SAA-C03 FAQ — Common Questions & Quick Answers
Answers to the most frequent questions about the AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA‑C03): format, timing, scoring, retakes, prerequisites, hands‑on expectations, what to study, and how to use our practice effectively.
This FAQ is focused on AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate (SAA‑C03). Policies and blueprints evolve—confirm critical details on AWS Certification’s official site before your exam day.
Quick facts
- Questions: 65 (multiple‑choice + multiple‑response)
- Time: 130 minutes
- Delivery: Test center or online proctoring
- Result: Scaled score with immediate pass/fail
- Level: Associate
- Good prep mix: Objectives → drills → mocks → review
Frequently asked questions
What does SAA‑C03 test?
Scenario‑driven architecture decisions across resilience/HA, security/IAM/KMS, networking/VPC, storage, databases/caching, serverless/containers, and cost optimization. Expect trade‑offs among availability, performance, cost, and operations.
How many questions and how much time?
65 questions in 130 minutes. Plan ~2 minutes per question with a review pass at the end.
What’s the passing score?
AWS reports a scaled score with pass/fail feedback. Treat every question as scored—there’s no way to identify experimental items.
Do I need hands‑on AWS experience?
Strongly recommended. Familiarity with VPC, EC2/ALB/ASG, S3, RDS/Aurora, IAM/KMS, CloudWatch/CloudTrail, and endpoints/NAT patterns makes a big difference.
Any official prerequisites?
No formal prerequisite exams are required for SAA‑C03, but practical experience with AWS core services is advised.
What question styles should I expect?
- Scenario MCQ/MR: Choose the best (or two best) solution(s) from plausible options.
- Trade‑off questions: Multiple answers appear correct—pick the one that best meets the explicit constraint (e.g., lowest cost, highest availability, least ops).
- Gotchas: Defaults and limits (e.g., Block Public Access on S3, NAT per AZ for resilience, KMS key policies with explicit principals).
How should I study efficiently?
- Read the Overview to understand format and domain emphasis.
- Work the Syllabus domain by domain.
- Drill targeted sets in Practice after each section.
- Keep the Cheatsheet open and turn misses into one‑liners in your notes.
- Do 2–3 full mocks in the final week and review every miss.
What domain areas are most emphasized?
Weights vary, but consistently high‑value areas include resiliency/HA, security/IAM/KMS, and networking/VPC. Storage/database choices and cost levers are also frequent.
Will I need to do calculations?
Light calculations may appear (e.g., RTO/RPO trade‑offs, throughput/IOPS hints, or rough cost deltas). You don’t need exact pricing memorization—focus on directional cost levers and selection logic.
Online proctoring vs test center—any tips?
- Online: Quiet room, stable internet, single monitor, clear desk. Expect room scans.
- Test center: Arrive early; lockers for personal items; follow ID requirements.
In both cases: manage time, flag tough items, and revisit during the review pass.
How does SAA compare to Cloud Practitioner (CLF‑C02)?
SAA is more architectural and scenario‑heavy, expecting concrete design decisions and trade‑off reasoning. CLF focuses on cloud concepts and high‑level AWS knowledge.
Do I need to know exact service limits and minutiae?
Know important defaults and architectural implications (e.g., AZ scoping, endpoint vs NAT, read replica vs Multi‑AZ, ALB vs NLB). You won’t be tested on long lists of obscure limits.
Are diagrams or labs part of the exam?
No hands‑on labs in SAA‑C03. All questions are multiple‑choice/response, sometimes with simple architectural diagrams.
Retake policy?
You can retake after a waiting period defined by AWS Certification. Review your score report diagnostics and target weak domains before booking again.
How long should I prepare?
Common ranges: 4–8 weeks of focused study, depending on prior AWS exposure. Prioritize daily drills + weekly mocks over passive reading alone.
What are the most common pitfalls?
- Single NAT Gateway for all private subnets → SPOF + cross‑AZ data costs.
- Assuming PrivateLink for S3/DynamoDB (use Gateway endpoints instead).
- KMS key policy lacks explicit principals/grants → services can’t use the key.
- ALB/ASG not spanning multiple AZs.
- Skewed DynamoDB partition key → hot partitions.
- Over‑tight NACLs break stateful flows; prefer SG‑first with minimal NACLs.
Can I bring notes or reference material?
No outside materials. You may get an on‑screen whiteboard or physical scratch materials depending on delivery mode. A basic calculator is available.
What should I do in the final week?
- Run 2–3 full mocks under time.
- Re‑review weak domains in the Syllabus.
- Rehearse runbooks/patterns from the Cheatsheet (endpoints vs NAT, ALB vs NLB, RDS vs Aurora, DR strategies).
- Sleep, hydrate, and keep sessions short and focused.
Next steps
- Understand expectations: Overview →
- Work the objectives: Syllabus →
- Drill now (mobile‑friendly): Practice →
- Keep high‑yield patterns handy: Cheatsheet →
Ready to train? Open Practice: AWS SAA-C03