I wanted to share the resources I used throughout my studies in pursuit of the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam. I hope this may be useful to you.
When it comes to studying try and find what works for you, I typically drop my notes into Evernote. Though this time I tried an online mind mapping service called Coggle and it helped massively with mapping out the different services AWS offers. I’m not one to write things on paper because my handwriting is shocking and I cannot even read it back. Though for some that works and that’s cool.
You can find my Coggle mind map here its a mess and literally a dump of what was going on in my head, but it worked for me. It may provide some use or at least point you in the direction of how to create a mind map. I’m sure the next map I do will look more presentable! A good book I would highly recommend for further reading on Mind Maps is ‘Buzan’s Study Skills: Mind Maps, Memory Techniques, Speed Reading and More! (Mind Set)‘ big shout out to Faye Ellis at A Cloud Guru for this recommendation.
Book
AWS Certified Solutions Arc
Online training courses
I used a variety of training courses to ensure I had all bases covered, probably overkill but it worked! I have yearly subscriptions with the training providers below which work out cheaper than paying monthly. FYI: The best time to get a yearly subscription is on Black Friday / Cyber Monday where there tend to be good deals. A cloud guru typically doesn’t participate in these deals as they are considerably cheaper compared to the others.
- Linux Academy As a visual learner I found the material full of useful high-level diagrams throughout the LABs which helped to visualise how things were being built out.
- A Cloud Guru The theory used here was full of information and useful exam tips. The LABs were good but I felt not as in-depth compared to Linux academy.
- Pluralsight Great training videos, no labs but can follow along with a free tier AWS account. 50% off your first month or 15% off an annual subscription if purchased via the link provided.
If you struggle to keep engaged in the video content, I’d recommend listening at around 1.5x speed and see if that helps. I found normal speed a little slow for my liking.
Practice Exams
The above courses include practice exams along with them. I have included some additional practice exams I came across:
- Amazon offers a practice exam for $20 via aws.training
I was recommended the following Udemy exams from a colleague (thanks Hugo!) and used these in my final preparations for the exam.
- Udemy – AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams Very detailed explanations after you have completed the exams with links to further material reading. I paid £10.99 on offer and have noticed this offer is not always on, so if you’re patient and keep checking you should get the same deal.