The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) is one of the most valuable cloud certifications in 2025. This comprehensive 30-day study plan will help you master the skills needed to pass the exam and excel in your AWS career.
Certification Overview
Exam Code: SAA-C03 Duration: 130 minutes Question Format: 65 multiple choice and multiple response Passing Score: 720/1000 Cost: $150 USD Validity: 3 years
Salary Impact: Average $15,000-$25,000 increase post-certification
Review the complete official exam guide for detailed domain coverage and weightings.
30-Day Study Schedule
Week 1: Foundation and Core Services (Days 1-7)
Day 1: AWS Cloud Fundamentals
Study Time: 3 hours Topics:
- AWS Global Infrastructure
- Regions, Availability Zones, Edge Locations
- AWS Shared Responsibility Model
- AWS Well-Architected Framework
Hands-on Lab:
- Create AWS Free Tier account
- Navigate AWS Management Console
- Explore AWS Global Infrastructure map
Resources:
- AWS Training and Certification (Cloud Practitioner Essentials)
- AWS Architecture Center
- CertStud AWS fundamentals practice questions
Day 2: Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Users, Groups, Roles, and Policies
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Identity Federation
- AWS Organizations and Control Tower
Hands-on Lab:
- Create IAM users and groups
- Attach policies and test permissions
- Enable MFA for root account
- Create cross-account roles
Key Concepts to Master:
- Principle of least privilege
- Policy evaluation logic
- Temporary security credentials
Day 3: Amazon EC2 Deep Dive
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Instance types and families
- AMIs and instance lifecycle
- Security groups and NACLs
- Elastic Block Store (EBS)
- Instance metadata and user data
Hands-on Lab:
- Launch EC2 instances in different AZs
- Configure security groups
- Attach and configure EBS volumes
- Create and use custom AMIs
Day 4: Amazon VPC Networking
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- VPC components and design
- Subnets, route tables, internet gateways
- NAT gateways and instances
- VPC peering and transit gateways
- VPN and Direct Connect basics
Hands-on Lab:
- Create custom VPC with public/private subnets
- Configure NAT gateway for private subnet access
- Set up VPC peering between two VPCs
Day 5: Storage Services
Study Time: 3 hours Topics:
- Amazon S3 storage classes and lifecycle
- S3 security and encryption
- Amazon EFS and FSx
- AWS Storage Gateway
Hands-on Lab:
- Create S3 buckets with different configurations
- Set up lifecycle policies
- Configure EFS and mount to EC2 instances
Day 6: Database Services
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Amazon RDS and Aurora
- DynamoDB fundamentals
- ElastiCache for Redis and Memcached
- Database backup and recovery strategies
Hands-on Lab:
- Deploy RDS instances with Multi-AZ
- Create DynamoDB tables with indexes
- Set up automated backups and snapshots
Day 7: Review and Practice
Study Time: 3 hours Activities:
- Complete Week 1 practice exam (25 questions)
- Review incorrect answers
- Hands-on lab troubleshooting
- Create study notes summary
Week 2: Advanced Services and Architecture (Days 8-14)
Day 8: Load Balancing and Auto Scaling
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Application Load Balancer (ALB)
- Network Load Balancer (NLB)
- Auto Scaling Groups and policies
- Target groups and health checks
Hands-on Lab:
- Set up ALB with multiple targets
- Configure auto scaling with CloudWatch alarms
- Test scaling policies under load
For comprehensive load balancing strategies, reference the AWS Elastic Load Balancing documentation.
Day 9: Route 53 and Content Delivery
Study Time: 3 hours Topics:
- DNS fundamentals and Route 53 features
- Routing policies (simple, weighted, latency-based)
- Amazon CloudFront and edge locations
- AWS Global Accelerator
Hands-on Lab:
- Register domain and configure hosted zones
- Set up CloudFront distribution
- Configure health checks and failover routing
Day 10: Monitoring and Logging
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Amazon CloudWatch metrics and alarms
- CloudWatch Logs and log groups
- AWS CloudTrail for auditing
- AWS Config for compliance
Hands-on Lab:
- Create custom CloudWatch dashboards
- Set up log aggregation and analysis
- Configure CloudTrail for multi-region logging
Connect with AWS Community Builders for study group opportunities and real-world insights.
Day 11: Security and Compliance
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- AWS WAF and Shield
- AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)
- AWS Secrets Manager and Systems Manager
- Encryption at rest and in transit
Hands-on Lab:
- Configure WAF rules for web applications
- Set up SSL/TLS certificates with ACM
- Store and retrieve secrets programmatically
Day 12: Serverless and Containers
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- AWS Lambda functions and triggers
- Amazon API Gateway
- Amazon ECS and Fargate
- Amazon EKS fundamentals
Hands-on Lab:
- Create Lambda functions with API Gateway
- Deploy containerized applications with ECS
- Set up serverless web application
Day 13: Data Analytics and Integration
Study Time: 3 hours Topics:
- Amazon Kinesis for streaming data
- AWS Glue for ETL operations
- Amazon Athena for querying
- Amazon SQS and SNS for messaging
Hands-on Lab:
- Set up data pipeline with Kinesis and S3
- Configure SQS/SNS for decoupled architecture
Day 14: Week 2 Review and Assessment
Study Time: 3 hours Activities:
- Complete Week 2 practice exam (30 questions)
- Architecture design scenarios
- Hands-on troubleshooting challenges
Week 3: Advanced Architectures and Scenarios (Days 15-21)
Day 15: High Availability and Disaster Recovery
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Multi-AZ and Multi-Region strategies
- Backup and restore procedures
- Pilot light and warm standby approaches
- Cross-region replication
Architecture Exercise: Design a highly available web application with:
- Auto scaling across multiple AZs
- Database replication and backup
- Cross-region disaster recovery
Day 16: Performance Optimization
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Caching strategies (CloudFront, ElastiCache)
- Database performance tuning
- Content delivery optimization
- Instance and storage optimization
Hands-on Lab:
- Implement multi-layer caching
- Optimize database queries and indexing
- Configure CloudFront for global content delivery
Day 17: Cost Optimization
Study Time: 3 hours Topics:
- AWS Cost Explorer and budgets
- Reserved Instances and Savings Plans
- Spot Instances and cost-effective architectures
- Resource rightsizing strategies
Cost Analysis Exercise:
- Analyze sample AWS bill
- Identify cost optimization opportunities
- Design cost-effective solution architectures
Day 18: Security Best Practices
Study Time: 4 hours Topics:
- Defense in depth strategy
- Network security and micro-segmentation
- Data protection and privacy
- Incident response planning
Security Architecture Exercise: Design secure three-tier application with:
- Proper network segmentation
- Identity and access controls
- Data encryption and monitoring
Day 19: Migration Strategies
Study Time: 3 hours Topics:
- 6 R's of migration (Rehost, Replatform, etc.)
- AWS Migration Hub and services
- Database migration strategies
- Application modernization approaches
Migration Planning Exercise: Create migration plan for legacy application including:
- Assessment and discovery
- Migration strategy selection
- Risk mitigation and rollback plans
Day 20: Real-World Scenarios
Study Time: 4 hours Activities:
- Complete 5 architecture case studies
- Practice whiteboarding solutions
- Peer review and feedback (if available)
Day 21: Week 3 Review
Study Time: 3 hours Activities:
- Complete comprehensive practice exam (50 questions)
- Review all flagged topics
- Update study notes with key insights
Week 4: Final Preparation and Exam Readiness (Days 22-30)
Day 22-25: Intensive Practice Exams
Daily Study Time: 3-4 hours Activities:
- Take full-length practice exams daily
- Review explanations for all questions
- Identify and address knowledge gaps
- Time management practice
Target Scores:
- Day 22: 65%+ (baseline)
- Day 23: 70%+ (improving)
- Day 24: 75%+ (good progress)
- Day 25: 80%+ (exam ready)
Day 26-27: Weak Area Focus
Study Time: 4 hours per day Activities:
- Deep dive into lowest-scoring domains
- Additional hands-on labs for weak areas
- Create mind maps for complex topics
- Practice explaining concepts out loud
Day 28: Final Review and Consolidation
Study Time: 4 hours Activities:
- Review all study notes and cheat sheets
- Final practice exam with focus on timing
- Confirm exam logistics and requirements
Day 29: Light Review and Relaxation
Study Time: 2 hours Activities:
- Light review of key concepts
- Relaxation and stress management
- Prepare materials for exam day
- Good night's sleep
Day 30: Exam Day
Preparation:
- Arrive early at test center
- Bring required identification
- Stay calm and confident
- Read questions carefully
Study Resources and Materials
Official AWS Resources
- ✅ AWS Certified Solutions Architect Study Guide
- ✅ AWS Well-Architected Framework whitepapers
- ✅ AWS Architecture Center case studies
- ✅ AWS Free Tier hands-on labs
For multi-cloud strategies, compare with our Microsoft Azure certification roadmap and Google Cloud certification guide.
Third-Party Resources
- ✅ CertStud AWS SAA-C03 Practice Questions (500+ questions)
- ✅ A Cloud Guru or Udemy video courses
- ✅ Whizlabs practice exams
- ✅ AWS This Is My Architecture video series
Hands-On Practice
- ✅ AWS Free Tier account (12 months free)
- ✅ AWS Well-Architected Labs
- ✅ AWS Workshops and tutorials
- ✅ Personal project implementation
Exam Day Tips and Strategies
Before the Exam
- Review AWS service limits and constraints
- Practice time management (2 minutes per question)
- Understand question types and formats
- Review elimination strategies for multiple choice
During the Exam
- Read questions carefully and identify key requirements
- Eliminate obviously incorrect answers first
- Flag difficult questions for review
- Manage time effectively (check progress every 30 minutes)
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- ❌ Overcomplicating simple scenarios
- ❌ Choosing expensive solutions when cost-effective options exist
- ❌ Ignoring security best practices
- ❌ Forgetting about operational complexity
Post-Certification Career Path
Immediate Opportunities
- Solutions Architect roles ($95k-$140k)
- Cloud Engineer positions ($85k-$120k)
- DevOps Engineer roles ($90k-$130k)
- Technical consulting opportunities
Advanced Certifications
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional
- AWS Certified Security Specialty
- AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty
Success Metrics and Milestones
Week 1 Goals
- ✅ Complete all fundamental hands-on labs
- ✅ Score 60%+ on practice questions
- ✅ Understand core AWS services
Week 2 Goals
- ✅ Build complete application architectures
- ✅ Score 70%+ on practice questions
- ✅ Master advanced service integration
Week 3 Goals
- ✅ Design complex, real-world solutions
- ✅ Score 75%+ on practice questions
- ✅ Understand cost and performance optimization
Week 4 Goals
- ✅ Consistently score 80%+ on practice exams
- ✅ Complete exam simulation with time management
- ✅ Feel confident about exam readiness
Remember: Consistency is key to success. Dedicate 3-4 hours daily, focus on hands-on practice, and don't just memorize—understand the "why" behind each AWS service and architectural decision.
Ready to start your AWS certification journey? Download our free AWS SAA-C03 study checklist and join thousands of successful candidates who've used our proven study methods.
