AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Study Guide (2026) - Pass on Your First Attempt
📋 2026 Edition  ·  Updated May 2026

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
AWS-SA-A-2024 Study Guide — Pass First Attempt

Complete exam coverage for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate. Every domain, every key topic — structured so you study smart, not hard. Built around the official exam blueprint.

65
Questions
130 min
Duration
72
Passing score
4
Domains
Start Free Practice Test → Take Readiness Diagnostic
92%
First-attempt pass rate
47K+
Candidates prepared
4.9★
Average rating
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Overall readiness (locked)
Design Resilient Architectures
—
Define Secure Applications and Architectures
—
Design and Define Operationally Excellent Architectures
—
Specify and Design Highly Available, Cost-Effective Architectures
—
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Exam at a Glance

Everything you need to know before you start

Key facts about the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam structure, format, and scoring.

🆔
AWS-SA-A-2024
Exam code
📝
65 questions
Total questions
⏱
130 minutes
Duration
🎯
72
Passing score
📋
4 domains
Exam domains
📅
Valid 3 years
Certification validity
🌐
Online / In-person
Testing mode
🏆
Globally recognised
Credential type
ℹ️
Scoring method: The exam consists of multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. A passing score of at least 72% is required.. The exam may include unscored pilot questions — treat every question seriously.
Focus Areas

What should you study for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam?

To pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification exam, you should focus on these core domains. The exam tests your ability to apply concepts in real-world scenarios — not just memorise definitions.

⚠️
Common mistake: Candidates memorise terminology but struggle with scenario-based questions. Focus on when to use what, not just what exists.
🔐
Design Resilient Architectures (30%)
Designing scalable and highly available applications on AWS.
🏗
Define Secure Applications and Architectures (25%)
Ensuring the security and privacy of applications in AWS environments.
⚡
Design and Define Operationally Excellent Architectures (20%)
Creating operationally efficient cloud solutions that can be managed and monitored effectively.
💰
Specify and Design Highly Available, Cost-Effective Architectures (25%)
Designing cost-effective and highly available solutions using AWS services.
Full Syllabus

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Exam Syllabus and Topics

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam is divided into 4 domains. Each domain tests specific skills and contributes to your overall score. Click any domain to expand topics.

Design Resilient Architectures
Designing scalable and highly available applications on AWS.
30% ▼
Compute Services
EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)
Lambda Functions
Auto Scaling
Storage Solutions
Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)
EBS (Elastic Block Store)
EFS (Elastic File System)
High Availability Architectures
Elastic Load Balancer (ELB)
Amazon Route 53
Auto Scaling Groups
Failover and Recovery
Multi-AZ Deployments
Backup and Restore Solutions
Cross-Region Replication
~20 questions
100 marks
30% of exam weight
Define Secure Applications and Architectures
Ensuring the security and privacy of applications in AWS environments.
25% ▼
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
IAM Roles and Policies
AWS Organizations
IAM Best Practices
Data Encryption and Protection
AWS KMS (Key Management Service)
Encryption at Rest and in Transit
VPC Security
Network Security
Security Groups
Network ACLs (Access Control Lists)
VPC Peering
Application Access Management
AWS Cognito
API Gateway Security
~16 questions
80 marks
25% of exam weight
Design and Define Operationally Excellent Architectures
Creating operationally efficient cloud solutions that can be managed and monitored effectively.
20% ▼
Monitoring and Logging
AWS CloudWatch
AWS CloudTrail
AWS Config
Automation
AWS Systems Manager
AWS CloudFormation
AWS OpsWorks
AWS Cost Management
AWS Cost Explorer
AWS Trusted Advisor
AWS Budgets
Optimizing AWS Resources
Spot Instances
Reserved Instances
AWS Savings Plans
~13 questions
65 marks
20% of exam weight
Specify and Design Highly Available, Cost-Effective Architectures
Designing cost-effective and highly available solutions using AWS services.
25% ▼
Scaling AWS Resources
Elastic Load Balancer
Auto Scaling
Amazon CloudFront
Cost-Effective Storage Solutions
Amazon Glacier
S3 Intelligent-Tiering
EBS Cost Optimization
Right-sizing Instances
Choosing EC2 Instance Types
Optimizing AWS Lambda Functions
Cost Management
Cost Optimization Strategies
AWS Pricing Calculator
~16 questions
80 marks
25% of exam weight
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Study Plan

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Structured Study Roadmap

Designed for candidates studying 1-2 hours per day. Select your timeline below.

Exam Strategy

Tips to pass AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate on your first attempt

Tactical advice beyond content knowledge — what separates candidates who pass from those who retake.

🗓
Master AWS services like EC2, S3, VPC, Lambda, and RDS as they are key components for architecting cloud solutions.
🔍
Understand the fundamentals of designing highly available, cost-effective, and scalable applications using AWS.
⏭
Familiarize yourself with AWS security best practices, especially IAM roles and policies, encryption services, and VPC configurations.
📊
Learn how to use CloudWatch, CloudTrail, and other monitoring tools to ensure operational excellence in AWS environments.
🔁
Focus on cost-optimization strategies, such as selecting the right instance types and utilizing AWS cost management tools like Cost Explorer and Trusted Advisor.
Recommended Resources

Official and trusted study materials

Curated resources ranked by usefulness. Quality over quantity — focus on a small set of authoritative sources.

Official
Official Exam Guide
The authoritative blueprint. Know every objective before studying anything else.
→ Vendor website
Practice Tests
Edureify Practice Tests
Full-length AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate simulations with detailed per-domain analysis and explanations.
→ Start free test
Video Course
Structured Video Course
Pick one highly-rated course and complete it end-to-end before switching resources.
With edureify Convert Tutorial to AI Tutor
Reference
Domain Cheat Sheets
One-page summaries for each AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate domain — ideal for last-week revision.
→ Get free Cheat Sheet
Community
Study Groups & Forums
Reddit r/certifications and exam-specific Discord servers for peer support and tips.
→ Reddit / Discord
AI Tutor
Edureify AI Mentor
Get instant answers to AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate concepts, domain-level weak-area coaching, and adaptive questions.
→ Try free
⚠️
Avoid brain dumps. Sites selling "real exam questions" violate most vendor NDAs and are legally risky. Questions rotate regularly — brain dumps lead to overconfidence on outdated material and a higher retake rate.
Reviews

What candidates say after passing

★★★★★
"Passed AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate on my first attempt after 5 weeks. The domain-level diagnostic showed me exactly where my gaps were — I stopped wasting time on topics I already knew."
Rahul S.
Solutions Architect, Bangalore
★★★★★
"The structured study plan kept me on track. I tried studying on my own for 3 months and failed. With Edureify's roadmap I passed in 6 weeks."
Priya M.
Cloud Engineer, Mumbai
★★★★★
"The AI mentor was like having a personal tutor available at 2am. Every concept I didn't understand was explained until I got it. Invaluable for the Design Resilient Architectures domain."
David K.
DevOps Engineer, London
FAQ

Frequently asked questions about AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

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