There are no prerequisites at all and you can take any AWS certification exam at any time. We do recommend that you follow a learning path so you build your skills up from the foundational level, through associate, and then onto professional level certifications. This is not a requirement though and many students start at higher levels if they already have knowledge and hands-on experience with Amazon Web Services.

This depends on your current knowledge level and experience. If you’re completely new to cloud computing or you are not from a technical background you should start with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. If you have an IT background and wish to start with a more challenging certification, you may start with the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate.

The most popular certification is the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate followed closely by the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. It’s worth noting that though these are great certifications to get there are many certified individuals already. Gaining one of the less popular certifications like the Developer Associate or SysOps Associate (or even better, the Pro level certifications) can be a good differentiator. We recommend earning all of the associate certifications as there is a lot of overlap between them.

In short, no. You can gain most AWS certifications without being competent in any programming language. However, having some coding knowledge can be useful for certifications such as the Developer Associate and DevOps Professional. In our courses, we do not assume you have any programming knowledge and supply all code samples for you to use.

This can vary from just a couple of weeks for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner to a few months for some of the harder certifications like the Associate, Professional, or Specialty certifications. Study time also varies depending on how much time you allocate for study daily and your starting level of knowledge and experience. We supply study plans with each course that you can use as a basis for planning your time.

While there are lots of free AWS training resources available, the AWS certification exams are not free of charge. The cost of certification exams is different for each level:

• Foundational level: $100 USD
• Associate level: $150 USD
• Professional/Specialty level: $300

If you have previously passed an AWS certification exam you get a 50% discount on the next exam. This really helps when moving up to higher-level certifications.

AWS Certifications are valid for three years. To maintain your AWS Certified status, you need to recertify in order to retain your certification.

There are a wide variety of job roles for AWS certified individuals. Those who work in non-technical roles such as managers and project managers can use AWS certifications such as the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner to help them get jobs in companies that use AWS services. If you’re a Solutions Architect, Cloud Architect, Developer, DevOps Engineer, or SysOps Administrator, there’s a certification for you that will help you move into exciting cloud roles. The specialty certifications are also useful for those looking for more specialized roles such as Database Admins, Data Analysts and Security specialists.