Amazon Web Services
AWS Solutions Architect Associate
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03)
The most popular AWS certification, validating the ability to design secure, resilient, and cost-optimized architectures on AWS. A standard credential for cloud engineers, solutions architects, and developers moving into cloud roles.
Blueprint-complete program: 4 decks, 944 cards.
What's on the exam
SAA-C03 Exam Guide
Design Secure Architectures
30%Secure access to AWS resources (IAM, federation) · Secure workloads and applications · Data security controls (encryption, KMS) · Network security (VPC, security groups, NACLs)
Design Resilient Architectures
26%Scalable and loosely coupled architectures · Highly available and fault-tolerant architectures · Disaster recovery strategies (RTO/RPO) · Decoupling with SQS, SNS, and EventBridge · Multi-AZ and multi-Region design
Design High-Performing Architectures
24%High-performing storage solutions · Elastic compute solutions · Database selection and performance · Scalable network architectures · Caching and data ingestion patterns
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures
20%Cost-effective storage (S3 tiers, lifecycle policies) · Cost-effective compute (Reserved, Spot, Savings Plans) · Cost-effective database solutions · Cost-effective network architectures · Cost monitoring and governance tools
Frequently asked questions
How much does the AWS Solutions Architect Associate cost?
The AWS Solutions Architect Associate costs $150. Associate-tier exam fee; confirm current pricing with AWS.
How long is the AWS Solutions Architect Associate and how many questions does it have?
65 items (50 scored, 15 unscored) — 130 minutes.
What do you need to pass the AWS Solutions Architect Associate?
Scaled score of 720 on a scale of 100–1,000.
Can you retake the AWS Solutions Architect Associate?
14-day wait between attempts.
What is the best way to study for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate?
Study the official blueprint, not random material: the exam is weighted by domain (Design Secure Architectures 30%, Design Resilient Architectures 26%, Design High-Performing Architectures 24%, Design Cost-Optimized Architectures 20%). Spaced-repetition flashcards built domain-by-domain against that blueprint are the most time-efficient way to cover everything the exam tests.
Ready to prepare?
Our AWS Solutions Architect Associate program follows this exact blueprint — every domain covered, scheduled by spaced repetition, with a journey from first card to test day.