Before you book
- ESL accommodation. If English is not your first language, request the +30 minutes accommodation in your AWS Certification account before you schedule. It applies to all later bookings but not to an exam that is already booked.
- Name match. The name in your AWS Certification account must match your government-issued photo ID exactly, including middle names and the order of names. Fix a mismatch before exam day, not at the desk.
- Choose the time of day when you normally concentrate best. A 130-minute exam is at its hardest in the final 30 minutes.
- Rescheduling rules. You can reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before the appointment, and each appointment can be rescheduled twice. A cancellation inside 24 hours, or not showing up, forfeits the fee (USD 150).
Test centre or online?
| Pearson VUE test centre | Online proctored (OnVUE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival / check-in | Arrive 15–30 minutes early for sign-in | You can launch up to 30 minutes early; more than 15 minutes late forfeits the exam |
| Breaks | Unscheduled breaks are allowed, but the clock keeps running and you may not leave the building | No breaks. You may not stand up or leave the camera view, even for the restroom |
| Notes | Erasable note board and marker from the centre | On-screen digital whiteboard only; no paper |
| Main risk | Travel delays, noise from other candidates | Internet drops, interruptions, desk-check failures |
| Best for | Anyone with an unreliable connection or a shared home | Candidates with a quiet private room and a stable wired connection |
Online checklist
- Clear desk and clear walls behind you: no notes, books, second monitor, headphones or smartwatch.
- Phone available for the check-in photos, then placed out of arm’s reach.
- Closed door and no one entering the room. A person walking into view can end the exam.
- Laptop plugged in and every other application closed.
- Use the restroom right before check-in. There are no breaks for 130 minutes plus check-in.
Test centre checklist
- The ID required by the test centre, in the same name as your booking.
- Arrive early enough to store your belongings in a locker and be photographed.
- Ask for a second note board if you fill the first one.
The 130-minute pacing plan
You have 65 questions and 130 minutes, which is 2 minutes per question. Plan your first pass at 1 minute 40 seconds per question so that you finish with about 20 minutes left for flagged items.
| Checkpoint | Standard (130 min) | With ESL +30 (160 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Question 15 answered | 25 min | 30 min |
| Question 30 answered | 50 min | 60 min |
| Question 45 answered | 75 min | 90 min |
| Question 60 answered | 100 min | 120 min |
| First pass complete | about 108 min | about 130 min |
| Review buffer | about 22 min | about 30 min |
Write the four checkpoint times on your note board or whiteboard in the first minute. If you are more than 5 minutes behind at a checkpoint, make every remaining first-pass decision within 90 seconds until you catch up.
Flag-and-return strategy
- Answer every question on the first pass. Pick an answer before you flag. If time runs out during review, a flagged question with an answer can still score, and a blank never does.
- Flag only real 50/50s. A good first pass flags about 8–12 questions. Flagging 25 leaves too many to review properly.
- Use the note board for the tough ones. Write the question number and the two options you are choosing between, for example “Q37 B/D, cost”. When you return, you only reread the stem to decide that pair.
- Review flagged items first, then check any multiple response items to confirm that you selected exactly the requested number of options.
- Change an answer only with new evidence, such as a constraint you missed or a qualifier you misread. Changing because the other option “feels” better usually turns a right answer into a wrong one.
Mindset during the exam
- 15 questions are unscored. Some of them are unusually obscure or awkward. If a question seems to test a feature you have never heard of, make your best guess and move on. It may not count.
- Difficulty comes in streaks. Question order is random across domains, so four hard networking items in a row does not mean you are failing.
- Reset after a hard item. Take one breath before the next stem. Carrying frustration forward makes you misread qualifiers on easy questions.
- Watch the fatigue zone. Questions 45–60 are where concentration drops and misreads increase. At checkpoint 3, sit back, drop your shoulders and read the next qualifier slowly.
The day before and the morning of
- Day before: a light 45-minute review of your flashcards and error log only. No new topics and no full mock. Confirm the appointment time, time zone and address, or rerun the system test.
- Morning: eat normally and do a 10-question warm-up set so that you start the exam already reading scenarios. Aim to be ready 30 minutes before the appointment.
After you submit
- You may be shown a short survey. It does not affect your score.
- You normally do not see a result on screen. The official result and score report appear in your AWS Certification account within 5 business days, often sooner. Some results take longer if they go through a security or technical review.
- The report shows pass or fail, your scaled score (100–1,000, pass 720) and, for each domain, whether you meet competencies or need improvement.
- If you pass, your certification is valid for 3 years and a digital badge is issued to your account.
- If you do not pass, you must wait 14 days before retaking and pay the full fee again. Retake the Courselo diagnostic, focus on the domains marked needs improvement, and rebook when you score 780 or more on both full mocks.