Getting certified is an essential milestone for IT professionals for career advancement in today’s competitive industry. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) is one such certification. In this article, I will share my SAA-C03 exam experience, highlighting my challenges, overcoming setbacks, and the lessons I learned, including the various SAA-C03 exam topics I encountered.

Basically, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification test is an Associate-level exam of the AWS Global Certification program. Its latest exam code is SAA-C03, and the focus of this test is on designing cost-effective, scalable, high-performing, and resilient cloud solutions in the AWS platform. The SAA-C03 examination provides an avenue for IT professionals to demonstrate their strong understanding of the AWS Well-Architected Framework and enhance their career profile, as well as increase both their credibility and confidence in stakeholder and customer interactions.

My First AWS SAA-C03 Exam Experience – Q1 2023

Like many aspiring professionals, I entered the SAA-C03 online exam room (Pearson Vue online) with excitement and nervousness. I spent weeks studying, meticulously reviewing the exam guide, whitepapers, and doing practice tests. The material covered various AWS services, architectures, and best practices, but despite my efforts, I still found the SAA-C03 exam was far more challenging than I anticipated.

The clock ticked so fast as I faced questions that required in-depth knowledge of AWS services, scenario-based problem-solving skills, and the ability to differentiate between similar options. Time management was also critical, as the exam was designed to test technical expertise and decision-making under pressure.

Unfortunately, when the results arrived, I discovered I had fallen short of the passing score. The disappointment hit me so badly, but rather than succumbing to frustration, I resolved to learn from my mistakes and will approach the next exam with renewed determination.

The SAA-C03 exam is truly a challenging certification test, especially for a fresh graduate like me. I recently passed the CLF-C01 exam with ease, but this one hits differently. In terms of exam prep, I have gone through each lesson of the SAA-C03 video course I’m using but didn’t spend much time on the practice tests. That could be a culprit for why I didn’t reach the passing score the first time, but nonetheless, this loss didn’t deter me from trying once more.

My SAA-C03 Exam Tips

Failure is a powerful teacher if we embrace it with the right mindset. After reflecting on my SAA-C03 exam experiences, I have gained a clear understanding of important lessons that can be considered exam tips.

• Thorough Preparation – The SAA-C03 exam demands a thorough understanding of AWS services and their practical applications. It’s crucial to cover all the topics outlined in the exam guide and leverage various study resources, including official documentation, practice tests, and hands-on experience. Make sure that you review the provided explanations in the practice exams and take them at least two times to fully absorb the range of SAA-C03 exam topics.

• Time Management – The exam is time-constrained, making it vital to practice answering questions within the allotted time. You have to develop strategies to quickly identify question types, eliminate incorrect options, and prioritize answering correctly within the available time frame.



• Practical Experience – Hands-on experience with AWS services is quite essential. Applying theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios enhances understanding and helps retain information effectively. Make sure that you spend ample time doing your hands-on exercises in AWS. Using the PlayCloud hands-on labs of this SAA-C03 video course is pretty useful to experience using the AWS service/features.

• Learn from Failure -Failing the exam is frustrating, but it’s important not to let it define your journey. Analyze your weak areas, seek expert guidance, and invest in additional study resources to improve your chances of success.

• Perseverance – Success is rarely achieved without facing setbacks. Maintaining a positive attitude, remaining persistent, and using failures as stepping stones toward eventual success are essential.

SAA-C03 Exam Topics Encountered

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) exam has such an extensive question bank. The SAA-C03 exam topics that I encountered from my two previous exam attempts aren’t exactly the same, nor closely similar. I had many multiple-response questions that asked for 2 or 3 correct answers out of 5 or more options. In addition, most of the scenarios are long-winded scenarios with equally-long options. I hardly see an option that simply shows the name of the AWS service. It’s usually in the form of a statement that may integrate one or more features or services in AWS.

Most of the exam topics are mentioned in the Appendix section of the official SAA-C03 exam guide. However, there is still a copious number of topics, services, and technologies that aren’t covered in the guide, so make sure you prepare well. Here are some of the items I encountered on the test:

• I see lots of Apache, such as Apache Spark, Apache Parquet, Apache Kafka, Apache Tomcat, Apache Hive, and many others.
• There’s an abundance of disaster recovery scenarios which includes RTO (Recovery Time Objective), RPO (Recovery Point Objective), and the related AWS services/features that you can use to meet the requirements.
• Several Kubernetes-related technologies were mentioned, namely, Kubernetes Metrics Server and Kubernetes Cluster Autoscaler, to name a few.
• Various S3-related features like S3 Access Point, S3 Lifecycle Policy, S3 Select and others.
• There are a handful of machine learning scenarios and AWS services such as Amazon SageMaker, Amazon Transcribe, Amazon Translate, etc.
• I also encountered some fairly new services/features in the exam, such as the Lambda function URL feature, which was just released a year ago. The new AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (released in November 2021) service was also in the exam.

Understanding the Differences Between My First and Second Attempts of SAA-C03 Exam

First, it’s important to note that the SAA-C03 exam utilizes a vast Question Bank. This repository contains different questions covering various AWS services, features, and architectures. 

In my experience, the concepts covered in my second attempt at the SAA-C03 exam differed from my first attempt. The recent exam delves deeper into multi-tiered architecture, exploring the complexity and best practices of designing scalable and fault-tolerant systems. Notably, the differences in question difficulty and content between attempts highlight the dynamic nature of the SAA-C03 exam. I do believe that the SAA-C03 exam truly validates one’s expertise in the AWS platform.

Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly prepare for a wide range of topics to increase your chances of success.

Resources that I’ve used for the SAA-C03 Exam

As I prepared for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam, I relied on the SAA-C03 official guide for a detailed overview of the SAA-C03 exam topics. It proved to be a reliable reference throughout my preparation. Additionally, I followed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Exam – SAA-C03 Study Path to ensure I covered all the necessary concepts in a structured manner.

To gain a deeper understanding, I watched our AWS Solution Architect Associate SAA-C03 Video Course, which included hands-on labs, detailed explanations, interactive hands-on labs, and demonstrations of crucial AWS architectural principles. I also extensively used the AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate SAA-C03 Practice Exam and eBook to reinforce my learning. These resources provided valuable practice questions, real-world examples, and in-depth explanations to help me evaluate my progress. Using these AWS Cheat Sheets was also helpful in accessing key information for each AWS service quickly.

Final Remarks

Indeed, preparing for the AWS SAA-C03 exam requires dedication, a thorough understanding of AWS services and architectures, and strategic preparation. Embrace failure as an opportunity for growth and learning, and leverage the lessons learned from your previous attempts to enhance your chances of success. Use the official exam guide, AWS documentation, practice exams, and hands-on experience to strengthen your knowledge.

Focus on key architectural patterns and develop effective time management strategies. Maintaining a positive mindset throughout your exam journey will keep you motivated and determined. With the right resources and preparation, you can conquer the SAA-C03 exam and achieve the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification, opening doors to exciting career opportunities in AWS. All in all, this AWS exam is a great experience for me in improving my technical skills in the cloud and as an IT Professional in general.

Good luck on your certification journey, and don’t give up on reaching the top of your career!