Tiers

• • Foundational: Six months of basic AWS knowledge over all three categories
  • Associate: One year of problem-solving and implementing solutions on AWS
  • Professional: Two years of comprehensive AWS use including design, troubleshooting and operating

Categories

• • Architect
  • Operations
  • Developer

*Professional level certification for Operations and Development is a joint certification named DevOps

Specialty categories

• • Advanced Networking
  • Big Data
  • Security
  • Machine Learning
  • Alexa Skill Builder

*Separate test for each category

Registering and the administration of your test is a simple process. Each tier test can vary in format, but generally all have multiple choice and sample direction response. Be prepared as associate level exams are 80 minutes, while Associate and Professional level courses are 170 minutes. Each Associate level test cost $150, and the Professional and Specialty tests cost $300.

The tests are graded using statistical analysis to grade the exams due to varying questions in the exam that may be easier/harder. Results are posted 72 hours after the exam under your AWS certification account. From there you will know if you pass or fail. If you do fail, don’t worry, you can take the test in another two weeks!

Resources for your testing success

OpenSesame offers the largest catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, including preparation and continuing education courses for AWS and AWS certification. Courses include AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Technical Essentials and more. Please contact info@opensesame.com for more information.

About the author: Parker Abena, a summer marketing intern at OpenSesame, is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He looks forward to moving out to PNW after school.

The post How do I become AWS certified? appeared first on OpenSesame.

Below is a quick breakdown of the AWS tiers before going into them in more detail in categories.

Tiers

• • Ranging from, in order of most basic to advanced; Foundational, Associate and Professional.
  • Separate Specialty category as well in a wide range of topics, these are seen as add-ons for higher level certified individuals.

Categories

• • Cloud Practitioner, only category in Foundational tier. Designed to cover a candidate’s overall knowledge of AWS. Six months of general AWS experience in any role (IT, manager, sales etc.) is recommended.
    • • Areas covered in certification test: Understanding basic AWS architectural principles, the value proposition of AWS, key AWS cases and uses, and basic security and compliance.
  • Architect, specific category certification for this available at Associate and Professional tiers. At least one year of experience designing applications and systems on AWS.
    • • Areas covered in certification test: Network technologies and how they work in AWS, how AWS-based apps work and how client interfaces connect to AWS network, deploying hybrid systems, and design of highly scalable systems.
  • Developer, specific category certification for this available at Associate and Professional tiers. At least one year experience of developing applications on AWS i.e. developing the code for an application that will use AWS within your custom application.
    • • Areas covered in certification test: Understand basic architecture of AWS, hands-on experience designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining applications. Working knowledge of applications that utilize key AWS services such as AWS databases, notifications, and workflow services.
  • Operations, specific category certification for this available at Associate and Professional tiers. At least one year experience creating automated and repeatable deployments of applications, networks, and systems on AWS.
    • • Areas covered on certification test: Deploying applications to AWS platform, sending and receiving data between data centers and AWS, selecting appropriate AWS services to meet an organization’s needs, and provisioning/managing/securing systems in AWS environment.

Specialty Categories

As mentioned above AWS offers specialty categories that aren’t tiered like the main three categories. They are recommended for experienced AWS users, previously certified users, or experts on the subject outside AWS.

• • Big Data, specialty category for those with a background in data analytics and experience using AWS services for designing and architecting big data solutions.
  • Advanced Networking, specialty category for those with experience in performing complex networking tasks on AWS and hybrid IT network architecture.
  • Security, specialty category for those with experience in best practices, fundamentals, data encryption/protection both inside and outside of AWS.
  • Alexa Skill Builder, specialty category for those with previous Alexa skill builder experience.
  • Machine Learning, specialty category for those with a background or expertise in development or data science role, and AWS machine learning/deep learning.

Hopefully with this knowledge you and your team can figure out what’s best and most suitable for you to become certified in AWS. After that, make sure to check out our blog on need-to-knows for registering for certification tests.

About the author: Parker Abena, a summer marketing intern at OpenSesame, is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He looks forward to moving out to PNW after school.

The post Which AWS certification is right for your team? appeared first on OpenSesame.