Introduction to The AWS Certified Solutions Architect
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Level exam is intended for individuals who perform a Solutions
Architect role. This exam validates an examinee’s ability to:
- Identify and gather requirements in order to define a solution to be built using architecture best practices
- Be capable of providing guidance on architectural best practices to developers and system administrators throughout the lifecycle of the project
The knowledge and skills required at this level should include all of the following areas and objective components below. The knowledge level can be defined as having the majority of following:
How to Enrol for the Exam?
Ready to take your exam? Schedule your exam at a Kryterion testing centre. Go to: https://webassessor.com/aws/
Is there a registration fee for exams?
Yes, the registration fee for an All Associate Exam is USD 150. All The Professional Exam is USD 300.
What score is required to pass an AWS Certification exam?
AWS Certification passing scores are set by using statistical analysis and are subject to change. AWS does not publish exam passing scores because exam questions and passing scores are subject to change without notice.
When will I get my exam results?
You will receive your exam results on-screen immediately after completing your exam.
If I fail the exam can I retake it?
If you fail the exam, you can retake the exam subject to the following conditions:
- You must wait 30 days from the day you fail to take the exam again.
- You can take the exam up to three times in one year from the date of your first attempt.
- You must pay the full exam fee each time you retake the exam.
Can I get a detailed report of my exam answers?
In order to maintain the integrity of the exam, the answers to the test questions are not provided to the test taker. Some high-level feedback is provided to help you understand how you scored in various sections of the exam.
What do I do if I need to cancel or reschedule my exam appointment?
If you wish to reschedule or cancel your exam, you must log into your account at https://www.webassessor.com/aws. Once you’re logged in, click the “Reschedule/Cancel” button next to the exam you wish to change. Canceling or rescheduling within 72 hours will result in a USD 75 fee. Candidates who miss their scheduled exam appointment will forfeit the exam fee and are not eligible for a refund. You will be able to register again for the exam 24 hours after your missed exam time. Missing the exam does not result in a ‘fail’ status.
What is the refund policy?
A full refund is granted by our exam delivery partner, Kryterion, when you cancel your exam with a 72-hour notice. If you wish to cancel your exam, you must log into your account at https://www.webassessor.com/aws.
Do you have more question?
Go to AWS Official site to see full list of FAQ :https://aws.amazon.com/certification/faqs/
Testing Location Name | Address | City | Province/State | Country | Map | Important Location Information | |
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New Horizons India_Bangalore | N-101, North Block, Manipal Centre | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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iDomain Technologies | #65, 1st Floor, 2nd A Cross, KHB Colony, Koramangala | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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CloudThat Technologies India Pvt. Ltd | 668/B-17th C Main, Kormangala 6th Block | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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Parkus Technologies Pvt Ltd_India | 12 Dental College Main Road, Munekollal | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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Anmol Technologies PVT LTD | No. 7, 3rd Floor, Parvath Acrade, Service Road | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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NSE.IT Limited_Bangalore | Azeem Gold, 13, 2nd Floor, Mosque Road | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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DTecH IT Education | No. 1, 1st Cross, 1st Main | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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Global Knowledge Network India _ Bangalore | Royal Barter, 1st Floor, No.78/1, Residency Rd. | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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Koenig Solutions_Bangalore | #47, 3rd Floor, 4th Block, 100 ft Road | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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Kalvi Institute_Bangalore | BP Plaza 91/6, TC Palya Main Road | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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Radical Technologies_Bangalore | 2nd Floor, Outer Ring Road, HSR Layout | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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A2A IMTCS PVT LTD | No2, 2nd floor, HB Plaza, RT Nagar Main Road | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
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Tecfactory | No 803 2nd floor Griganga Building | Bangalore | Karnataka | India | Map | ![]() |
Please review the following four (4) items:
1) AWS Certification Program Agreement: By registering for this exam, I agree to AWS Certification Program Agreement governing our Certification program. (https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certification-agreement/)
2) If you are having difficulties finding one of our Kryterion Testing Network (KTN) centers within a 100-mile radius, and/or a KTN center with available dates and times, please contact the KTN Support Team at 800-403-6199 (US and Canada) or +1 602-281-3591 Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Pacific time) or send an email to [email protected].
3) Special Accommodations: I understand it is my responsibility to request any special accommodations that I may require prior to scheduling my test session. If you require a special accommodation and have not already made arrangements with AWS, please click the Cancel button below andcontact AWS.
4) Exam Reschedules/Cancellations: I understand that rescheduling or cancelling my exam with less than 72 hours’ notice WILL result in a USD 75 fee.
AWS Knowledge
Hands-on experience using compute, networking, storage, and database AWS services
Professional experience architecting large scale distributed systems
Understanding of Elasticity and Scalability concepts
Understanding of network technologies as they relate to AWS
A good understanding of all security features and tools that AWS provides and how they relate to traditional services
A strong understanding on how to interact with AWS (AWS SDK, AWS API, Command Line Interface, AWS CloudFormation)
Hands-on experience with AWS deployment and management services
General IT Knowledge
Excellent understanding of typical multi-tier architectures: web servers (Apache, nginx, IIS), caching, application servers, and load balancers
RDBMS (MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server), NoSQL
Knowledge of message queuing and Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)
Familiarity with loose coupling and stateless systems
Understanding of different consistency models in distributed systems
Experience with CDN, and performance concepts
Network experience with route tables, access control lists, firewalls, NAT, HTTP, DNS, IP and OSI Network
Knowledge of RESTful Web Services, XML, JSON
Familiarity with the software development lifecycle
Work experience with information and application security including public key encryption, SSH, access credentials, and X.509 certificates
These training courses or other equivalent methodologies will assist in exam preparation:
Architecting on AWS (aws.amazon.com/training/architect)
In-depth knowledge or training in at least one high-level programming language
AWS Cloud Computing Whitepapers (aws.amazon.com/whitepapers) o Overview of Amazon Web Services
o Overview of Security Processes
o AWS Risk & Compliance Whitepaper o Storage Options in the Cloud
o Architecting for the AWS Cloud: Best Practices
Experience deploying hybrid systems with on-premise and AWS components
Utilization of the AWS Architecture Center website (aws.amazon.com/architecture)
Note: This examination blueprint includes weighting, test objectives, and example content. Example topics and concepts are included to clarify the test objectives; they should not be construed as a comprehensive listing of all of the content of this examination.
The table below lists the domains measured by this examination and the extent to which they are represented.
Domain |
% of Examination |
||||
Serial # | |||||
1.0 |
Designing highly available, cost efficient, fault tolerant, scalable systems |
60% |
|||
2.0 |
Implementation/Deployment |
10% |
|||
3.0 |
Data Security |
20% |
|||
4.0 |
Troubleshooting |
10% |
|||
TOTAL |
100% |
Response Limits
The examinee selects from four (4) or more response options the option(s) that best completes the statement or answers the question. Distracters or wrong answers are response options that examinees with incomplete knowledge or skill would likely choose, but are generally plausible responses fitting into the content area defined by the test objective.
Test item formats used in this examination are:
Multiple-choice: examinee selects one option that best answers the question or completes a statement. The option can be embedded in a graphic where the examinee “points and clicks” on their selection choice to complete the test item.
Multiple-response: examinee selects more than one option that best answers the question or completes a statement.
Sample Directions: Read the statement or question and from the response options, select only the option(s) that represent the most correct or best answer(s) given the information.
Content Limits
1 Domain 1.0: Designing highly available, cost efficient, fault tolerant, scalable systems
1.1Identify and recognize cloud architecture considerations, such as fundamental components and effective designs.
Content may include the following:
How to design cloud services
Planning and design
Monitoring
Familiarity with:
Best practices
Developing to Client Specifications including pricing/cost (e.g., on Demand vs. Reserved vs. Spot, RTO and RPO DR Design)
Architectural trade-off decisions (high availability vs. cost, Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) vs. installing your own database on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2))
Integrating with existing development environments and building scalable architecture
Elasticity and scalability
2 Domain 2.0: Implementation/Deployment
2.1Identify the appropriate techniques and methods using Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Elastic Beanstalk, CloudFormation, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to code and implement a cloud solution.
Content may include the following:
- Configure an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
- Operate and extend service management in the private cloud
- Configure compliance in the private and public cloud
- Launching instances in a variety of geographical regions
3 Domain 3.0: Data Security
3.1 Recognize and implement secure procedures for optimum cloud deployment and maintenance. Content may include the following:
Cloud Security Best Practices
- How to build and use a threat model
- How to build and use a data flow diagram for risk management
Use cases
- Abuse Cases (Negative use cases)
- Security Architecture with AWS
oShared Security Responsibility Model
oAWS Platform Compliance
oAWS security attributes (customer workloads down to physical layer)
oSecurity Services
oAWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
oAmazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
oCIA and AAA models, ingress vs. egress filtering, and which AWS services and features fit
o“Core” Amazon EC2 and S3 security feature sets
oIncorporating common conventional security products (Firewall, IDS:HIDS/NIDS, SIEM, VPN)
oDesign Patterns
oDDOS mitigation
oEncryption solutions
oComplex access controls (building sophisticated security groups, ACLs, etc.)
oAmazon CloudWatch for the security architect
3.2Recognize critical disaster recovery techniques and their implementation. Content may include the following:
- Disaster Recovery
oRecovery time objective
o Recovery point objective
oAmazon Elastic Block Store
- AWS Import/Export
- AWS Storage Gateway
- Amazon Route53
- Testing the recovered data
- 4Domain 4.0: Troubleshooting
- Content may include the following:
- General troubleshooting information and questions
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