You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
AWSAWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certification validates your ability to design cost- and performance-optimized solutions across the breadth of AWS services. It is ideal for solutions architects and IT professionals with AWS Cloud or strong on-premises experience who want to demonstrate they can build secure, resilient, high-performing architectures. Earning this industry-recognized credential signals that you can apply the AWS Well-Architected Framework to real-world design challenges.
Exam format65 questions; either multiple choice or multiple response
Duration130 minutes
DeliveryPearson VUE
Passing score720 out of 1000
Free questions504
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What SAA-C03 proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
4domains
14objectives
193concepts
US $150exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) exam validates your technical knowledge and skills across the breadth of AWS services, with a focus on designing cost- and performance-optimized solutions. It is intended for individuals who perform a solutions architect role and confirms your ability to design solutions based on the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
Earning this certification demonstrates that you can design architectures that are secure, resilient, high-performing, and cost-optimized, and that you can review existing solutions to determine improvements. It is an ideal starting point for candidates with AWS Cloud or strong on-premises IT experience, and it does not require deep hands-on coding experience, though familiarity with basic programming concepts is an advantage.
Who it’s for
This certification is for individuals who perform a solutions architect role and want to validate their ability to design distributed systems on AWS. It is also a strong starting point for IT professionals with AWS Cloud or on-premises experience who are beginning their AWS Cloud learning journey. Candidates typically have at least one year of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions that use AWS services. The exam does not require deep programming skills, but familiarity with basic programming concepts is helpful.
Recommended experience
At least one year of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions that use AWS services. Designing solutions that incorporate AWS services to meet current business requirements and future projected needs; Designing architectures that are secure, resilient, high-performing, and cost-optimized; Reviewing existing solutions and determining improvements
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective AWS measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official AWS exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Design Secure Architectures
- Task 1.1: Design secure access to AWS resources
- Task 1.2: Design secure workloads and applications
- Task 1.3: Determine appropriate data security controls
Design Resilient Architectures
- Task 2.1: Design scalable and loosely coupled architectures
- Task 2.2: Design highly available and/or fault-tolerant architectures
Design High-Performing Architectures
- Task 3.1: Determine high-performing and/or scalable storage solutions
- Task 3.2: Design high-performing and elastic compute solutions
- Task 3.3: Determine high-performing database solutions
- Task 3.4: Determine high-performing and/or scalable network architectures
- Task 3.5: Determine high-performing data ingestion and transformation solutions
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures
- Task 4.1: Design cost-optimized storage solutions
- Task 4.2: Design cost-optimized compute solutions
- Task 4.3: Design cost-optimized database solutions
- Task 4.4: Design cost-optimized network architectures
On the day
The exam itself
Everything AWS publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
Exam codeSAA-C03
CertificationAWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Exam format65 questions; either multiple choice or multiple response
Duration130 minutes
Questions65 questions
Passing score720 out of 1000
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish, French (France), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
PricingUS $150
Certification levelAssociate
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path AWS lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Credential earnedAWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate Associate level certification Renewal and maintenance
This certification is valid for 3 years. Before it expires, you can recertify by passing the latest version of this exam, or by earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, which automatically recertifies this Associate-level certification. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. AWS maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by AWS
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, AWS’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official AWS certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does SAA-C03 relate to the previous version of this exam?
SAA-C03 is the current version of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam. AWS periodically updates exam guides and content outlines; candidates should always prepare using the latest exam guide for SAA-C03.
Do I need to earn the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner before taking this exam?
No. AWS lists no mandatory prerequisites for SAA-C03. However, candidates without any IT work experience would benefit from first earning the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner to gain foundational AWS Cloud knowledge before attempting this exam.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in the SAA-C03 exam?
No. The SAA-C03 exam consists entirely of multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. There is no hands-on lab component.
What is the retake policy if I fail the exam?
AWS Certification exams can be retaken after a waiting period. For specific retake policies, refer to the AWS Certification Program Agreement and the AWS Certification FAQ.
Are there any discounts available for this exam?
Yes. Once you earn one AWS Certification, you get a 50% discount on your next AWS Certification exam. You can access this discount in your AWS Certification Account.
What job roles does this certification map to?
This certification is designed for individuals who perform a solutions architect role, validating the ability to design distributed systems on AWS. It is also a starting point for IT professionals moving into cloud roles.
Can I recertify by passing a different AWS exam?
Yes. Earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional automatically recertifies this Associate-level certification. Other recertification options may be available; see the AWS Recertification page for details.
Is the exam available in my region?
The exam is delivered through Pearson VUE testing centers and online proctoring, with availability in many countries. Check the Pearson VUE website for specific locations and language availability.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 504 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept AWS measures — each one written out.
4domains
14objectives
193concepts
105free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official AWS exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Design Secure Architectures90 questions
2Design Resilient Architectures105 questions
3Design High-Performing Architectures152 questions
Task 3.1: Determine high-performing and/or scalable storage solutions10 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 3.2: Design high-performing and elastic compute solutions10 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 3.3: Determine high-performing database solutions13 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →Task 3.4: Determine high-performing and/or scalable network architectures8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 3.5: Determine high-performing data ingestion and transformation solutions14 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →
4Design Cost-Optimized Architectures157 questions
Task 4.1: Design cost-optimized storage solutions29 concepts · 15 pagesOpen →Task 4.2: Design cost-optimized compute solutions13 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 4.3: Design cost-optimized database solutions8 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 4.4: Design cost-optimized network architectures10 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Task 1.1: Design secure access to AWS resources8 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
37 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
504 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
504questions
105pages
14objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Design Secure Architectures90 questions
2Design Resilient Architectures105 questions
3Design High-Performing Architectures152 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
193concepts
504free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from AWS
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
5official links
193concepts mapped
The source
AWS’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official AWS outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 14 objectives, 193 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When AWS changes the outline, this page changes with it.
14objectives on the outline→193concepts written→504free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.