AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (Released February 2018) SAA-C01 Exam Guide - Version 1.5

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C01) exam guide describes an assessment for Solutions Architect practitioners on AWS. It covers how candidates architect and deploy secure, robust applications using AWS technologies, including design from customer requirements, lifecycle implementation guidance, and alignment to AWS best practices. The guide lists recommended AWS knowledge, outlines exam preparation resources, explains question response types, discusses unscored items, scoring and results reporting, and provides a content outline with domains and weightings for the exam.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Recommended AWS Knowledge

Exam Preparation

Exam Content

Response Types

Unscored Content

Exam Results

Content Outline

Domain 1: Design Resilient Architectures

Domain 2: Define Performant Architectures

Domain 3: Specify Secure Applications and Architectures

Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures

Domain 5: Define Operationally Excellent Architectures

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (Released February 2018) SAA-C01 Exam Guide Introduction The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C01) examination is intended for individuals who perform a Solutions Architect role. This exam validates an examinee’s ability to effectively demonstrate knowledge of how to architect and deploy secure and robust applications on AWS technologies. It validates an examinee’s ability to: • Define a solution using architectural design principles based on customer requirements. • Provide implementation guidance based on best practices to the organization throughout the lifecycle of the project. Recommended AWS Knowledge • One year of hands-on experience designing available, cost-efficient, fault-tolerant, and scalable distributed systems on AWS • Hands-on experience using compute, networking, storage, and database AWS services • Hands-on experience with AWS deployment and management services • Ability to identify and define technical requirements for an AWS-based application • Ability to identify which AWS services meet a given technical requirement • Knowledge of recommended best practices for building secure and reliable applications on the AWS platform • An understanding of the basic architectural principles of building on the AWS cloud • An understanding of the AWS global infrastructure • An understanding of network technologies as they relate to AWS • An understanding of security features and tools that AWS provides and how they relate to traditional services Exam Preparation These training courses and materials will help with exam preparation: AWS Training (aws.amazon.com/training) • Architecting on AWS instructor-led, live or virtual 3 day course AWS Whitepapers (aws.amazon.com/whitepapers) Kindle and . pdf and Other Materials • Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices whitepaper, Feb 2016 • AWS Well-Architected web page (various whitepapers linked) Exam Content Response Types There are two types of questions on the examination: • Multiple-choice: Has one correct response and three incorrect responses (distractors) . • Multiple-response: Has two correct responses out of five options. Version 1.5 SAA-C01 1 | P a g e Select one or more responses that best complete the statement or answer the question. Distractors, or incorrect answers, are response options that an examinee with incomplete knowledge or skill would likely choose. However, they are generally plausible responses that fit in the content area defined by the test objective. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect; there is no penalty for guessing. Unscored Content Your examination may include unscored items that are placed on the test to gather statistical information. These items are not identified on the form and do not affect your score. Exam Results The AWS Certified Solutions Architect-Associate (SAA-C01) examination is a pass or fail exam. The examination is scored against a minimum standard established by AWS professionals who are guided by certification industry best practices and guidelines. Your results for the examination are reported as a score from 100-1000, with a minimum passing score of 720. Your score shows how you performed on the examination as a whole and whether or not you passed. Scaled scoring models are used to equate scores across multiple exam forms that may have slightly different difficulty levels. Your score report contains a table of classifications of your performance at each section level. This information is designed to provide general feedback concerning your examination performance. The examination uses a compensatory scoring model, which means that you do not need to “pass” the individual sections, only the overall examination. Each section of the examination has a specific weighting, so some sections have more questions than others. The table contains general information, highlighting your

FAQs

What does the AWS SAA-C01 exam validate?

The exam validates an examinee’s ability to architect and deploy secure and robust applications on AWS, including mapping architectural designs to customer requirements and applying best-practice implementation guidance across the project lifecycle.

What are the response types in the SAA-C01 exam?

The exam includes multiple-choice questions (one correct answer) and multiple-response questions (two correct answers out of five options).

How are exam results scored and reported?

Results are pass/fail based on a minimum passing score of 720, reported as a score from 100 to 1000. The report also provides section-level classification feedback using a compensatory scoring model.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora