How I Passed 4 AWS Certifications in 41 Days
I completed four AWS certifications over the past 2 months, including the Solutions Architect Professional exam. Here's how I did it.
The Goal
The objective was to pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam. Initially, I planned to take the Solutions Architect Associate exam and then proceed directly to the professional level. However, all of the courses recommended completing all three Associate-level certifications (Solutions Architect, Developer, and SysOps Administrator) before tackling the professional exam.
In the end, I'm glad I completed them all.
Learning Resources
Courses and practice exams
| Resource | Website | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephane Maarek Courses on Udemy | udemy.com | $20/month | Slides and lectures: good for AWS theory |
| Neal Davis | digitalcloud.training | $20/month | Slides, lectures, good hands-on labs. |
| Adrian Cantrill | learn.cantrill.io | $29/month | In-depth lectures and hands-on labs. |
| AWS Skill Builder | skillbuilder.aws | N/A | Official AWS practice tests for certifications. |
| Tutorials Dojo | tutorialsdojo.com/ | ~$15/exam | Practice exams for all exams. "Review Mode" is very helpful |
There is tension between learning the theory of AWS in order to pass the exam quickly vs completing hands-on labs to reinforce the theory. Maarek's courses were almost all theory, containing many hundreds of slides but not many hands-on labs. The Davis courses were lighter on theory, but the hands-on labs were comprehensive. Cantrill has the most in-depth material (both lectures and hands-on labs). His lectures and labs were excellent, but difficult to ingest quickly.
ChatGPT
- Website: chatgpt.com
- Subscription: $20/month
- Pros: Interactive learning and problem-solving.
Incredible for interactive learning.
AWS Documentation and Hands-On Experience
- Website: docs.aws.amazon.com
- Cost: Approximately $5 over two months for AWS charges.
While many learning sites offer sandboxed labs, I preferred building solutions directly on AWS to gain real-world experience. I kept the costs minimal by tearing down resources upon completion.
The Reddit AWS Certifications Community (r/AWSCertifications) is a great resource for tips, resources, and advice from others.
Study Techniques
Active Recall and Self-Testing
Andrew Huberman released this very timely episode on August 26: Optimal Protocols for Studying & Learning episode. The TLDR is "test yourself early and often".
Here's a related clip on Active Recall with Cal Newport.
After consuming new material, I would close my eyes and attempt to teach the concept to an imaginary audience.
Notecards and Spaced Repetition
Most of the topics required memorization. For example: how many read capacity units are used when performing an eventually consistent read of 5kb of data from DynamoDB?
I created around 200 handwritten notecards, which I reviewed immediately after finishing a section. I'd group the notecards and periodically review them before sleep and on waking.
Exam Experiences
The Associate-level exams each have 65 questions over 130 minutes, and I generally finished them with at least 20 minutes to spare.
But the SA Pro exam was a beast--75 wordy questions over 180 minutes. I needed to read each question multiple times, and the answer choices were lengthy, often differing by just a single word. I needed to rush the last couple of questions in order to finish in time.
Cost Summary
| Resource | Monthly Cost | Duration (Months) | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Cantrill's Subscription | $29 x 2 months | $58 | |
| Neal Davis's Digital Cloud Training | $20 x 2 months | $40 | |
| Udemy Personal Plan | $20 x 2 months | $40 | |
| ChatGPT Subscription | $20 x 2 months | $40 | |
| Tutorials Dojo | $42 for 3 courses | $42 | |
| AWS Charges for Hands-On Practice | ~$5 | ~$5 | |
| SAA exam cost (50% off) | $75 | $75 | |
| DVA exam cost (50% off) | $75 | $75 | |
| SOA exam cost (50% off) | $75 | $75 | |
| SAP exam cost (50% off) | $150 | $150 | |
| Total | $600 |
Credentials Earned
| Certification | Date Passed | Credly Badge Link |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | August 14, 2024 | View Badge |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | August 26, 2024 | View Badge |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | September 3, 2024 | View Badge |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | September 24, 2024 | View Badge |