I finally achieved one of my goals for the year: passing the AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C02) exam. The passing score is 720 out of 1000; I scored 841—relief after worrying about that pricey registration fee. Courage rewarded!
Why I Went for SAA
The more I studied data, the more convinced I became that cloud skills are essential. Most companies ingest and manage data in the cloud, so it felt worthwhile to dive in.
[세계에서 제일 평균연봉 높은 IT자격증 알려드립니다(feat. 지금 바로 따야하는 이유)-AWS 강의실]
I didn’t start my AWS journey with the certification in mind. While figuring out how to get started, I watched the video above. Key takeaways:
Why Earn an AWS Cert?
- Highest average salary among IT certifications (≈₩150M in the US, ≈₩120M globally).
- Through the AWS Partner Network, companies benefit from hiring certified pros—helps with job prospects.
- Structured way to learn AWS services.
Enough motivation for me to jump in.
Study Timeline
Total prep time: about three weeks. It might sound short, but I was on break and studied full-time. Aside from tinkering with EC2 before, I started from scratch.
Study Resources
I used Stephane Maarek’s Udemy course: 【글로벌 Best】 AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 시험합격!
The mix of theory and hands-on labs is excellent. Grab it on sale if you can. I went through the course twice.
First Pass
Focused on understanding the services, following every lab to get comfortable with the console. The 27-hour course took about a week with labs. The end-of-section quizzes are great for reinforcement.
Second Pass
This time I drilled the theory and memorized key points. Even on the second run, plenty of topics felt brand new—proof that repetition matters.
Udemy Practice Exams
After the course I tried dumps but found too many gaps, so I bought the Udemy practice tests: AWS 공인 솔루션스 아키텍트 – 어소시에이트 SAA-C02 연습문제
Six full-length exams mimic the real environment and include detailed explanations—perfect for patching weak spots.
Dumps
Many people say 60–70% of the real exam comes straight from dumps. I didn’t feel it was that high (maybe because I used Korean translations), but you definitely see familiar questions.
Two common sources:
My advice: use examtopics. I initially paid for itexamdump (ouch) and later switched. itexamdump allegedly has ~20% wrong answers—fine if you can spot them, but I wasn’t there yet. examtopics offers ~180 free questions (plus another 100 when you register); beyond that is paid. I solved around 360 questions. The discussion section is handy for confirming correct answers.
Test Center Experience
I sat for the exam in person at the SRTC center in Gangnam. Staff were friendly but extremely thorough: pocket checks, two ID checks, no belongings inside (even jackets).
The environment was comfortable. There were three candidates during my slot—each taking a different exam.
Exam Impressions
Besides nerves from missing dump questions, the real exam felt manageable. After about ten questions I relaxed—everything felt solvable. I finished in roughly 60 minutes, skipped review, and submitted.
- Plenty of time—read carefully.
- Most questions were multiple choice with a single answer; multi-select appeared only ~5 times.
- Recognized a handful of dump questions almost verbatim.
- After finishing, you get a short survey, then immediate pass/fail feedback (brutal but appreciated).
Final Thoughts
Getting the cert doesn’t magically change everything (though it feels great). More importantly, it motivates me to build more AWS projects and turn theory into practice. If you can stomach the exam fee, it’s absolutely worth a shot—good luck!***/