These files follow the official exam guide and the Well-Architected Framework. Work through the domain pages, try the snippets in the code examples doc, then double-check anything that matters against current AWS docs and whatever you can run in a lab.
- Architects who already deal with multi-account, hybrid, or regulated workloads on AWS
- People stepping up from Associate breadth to Professional-style questions (cost vs. reliability vs. security, with no single “textbook” answer)
- Anyone who wants checklists and patterns instead of memorizing service trivia
Prerequisites (typical): Solutions Architect – Associate or similar experience; AWS’s published target is roughly two years of designing and shipping solutions on the platform.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | Multiple choice and multiple response (select all correct options where the stem says so) |
| Questions | 75 total (65 scored, 10 unscored pilot items, not marked) |
| Time | 180 minutes |
| Score | Scaled 100–1000; 750 minimum to pass |
| Scoring | Compensatory: you pass the exam as a whole, not domain by domain |
| Focus | Well-Architected pillars, multi-Region and multi-account patterns, migration, modernization, governance |
Confirm dates, price, and language options on the AWS Certification site when you register.
| Domain | Weight | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Design solutions for organizational complexity | 26% | Domain 1 |
| 2 — Design for new solutions | 29% | Domain 2 |
| 3 — Continuous improvement for existing solutions | 25% | Domain 3 |
| 4 — Accelerate migration and modernization | 20% | Domain 4 |
Cross-cutting material (pillars, common patterns): Well-Architected and patterns.
- Start with Exam strategy and resources: order of study, practice approach, links worth bookmarking.
- Read domains 1–4 in order, or start where you’re weakest.
- Keep Well-Architected and patterns open alongside the domains; the exam leans hard on the framework.
- Run or adapt examples in Code examples (CloudFormation, IAM, CLI, CI/CD sketches).
- Treat everything here as a starting point: verify in AWS documentation, because services and exam emphasis change.
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
| docs/01-exam-and-study-strategy.md | Format, mindset, study plan, key links |
| docs/02-domain-organizational-complexity.md | Multi-account, networking, hybrid, DR, cost visibility |
| docs/03-domain-new-solutions.md | Greenfield design: deployment, security, reliability, performance, cost |
| docs/04-domain-continuous-improvement.md | Improving ops, security, performance, reliability, cost on running systems |
| docs/05-domain-migration-modernization.md | Assessment, 7 Rs, tooling, target architectures, modernization |
| docs/06-well-architected-and-patterns.md | Pillars, lenses, architectural patterns |
| docs/07-code-examples.md | IaC, policies, CLI, deployment patterns |
| examples/ | Copy-paste samples (CloudFormation, IAM JSON) |
This is informal study material, not affiliated with AWS. Exam content and products move; for authoritative behavior and limits, use AWS documentation, the current exam guide PDF, and your own tests. Third-party notes are not a substitute for those sources.
- SAP-C02 exam guide (PDF)
- AWS Well-Architected Framework
- AWS Architecture Center
- AWS Prescriptive Guidance (migration)
Open Exam strategy and resources first, or jump straight into a domain guide.