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 - Professional
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification validates your advanced skills in designing optimized, secure, and cost-effective AWS solutions. Built for experienced architects, it demonstrates your ability to solve complex problems, automate manual processes, and architect at scale across multiple applications and projects. Earning this credential signals to employers that you can lead complex cloud initiatives with confidence.
Exam formatMultiple choice and multiple response
Duration180 minutes
DeliveryPearson VUE
Passing score750 out of 1000
Free questions544
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What SAP-C02 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
20objectives
176concepts
US $300exam 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 - Professional (SAP-C02) exam is the highest-level architect certification from AWS. It validates your advanced technical skills and experience in designing optimized AWS solutions based on the AWS Well-Architected Framework. The exam covers four key domains: designing for organizational complexity, designing for new solutions, continuously improving existing solutions, and accelerating workload migration and modernization.
This certification is for solutions architects who evaluate cloud application requirements, make architectural recommendations, and provide expert guidance across multiple applications and projects within complex organizations. Earning it demonstrates your ability to design secure, cost-effective, and high-performing architectures that meet business objectives and drive innovation.
Who it’s for
This certification is for solutions architects with two or more years of hands-on experience designing and implementing cloud solutions on AWS. You are comfortable evaluating application requirements, making architectural recommendations, and guiding architectural design across multiple applications and projects in a complex organization. You likely work in a senior or lead architect role, collaborating with engineering, security, and operations teams to deliver scalable, resilient, and cost-optimized solutions. The exam rewards deep architectural judgment and practical experience over theoretical knowledge.
Recommended experience
Two or more years of hands-on experience using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions. Designing and implementing distributed systems on AWS; Evaluating cloud application requirements and making architectural recommendations; Applying the AWS Well-Architected Framework to optimize security, cost, and performance; Automating manual processes and accelerating workload migrations
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
Content Domain 1: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
- Task 1.1: Architect network connectivity strategies.
- Task 1.2: Prescribe security controls.
- Task 1.3: Design reliable and resilient architectures.
- Task 1.4: Design a multi-account AWS environment.
- Task 1.5: Determine cost optimization and visibility strategies.
Content Domain 2: Design for New Solutions
- Task 2.1: Design a deployment strategy to meet business requirements
- Task 2.2: Design a solution to ensure business continuity
- Task 2.3: Determine security controls based on requirements
- Task 2.4: Design a strategy to meet reliability requirements
- Task 2.5: Design a solution to meet performance objectives
- Task 2.6: Determine a cost optimization strategy to meet solution goals and objectives
Content Domain 3: Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions
- Task 3.1: Determine a strategy to improve overall operational excellence.
- Task 3.2: Determine a strategy to improve security.
- Task 3.3: Determine a strategy to improve performance.
- Task 3.4: Determine a strategy to improve reliability.
- Task 3.5: Identify opportunities for cost optimizations.
Content Domain 4: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
- Task 4.1: Select existing workloads and processes for potential migration.
- Task 4.2: Determine the optimal migration approach for existing workloads.
- Task 4.3: Determine a new architecture for existing workloads.
- Task 4.4: Determine opportunities for modernization and enhancements.
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 codeSAP-C02
CertificationAWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
Exam formatMultiple choice and multiple response
Duration180 minutes
Questions65 scored questions plus 10 unscored questions (75 total)
Passing score750 out of 1000
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Latin America)
PricingUS $300
Certification levelProfessional
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 - Professional
Credential earnedAWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional Professional level certification Renewal and maintenance
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification is valid for 3 years. Renew by passing the latest version of this exam or completing a recertification assessment on AWS Skill Builder. 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 the SAP-C02 exam relate to the previous SAP-C01 version?
SAP-C02 is the current version of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam, replacing SAP-C01. It updates the content to reflect current AWS services and best practices, including new domains and emerging topics.
Do I need to earn the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate before taking this exam?
No. AWS does not require any prerequisite certifications. However, the Associate-level certification is a common stepping stone and is recommended for building foundational knowledge.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in the SAP-C02 exam?
No. The SAP-C02 exam consists entirely of multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. There is no hands-on lab or performance-based component.
What is the retake policy if I fail the SAP-C02 exam?
You must wait 14 days after a failed attempt before retaking the exam. There is no limit on the number of attempts, but each attempt requires a new exam fee.
What job roles does the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional credential map to?
It aligns with senior solutions architect, enterprise architect, and cloud architect roles that design and implement complex AWS solutions across an organization.
Can I recertify by passing a different AWS exam?
Yes. Passing any Professional-level or Specialty-level AWS Certification exam renews your Solutions Architect - Professional certification for another 3 years.
Are there any discounts available for the SAP-C02 exam?
Yes. Once you earn any AWS Certification, you receive a 50% discount on your next AWS Certification exam, including SAP-C02. The discount is available in your AWS Certification Account.
How soon will I receive my exam results?
Exam results are typically available within 5 business days after completing the exam. You can access them in your AWS Certification Account under Exam History.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 544 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
20objectives
176concepts
118free 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
1Content Domain 1: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity138 questions
Task 1.1: Architect network connectivity strategies.12 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 1.2: Prescribe security controls.8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 1.3: Design reliable and resilient architectures.10 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 1.4: Design a multi-account AWS environment.10 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 1.5: Determine cost optimization and visibility strategies.6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
2Content Domain 2: Design for New Solutions171 questions
Task 2.1: Design a deployment strategy to meet business requirements12 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 2.2: Design a solution to ensure business continuity8 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Task 2.3: Determine security controls based on requirements10 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 2.4: Design a strategy to meet reliability requirements9 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 2.5: Design a solution to meet performance objectives10 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 2.6: Determine a cost optimization strategy to meet solution goals and objectives11 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →
3Content Domain 3: Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions148 questions
Task 3.1: Determine a strategy to improve overall operational excellence.8 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Task 3.2: Determine a strategy to improve security.8 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 3.3: Determine a strategy to improve performance.3 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Task 3.4: Determine a strategy to improve reliability.11 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →Task 3.5: Identify opportunities for cost optimizations.14 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →
4Content Domain 4: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization87 questions
Task 4.1: Select existing workloads and processes for potential migration.5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 4.2: Determine the optimal migration approach for existing workloads.6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Task 4.3: Determine a new architecture for existing workloads.10 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Task 4.4: Determine opportunities for modernization and enhancements.5 concepts · 5 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: Architect network connectivity strategies.7 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
31 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
544 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.
544questions
118pages
20objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Content Domain 1: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity138 questions
2Content Domain 2: Design for New Solutions171 questions
3Content Domain 3: Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions148 questions
4Content Domain 4: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization87 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.
176concepts
544free 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.
4official links
176concepts 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 — 20 objectives, 176 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When AWS changes the outline, this page changes with it.
20objectives on the outline→176concepts written→544free 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.