What this level does
Before you study a single AWS service, learn how the exam itself works. Knowing the format, the scoring and the scope tells you where to spend your study hours.
Three notes before you start:
- This course is independent. It is not produced, endorsed or approved by AWS.
- It follows the current AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) exam guide as AWS publishes it on its documentation site (docs.aws.amazon.com). AWS states that the in-scope service list is non-exhaustive and subject to change, so read the live guide yourself before you book.
- No pass is promised. The course teaches to the guide; the result depends on your preparation.
Step 1: Memorise the exam facts
Commit these numbers to memory now. Later levels assume them.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 65 |
| Scored questions | 50 |
| Unscored questions | 15 (not identified on the exam) |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Score range | Scaled score of 100–1,000 |
| Minimum passing score | 700 |
| Result | Pass or fail |
| Question types | Multiple choice, multiple response |
AWS delivers the exam at a Pearson VUE testing center or as an online proctored exam. The certification is valid for 3 years.
Do this: write the table from memory on paper. Repeat until you can do it without looking.
Step 2: Learn the four domains and their weightings
The exam guide divides the scored content into four content domains:
- Domain 1: Cloud Concepts – 24% of scored content
- Domain 2: Security and Compliance – 30%
- Domain 3: Cloud Technology and Services – 34%
- Domain 4: Billing, Pricing, and Support – 12%
Applied to 50 scored questions, that is roughly 12, 15, 17 and 6 questions. These counts are an estimate from the percentages, not a figure AWS publishes.
Note the pattern: Domains 2 and 3 together make up 64% of the scored content. Billing is the smallest domain, but about six questions can still decide a borderline result.
Step 3: Tell the two question formats apart
The guide defines exactly two question types:
- Multiple choice: one correct response and three incorrect responses (distractors).
- Multiple response: two or more correct responses out of five or more response options.
A distractor is a plausible wrong answer that a candidate with incomplete knowledge might choose. Expect distractors to be real AWS services from the same content area, not obvious nonsense.
Do this on every question:
- Count the response options. Four options signals multiple choice; five or more signals multiple response.
- For multiple response, read the stem for how many responses to select, and select exactly that many.
- Eliminate distractors you can rule out, then choose from what remains.
Step 4: Understand scoring and turn it into strategy
Four scoring rules from the exam guide drive your exam-day behaviour.
Rule 1: Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect, and there is no penalty for guessing.
- Action: never leave a question blank. A guess can only help.
Rule 2: The 15 unscored questions are not identified. AWS uses them to evaluate questions for future use as scored questions.
- Action: treat all 65 questions as scored. You cannot tell which ones count.
- Action: if a question seems unusually hard or unfamiliar, answer it and move on. Do not let it shake your pacing.
Rule 3: Scores are scaled. Scaled scoring equates results across exam forms that may differ slightly in difficulty.
- A 700 is not "70% correct". AWS does not publish a raw number of correct answers needed to pass.
- Action: do not aim for a minimum. Aim for a comfortable margin on practice material.
Rule 4: The scoring model is compensatory. You do not need to pass each domain separately; you need to pass only the overall exam.
- Action: a weak domain can be offset by a strong one, but do not skip any domain entirely.
Pacing: 90 minutes for 65 questions is about 83 seconds per question.
Tip (practitioner advice, not from the exam guide): answer every question on a first pass, flag the uncertain ones, and use the remaining time to review them.
Step 5: Know what is in scope and out of scope
The target candidate has up to 6 months of exposure to AWS Cloud design, implementation, and/or operations. They may be starting an AWS Cloud career or working with people in AWS Cloud roles.
In scope – recommended AWS knowledge:
- AWS Cloud concepts
- Security and compliance in the AWS Cloud
- Core AWS services
- Economics of the AWS Cloud
Out of scope – job tasks the candidate is not expected to perform:
- Coding
- Designing cloud architecture
- Troubleshooting
- Implementation
- Load and performance testing
The guide also publishes an in-scope AWS services list and an out-of-scope AWS services list, grouped by category (for example Compute, Storage, Database, and Security, Identity, and Compliance).
What this means in practice: the exam tests recognition and positioning. You will be asked which service fits a need, not how to configure it. Think of a driving theory test: you must recognise the road signs, not rebuild the engine.
Do this: when you study a service, write one line: "what it is for." Stop there. Configuration steps are not exam content.
Step 6: Build a one-to-two-month study plan
Allocate time in proportion to the weightings. Example for an 8-week plan:
- Weeks 1–2: Cloud Concepts (24%). Value of the AWS Cloud, Well-Architected Framework, cloud economics.
- Weeks 3–4: Security and Compliance (30%). Shared responsibility model, access management, security services.
- Weeks 5–7: Cloud Technology and Services (34%). Global infrastructure and the in-scope services by category.
- Week 8: Billing, Pricing, and Support (12%), then full review. Timed practice sets of 65 questions in 90 minutes.
For a 4-week plan, halve each block and keep the same proportions.
Weekly checklist:
- Study the domain content for that week.
- Answer practice questions in both formats.
- Review every wrong answer and note why each distractor was wrong.
- Re-read the matching task statements in the exam guide.
What the exam asks about this
The exam does not ask questions about its own format. This level matters because it sets your strategy:
- Questions are scenario based: a business need is given, and you pick the AWS service or feature that fits.
- Roughly a third of scored content is Cloud Technology and Services, so service recognition is the largest single skill.
- Every question must be answered, and every question must be treated as scored.
Key takeaways
- 65 questions, 50 scored and 15 unscored, in 90 minutes; minimum passing scaled score of 700 on a 100–1,000 scale.
- Domains: Cloud Concepts 24%, Security and Compliance 30%, Cloud Technology and Services 34%, Billing, Pricing, and Support 12%.
- Multiple choice has one correct response out of four; multiple response has two or more correct out of five or more options.
- No penalty for guessing and unscored questions are hidden, so answer everything and treat every question as scored.
- Scoring is scaled and compensatory: 700 is not 70%, and you pass on the overall exam, not per domain.
- Out of scope: coding, designing cloud architecture, troubleshooting, implementation, load and performance testing.
- This course is independent of AWS, follows the current CLF-C02 exam guide and promises no pass.