Last week I have successfully passed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate 2018 and want to tell about my experience passing AWS certification exam. Amazon recommend have at least one year of hands-on experience in this field on AWS, but it's optional. Before I started preparing for the exam, I had experience with S3 and a little bit with Lambda, API Gateway, and DynamoDB. All other experience I got during preparation.
Preparation for certification
I recommend starting with video lectures from acloud.guru. It covers almost all exam topics and has small practice tests at the end of each chapter. Also, it has a forum where students share their certification experience. It will cost about 30$/month and have 7 days free trial.
Afterward, start reading the official FAQ of each topic:
and materials provided by Amazon itself.
When you feel ready, take test practice exams from https://whizlabs.com. It simulates 7 full practice tests and small tests on each topic apart with answers explanation. These tests will show you what topics you need to repeat. It will cost about 20$.
Exam
To schedule exam, you must register here. Then select a certification center nearby you, and schedule for the desired date. The certification exam will cost you 150$.
The exam consists of 65 questions that must be answered in 130 minutes. You can mark questions, then go back to them and double-check. Honestly, time is pretty short. I had only 15 minutes left when I answered the last question.
But if you are not a native English speaker, you can request an additional 30 minutes before registering for the exam, which is VERY helpful. To do this, in the certification portal select:
Upcoming Exams -> Request Exam Accommodations -> Accommodation Type: ESL +30 min.
This request is confirmed automatically and applies to all future exams. I highly recommend doing it before scheduling the exam.
After you complete the exam you will see results immediately - pass or fail. Within 5 business days you will receive an email stating your results are available to view in your AWS Certification Account with score report and will also be available for download.
I hope this information will be useful to someone and good luck on the exam!