I’m overjoyed that I’ve obtained the Amazon Web Services (AWS) DevOps Professional, Solutions Architect Professional and Security Specialty certifications. I did the certifications because I wanted to validate my skills after working on projects on AWS for a number of years.

I passed the exams in a single attempt within a month and would like to share some tips:

  1. Lots of hands-on experience - Throughout the course of my work, I had to use a broad range of AWS services to deliver my projects. This helped me understand each service well and how various services work together (i.e. the architectural aspect). Such knowledge simply can’t be gleaned from rote memorization of documentation. You’ve got to get your hands dirty and try to build a system.

  2. Training - I used Stephane’s course in Udemy. His course helped to reinforce what I already know and also filled gaps in my knowledge especially lesser known AWS services. Having a skilled trainer can also help to reduce the prep time by focusing on the more important topics in the exam.

  3. There’s a recurring theme - The first exam I took was the Solutions Architect Professional and it was really hard. The subsequent exams was a lot easier since there was overlapping content and I noticed that there’s a “pattern” across the exams - the correct answer usually has some elements of cost optimization, automation, operational efficiency involved.

That’s it. Hope you find it useful.