How To Study for Any AWS Exam and Easily Pass on Your First Attempt

Over-complication is a drawn-out process nowadays.

People waste their time by applying unhelpful ways and in the end scoring a fail. I was one of them.

But there is a neat and simple way that guarantees results and forces you to stop thinking about everything. I have been studying for numerous exams using this method for some years now, and I have always passed the first time.

There has not been a doubt each time I entered the exam room that I could possibly fail.

This is the method I am transfiguring to study for the AWS Solutions Architect, and this has made me sure it would get results.

These are the steps to take into consideration if you want to improve on your exam preparation.

1. Pick a Platform

Find any online video learning platform that offers a course with respect to the exam requirement in hand.

There are both free platforms like FreeCodeCamp or YouTube and also paid ones like Udemy, but to name but a few of my personal favorite platforms, those would be A Cloud Guru and Exam Pro.

Once you have selected a platform and chosen the course, start watching the contents very attentively. Make sure you also do all the lab exercises they give with it.

Something I like to do is speed it up to 1.5x or 2x to keep me more focused on the video and to get through them faster. That way, I'm not going to fall asleep because if I do, I get to rewind it back to normal only then. But it's faster to do that than to zone out and have to replay on normal speed.

Only Write Notes on Chapter Summaries

Capture most of your notes from the last video of the module you are taking.

That's a much better way to spend your time and to speed up your learning.

I'm using A Cloud Guru's AWS Solutions Architect Associate course to prepare for the certification exam, and every chapter ends with a summary revisiting everything that was learned.

For instance, if I'm about to wrap up my chapter on S3, that video basically summarizes all I have gone through regarding this service. Here is where I put my notes.

Instead of having to start and stop every time for each video, I will do it once for all the sections covering IAM, S3, EC2, and every other service taught through the course.

Find a Set of Mock Exams

When you finish watching all the videos, start checking the mock tests available for practice.

Some course providers bundle this in their offering. Otherwise, you could find vendors that have a set of practice exams as standalone. Ideally, you want to use at least 2 different vendors to get a good variety of questions and their delivery.

It's always better to be safe than sorry because you never know what the test will throw at you.

Review Your Performance

Then, you should look at your scores after you have finished a few of them. Which categories were the most difficult for you?

Keep an eye on those areas.

Revise Your Study Notes

Go back to your study notes and revise the low-scoring areas. Get back with the same practice with the videos you have watched.

This is a way to have a comparison with what you have noted down as it relates to the course materials to see if any of it is worth adding to your notes. For instance, I will go back to watch the videos regarding questions I found difficult.

Update your notes when complete.

Consider Using Flash Cards

Flash cards are among the most potent weapons for memorizing new pieces of information.

The use of flashcards for studying is termed active recall. Recalling for an answer requires a lot of effort from your brain, making it stronger within itself to internalize what you have learned.

Conceivably, every day out of the 10 minutes, you have the chance to try flashcards practice and improve your exam success.

Repeat Steps 3–6

Perform these activities twice a week and, ideally, spaced so that your mind can rest in between.

8. Raise Your Average

Minimum passing score is 72% for the examination. Personally, I like to raise my average practice exam score to around 85% before feeling ready to take and pass the exam.

I have used this same pattern over 3 different certification providers, CompTIA, Azure, and AWS and have had success every time.

9. Schedule the Exam

Now you are prepared to schedule the exam. In the meantime, keep studying and practicing for the exam. Repeat those very steps, and you will be able to get through the exam easily.