My path to the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification

Eduard Schwarzkopf -

I've posted about my passed cloud practitioner exam. A couple of people were interested in how I did it. So here is.

My situation

Zero Experience with the cloud. That's right. No clue about the cloud before I started. The reason I did it, was that I need the cloud solution architect associate certification for my current job and the cloud practitioner is a requirement to get his.

My path from 0 to cloud practitioner  (lol)

Before we get started, please note, that exams change over time and this path will be outdated. Check the version! For my exam, it was version CLF-C01. You can check all the newest Info and version here.

The resources. First I'm going to share all the resources I've used.

Below them, you will find the exact classes and courses I used to get this done. All free stuff. I didn't pay anything for any of this, so you shouldn't too.

In the end, I'm going to give you a recommendation on how I would do this differently if I had to do this again.

Resources

Exam Strategie

  1. First pass: Choose what you know
    Go through the whole test and answer every question, that you know
  2. Second pass: Process of elimination
    Rule out all answers that are incorrect and choose the correct one
  3. Guess!
    You don't get a penalty for wrong answers, so just guess. An unanswered question is counted as a wrong one, so guess if you just don't know.
  4. Review all answers before submitting!

My Path

Step 1

Let's get a test exam right from the start, so I can see where I'm standing. Failed. Perfect, this means I've got actually learn something.

Step 2

With that baseline, It is time to pick a class from the Skillbuilder and jump right in. I pick this one.

All of it is covered, but I couldn't keep much of this. Next Step.

Step 3

Freecodecamp to the rescue. A whopping 13-hour video with all I need. Awesome.

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification Course (CLF-C01) - Pass the Exam!

Got to be honest here. After 4 hours in, I stopped. This video was not my type. Fast and Furious. For me, it felt like a rushed through and I missed some explanations on some of the topics. Still, check it out for yourself.

Step 4

Let's test my knowledge again with the exam from step 1.
70%, passed. Awesome!

Step 5

Now some hands-on experience. Time to build my very first app in the cloud:
https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started/hands-on/build-react-app-amplify-graphql/module-one/?e=gs2020&p=build-a-react-app-intro

Step 6

Uuh, gaming and learning?! Sign me up!

https://cloudquest.skillbuilder.aws/

This is what I can really recommend. Videos about services, labs, achievements and badges.    ‌

Step 7

I found my holy grail to get this certificate:

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Complete Video Course

This is all you need. Nothing more. You can watch this 2-3 memorize it all and pass the exam, guaranteed. I wouldn't recommend this though. This is how I created this perfect segway and to my recommendation to pass this exam.

Recommendation

Now that I've passed the exam, I can recommend the following path to get this. Remember, this is my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

Step 1 - Test first

Go ahead and test yourself. Take the test exam here and see where are you at the start and get back to it after you've finished some other steps.

Step 2 - Cloud Quest

Start with the cloud quest game. It does a great job to get you hands-on experience, and learning videos during the labs and it is fun!

Step 3 - Video Course

Next, jump into this video: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Complete Video Course

Step 4 - Skillbuilder Courses

After you've gone through Cloud Quest and the youtube video course, jump into Skillbuilder. They're updating their courses on a regular basis, so jump in and search for "cloud practitioner". Pick one and start.

Or if you are lazy like me, just use this already ready-use plan: https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/learning_plan/view/82/cloud-essentials-learning-plan

Final words

Before considering taking the exam, make sure to pass the test exam with 100%. One hundred percent! Also, revisit the skill builder courses with test questions and make sure to also answer them correctly.

Keep this in mind: The cloud practitioner is the fundamental part of all other certificates. Take it seriously, but keep in mind, that's just the beginning of your cloud journey.

You've got this!

Also, please tag me on Twitter with the celebration of your passed exam 😉