AWS Certification: Taking the Exam

A short time ago I wrote two pieces on this platform to outline why you should consider taking an AWS Certifications exam and how to go about preparing for it. As I wrote them I was also preparing for an exam, myself. And guess what: I passed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional exam!

In this piece, I want to go through my experience of taking the exam online, what you can expect to happen on the day of the exam, and what happens after gaining your certification.

Preparing your exam area

Due to the current global health situation, AWS is offering online proctoring for their certification exams. This means you can take your exam from the comfort of your own home. However, there are some steps you need to take to prepare your exam environment to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible:

• Set up your exam space in an empty room if possible
• Make sure there are no books, magazines, or other paperwork nearby
• Set up your exam desk so that there will be a blank wall in front of you, if you can
• Ensure the area immediately to your sides and behind you are also clear
• If there are TVs or computer monitors nearby, unplug them
• Remove any watch you are wearing
• Make sure your computer is plugged into a charger

Why do all this? Well, when you check in for your exam, you will be asked to provide photographs of your exam space. Just before the exam begins, the proctor will call you via your computer to go through a few things with you and will ask you to show the view in front of you (hopefully a blank wall).

If you take a little bit of time to think about and prepare your exam space, you can avoid any distracting delays before the exam begins.

The exam experience

If you’ve taken the time to try some sample exams during your studies, you will know that the exam is in a multiple choice question format. You should know, approximately, how much time you have to spend on each question: sometimes you’ll go a little over that time, other times you’ll spend less time on a question. On average, try not to spend too long on a question.

If you are unsure of any question or answer, you have the option to flag a question for review later on. Make sure you do this: I’ve sometimes found that I’ve been unsure of an answer I’ve given, only to find that a later question somehow gives a bit of extra information that’s useful to the first question. At the end of the exam you might find yourself with some extra time: use this time to review the questions you’ve flagged, even if you do feel mentally tired. It’s a very good way to pull in a few extra marks to get you over the line to pass the exam. Remember, there is no negative marking, so even if you get an answer wrong you won’t be penalised.

Throughout the exam you will be monitored via camera and microphone by the proctor. If you’re like me, you will be a person who normally “beard strokes” and looks into the distance while thinking about a problem. Try not to do this during the exam, as the proctor will ask you to stop. If you do any actions which the proctor considers to be signs of cheating, they may end the exam and you will not pass.

Failure is an invaluable experience

If you’ve done all the above and done some good preparation in the days and weeks before the exam, you should — hopefully! — have had a good exam experience and now be the proud owner of an AWS certification.

If things didn’t go well for you, don’t worry. I truly believe that failing is the best way to learn, and a AWS certification exam is no exception: you will now have real exam experience, you’ll know what topics were challenging to you, and you’ll know what to expect for the next time you sit the exam. This information is invaluable.

You have a couple of weeks before you can sit the exam again. Go ahead and reschedule your exam, and spend the time refocusing to build your new study plan.

Trust me on this. I’ve failed AWS certification exams before, and while it’s disappointing at the time, it always allows me to rethink my exam approach and pass it with flying colours the next time I take it.

I passed the exam! What happens next?

First and foremost, achieving an AWS certification will affirm your knowledge and experience of the technologies offered by Amazon Web Services. It will mean you have proven competency to create, work with, and engineer solutions in the cloud. That, in itself, is a great thing to have, but that’s not all there is.

As soon as you achieve certification, you open up new opportunities and avenues in your professional life. AWS is a major player in the cloud space and companies and organisations using AWS will always be on the lookout for skilled engineers: having a certification immediately gives you an edge over non-certified job applicants, and because your skills are so in demand right now, you also have the means to negotiate a higher salary.

In fact, as soon as you add your new AWS certification to your LinkedIn profile, I guarantee that you will see more talent recruiters vying for your attention.

Many companies who operate in the cloud are members of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This is a partner program for businesses who leverage AWS to build and provide cloud-solutions to their own customers. However, in order become an APN partner, a business needs to meet some criteria based on its size: one of these criteria is that the business needs to have a certain number of AWS Certified employees. Straight away you can see how having an AWS certification could make you a highly sought-after employee for such partners.

Final thoughts

Preparing for and sitting an AWS exam is not an easy task, but going into the challenge with a positive attitude and a good study plan will make it go as smoothly as possible for you. Putting in the work to achieve an AWS certification is a task that is worthwhile and rewarding: not only rewarding in the personal sense but also in the sense that it can open up whole new avenues of opportunity for you.

Whether you already work with AWS or are hoping to broaden your horizons, I encourage you to take those steps to achieving certification. And when you do pass that exam, be proud of what you’ve done because you absolutely deserve it.