MENU
  1. Home
  2. クラウド
  3. AWS
  4. Study method and secrets to pass all AWS in about 1 month

Study method and secrets to pass all AWS in about 1 month

AWS

This article is recommended for

  • People who want to crown all AWS certifications in the shortest time possible (RTA)
  • People who are not sure whether to take the AWS certification exam online or offline (on-site)
TOC

The challenge of obtaining all AWS certifications and what it means

What is the full AWS certification crown?

All AWS (Amazon Web Services) certifications means all AWS certifications (except beta).

AWS certifications fall into four main levels.

  1. Foundational: This is an entry-level certification that demonstrates knowledge of the basics of cloud computing. The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is an entry-level certification that certifies basic knowledge of cloud computing.
  2. Associate: The certification certifies that the candidate has a basic understanding of the core services and architecture of AWS. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate.
  3. Professional: This certification certifies higher level technical skills and specialized knowledge of AWS services. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional” and “AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional” fall under this category.
  4. Specialty: A certification that demonstrates in-depth expertise in a specific technical area or industry. Examples include AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty and AWS Certified Security – Specialty.

AWS certifications released as of January 21, 2024 are as follows.

LevelCodName of Qualification
FoundationalCLFCloud Practitioner
AssociateSAASolutions Architect – Associate
AssociateDVADeveloper – Associate
AssociateSOASysOps Administrator – Associate
ProfessionalSAPSolutions Architect – Professional
ProfessionalDOPDevOps Engineer – Professional
SpecialtySCSSecurity – Specialty
SpecialtyMLSMachine Learning – Specialty
SpecialtyDASData Analytics – Specialty
SpecialtyDBSDatabase – Specialty
SpecialtyANSAdvanced Networking – Specialty
SpecialtyPASSAP on AWS – Specialty
List of AWS Certifications

Reasons and Benefits of AWS Certification

I have been assigned to Toshiba TEC Corporation’s CDO office as a software architect, responsible for various tasks ranging from infrastructure to applications. Although Toshiba TEC has started a program to fully subsidize the cost of public cloud certification, I decided to take this opportunity to obtain all the certifications because my secondment to Toshiba TEC expires at the end of March.

I decided to jump in as the first penguin because there are less than 600 people who have obtained all the certifications as of 2023, which makes me a rare person, and because there is only one all-certification holder in the entire Toshiba Group, while Toshiba itself and Toshiba TEC have zero.

I am a software developer with a master’s degree from a graduate school and have been with Toshiba for 8 years. Most recently, I was involved in contracted development of infrastructure around data analysis for 3-5 years, and I mainly use AWS around data analysis, containers, and DevOps.

I wanted to improve my abilities as an architect by getting to know the entire AWS service in a comprehensive manner, so I aimed for the full crown.

Meaning of the AWS certification plaque

If you belong to an organization that meets the prescribed conditions and apply for the award with all the crowns, AWS will give you an award in the name of the company plus your personal name, and you will receive a supplementary prize.

Their supplementary awards seem to change depending on the year the award is presented; for the 2021 award, the following plaque was presented. Wow, that is cool. It is really hard to achieve all the crowns, but I think it is motivating.

Track record of all AWS certifications

So, how did you do?” I am about to hear you say, “So, how did you do?” so I will post your exam history.

After reviewing the exam process with Cloud Practitioner in 2022 (on my own), I was awarded the entire exam with no mistakes for one month and 11 days from the beginning of December to the middle of January 2023.

All exams were taken online, so I was able to take them even on weekdays. Once again, you can see that I was extremely demanding, taking exams on consecutive days and two exams in one day. was this why I was so exhausted that one month felt like a year?

Day after day, the room became a room of the mind and time, where one studied and took exams from evening until midnight on weekdays and from the time one woke up until one went to bed on weekends. Every day, I would check my progress on the Gantt chart to see if I was on schedule. At the end of the day, I found myself wondering what in the world I was doing, and what would be left of me if I didn’t get all the crowns.

My anxiety was short-lived, but before I knew it, I had achieved all the crowns, and I couldn’t think of anything else to say except, “Oh, I got it.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. In other words, I didn’t really feel it.

I was surprised at myself because I did not expect to get it with no mistakes and in a short period of time, partly because I was groping in a situation where there were no other all-crown holders around me. I am going to share the know-how that I have accumulated through such groping.

Study methods and learning resources for all AWS crowns

As is the case with studying for examinations, I think the first step to success is to know how to study efficiently. I would like to introduce a study method that we have been exploring this time.

Overview of efficient study methods and materials used

The materials used are as follows

  1. Cloud Tech (Web problems)
  2. Books for AWS certification exams
  3. Official AWS Practice Exams (some exams are not supported)
  4. Udemy English Language Resources
  5. Udemy Web Questions, Practice Exams

First of all, I want to say that hands-on is not necessary. I think it is more efficient to basically solve the problems first, and then review the unfamiliar problems with the study materials.
Study methods for each exam are described below, but the main flow is as follows.

  1. Solve problems in “Cloud Tech” (ANS is the only Udemy web problem set)
  2. If you get tired, watch the “Cloud Tech video materials” carefully (just the parts that interest you).
  3. If you feel you cannot compete at all in solving the questions, lightly read/watch “books for AWS certification exams” (SAP, DOP, ANS, PAS are also used with “Udemy English materials”).
  4. Solve the “AWS Official Practice Test
  5. Check the explanations for only the questions you got wrong in the “AWS Official Practice Test” properly.
  6. Book an online exam.
  7. Examination.

It is extremely demanding, so if you want to crown it all in a short period of time, be prepared to abandon your work-life balance and work-work-work.

As for the question bank, I took a chance on Cloud Tech this time and it was a great decision. Most certifications can be covered. Up to the Associate level, Cloud Tech’s video materials can handle it, and for less than 9,000 yen for 3 months, I would recommend signing up without hesitation.

The following is an explanation of how to use each.

How to Use AWS Learning Materials

How to Use CloudTech’s Questions and Answers

Use Cloud Tech’s Question Book as follows.
First, select File→Make a copy of the AWS Questions Checklist provided by Cloud Tech and copy the spread sheet.

Next, after solving 10 problems, record “OK” for the problems you solved and “NG” for the problems you got wrong in Answer 1. After solving about 50 problems, re-solve only NG from the first problem and record OK and NG in Answer 2 in the same way. Next, start solving the 51st question and repeat the same process. When you have solved the last problem, solve only the problems that were NG in Answer 2 and record them in Answer 3, and repeat until you have solved all the problems.

I don’t think it’s necessary to re-solve the problems again from scratch (I found it unnecessary because I rarely get a problem wrong the second time if I got it NG the first time).

How to use books for AWS certification exams

We purchased books only if we felt we did not understand enough when solving the problems. The following three books were purchased. This may vary from person to person, so please keep this as a reference only.

Books (like textbooks) should be purchased and read from beginning to end if you feel you cannot compete in solving the problems. Solve the problems included at the end of the book as well, although it is painful.

How to use the official AWS practice test

After completing the questions, test your skills on the official AWS practice exam. Only a few exams are supported, but be sure to take this test, as these scores generally appeared on the real exam. However, it is expensive, with a monthly subscription of about $30.

The corresponding practice exams are as follows (7 exams circled in red)
CLF, all of the Associate Professionals, and seven of the Security Specialty.

More information can be viewed here. https://skillbuilder.aws/jp/search?searchText=official+practice+exam+japanese&page=1&sort=item_relevancy&isValidSearchText=true&isPaid=1

Recommended order of acquisition


There is an effective order in which to obtain AWS certifications. Here is the recommended order of acquisition before beginning to prepare for each certification exam. This order is intended to build your understanding of AWS step-by-step.

First, AWS certifications are valid for three years, and there is what is called a “recertification program” that extends the validity of the lower certifications you have earned. Take advantage of this.

Taking Solutions Architect Professional (SAP) as an example, the expiration dates of Solutions Architect Associate (SAA) and Cloud Practitoner (CLF) are renewed by obtaining SAP. Do not acquire SAP, SAA, and CLF in that order. Specialty is not a subordinate certification and is independent, so there is no need to be aware of the re-certification system.

Now, let me explain the order of acquisition, which is the key recommendation. The policy is twofold: take the lowest difficulty exam first, then the highest, then a series of similar exams.

OrderLevelCodeName of Qualification
1FoundationalCLFCloud Practitioner
2AssociateDVADeveloper – Associate
3AssociateSOASysOps Administrator – Associate
4AssociateSAASolutions Architect – Associate
5SpecialtyDBSDatabase – Specialty
6SpecialtyMLSMachine Learning – Specialty
7SpecialtyDASData Analytics – Specialty
8SpecialtySCSSecurity – Specialty
9ProfessionalDOPDevOps Engineer – Professional
10ProfessionalSAPSolutions Architect – Professional
11SpecialtyANSAdvanced Networking – Specialty
12SpecialtyPASSAP on AWS – Specialty
Recommended order of acquisition

First, get a quick CLF. Then get the three Associates; take the SAA last (fourth) as it covers a wide range of services. After that, get the three data brothers (DBS, MLS, and DAS) in order of difficulty, followed by the SCS, which is commonly asked on the Professional exam. After that, you will take DOP, SAP, and Professional in order of difficulty, followed by the heterogeneous ANS, which will ask you to connect from on-prem to AWS, and finish with PAS, which will also ask you about SAP, which is also heterogeneous.

We recommend this order, as it is definitely the fastest and most motivating way to acquire them without losing confidence.

In case you are interested, I will also include my personal AWS certification difficulty level.

Difficulty (1: low)LevelCodeName of Qualification
1FoundationalCLFCloud Practitioner
2SpecialtyPASSAP on AWS – Specialty
3AssociateSAASolutions Architect – Associate
4AssociateDVADeveloper – Associate
5AssociateSOASysOps Administrator – Associate
6SpecialtyMLSMachine Learning – Specialty
7SpecialtyDBSDatabase Specialty – Specialty
8SpecialtySCSSecurity – Specialty
9SpecialtyDBSData Analytics – Specialty
10ProfessionalDOPDevOps Engineer – Professional
11ProfessionalSAPSolutions Architect – Professional
12SpecialtyANSAdvanced Networking – Specialty
AWS Certification Difficulty (in order of decreasing difficulty)

I don’t need to tell you about CLF, but it is a basic level called Foundations. The second easiest was PAS. The second easiest test was PAS. Despite the fact that this test is Specialty, it was easy to find the answers with just a little knowledge of SAP and looking at the answers, so I had no particular difficulty.

The difficulty level for SAA, DVA, and SOA was very close, and I felt that the difficulty level was lower for the area in which I have been involved in contract work and in which I am good at. I think the degree of difficulty will vary greatly depending on the person’s lack of work experience.

The difficulty level for MLS, DBS, SCS, and DBS may vary greatly depending on your area of expertise. In my case, I am engaged in data analysis and I had the prerequisite knowledge of MLS and could understand it just by reading the explanations in the question booklet, so it was easy for me. The difficulty level of SCS is high because I had a hard time because the scope of the exam includes security issues such as KMS, AWS ControlTower, AWS Organizations, and AWS Config, which I am not usually aware of.

The DBS was set as the second most difficult after the Professional because many of the questions could be narrowed down to two choices at first glance, but it was not clear which was the correct answer at first glance.

I don’t have to tell you about Professional, a test where both the questions and answers are so long that just taking the test is throbbing and tiring, it’s frightening to even think about it. What goes beyond this is the ANS. I had a hard time preparing for this exam because it is full of services that only large companies would use, such as connecting on-prem and AWS, connecting VPC to VPC, connecting on-prem, VPC, and AWS services, Direct Connect, etc. Every answer seems to be correct, and it is hard to even narrow down the answers. There were many questions where every answer seemed to be correct and it was difficult to even narrow down the answers.

However, there is no need to be defensive. If you take the examinations in the order of the aforementioned “recommended qualifications,” you will find yourself in a good position.

Test-specific measures

Each of the measures is described below. The contents of [ ] describe the recommended order of examination.

【1】Cloud Practitioner (CLF)

You can take the exam after solving all the free questions. It is not necessary, but if you are really worried (for example, your company subsidizes the exam fee and you have to report the exam results! but it would be embarrassing if you fail), you may take the official AWS practice test.

【2】Developer – Associate (DVA)

Here you can solve the Cloud Tech questions, watch the video preparation course for a break, and finish up with the official AWS practice exam when you are done with the questions.

【3】SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA)

Here you can solve the Cloud Tech questions, watch the video preparation course for a break, and finish up with the official AWS practice exam when you are done with the questions.

【4】Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA)

Here you can solve the Cloud Tech questions, watch the video preparation course for a break, and finish up with the official AWS practice exam when you are done with the questions.

【5】Database – Specialty (DBS)

After solving the Cloud Tech book, I found that I got too many questions wrong, so I relearned from the book. After solving the practice questions at the end of the book, I found that my percentage of correct answers was much lower, so I reviewed the book one last time and took the exam.

Note that Specialty, with the exception of SCS, does not provide an official practice exam, so check the percentage of correct answers with practice questions.

【6】Machine Learning – Specialty (MLS)

After solving all the Cloud Tech questions here, I was a bit nervous so I bought the Udemy lectures and (since there are no official AWS practice exams or books) I bought the practice exams from Udemy.

The Udemy practice test had a correct answer rate of 81%, which gave me confidence.

【7】Data Analytics – Specialty (DAS)

After solving all the Cloud Tech questions here, I bought the book because I could not solve them too well. I solved the practice problems at the end of the book and then took the challenge.

【8】Security – Specialty (SCS)

After solving all the Cloud Tech questions and reading the book, I took the official AWS practice exam.

I was able to score over 800 points on the official practice test.

【9】DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP)

I felt that Professional was indeed not competitive if I started with the questions, so after learning from Udemy’s video materials, I solved the Cloud Tech questions and then took the official AWS practice exam.

【10】Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP)

I felt that Professional was indeed not competitive if I started with the questions, so after learning from Udemy’s video materials, I solved the Cloud Tech questions and then took the official AWS practice exam.

【11】Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS)

After studying the Udemy videos, I took the Udemy practice test and only got about 40% of the questions correct.

I have not solved a single question because I saw an article that said the Cloud Tech questions do not follow the trends of the exam very well.

【12】SAP on AWS – Specialty (PAS)

Since study materials for PAS, which is unique, were not readily available, we studied the Udemy video materials and then solved the Cloud Tech questions.

If you have the knowledge to pass the Professional level, I believe that this level can be passed without any problem even if you do not have knowledge of SAP (SAP). Since the other exams do not test SAP knowledge, it is highly recommended that you take the exam last.

Duration and time management of AWS certification

How to schedule a qualification in one month

I kept track of my progress for each sprint in JIRA. For each exam, I added three items: “study,” “practice exam,” and “take exam,” and I set my own ass on fire by visualizing the number of man-hours remaining to meet the (self-imposed) deadlines.

This has worked very well and I highly recommend that you use Jira or similar to manage your Gantt charts. The free plan is sufficient.

Effectiveness and impact of achieving all AWS crowns

Changes as an engineer after achieving all the crowns

I thought I had a good understanding of AWS because I had a fair amount of experience working with AWS, but I was a frog in a well. However, I have deepened my knowledge of AWS, including the services used when using multiple accounts (AWS Control Tower, etc.), connections to on-premises and other networks (Transit GW, Direct Connect, etc.), security (KMS, Secrets Manager, SCP, other encryption, etc.), VPC (VPC), and other services used when using AWS with multiple accounts (AWS Control Tower, etc.). SCP, encryption, etc.), VPC dual stack, shared VPC, Sage Maker, RDB high availability, etc.

However, we are still far from being able to immediately propose the optimal architecture, so I feel that we need to practice more than ever.

Increased internal and industry recognition

When I reported on LinkedIn that I had won all the awards, I usually get very few likes, but this time I received one from an AWS employee, and I felt that I had increased my visibility.

Awards and Supplementary Prizes

I plan to apply for the 2024 Japan AWS All Certifications Engineers. I am looking forward to contributing in some small way to the enhancement of the company’s presence by receiving the award in the name of the company plus the name of the individual. I am looking forward to receiving the extra prize, which has not been announced yet. (I am not sure if I will be successful in winning the award in the first place.)

最後に

In crowning all AWS certifications, I have explained what I consider to be my strategy at this time. I hope more people like Public Cloud than ever before.

AWS
Let's share this post !

Author of this article

Takuya Tominagaのアバター Takuya Tominaga

約1ヶ月でAWS認定資格を全冠したフルスタック・エンジニア。Vision Pro/GenAI/個人開発/スタートアップ/新規事業(0→1)を日々研究し発信。趣味は仕事。東芝テック本CDO室(役員室)⇦東芝⇦Speee(インターン)⇦アカツキ(インターン)⇦NAIST 修士卒(CS)⇦熊本高専

関連記事

No related articles were found yet.

Comments

To comment

TOC