Give them a shot!

• Explore AWS Free Tier: Use the AWS Free Tier to get hands-on experience without worrying about costs.

• Take Your Time: Don't rush through studying. Understanding the material thoroughly makes a huge difference on exam day.

What's next for me? Thinking about starting a project to put my certification to the test. Any other ideas?

Thanks again for all the support and advice—you guys are awesome!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share my AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) experience. I seriously thought I failed — was already coping in advance 😭 — but got the 810 email on Credly and I'm finally breathing again.

I’m writing this post for: • Anyone in that post-exam limbo. • Anyone feeling overwhelmed during prep. • Anyone scrolling Reddit like I was, praying they passed.

🎯 My Preparation Journey 📚 What I Used: • Stephane Maarek’s SAA-C03 course on Udemy. • Tutorials Dojo (TD) practice exams — bought from Udemy too.

🧠 How I Studied: • Completed all 6 practice exams from Tutorials Dojo. • On my first attempt, I scored: ➡️ Between 60–72% average ➡️ Reviewed every question I got wrong and made notes. • Gave all exams again after review, and my scores went up to: ➡️ 80–90% • Final revision: Re-reviewed questions I got wrong again and deep-dived using ChatGPT (the TD explanations weren’t enough for me).

⚠️ A Twist the Night Before...

I was just randomly scrolling YouTube when I discovered that Stephane Maarek has a free sample test inside his course lectures — I hadn’t touched it before!

• Took the sample test — scored 67%, and it completely threw me off. • The question style felt different from TD, which made me super nervous. • Still, I reviewed all 20 questions I got wrong and went ahead with the exam.

🧪 The Actual Exam Experience

Let me be real — it was mentally brutal. • I had the ESL 30-minute extension, and still finished with only 7 seconds left. • Couldn’t review the 4 questions I flagged. • The questions were long, and I kept forgetting the first part by the time I reached the end. • I kept scribbling on the notepad to remember services and their use cases. • The AC in the test center was noisy, and I couldn’t focus for the first 10–15 mins (if you're sensitive to this, ask them to fix it before starting). • By question 50, my brain was cooked. Like fried. I was barely functioning.

🧠 Post-Exam Mental Breakdown (Sort of)

• Walked out of the test center with shaking hands. • I was speechless the whole ride home. • Fully convinced I failed — I kept telling myself “Maybe the 15 ungraded questions were the ones I got wrong...” • Couldn’t sleep for 5 more hours (this was after being awake for 18 hours). • Finally at 2 AM, I got my Credly badge email and went straight to binge-eat my favorite food. That dopamine hit was unmatched.

📌 Final Score: 810 / 1000 Not perfect — but more than enough to pass, and honestly, I’m proud of myself for pushing through it.

💡 Tips for Anyone Preparing for SAA-C03

• Use ChatGPT (or similar tools) The reviews on TD are useful, but not deep enough. Use AI or mentors to ask follow-up questions and really understand concepts.

• Do NOT skip Stephane’s free sample test It's inside the lecture list on Udemy. Different question style gives you broader perspective than just doing TD.

• Don’t panic if your first TD test scores are low (60–70%) Review them properly. What matters is how much you improve the second time.

• Sleep well + drink coffee before the real exam The 2h 40m runtime (with ESL) will drain you — don’t underestimate mental fatigue.

• Practice time management Try to finish TD practice sets within 2h (if ESL) or 1h 40m (no ESL). Review later — but practice for speed.

• Don’t believe Reddit blindly I saw tons of posts saying "TD is harder than the real exam." → That was NOT the case for me. Real exam felt longer, heavier, and way more exhausting. • Don't stress after the exam I was sure I failed. But I passed. A lot of you are overthinking — trust your prep.

💬 Why I Wrote This

I made this post for two kinds of people:

• Those waiting for results — I know the anxiety is real. Hang in there. It might just be better than you think.

• Those preparing — I hope my messy journey helps you feel less alone, and gives you a more realistic expectation of what the exam feels like. Good luck to everyone going for it — you got this.

And if you're already cooked like I was — go eat something awesome and rest. You earned it.