Turning Your Dejection to a Springboard for the Next level- All about my AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C02) Exam
After passing the AWS Cloud Practitioner (CCP) exam which I wrote about here, I was convinced of 2 things: Firstly, that I was going to pursue a career in the cloud as I loved the concept and knew it will keep my curious mind busy and Secondly, that getting the CCP certificate will land me a cloud role in a big Tech company.
Then comes in Dejection….
As soon as I passed my CCP exam, I updated my Linkedin and pictured myself in the new car I would buy from my earnings as a Cloud expert. I went ahead to start applying for cloud roles, after all I now had fundamental knowledge of Cloud computing with a certificate to show for it.
3 months later, I had applied to over 30 cloud roles and got rejected every single time. I reached out to a recruiter who was kind enough to tell me that having the CCP certificate doesn’t make me competitive as it is just proof that I had fundamental knowledge about the cloud but doesn’t indicate in-depth knowledge of the cloud services and how they truly work (This doesn’t in any way imply you cannot get a cloud job with only a CCP certificate).
It was at that point I felt dejected and knew I needed to change my strategy.
Why the SAA-C02 Exam?
It was time to go deeper into cloud computing so I went for the next level in the AWS certification tree. My personal research showed the SysOps Administrator and DevOps certifications were more specialized so I chose the Solutions Architect to gain an in-depth knowledge into a majority of AWS services and also understand how to proffer solutions on building scalable, efficient and low-cost cloud infrastructure.
Preparing for the Exam
I was impressed with the content and delivery method of my CCP exam tutor, Stephane Maarek so I did not hesitate to use him for my SAA-C02 exam. There are other reputable AWS tutors (e.g ACloudGuru) I have seen people recommend so feel free to do your research and go for your best choice.
The total course time was about 27 hours and the course slides were about 817 pages (literally double of what I had to study for the CCP exam). Seeing all I had to study made me know I was in for a long battle.
I started reading for the exam in the last week of December 2021 and spent the next 3 weeks preparing for the course (I spent the entire holiday studying and didn’t take a break even on my birthday). I also completed most of the labs (bear in mind that some would cost you money) as I needed to understand the workings of each service. I considered giving up on some days and got overwhelmed a lot of times.
One strategy I adopted was practicing a 30–15–30 reading style- I would mute my phone, take out all distractions and focus on the course for 30 minutes, take a break for 15 minutes and go back to full focus for the next 30 minutes until I reached my target hours for the day. That way, I would study for a minimum of 3 hours per day or less on days I went to work.
Failing and Failing…..
Preparing for the exam made me realize this particular exam was no walk in the park. I needed to be super confident that I was exam-ready and finishing the course didn’t give me that confidence.
I went over the course material a second time and for each topic/service, I would visit the overview section of the AWS website to read more about it and also read whatever materials I came across on Google.
Now it was time to test my knowledge. I took the practice exam in the course and I got 52% (the pass mark for the exam is 72%). I went ahead to purchase a practice question course and tried taking another exam and still didn’t reach the pass mark. This got me worried but I had to keep trying.
Failing the practice exams allowed me identify the topics/areas I needed to improve on and gave me an insight into how confusing the actual exam will be- confusing because half the time, all the options you are given are correct.
Difficulty level
Many people say the SAA-C02 exam is a difficult one and I hate to say that it can be true especially for people with no actual experience working with AWS services. I went ahead to register for the exam in January 2022 as it was causing me sleepless nights and I needed to get done with it once and for all.
What I should have done better/ My recommendations
Please pay attention to points listed below as it is a summation of my experience and experiences of others that have written the exam
- The secret success ingredient: FAQs- Many people discovered most of the questions asked in the exam were similar to the FAQs of each service on the AWS website. This is no surprise because being a Solutions architect means you should be able to proffer a solution to whatever issues an AWS customer may have and what other place will have a collation of possible issues other than the FAQ? I discovered this secret about 4 days to the exam and spent the remaining time going through the FAQ section of key services on the AWS website. I had several tabs opened (both on my phone and laptop) reading the FAQs of different services simultaneously and doing this prepared me for possible scenarios that came up in the exam.
2. Focus on these services- Following through with the FAQS, there are major services/areas that were recurring (had at least 2 questions asked) both in the practice exam and the actual exam. I strongly recommend you read the FAQs of these services. They include:
a. Networking- VPC
b. IAM
c. AWS S3
d. Route 53 and Cloud Front
e. SQS, SNS and Kinesis (Data Streams and Firehose) including the appropriate use case for each service
f. Databases in AWS- RDS, DynamoDB including the appropriate use case for each service
Please note that topics listed above are only recommendations and I am not saying other services are not equally important. Do ensure you cover other services in detail as well.
3. Pay attention to instructions in each question- Unlike the CCP exam that was straightforward and had one distinct answer to a question, the SAA-C02 exam was confusing. The options in most of the questions were similar and were possible solutions to the scenario. Paying attention to the question is what will guide you on the best solution to choose- usually asked to select the least-expensive or most efficient option so be sure to understand what you are being asked to do. While practicing, I failed a lot of questions because I didn’t pay attention to the instructions but I was careful enough in the actual exam.
4. Give yourself enough time- This exam is not one you can haphazardly prepare for. You need adequate time to go through the course material for at least 2 times and practice as many questions as you can. You also need time to read the whitepapers and FAQs. You need as much time that you can get, and I would recommend at least a month for preparation. Bear in mind that you will likely never feel prepared enough so going over the exam resources severally will increase your confidence.
5. Practice! Practice!! Practice!!!- I actually never reached the pass mark (72%) in all the practice exams I took but the more I practiced and went back to reading about the services, the more my final score increased. I went from getting a 52% in my first attempt to a 70% in subsequent attempts.
6. Sleep- Unlike the preparation period for my CCP exam, I slept good this time and it helped me a lot. I wasn’t fatigued and could bring myself to fully concentrate on tasks. I also drank a lot of coffee and had to get a subscription for a coffee shop beside my house. Shout out to my fellow coffee addicts!!
7. Prepare for stressful Proctors- When I signed in for my exam, the proctor refused to release the exam to me on the grounds that my video background was black and white and he went ahead to end the session. I started imagining how my hard-earned money I paid for the exam will go to waste. This threw me off balance as I was so tensed and had to figure out the video settings of my laptop before the remaining 15-minute sign-in time elapsed- I started sweating despite the room temperature being about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and definitely couldn’t find a solution in such condition. 10 minutes later still with no solution, I went ahead to sign-in again. Luckily, I was given another Proctor who had no issue with the video background and released the exam for me to take. So pray to get a good proctor that wouldn’t put you under undue stress.
8. Final minutes- I flagged a lot of questions and went back to review them- ended up going with the initial options I had selected. At that point, passing the exam was a 50/50 for me as I understood all the questions but wasn’t sure I selected the best answer for each question. 1 minute to the end of the exam, I was forced to submit and as soon as I saw PASS, I jumped up from my seat and screamed for joy.
It felt like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulder and I spent the next 3 days sleeping, eating and watching Netflix shows before adulthood came calling and I had to go back to work.
Music Playlist During This Period (Top 5)
As is customary, I get to share the top 5 songs I played during the period I write about. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
1. One day at a time- Meriam Belina
2. Good Woman- Flavour
3. Osondi Owendi- MC Loph feat. Flavour
4. Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix)- Flavour
5. Duduke- Simi
What Next?
Did I get a job after passing this exam? What did I do next increase my chances of getting hired? Hit the follow button and look out for my next article.
Disclaimer: This post describes my personal journey. Recommendations made are only suggestions and they do not in any way guarantee a PASS in the exam.
Please feel free to share your thoughts, feedback or criticisms. Look forward to hearing from you.
