AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate
Got solid experience with AWS?
Then go for the AWS SysOps certification!
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About the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions related to the AWS SysOps Certification Exam
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate certification is an associate-level certification that demonstrates experience in deploying, managing, and operating workloads on AWS. The AWS SysOps Administrator exam is widely considered to be the hardest of the associate certifications.
This certification provides excellent recognition for those seeking a SysOps cloud role or DevOps role working with AWS technologies. The new SOA-C02 version of the exam includes multiple choice and multiple response questions and exam labs. The hands-on exam labs test your practical skills on AWS – you’ll need plenty of practice for this one!
We wrote an article on whether AWS certifications are worth it – but the short answer is yes!
AWS is the fastest growing cloud computing platform in existence and job opportunities are growing in number as more companies make the move to the cloud. It’s absolutely worth the effort to earn this certification as it is one of the most highly respected certifications due to its challenging nature.
This certification will make you stand out from other job applicants more than any other AWS associate-level certification!
AWS SysOps Administrator roles and responsibilities include the following:
- Installing software updates on servers and applications
- Monitoring performance and implementing optimizations
- Automating repetitive tasks on managed servers
- Deploying and managing infrastructure
- Estimating costs and identifying cost control measures
- Migrating workloads from on-premises to the cloud
SysOps and DevOps are closely related roles in cloud computing. An AWS SysOps administrator is focussed on operations and management of systems, whereas a DevOps admin is focussed on development and operations of those systems.
If you’ve already passed at least one of the other AWS associate certifications (which we strongly recommend) you can achieve the AWS SysOps certification within around three weeks.
We provide a free study plan with the course that helps you to plan your time. The study plan assumes around 60-90 minutes per day to achieve the certification within the timeline.
This is definitely the hardest of the associate-level AWS certification exams. With the introduction of the exam labs section in the new SOA-C02 exam, it just got harder. You will definitely need a strong working knowledge of AWS to be successful in this exam.
Our AWS SysOps training has been designed to give you the best chance of success. You’ll find that between the video course, practice exam course, and cheat sheets (ebook), you’ll be well set with the knowledge needed. Make sure you also follow the many guided hands-on lessons so you develop the practical skills you’ll need for success.
The SOA-C02 exam includes 50 multiple choice questions and 3 exam labs. You can take the exam in a testing center or using an online proctored exam from your home or office. You have 180 minutes to complete your exam and the passing mark is 720 points out of 100 points (72%).
If English is not your first language you can request an accommodation when booking your exam that will qualify you for an additional 30 minutes exam extension.
All AWS certification exam results are reported as a score from 100 to 1000. Your score shows how you performed on the examination as a whole and whether or not you passed. The passing score for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate is 720 (72%).
Note that there are two sections to the exam: the multiple choice section and the exam labs section. The multiple choice section of the exam accounts for 80% of the overall score and the exam labs section accounts for 20% of the score.
AWS does not have any prerequisites for taking any AWS certification exams. However, they do recommend that you have at least 1 year of hands-on experience working with AWS before sitting this exam. You should have experience in deploying, managing, and operating workloads on AWS as well as implementing security controls and compliance requirements.
Our recommendation is that if you don’t have this experience you should first take the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate and the AWS Certified Developer Associate certifications. There’s lots of overlap between these certifications and you’ll develop a stronger understanding of AWS when following this learning path which will definitely help you through your AWS exam.
This certification is suitable for technical staff working in system operations and administrator roles. If you’re working in a SysOps or DevOps role or are planning to move into one of these roles, this certification will build your credibility, confidence, and necessary skills.
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam fee is $150 USD. If you’ve previously passed another AWS exam make sure you use your 50% discount token.
If you fail the exam you can take it again as many times as you need to but must wait 14 days between tests.
For more detailed information, check out this blog article on AWS Certification Costs.
The exam validates your ability to perform system operations and administration activities for workloads deployed on AWS. You’ll need to know how to do the following:
- Deploy, manage, and operate workloads with services including AWS CloudFormation, AWS Systems Manager, and AWS OpsWorks
- Monitoring and logging with services including Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon EventBridge, and AWS CloudTrail
- Ensure reliability and business continuity through best practice architectures based on auto scaling, load balancing, high availability, and disaster recovery
- Implement security controls and ensure compliance requirements are met with services including AWS IAM, AWS KMS, AWS Organizations, AWS Secrets Manager, and AWS Config
- Deploy networking and content delivery solutions with services such as Amazon VPC, Amazon CloudFront, and Amazon Route 53
- Identify cost and performance optimizations and implement strategies for remediation
Ultimate Training Package
This popular training bundle covers everything you need to know to ace your AWS SysOps Administrator exam
1. Video Course +
2. Practice Exam Course +
3. Training Notes (ebook)
Out of the three associate certifications this one is the real differentiator. Having the SysOps Administrator certification on your resume will make you stand out from the crowd and put you in the best position to score your next cloud role.
Our unique AWS Certified SysOps Administrator learning path combines video-based training, guided hands-on exercises, practice tests and comprehensive cheat sheets. Through these learning modalities you’ll be best prepared to pass your exam and gain employment as an AWS SysOps Administrator.
Click on the items below to learn more.
This instructor-led video course combines essential theory with guided practical exercises that are backed by high-quality diagrams and references.
- 12 hours on-demand video training with guided hands-on exercises
- Coverage of the latest exam topics for the SOA-C02
- Hands-on lessons using the AWS Management Console
- Separate theory lessons with amazing architectural diagrams
- Exam Scenario Lessons
- All diagrams, code, links, files and slides are available for download
- 21 day study plan included to help with exam preparation
- Course Certificate is issued upon successful completion of the course
The video course is taught in a style that includes theory lessons with lots of visualization such as architectural diagrams and animated graphics (this is not death by bullet point).
After the theory lessons you’ll get to put your knowledge into practical use with hands-on lessons that teach you how to use AWS and complete exercises that reflect real-world situations. Learning by doing is the best way to ensure you build practical skills and increases knowledge retention.
AWS services covered in this training include:
- Amazon EC2, EBS, Auto Scaling and Elastic Load Balancing
- Amazon S3, EFS, and AWS Storage Gateway
- AWS Systems Manager, CloudFormation, and Elastic Beanstalk
- Amazon VPC, Route 53, and Resource Access Manager
- Amazon RDS, ElastiCache, DynamoDB and Elasticsearch
- AWS Organizations, Config, CloudWatch, EventBridge, and CloudTrail
- AWS IAM, KMS, Inspector, Certificate Manager and Directory Services
Test your knowledge and assess your exam readiness with practice questions that match the difficulty of the real AWS exam.
Practice exams are delivered in 4 different formats:
- Exam Mode – 4 sets of practice exams with the same number of questions (65), time limit (130 mins), and pass mark (72%) as the real AWS exam
- Training Mode – Check answers and explanations after every question (no time limit)
- Knowledge Review – Focussed practice exams for a specific knowledge area (no time limit, questions are not randomized)
- Final exam simulator – 65 questions are pulled randomly from our pool of practice questions. Same time limit (130 mins) and pass mark (72%) as the real AWS exam
For exam mode and training mode you will be presented with an overall score at the end of the exam with a pass/fail message.
For all practice exams, you get a breakdown of results for each knowledge area category so you can evaluate your performance and understand your strengths and weaknesses.
A Certificate of Achievement is issued when you score 72% and above in your online exam simulator.
Take your studies offline with this ultimate compilation of cheat sheets for the SOA-C02 exam.
- Downloadable training notes (PDF) with detailed facts, tables and diagrams.
- This is a great resource for diving deep into each AWS service covered on the AWS exam which saves you from needing to browse hundreds of AWS FAQ pages and sorting through stacks of irrelevant information.
- For easy navigation, the information on each AWS service in this document is organized into the same categories as they are in the AWS Management Console.
- Ideal resource for last-minute revision.
- Get straight to the facts and shortcut your study time.
What you'll learn [Scope & Content]
We teach you all of the skills required to successfully pass your AWS SysOps Associate exam
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam guide groups the skills required into six domains. In our AWS training courses, we teach you all of the skills required to successfully pass your AWS SysOps Administrator Associate exam.
You’ll learn the following skills (grouped by domain):
- Implement metrics, alarms, and filters by using AWS monitoring and logging service
- Remediate issues based on monitoring and availability metrics
- Implement scalability and elasticity
- Implement high availability and resilient environments
- Implement backup and restore strategies
- Provision and maintain cloud resources
- Automate manual or repeatable processes
- Implement and manage security and compliance policies
- Implement data and infrastructure protection strategies
- Implement networking features and connectivity
- Configure domains, DNS services, and content delivery
- Troubleshoot network connectivity issues
- Implement cost optimization strategies
- Implement performance optimization strategies
Purchase Options
We offer various purchase options to suit your budget and learning needs
If you’re looking for high-quality certification training that will fully prepare you for your AWS SysOps Administrator Associate exam – our Ultimate Training Package is for you. Specifically designed to ensure your success with this challenging exam, we provide video-based training, practice tests, cheat sheets, and hands-on practice. Fully updated for the latest SOA-C02 exam blueprint, you’ll find all the knowledge and practice you need to earn one of the most sought after certifications in the cloud industry.
For those who are ready to fully immerse themselves into all things AWS-related, we recommend our Membership Program. You’ll gain unlimited access to ALL of our on-demand AWS courses – current and future – and get early access to new content and updates.
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate
[Video Course, Practice Exams & Training Notes]
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12 hours of On-Demand Video Training
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4 sets of full-length Practice Exams with 65 Questions each
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Assess your Exam Readiness with Final Exam Simulator
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Practice Exams available in Training Mode/Simulation/Deep Dive
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Downloadable Training Notes (PDF) for Offline Study
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No additional Charge for Updates of Content
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Unlimited Access for 365 days
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7-Day Money Back Guarantee (Self-Service) - Risk Free
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12 Months Membership Program
Access ALL AWS Certification Training
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Unlimited Access to ALL On-Demand AWS Training for 365 Days
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Over 150 hours of Video Lessons and 2,000+ Practice Questions
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Includes Current & Future Courses and All Updates
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Early Access to newly added Content and Updates
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Practice Exams (Simulation & Training Mode) & Exam Simulator
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Downloadable Training Notes (PDF) for Offline Study
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This is not a Subscription and does not Auto-Renew
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7-Day Money Back Guarantee (Self-Service) - Risk Free
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Customer Reviews
Thousands of Students have aced the AWS SysOps exam using only our training resources – simply the best way to prepare
Get to know your Instructor
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Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have a background in cloud computing, we recommend you first do the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner course and/or the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate course.
Our training is based on the latest SOA-C02 exam blueprint for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate. All of our video lessons, practice exams and training notes are regularly updated to reflect the latest AWS changes.
All diagrams, code, files and slides are available for download (in PDF format).
The video course also includes the following:
- Exam Scenario lessons
- 21 Day Study Plan
- Visuals and diagrams
All of our self-paced AWS training courses come with 12 months access. The 12 month time frame starts from the time of purchase. During your 12 month period, you can take your training courses as many times as you like.
Our Practice Exams are included in the ultimate training package (along with the video course and training notes) and are not offered for individual purchase. They can also be accessed via our monthly/annual membership subscription.
Exam Mode: In exam mode, you complete one full-length practice exam and answer all 65 questions within the allotted time. You are then presented with a pass / fail score report showing your overall score and performance in each knowledge area to identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Training Mode: When taking the practice exam in training mode, you will be shown the answers and explanations for every question after clicking “check”. Upon completion of the practice exam (no time limit), the score report shows your overall score and performance in each knowledge area.
Knowledge Reviews: Now that you have identified your strengths and weaknesses, you get to dive deep into specific areas with our knowledge reviews. You are presented with a series of questions focussed on a specific topic. There is no time limit and you can view the answer to each question as you go through them.
Final Exam Simulator: The exam simulator randomly selects 65 questions from our pool of practice questions – mimicking the real AWS exam environment. The practice exam has the same format, style, time limit and passing score as the real AWS exam.
With our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, we offer a full refund within 7 days (self-service). No questions asked.
Please note that you can only request a refund once per product. So we ask you to carefully consider your purchase decisions as you won’t be eligible for a refund the second time around.
We want all of our customers to be happy with their purchases and encourage anyone to review our refund policy.
If you’re not quite ready to commit to our in-depth AWS training, check out our FREE training resources for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate
below. These free AWS training materials are a great way to familiarize yourself with Neal’s training style and format.
- Free Practice Questions
- Free AWS Cheat Sheets
- Free Study Plan
- Free Video Tutorials
- Free Guide to AWS Certification
While these free resources are a great starting point – to best prepare for your exam, we highly recommend enrolling in our in-depth AWS training.
With practice exams, a Certificate of Achievement is issued when you score 72% and above in your online exam simulator.
A certificate of completion is issued upon successful completion of the video course.
All of our AWS training courses include guided hands-on training where you can follow along in an AWS Free Tier account. Additionally, we offer Challenge Labs for those who are looking for extensive hands-on practice opportunities to develop real-world cloud skills. Challenge Labs are scenario-based hands-on exercises that run in a secure sandbox environment.
When you sign up for our Membership Program, you get 12 months of unlimited access to our entire library of AWS training courses (current and future).
Our annual membership is not a subscription and does not auto renew.
Our monthly membership subscription comes with no lock-in or minimum terms and can be cancelled at any time.
Still Scrolling?
There’s no time like the Present to start investing in your Future – Now is the time to earn your AWS SysOps Certification
Review your purchase options and take your next step into the exciting world of AWS Certifications with our popular training courses.
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