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.
Full 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?
Start from the official outline and your primary study materials: the exam is weighted by domain (Design Secure Architectures 30%, Design Resilient Architectures 26%, Design High-Performing Architectures 24%, Design Cost-Optimized Architectures 20%). Once you've learned the material, spaced-repetition flashcards organized by those domains are an efficient way to retain it and refresh it before test day.
Ready to prepare?
Our AWS Solutions Architect Associate program is organized by this outline's domains and scheduled by spaced repetition, with a path from first card to test day.
Flashcards are a memory tool. Learn the material first, then use NoReread to retain it and refresh what you already know. It doesn't replace studying the subject.