AWS SAA
Amazon Web Services Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Amazon Web Services Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
› Quality score
Four-axis SecProve rubric, each 0–10. SecProve editorial assessment — each axis carries a written justification so you can push back on any single call without dismissing the whole score.
› Exam format
65 questions (multiple-choice + multiple-response), 130 minutes. Proctored via Pearson VUE / PSI. Passing score: 720/1000.
14-day wait between attempts. AWS occasionally provides 50% retake vouchers after a fail.
› Recertification
Valid for 3 years. Renewal by re-exam or higher-level AWS cert.
› NICE Framework work roles
The NIST NICE work-role IDs this cert maps to. NICCS lookup.
› Core domains covered
The 2 domains this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.
AWS/Azure/GCP security controls, IAM policies, CSPM, container security, shared responsibility model.
Reference architectures, control frameworks (NIST SP 800-53, CIS Controls), secure-by-design patterns, threat modeling, trust-boundary design, technology standards.
› Prerequisites
No formal prerequisites. Recommended: 1 year hands-on AWS experience.
› Progression
requiredrecommendedWhere this cert fits in the typical learning path. Required edges are vendor-gated; recommended edges reflect de facto industry progression.
No vendor-gated prereqs.
No de facto priors typically expected.
No certs require this one.
› Common exam traps to study
Cybersecurity cert exams reuse the same 25 distractor patterns over and over — category confusion, RTO vs RPO, IDS vs IPS, MD5 vs SHA-256, and more. Once you can name the trap, you stop falling for it. Each archetype page covers what it is, the specific pairs candidates confuse, and how to avoid it.
See this cert’s domains highlighted on the interactive map, or compare it against the rest of the catalog.