ProfessionalVendor-specificAWS· issued from US

AWS SAP

Amazon Web Services Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

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Exam fee

$300

Ongoing

—

Study time

120–240 hrs

Delivery

Hybrid

Validity

3 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

32.5 / 40

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.

Blueprint rigor

How well-defined and rigorous the exam blueprint is.

AWS publishes an extensive task-based exam guide; one of the most rigorous AWS exams.

8.5/10

Practical evidence

Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.

Multi-step scenario items resemble design reviews; no live lab.

6.0/10

Currency & upkeep

How aggressively content is kept current with the field.

Refreshed continuously; current SAP-C02 reflects 2023-era services.

9.0/10

Market recognition

How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.

Universally cited on senior cloud-architect listings; the default senior-AWS signal.

9.0/10

› Exam format

75 questions (multiple-choice + multiple-response), 180 minutes. Proctored via Pearson VUE / PSI. Passing score: 750/1000.

Retake policy

Fee: $300 per attempt

Wait: 14d between attempts

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.

DD-WRL-002DD-WRL-001

Recognition

Global

Exam languages

› Core domains covered

The 3 domains this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.

A5Cloud Security

AWS/Azure/GCP security controls, IAM policies, CSPM, container security, shared responsibility model.

A25Security Architecture & Engineering

Reference architectures, control frameworks (NIST SP 800-53, CIS Controls), secure-by-design patterns, threat modeling, trust-boundary design, technology standards.

A23Recovery, Resilience & Cyber Recovery

Backup integrity, immutable snapshots, cyber-recovery vaults, restore orchestration, BCM/DR, tabletop exercises, ransom-scenario restoration drills.

› Prerequisites

Experience

No formal prerequisites. Recommended: 2+ years hands-on AWS experience + AWS Solutions Architect Associate.

› Progression

requiredrecommended

Where this cert fits in the typical learning path. Required edges are vendor-gated; recommended edges reflect de facto industry progression.

Required prereqs (0)

No vendor-gated prereqs.

Recommended priors (1)

AWS SAAAWS

AWS SAP

AWS

Required by (0)

No certs require this one.

Recommended next (0)

No follow-on certs reference this one yet.

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