I recently took and passed the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Exam and wanted to share my experience. This was a challenging yet rewarding journey, and I hope my insights will help those planning to take the same path.

About the Exam

The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate ( SOA-C02 ) is consistently among the top paying IT certifications, considering that Amazon Web Services is the leading cloud services platform in the world with almost 50% market share!

The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam is specifically designed to validate the technical knowledge of AWS SysOps Administrators, Systems Administrators, and those in a DevOps role who create automatable and repeatable deployment of applications, networks, and systems on the AWS platform.

As of March 28, 2023, the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam will not include exam labs until further notice. With this change, the exam will consist of 65 multiple-choice and multiple-response questions, with an exam time of 130 minutes. All exam prep resources that are available on this exam page remain valid for this changed exam format.

Preparation

Study Materials

I used a variety of resources to prepare for the exam. Here are some that I found particularly helpful:

1. AWS Documentation: During the course, I reviewed the official documentation of each service to gain a deeper understanding of its specific details.
2. eBook from TD: Study Guide eBook- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 – This eBook provides a comprehensive overview of the AWS certification exam and what one can expect in the actual test. It includes a study guide with exam-specific tips and recommended reading materials, a concise discussion of relevant AWS services, and a comparison of similar AWS services that can aid in solving tricky scenario questions in the actual test.
3. Cloud Academy Labs (HANDS-ON LABS, LAB CHALLENGES, & LAB PLAYGROUNDS): It offers practical experience with real AWS accounts and guides you through real-world lab scenarios
   
4. Practice Exams: Taking practice exams helped me gauge my readiness for the actual exam and familiarize myself with the exam format. For the last four weeks, I have consistently practiced using TD’s practice tests for my upcoming exam. The tests are well-structured and comprehensive and have been incredibly helpful in my preparation. I appreciate the vast amount of knowledge these tests have provided me, which is very similar to the actual exam in terms of complexity and scope.
   • • FREE AWS Digital Courses
     • FREE AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Practice Exams – Sampler
     • AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 Practice Exams

5. Video Course: I took a Video Course by Jon Bonso – I gained a comprehensive overview of AWS services, which gave me a good understanding of their features and functionalities at a high level.

Study Plan

I dedicated several weeks to studying for the exam. My study plan was as follows:

1. Understanding the Exam Blueprint: I started by reviewing the exam blueprint to understand the topics that would be covered.
2. Reading AWS Documentation: I spent time each day reading the AWS documentation for the services relevant to the exam.
3. Taking Practice Exams: I took practice exams regularly to assess my understanding and identify areas for improvement. For TD’s Practice Tests, if you reach a score of 90-95%, it indicates that you are ready for the actual exam. To become familiar with the actual test, I took all the sets three times.

Exam Tips

1. Don’t be surprised if there are services or scenarios you haven’t reviewed because according to the AWS SOA-C02 Exam Guide – “The exam includes 15 unscored questions that do not affect your score. AWS collects information about candidate performance on these unscored questions to evaluate these questions for future use as scored questions. These unscored questions are not identified on the exam”.
2. The AWS SYSOPS Administrator Associate exam covers a wide range of concepts and AWS services, which is why you have to know the specific items that you have to focus on so you won’t waste time studying the things that won’t likely be asked in the actual exam. You have to spend more time learning the following AWS services/ topics:
   • • Amazon CloudWatch Application Insights
     • DNS
     • Target tracking scaling policies
     • Auto-scaling policies
     • CloudFormation (StackSets, Nested Stack, drift etc)
     • All features of CloudWatch
     • All features of Systems Manager ( SSM Patch Manager, SSM Parameter Store)
     • Amazon RDS management
     • Amazon EC2 management (auto-scaling, metrics)
     • NAT Gateway
     • AWS Network Firewall
     • AWS Config
     • Security Hub
     • Spot instances
     • On-Demand instance
     • Routing policies (Route53)
     • ACM auto-renewals
     • CloudWatch Agent
3. One way to assess your understanding of an AWS service is to consider questions such as:
   What is the purpose of this service?
   When is it appropriate to use this service?
   How does it interact with other services?
   What security features does it offer?
   By answering these questions, you can gain a deeper understanding of the service and how it fits into the broader AWS environment.
4. In certain questions, you may encounter multiple answers that are technically valid. In such cases, carefully review the question again, as it may include language such as “most cost-effective” or “with the least operational overhead,” which can help you determine the most suitable solution. Consider this pattern when making your final selection.
5. Leave no stone unturned – don’t be complacent. Study as hard as you can and go through all the Exam Guides, practice exams, free courses, etc.

Receiving the Result

One of the most nerve-wracking parts of any exam is the wait for the result. However, in my case, the wait was surprisingly short. The result was received within just 3 hours on the same day as the exam. This quick turnaround time was incredibly beneficial as it eliminated the prolonged anxiety that usually accompanies such situations.

Recertification and Expiration

In addition to the swift result, another significant aspect of my exam experience was the recertification of the Certified Cloud Practitioner. This recertification process added an extra year to its expiration, extending the validity of my credentials. This not only reflects my continuous learning and up-to-date knowledge but also provides me with a longer duration to leverage my certification for future opportunities. The extended expiration period offers a sense of security, knowing that my efforts and achievements will continue to be recognized for an additional year.

Conclusion

Earning the AWS Certified SYSOPS Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) certification is a difficult but valuable accomplishment. It involves both theoretical understanding and hands-on expertise with AWS services. Using a range of resources, including online courses, practice tests, and official documents, can help you get ready for the exam. The key services and their use cases, as well as the best practices for security and high availability, should all be thoroughly understood. Passing the SOA-C02 exam can open up many prospects for a career in the cloud computing sector by investing the time and effort to study and practice. I hope my experience will help others who are preparing for this exam. Good luck!