How Many Questions Are There on the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam? – Complete Guide by OpsNexa

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam is one of the most popular certifications for cloud professionals. If you’re looking to advance your career and demonstrate your proficiency in designing and deploying scalable systems on the AWS platform, this certification is a great step. One of the first questions most candidates ask is, how many questions are there on the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam?

In this comprehensive guide, we will answer that question and provide you with a thorough understanding of the exam format, key topics, preparation tips, and everything you need to succeed. Whether you’re just starting your cloud journey or looking to validate your expertise, this guide from OpsNexa will help you prepare effectively and pass with confidence.

Exam Overview: AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam is designed for individuals who have experience working with AWS cloud infrastructure and services. This certification tests your ability to design distributed systems, manage cloud infrastructure, and ensure scalability, security, and cost-efficiency within AWS.

AWS offers a range of certifications, but the Solutions Architect Associate exam is particularly popular because it covers the fundamental knowledge that every cloud architect needs. If you are aiming to prove your ability to design and deploy AWS cloud systems, this certification is a great place to start.

The Associate-level exam is typically for individuals with 1-2 years of hands-on experience with AWS. It is designed for professionals who are responsible for managing cloud environments, understanding the core services of AWS, and designing solutions to meet various business needs.

Key Details about the Exam

• Number of Questions: The exam consists of 65 questions.

• Question Format: The exam includes both multiple-choice and multiple-response questions.

• Duration: You have 130 minutes (2 hours and 10 minutes) to complete the exam.

• Passing Score: The passing score is 720 out of a maximum of 1000. While AWS doesn’t disclose the exact passing criteria, a score of around 70% is typically required to pass.

• Cost: The exam fee is $150 USD.

Understanding the structure and the number of questions you need to answer is crucial when preparing for the exam. However, the next step is to understand the core topics you’ll be tested on.

Breakdown of Topics Covered in the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam evaluates your ability to design scalable, reliable, and cost-effective systems using AWS services. Here are the main subject areas covered in the exam:

1. Design Resilient Architectures

This section of the exam focuses on your ability to design cloud systems that are fault-tolerant and can recover from failures. In AWS, reliability and availability are paramount, and this section will test how well you understand the design strategies for creating resilient architectures.

Key Concepts to Focus On:

• High Availability: Implementing architectures that ensure your application remains available even in the event of an AWS region or availability zone failure.

• Fault Tolerance: Understanding how to design systems that automatically recover from failures by leveraging services like Auto Scaling and Elastic Load Balancing (ELB).

• Backups and Redundancy: Ensuring your architecture includes backup and recovery mechanisms to restore data after any loss.

2. Design High-Performing Architectures

Performance is another key area in the exam. As a Solutions Architect, you need to design architectures that ensure optimal performance while maintaining cost-efficiency.

Topics to Focus On:

• Auto Scaling: Ensuring your architecture can automatically scale to accommodate varying workloads.

• Elastic Load Balancing (ELB): Distributing traffic across multiple servers for better performance and high availability.

• CloudFront: Using Amazon CloudFront for content delivery to reduce latency and ensure a better user experience.

3. Design Secure Applications and Architectures

Security is a top priority for AWS, and this section focuses on ensuring your systems are protected from vulnerabilities and attacks. AWS has a shared responsibility model, which means both AWS and the user are responsible for securing the system.

Key Areas to Review:

• Identity and Access Management (IAM): Implementing user authentication and authorization mechanisms with IAM roles, groups, and policies.

• Encryption: Ensuring that sensitive data is encrypted at rest and during transit.

• Network Security: Understanding security groups, network access control lists (NACLs), and VPNs to protect the network layer.

4. Design Cost and Performance-Optimized Architectures

A good AWS architect knows how to balance performance with cost. This section tests your knowledge of how to design cloud systems that meet performance requirements while optimizing for cost.

Important Concepts to Review:

• Cost Optimization Strategies: Choosing the right pricing models (on-demand, reserved, or spot instances) for various use cases.

• AWS Pricing Calculator: Using AWS tools to estimate and optimize costs.

• Serverless Architectures: Designing serverless applications with services like AWS Lambda to reduce infrastructure management costs.

5. Migration and Deployment Strategies

Migrating workloads to AWS from on-premises environments is a common task for solutions architects. This section covers your ability to design and execute migration strategies.

Areas to Focus On:

• Database Migration: Using services like AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to move databases to the cloud.

• Hybrid Cloud: Designing architectures that integrate on-premises resources with AWS services.

• CI/CD Pipelines: Implementing continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using AWS services such as CodePipeline and CodeDeploy.

How Many Questions on the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam?

The question that likely brought you here is, how many questions are on the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam? As mentioned earlier, the exam contains 65 questions in total. These questions are a mix of multiple-choice and multiple-response formats, with each question designed to test your knowledge of core AWS services and architectural best practices.

• Multiple-Choice Questions: These questions offer four answer choices, and you are required to select the single most appropriate answer.

• Multiple-Response Questions: These questions require you to select multiple answers from the options provided. Be sure to choose all correct answers, as these questions typically have more than one valid solution.

With a total of 65 questions and a time limit of 130 minutes, you will have around 2 minutes per question. Time management is crucial, and you should aim to move efficiently through the exam while ensuring that each answer is carefully considered.

Tips for Preparing for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

Successfully passing the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam requires a combination of knowledge, practice, and strategy. Here are a few expert tips to help you prepare effectively:

1. Familiarize Yourself with AWS Services

The AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam tests your understanding of a wide range of AWS services. Make sure you’re comfortable with the core services, including EC2, S3, RDS, VPC, Lambda, and more. You should know how to integrate these services into scalable and reliable architectures.

2. Practice with Hands-On Labs

While studying theory is essential, hands-on practice is equally important. Use the AWS Free Tier to experiment with different services and build sample architectures. Practice deploying solutions, creating IAM roles, and working with EC2 instances, S3 buckets, VPCs, and databases. The more hands-on experience you gain, the better prepared you will be.

3. Use AWS Whitepapers and FAQs

AWS whitepapers and FAQs are excellent resources that dive deeper into the best practices for architecture, security, and cost optimization on AWS. Be sure to review these materials as they often contain key information that may appear in exam questions.

4. Take Practice Exams

Practice exams are a great way to simulate the real exam experience. They allow you to familiarize yourself with the question format, identify areas where you need to improve, and gauge your readiness for the real exam. AWS offers official practice exams, but third-party platforms also provide great practice tests.

5. Review the Exam Guide

AWS offers a detailed exam guide that outlines the exam objectives and helps you understand what areas to focus on. Be sure to go through this guide thoroughly to make sure you’re studying the right topics.

Managing Time During the Exam

Since you have 130 minutes to complete 65 questions, time management is critical. Here’s how to manage your time effectively:

1. Answer the Easy Questions First

Start by answering the questions you find easiest. This helps build momentum and gives you confidence.

2. Flag Difficult Questions

If you come across a challenging question, don’t spend too much time on it. Flag it, move on, and return to it later.

3. Don’t Overthink

Trust your instincts and the knowledge you’ve gained during your preparation. Don’t overthink or second-guess yourself.

Final Thoughts on the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam is an essential certification for professionals looking to validate their expertise in designing and deploying scalable cloud architectures on AWS. With 65 questions covering a broad range of topics, including high availability, performance optimization, security, and cost management, the exam is designed to assess your ability to architect solutions on AWS effectively.

By focusing on key areas, practicing hands-on labs, and taking practice exams, you can increase your chances of passing the exam. Whether you’re new to cloud computing or looking to formalize your AWS skills, this certification will give you the credentials and confidence needed to advance your career.