If you are familiar with the world of cloud computing, then the term ‘AWS’ will be at your fingertips. Indeed! AWS, or Amazon Web Services, is a leading cloud services provider and is a platform of choice for millions of companies looking to adopt cloud services. The platform offers secure, versatile, scalable, cost-effective, and user-friendly cloud services, and that too on a pay-as-you-go pricing model. With a presence in around 190 countries, AWS presents a truly global infrastructure that has been around for over a decade and is constantly refined.
Do you want to explore the AWS learning path? You may be interested in learning AWS but considering it is a huge platform; you may be confused about how to get started. Fortunately, you don’t need to have an in-depth understanding of all the services offered by AWS. Based on your job role, you will need to know about a set of services that will come in handy at your job. You don’t even need to identify those services on your own. AWS offers role-based certifications with a clearly defined syllabus that you will have to follow to pursue them.
This article gives you an overview of AWS certification and what happens when you fail an AWS certification exam.
What are AWS Certifications?
AWS certification is a great way to demonstrate your cloud skills and prepare for a cloud job of your interest. As mentioned earlier, AWS has designed the certifications based on job roles like cloud practitioner, developer, DevOps engineer, solution architect, and SysOps administrator. These certifications are divided into Foundational, Associate, Professional, and Specialty levels. Some of the popular AWS certifications are mentioned below:
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner – Foundational
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
- AWS Certified Developer – Associate
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
- AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty
- AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
- AWS Certified Database – Specialty
Whether you opt for a foundational level or professional level certification, you need to pass a dedicated AWS certification exam. For example, if you wish to pursue the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate certification, then you will have to clear the SAA-C03 exam. The questions involved in this exam are multiple choice and multiple response types. You will face 65 questions and the time allowed is 130 minutes. The exam price is 150 USD, and you can take it at the Pearson VUE and PSI, at a testing center, or online proctored exam. All the exam details are given on the AWS official website, along with the eligibility criteria. You will also get all the preparation material on the website itself, including sample questions, practice tests, whitepapers, e-books, and online training sources.
What Happens if you Fail an AWS Exam?
If you do not pass an AWS certification exam on your first attempt, then you are allowed to retake it. AWS has not placed any limit on the number of exam attempts. Note that you need to pay the full registration fee for each attempt at the exam you take. Moreover, you need to wait for at least 14 days before you are eligible to retake the exam. Next, if you pass the exam on successive trials, you will not be allowed to retake the same exam for the next two years. In case the exam is updated by AWS with a new exam guide and exam series code, you will be allowed to appear for the new exam version.
If you are worried about knowing the exam results, remember that most AWS certification exams do not show the pass/fail status immediately after completing the test. It takes around five business days to get the detailed exam results in your AWS Certification Account under the ‘Exam History’ section.
Though we have mentioned that there is no limit on the number of attempts for the AWS certification exams, you should appear for the exam only when you are prepared for it satisfactorily. If you have some doubt regarding your preparation, it is better to take your time and grasp the concepts better. You can also take online training programs, like that offered by Simplilearn, to learn about the AWS certifications from scratch. Usually, the instructors for such courses are themselves certified professionals and know the exam well. They can share with you the important tips and tricks to pass the exam in a single try.
Get AWS Certified Today!
Now that you know all the details regarding AWS certifications, it is time to validate your cloud expertise by achieving such credentials. A number of career benefits are associated with AWS certifications. For example, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate certification makes it to the list of Highest Paying IT certifications almost every year. Moreover, achieving such credentials will place you ahead of your peers, and the employers will more likely hire you than other non-certified candidates for their cloud-related open positions. Cloud computing seems to have a bright future and you should grab the chance of getting AWS certified and prove your knowledge and expertise in this domain.