Just passed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 exam over the weekend. Sharing my own experience here to help out new guys to also pass this test.

AWS SAA-C03 Exam Experience

I took the exam online via Pearson Vue. Here are the highlights:

• I booked the SAA-C03 exam and got 50% off from the voucher I got for passing the CLF-C01 exam.

• I strategically scheduled my test on Saturday morning, about 8 AM, so I got full energy. You have to be aware of your peak energy levels to avoid stressing out during the test

• I checked-in 30 minutes before the test. You need to have your mobile phone ready to take pictures of your room and your IDs.

• There's a queue number before taking the online test. Surprisingly, I was #10 in the queue but after a few minutes, it went down to #4 so be prepared to take the exam during that time.

• There's this widget with Whiteboard and other tools. You can move this around since it's directly on top of the AWS Test console, which is annoying BTW. I did use the notes tool just to jot my notes down and mark the question numbers that I have to get back to.

• Unlike my CLF-C01 exam before, the test result didn't show up immediately

AWS CLOUD BACKGROUND

I passed the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam about a year ago and then pursued some Azure courses and passed the AZ-900 exam. After that, my work went 100% AWS so I stopped doing Azure stuff and focused on AWS instead. All in all, I have 5 years of IT experience and about 2 years of AWS hands-on experience.

MY SAA-C03 RESOURCES

My SAA-C03 exam prep resources are similar with this Study Plan video. I also use the following items:

• Official Exam Guide - https://d1.awsstatic.com/training-and-certification/docs-sa-assoc/AWS-Certified-Solutions-Architect-Associate_Exam-Guide.pdf

• Adrian Cantrill course: https://learn.cantrill.io/p/aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate-saa-c03

• Tutorials Dojo exam pack (ebook, practice exams, video)

• SAA-C03 sample exam /AWS YouTube vids

SAA-C03 Exam Content

• Most of the content shown in the SAA-C03 Exam guide showed up.

• The questions are lenghty, with two or three paragraphs.

• In terms of format and content, it's very similar with the Tutorials Dojo SAA-C03 practice exams.

• There's Machine Learning and new Database services in the exam that you should prepare for (all are enumerated on the Exam Guide)

SAA-C03 Exam Tips

• Use the 50% OFF voucher on your CCP test. It's still valid even after passing the test for a year or so.

• Search YouTube on the recent SAA-C03 exam passers.

• Make sure you are taking notes when doing your video course. Go back and review your notes before taking the actual exam.

• My last tip is to always trust the official AWS SAA-C03 Exam Guide. Read them from cover to cover, including each Task Statements of each Exam Domain. Then focus on the AWS services listed in the Appendix section of the test.

There you have it. Another day chockfull of AWS fun. I hope this post help. Good luck y'all!