In the part one of our AWS Certifications Study Guide, we learned about why AWS is so important in the cloud industry, and why its certifications can be a major bonus for any cloud professional. Now it’s time to delve deeper into the structure and organization of the AWS Certification program, in order to better understand how it works. There are several choices available, so it’s good to have a clear understanding of the options in order to choose the AWS certification path that best fits your needs.
AWS provides three certification paths, with certifications at the Associate and Professional level. Each certification is targeted at a specific profile: Solutions Architects, Developers, and SysOps Administrators. Let’s take a brief look at each:
Two professional level exams are now available: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional and AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional is the pinnacle of all of the AWS certifications. This certification requires a high degree of technical skill and experience designing AWS-based applications. You will be required to know which AWS services are best suited to the needs of your applications and how to migrate complex application systems over to AWS. Finally, you will need to know how to implement cost control strategies.
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional is all about provisioning, operating, and managing applications on the AWS platform. This exam focuses heavily on continuous delivery (CD) and automation of processes. You will be expected to know: Continuous delivery basics and how to implement CD systems, how to set up monitoring and logging systems on AWS, and how to design and manage tools that enable the automation of production operations.
Both professional level exams require that you be certified at the Associate level for that exam. We will go into greater detail for each certification in upcoming sections of this guide.
Testing locations. AWS certification exams are administered in authorized testing centers managed by Kryterion. There are about 800 testing locations around the world, so chances are that you will find one that is reasonably close to where you are located.
Cost. Associate level certification exams cost $150, and Professional level exams cost $300.
Language. All exams are available in English, with limited availability in other languages for some exams.
Test questions. AWS provides a few sample questions on each certification page, but these are just a general indication of the types of questions you may encounter; they are not necessarily representative of the actual exam questions. This is where our AWS Certification Learning Paths can help you. Our dedicated learning paths for each of the five AWS certifications include video courses, quizzes, and hands-on labs, with content crafted by AWS experts and designed to closely match the material and questions on the AWS certification exams.
Up next: In part 3, we’ll show you how to prepare for AWS certification exams.
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