How to get your Amazon AWS Certification in 5 Simple Steps

Amazon AWS Certification is in huge demand with employers. Without a doubt, Amazon Web Services is the leader in cloud computing and one of the fastest-growing companies on the planet. AWS offers the broadest range of products and services to its ever-growing customer base. It is also the most mature cloud platform in the industry and is trusted by many blue-chip organizations.

Working with cloud computing and AWS is an exciting career choice with huge potential for growth. Becoming a professional in AWS can land you lucrative gigs in top-tier organizations. AWS Certification is a great pathway to landing these exciting jobs.

In your Amazon AWS certification journey, you’ll learn important skills you can use as a cloud engineer or cloud architect in business environments that use AWS. You may even land a job at Amazon Web Services itself, or your certification can be used to spice up an existing resume and get your next promotion.

You may already have been researching AWS certification because you’re interested in becoming an AWS Certified Solutions Architect.

Some sources of information will tell you that becoming AWS certified is difficult to achieve. It’s true that the AWS exams can be quite challenging – but rest assured that you can certainly achieve success if you employ the right strategies!

In the section below, we look at how you can become AWS certified in five easy steps. Read on!

1. Develop a Roadmap

You don’t sign up for a course one day and expect to get certified the next day. You need to come up with a plan to succeed.

Becoming AWS certified is a journey like any other. Every step you make counts. This is why you need to plan out your roadmap from the very beginning.

When creating your roadmap, don’t just state your starting point. It is also critical to define where you are heading so that you can stay focused on your goals and objectives.

A single AWS certification may not get you all the way to your dream job. You have to be prepared to earn at least two certifications to stand out from the crowd. Starting with the entry-level AWS Cloud Practitioner is a good starting point for those without strong IT backgrounds.

If you’re already working in the industry you may instead choose to skip the foundational level and move straight to the Associate level.

With a well-laid-out strategy detailing what certifications you’ll work on and over what timeframe, you’ll be more likely to achieve your goals.

Also, consider learning additional non-AWS skills. You’ll likely need some experience with Linux, Docker, automation and configuration management tools and at least one higher-level programming language on your resume.

2. Find high-quality AWS training courses

Choosing which training courses to use can be a daunting process with so many options out there to choose from. So, what should you be looking for in an AWS training course provider? Here are a few tips:

1. Scope and depth – some AWS certifications are very broad in the scope of services they cover; others are narrower in scope but go very deep. Check course reviews and make sure that the students agree that the course covers the exam topics well.
2. Up to date – AWS changes fast, and the AWS exams have to evolve too. Though the exams often lag updates by at least 6 months, you do want to check that the course is regularly updated based on feedback from students.
3. Style/format – Choose a course that suits your desired style. Some courses are more hands-on whereas others are more slide focused. The best courses should give you both hands-on experience and teach you the facts through diagrams and slides.

These are all really important factors and when creating courses. Here at Digital Cloud, we ensure that all of our AWS training courses fully cover the breadth and depth of the real exam. We regularly update our courses, and we deliver them in a style that combines hands-on learning with deep theoretical teaching.

Once you’ve found a suitable AWS training course, it’s time to get started! Make sure you set aside some time each day to dedicate to learning and stick to it.

3. Take practice exams

Another crucial step in becoming AWS certified is to familiarize yourself with practice exams.

When you start your training, remember that you will do a real-life AWS exam at the end and that you’ll need to be well prepared to pass it.

An essential tool of AWS certification is taking practice tests. What makes these mock exams so important is that they are developed by real-life experts who have received their certification; hence they understand all the elements and demands of the actual test.

Commit yourself to take several practice tests every week. This way, you’ll gain a good understanding of what you need to know and can focus your studies accordingly. With this level of preparation, you’ll pass the real AWS exam with confidence.

While AWS offer practice tests, they do not provide detailed explanations to help you understand the answers. Make sure you select a practice test course that provides the following:

1. Exam-style and difficulty – make sure the practice tests use the same style and difficulty as the real AWS exam. This will help you to prepare for exam day.
2. Explanations for answers – you need to choose a course that provides detailed explanations for both correct and incorrect responses. This is a great way to learn and understand your errors.
3. Different testing modes – some platforms offer the ability to check answers as you go through the exam, simulate the real AWS exam experience, and focus on specific knowledge areas. These are great features to further enhance your learning experience.

Finding a provider who does all of the above is not easy! There are many poor-quality practice test courses in the market and exam dumps that should be avoided as they are often out of date and misleading.

At Digital Cloud Training, we achieve high quality for our practice tests by actually taking the exams regularly ourselves and using feedback from thousands of students to ensure we’re constantly adapting to the changing exams.

4. Feeling confident? Book the exam!

After creating a roadmap, finding a high-quality AWS training course and taking many practice exams, it’s now time to take the bold step and book the exam!

However, before you do this, ensure you’re ready and are confident that you are going to ace it!

There is no shortcut to passing Amazon AWS certification exams. The only way you can ensure your success is to make sure you study hard and invest time and resources to tons of learning and practice.

Keep in mind the AWS certification cost. These exams don’t come for free! You will spend $100 for the AWS Cloud Practitioner and around $150 for the AWS Solution Architect or AWS Developer Associate.

It doesn’t make sense to spend such an amount and fail. Therefore, do your best to ensure you’re ready before you commit to sitting the exam.

5. Ace the exam

The final step to becoming AWS certified is to pass the exam.

Wait… passing the AWS certification exam is easier said than done.

It’s worth noting that the AWS Solution Architect exam contains 65 multiple choice and multiple answer questions. The test is timed, and you will have 130 minutes to complete it. From simple calculations, you will have about two minutes to complete every question.

To maximize your time, make sure you spend less time on simple questions so that you remain with enough time to handle challenging ones.

Also, don’t spend too much time on a single question if you aren’t sure of the correct answer. You can always come back to it later after you have completed the other questions.

Tip: If you consistently study, go through various training videos, use high-quality practice questions, and take as many test questions as possible before the actual test, nothing will stop you from flying to the top!

Final thoughts

Certification is a lengthy process. Sometimes, the challenge of getting an Amazon AWS certification can put you off, because of the commitment in time, energy, and resources required. Hopefully, this article has helped you to realize that it’s absolutely achievable if you simply break it into easy steps.

Cloud career opportunities are growing exponentially, and the skills you develop today will be useful now and in the future. If you sharpen them by getting certifications from AWS, you will become super-valuable in this growing market, and nothing will stop you from advancing in your career and gaining the financial freedom you have dreamed of all your life.

Keen to get started?

Kick-off your cloud journey today by downloading this free Beginner’s Guide to AWS Certification.