I'll admit it, I was nervous about the AWS SAA C03 exam. It felt like a huge undertaking. But after months of studying, practicing, and occasionally panicking, I finally passed! And now I want to share my experience with you, so hopefully, your journey will be a little smoother than mine. Here's what worked for me.

My AWS SAA C03 Exam Prep: The Grind

Here's the lowdown on how I tackled the AWS SAA C03 exam. It wasn't a walk in the park, that's for sure.

First up: Stephane Maarek's Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate course. Solid course. It covered pretty much every AWS service you need to know, with hands-on demos. Fair warning: some of those demos cost money, so I became a master of service termination. A few others were too complex to set up at home, but the course content itself was comprehensive, and I'd recommend it.

Now, here's the reality check: the course alone wasn't enough. My initial mock exam scores? Averaging around 53%. Not great.

Mock exams were crucial. Stephane Maarek's Udemy practice exams (Practice Exams | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate) were a serious wake-up call. Turns out, I had some gaps in my knowledge. So, I went back to the course, again and again, focusing on the areas where I was weak. I also supplemented my studies with YouTube videos and personal projects.

The mock exams were invaluable. The detailed explanations of each question and answer helped me pinpoint exactly where I was going wrong. It was an iterative process, but it worked. I gradually improved from that dismal 53% to a much more respectable 76% average.

The Official Exam: Bring It On!

So, the big day arrived! $150 USD lighter, and I was ready to tackle... at home! Official testing centers? I’ll pass, home was much more comfortable. Pearson VUE was the name of the environment, and after flashing my ID and snapping some pics of my super-organized testing space, I was in.

Okay, slight panic moment: wireless internet. They recommend wired, and Wi-Fi in general can be a bit… shakey. But, fingers crossed, everything held together like a champ. No lag, no drops, just pure, unadulterated exam-taking.

Maybe after all those mock exams (10 fresh ones, 6 revisited – I was serious), a little voice in my head whispered, "You got this!" And guess what? The real deal was easier than the mocks!

Seriously! The scenarios were short and sweet, the answers crystal clear. No sneaky trick questions, and I even spotted a few familiar faces (reworded scenarios from the mocks – ha!).

Time? Never a problem, even in practice. But hey, I wasn't leaving any precious seconds on the table.

My game plan? If a question took too long or I felt a little "meh" about it, I marked it for review. Then, after conquering all 65, I went back for a second look. Turns out, a little distance can work wonders.

The exam loves to throw questions about solutions in these domains:

And the best part? I aced it! Okay, maybe not aced, but I passed with flying colors and a score I'm darn proud of. Boom!

And Here is my badge big and bold!!! (You can also click here to see)