AQ'S Corner

In December 2023, I set out to earn my AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification. The last two major certifications I had obtained were my Certified Scrum Master (CSM) in 2015, after a two-day course, and my Oracle9i Database Administrator certification in 2005, following a month-long class—just three years post-college. Unlike those, preparing for the Cloud Practitioner exam required three months of consistent, dedicated studying.

For nearly five years, I had been working in a cloud environment in various roles—Technical Writer, Senior Project Coordinator, and now IT Project Manager. My job had me on countless calls with clients, Architects, Business Analysts, Information Security Officers (ISOs), Information System Security Officers (ISSOs), System Stewards, and other Project Managers, discussing cloud migrations and expansions. But simply being in the cloud space didn’t mean I was ready for the exam—I had to be intentional about learning. Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: Mindset is Everything

You can work in an industry for years, but if you don’t have the passion or the drive to push yourself, success won’t come easily. I knew I wanted this certification, and my mindset was simple: with hard work, I would pass.

Step 2: Choosing the Right Training Platforms

There are plenty of training platforms available, but the key is finding the one that works for you. What others recommend won’t matter if you’re not comfortable with the format. I relied on A Cloud Guru, Udemy with Neal Davis, and AWS Training.

I incorporated studying into my daily routine, even during school drop-offs and pickups. The result? My second grader ended up learning what an EC2 instance and an S3 bucket were!

Step 3: Read the AWS Whitepaper—Yes, the Whole Thing

Many training platforms (including AWS’s own) don’t cover every AWS service. But when you sit for the exam, you’ll encounter questions on services you may have never heard of—unless you’ve read the AWS Overview Whitepaper.

At around 154 pages, it’s a long read, but it’s worth it. Read it consistently, especially in the days leading up to your exam. I recommend printing it out and making notes in the margins.

📄 AWS Overview Whitepaper

Step 4: Hands-On Practice in AWS

Nothing beats hands-on experience. Open an AWS Free Tier account and start experimenting:

• Create an EC2 instance and an S3 bucket
• Set AWS Budget alerts to track and control spending
• Try AWS Lambda—even if you’re just clicking around at first, that’s okay!

The more familiar you are with the AWS ecosystem, the more confident you’ll be on exam day. Just be mindful of costs once you go beyond the free tier.

Step 5: Quiz Yourself—Without Looking at the Content

One of the most effective study techniques was having someone quiz me without the material in front of me. A friend and coworker would read AWS-related questions aloud, forcing me to visualize the concepts and answer on the spot.

Even my second grader got involved! She gave me a written test we printed from the AWS website and graded it with the answer key. This method helped me think quickly and retain information under pressure.

Final Thoughts

Find the study methods that work best for you, stay committed, and you’ll pass the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. But remember—Step 1, your mindset, is the most important factor in your success.

You’ve got this!