The AWS Training and Certification team recently announced the third iteration of its challenging AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) exam. The first day to take the new version of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam would be on November 15, 2022, with an updated exam code of SAP-C02.

Take note that the current version (SAP-C01) will only be available on November 14, 2022 so you still have time to recertify. The new SAP-C02 will be focused on designing new AWS solutions, as shown on its official exam guide.

History of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional Exam (SAP-C02)

Let’s discover the short history of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional exam first.

In 2013,  Amazon Web Services (AWS) began its Global Certification Program and its primary purpose is to validate the technical skills and knowledge necessary for building secure and reliable cloud-based applications using the AWS platform. Anyone can prove their expertise in the AWS Cloud to their present and future employers as well by successfully passing the AWS Certification exam. AWS launched the Professional and Specialty-level certifications, which continuously expanded its certification program, and since then, it has covered various domains such as machine learning, data analytics, networking, and many others. New and updated versions of the AWS certification exams are released on a regular basis to reflect the service changes and to include brand-new knowledge areas.

The very first version of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional exam (SAP-00) was first in May 2014. After almost 5 years, an updated version of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Professional certification was launched on February 2019 with an exam code of SAP-C01. And after more than three years, in November 2022, AWS will release yet another version of this certification test with an exam code of SAP-C02.

The latest SAP-C02 version for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate certification will be available on the 15th day of November 2022. Based on this trend, I’m assuming that the new version will be coming in 2025, with an exam code of SAP-C03, based on the exam convention.

Is there an Exam Lab section in SAP-C02?

No, it doesn’t. You can confirm this on the official exam guide for the SAP-C02 exam.

This comes to me as a surprise since I initially thought that AWS would eventually include an Exam labs section on all of its new AWS Certifications team. Apparently, this is not the case, as the new SAP-C02 AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional and ANS-C01 AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty exams don’t have any labs at all.

What are the topics that are in the scope of the SAP-C02 exam?

First off, this list is quite long, so brace yourselves! But please don’t be frustrated and get scared by its sheer length. With proper training and study strategy, you would be able to adequately cover these topics on your review:

Which AWS services are NOT included in the SAP-C02 exam?

The following AWS services and features do not represent each and every AWS offering which is excluded from the SAP-C02 exam content. This is only a short hint of what topics are not covered on the AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Professional exam. Nonetheless, this list can give you an idea of the AWS services that you do NOT need to focus on.

• Amazon GameLift
• Frontend development for mobile apps
• 12-factor app methodology
• In-depth knowledge of operating systems