This credential helps organizations identify and develop talent with critical knowledge related to implementing cloud initiatives. Earning AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner validates cloud fluency and foundational AWS knowledge.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is intended for anyone who has basic knowledge of the AWS platform. Before taking this exam, we recommend you have:
- Basic understanding of IT services and their uses in the AWS Cloud platform
- Knowledge of core AWS services and use cases, billing and pricing models, security concepts, and how cloud impacts your business
Who Can Enroll in the Program?
The AWS Cloud Practitioner Foundational Certification Program is available to iSchool matriculated students who are actively enrolled in courses during the semester in which they are attempting to participate in this certification program. If you have not declared a Major or Minor in the iSchool, and are not actively enrolled in courses, you are not eligible to participate.
All iSchool faculty and staff are also able to take advantage of this program.
How Long Does the Exam Take and How Much Does it Cost?
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam (CLF-C01) is 65 multiple choice or multiple response questions and you will have 90 minutes to complete. The cost is $100.00 USD HOWEVER if you complete the AWS exam prep course and pass 3 practice exams with an 85% or better, you will receive a voucher for half off the full cost of the exam – so the exam will cost you $50.00.
How Do I Study and Prepare?
Step 1: AWS Exam Prep Course
This exam prep course was created for those students are who are new to AWS and have very little background in cloud services.
When you are ready to start the AWS Academy Cloud Foundations self-paced course, email Jeffrey Fouts, jlfouts@syr.edu, with your 9-digit SUID and the request to join.
You will be enrolled in the AWS Cloud Practitioner Course. You will receive an email to login and you will use your SU email address and self-created password to access the content.
For the novice you will need 6 weeks to complete this course. If you are familiar with cloud concepts you might be able to complete it in less!
Complete all of the coursework in the online course which consists of the following:
6 units total, one per week with an average time of 3-6 hours per week.
Unit 1
- Academy Coursework: Complete the Intro, and modules 1 and 2
- Power Hour Episode 1 (OPTIONAL: Helpful extra video content)
Unit 2
- Academy Coursework: Complete the Intro, and modules 3 and 4
- Power Hour Episode 2 (OPTIONAL: Helpful extra video content)
Unit 3
- Academy Coursework: Complete the Intro, and modules 5 and 6
- Power Hour Episode 3 (OPTIONAL: Helpful extra video content)
Unit 4
- Academy Coursework: Complete the Intro, and modules 7 and 8
- Power Hour Episode 4 (OPTIONAL: Helpful extra video content)
Unit 5
- Academy Coursework: Complete the Intro, and modules 9 and 10
- Power Hour Episode 5 (OPTIONAL: Helpful extra video content)
Unit 6
- Exam Prep
Step 2: Play the Game
Cloud Quest – Cloud Practitioner Game
AWS Cloud Quest is the only role-playing game to help you build practical AWS Cloud skills. Choose your role—Cloud Practitioner, Serverless Developer, Solutions Architect, Machine Learning Specialist, or Security Specialist—then learn and apply cloud skills to help the citizens of your virtual city. Once you finish all the assignments in your role, showcase your achievement with a digital badge. Whether you’re starting your cloud learning journey or diving into specialized skills, AWS Cloud Quest helps you learn in an interactive, engaging way.
Once completed you will earn a Badge. Take a screen shot of the badge and send to Jeffrey Fouts. You are now eligible for the AWS Cloud Practitioner Practice Exams.
The badges integrate with credly.com, so you can also “share” your badge via email as well.
Credly will also allow you to promote your badge on LinkedIn:
Step 3: iSchool AWS Cloud Practitioner Practice Exams
You must pass three practice exams with a score of 85% or higher in order to qualify for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam.
These exams are located in a Blackboard course that you will be registered for AFTER completing the AWS Exam Prep course and earning your badge. You can take these exams as many times as you would like.
Using the AWS Exam Prep Course and passing 3 practice exams with an 85% or better essentially fulfills the requirements of prepping for the exam and is the greatest predictor of success on the actual exam. University studies demonstrate when students properly utilized these two methods, their certification pass rate was over 95%. .
Registering for AWS Cloud Practitioner Practice Exams
- Qualified iSchool students must notify Jeffrey Fouts, Associate Director of Career Services, that they would like to register for the AWS Exam Prep Course. Please include your 9-digit SUID when emailing Jeffrey Fouts with this request: jlfouts@syr.edu
- You will be enrolled in the AWS Cloud Practitioner Practice Exams course in Blackboard. Once you are enrolled in the course, you will find the course the next time you log into Blackboard.
You may take an unlimited number of AWS Cloud Practitioner practice exams in preparation for your actual certification exam.
Step 4: Register for the 50% off Exam Voucher
Requirements: Any iSchool student, faculty or staff desiring to take the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam will observe the following required steps:
- Complete three different practice exams in Blackboard. Please note, the following criteria must be met:
- Each qualifying practice exam will have a minimum score of 85%.
- Each qualifying practice exam will be taken within one month of your desired exam date.
- Satisfy these requirements before registering for the exam.
- If you fail the exam on the first attempt, you are able to reapply for another voucher by contacting Jeffrey Fouts.
After ensuring the above steps are taken, click on the link below for information on how to request your exam voucher:
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam (CLF-C01):
When you are ready and eligible to take the exam, click on the following link:
AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam and create a new AWS account. Follow the steps to take the actual exam after creating your account. This account will be able to be used for all AWS exams going forward.
When paying for the exam, make sure to include your voucher number to receive half off the original exam cost.
Important Information About Certification Exams
A certification exam follows a general but specific guideline: you will be tested on your knowledge of specific categories/topics that have been selected specifically to demonstrate proficiency in a particular skillset or area.
While the categories are specific, the questions will be random. This means that you probably will not see the same questions you saw using the practice exams, but you may see questions that are topically similar. This is because a certification exam is designed to certify that you know how to solve a problem – not just that you know the answer.
- The exam you will take is called: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam (CLF-C01).
- The test is delivered by AWS Training and Certification. This means that Amazon has approved all of the test content.
- There are two types of questions on the exam:
- Multiple choice: Has one correct response and three incorrect responses (distractors)
- Multiple response: Has two or more correct responses out of five or more response options
- Select one or more responses that best complete the statement or answer the question. Distractors, or incorrect answers, are response options that a candidate with incomplete knowledge or skill might choose. Distractors are generally plausible responses that match the content area. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect; there is no penalty for guessing. The exam includes 50 questions that will affect your score.
- The exam includes 15 unscored questions that do not affect your score. AWS collects information about candidate performance on these unscored questions to evaluate these questions for future use as scored questions. These unscored questions are not identified on the exam.
- The score required to pass is 700.
- The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam is a pass or fail exam. The exam is scored against a minimum standard established by AWS professionals who follow certification industry best practices and guidelines. Your results for the exam are reported as a scaled score of 100–1,000. The minimum passing score is 700. Your score shows how you performed on the exam as a whole and whether or not you passed. Scaled scoring models help equate scores across multiple exam forms that might have slightly different difficulty levels. Your score report may contain a table of classifications of your performance at each section level. This information is intended to provide general feedback about your exam performance. The exam uses a compensatory scoring model, which means that you do not need to achieve a passing score in each section. You need to pass only the overall exam. Each section of the exam has a specific weighting, so some sections have more questions than others. The table contains general information that highlights your strengths and weaknesses. Use caution when interpreting section-level feedback.
- Cell phones and/or other network/internet connectable devices are not allowed during the test.