About Me
I am excited to announce on 8/14, I was able to successfully pass the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification. I had recently taken on a new role as a Information Security Technical Manager. My new job involves the familiarity with several cloud products and although I do have an extensive appsec background, I did not feel comfortable with AWS. My prior experience with AWS was in 2019 where I has a 3 day bootcamp. Due to the nature of a bootcamp (basically, a 3 day brain dump), I could not remember much.
Exam Review
The Cloud Practitioner certification does not dive too much into the technical weeds, but it does require general a good cloud computing foundation. The certification also requires knowledge on the core AWS modules (there are a lot!) and a basic understanding of the pricing/offerings.
Does this apply to you [the reader]? I believe that most tech positions can benefit from this entry level cloud certification. Cloud is not just the future anymore, its a major part of modern companies. In can almost be applied to each cyber security role in at least one way or another. For only 100$, its a great certification to add to your arsenal, no matter your experience level.
The exam experience: I took my certification remotely, from the comfort of my own home. If you have taken a certificate in this post-pandemic world, you are probably familiar with the process. I purchased and scheduled my exam via this URL. The link will allow you to schedule and pay on a Pearson site.
The actual exam was proctored by a live person (whom I was not able to see), but was friendly. I had to take a laptop with the camera and mic on and show the proctor around my room. You can check Pearson’s site for test requirements, but off hand, I do remember that I was not allowed to have more than one monitor, or any materials on my desk besides a mouse and laptop charger. You do not need a separate camera, the laptop one is sufficient enough. The exam was quick, I was able to jam through 65 questions in under an hour, but you are allowed a max of 90 minutes to complete the exam. A passing score is 700 and the test is out of 1000 possible points.
Study Materials
I used two different resources to pass the exam, both were from Neal Davis.
- Hands-on training video, “AWS Tutorial for Beginners – Crash Course” (0$) LINK
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Training Notes 2019 Book (20-23$) LINK
Exam Breakdown
The exam guide is located on the AWS site, here.
As of Q3 2021, the exam outline is as follows:
1: Cloud Concepts 26%
2: Security and Compliance 25%
3: Technology 33%
4: Billing and Pricing 16%
TOTAL 100%
I wish you all luck on your future endeavors!
Related Links
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