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Entry-level validation of overall AWS Cloud knowledge: value, services, security, pricing and support.
Set by Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Free to start · 30 lessons · 3 mock exams · about 38 h of study
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The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is AWS’s foundational certification for learners who need broad, practical knowledge of the AWS Cloud rather than hands-on engineering depth. It is commonly taken by career starters, business and sales professionals, project managers, support staff, and technical learners beginning an AWS pathway. The exam tests whether you understand core cloud concepts, the value proposition of AWS, major AWS services, security and compliance basics, pricing, billing, and support.
A strong result shows that you can recognise the right AWS concepts and services, interpret scenario-based questions accurately, and avoid common traps in foundational cloud reasoning. The scaled passing standard is 700, and top performance means being consistently secure across all published domains, not just memorising service names.
Courselo prepares you exam-faithfully: one lesson for every syllabus point in the current specification, adaptive practice across all item styles used on the exam, full-length mocks at the real standard, a predicted score based on your performance, and a study plan that focuses your time on the domains and question patterns most likely to move your result.
Format
1 h 30 min in total · 1 section
CLF-C02. Current AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam version in global delivery for 2026 and the coming year.
A single continuous exam covering all published CLF-C02 domains. Questions are a mix of standard multiple-choice and multiple-response items, with scored and unscored items interspersed and not identified to the candidate.
Question types
Scoring
100–1000 · pass 700
Syllabus
4 units · 30 topics · about 38 h of lessons and core practice
≈ 5.9%1 h
Covers the definition of cloud computing, the core characteristics of cloud services, and the specific value proposition of the AWS Cloud for organisations and builders. The exam tests recognition of why organisations choose AWS over traditional infrastructure, including speed, agility, broad service choice, and global deployment capability.
Your course
AI-generated · reviewedParts of this course are generated from the official specification the first time they’re needed, then checked and kept.
Lessons
30
One for every syllabus topic, generated from the official specification and checked
Practice questions
Adaptive
Generated for each topic as you practise, checked before you see them, each with an explanation
Mock exams
3
Questions
AWS states that the exam contains 65 questions total, of which 50 are scored and 15 are unscored pilot items.
No. 700 is a scaled passing score, not a raw percentage. AWS does not publish the exact raw-to-scaled conversion, and that conversion can vary slightly across exam forms.
A simple way to think about it is:
Set a target and a test date. You’ll take a diagnostic, see a predicted score with its range, and get a plan for every week until the exam.
Verified total: 65 questions, of which 50 are scored and 15 are unscored. AWS reports a scaled score, with 700 as the passing standard.
Delivery. The exam is delivered through Pearson VUE either at an authorised test centre or through online proctoring. It is computer-based and administered globally in the current CLF-C02 version.
The exam is a single computer-based paper taken in one sitting. You have 90 minutes to answer 65 questions, and the questions are presented in a fixed overall test session with standard on-screen navigation that lets you move between items, review flagged questions, and change answers before you submit, subject to the exam software rules in the live delivery.
There is no separate scored sectioning during the sitting: the exam runs as one continuous block. The test includes 15 unscored pilot items mixed in with scored questions, and AWS does not identify which items are unscored. There is no negative marking, so every question should be answered. A calculator is not required for normal exam completion, and no special calculator-based section applies.
Top-marks target
A strong buffer above the passing standard and a realistic target for high-confidence mastery.
900
Secure pass
Well above the passing standard; usually reflects reliable performance across all domains.
800
Pass with margin
Comfortably above the cut score.
750
Minimum passing score
The official passing score.
700
AWS reports a scaled score from 100 to 1000. The official passing score is 700.
Only 50 questions are scored. The exam also includes 15 unscored pilot items used for future exam development. These unscored questions are mixed into the paper and are not identified, so candidates should treat every question as if it counts.
The exact AWS raw-to-scaled conversion is not published and may vary slightly across forms through statistical equating. For that reason, the curve above is an exam-faithful estimate for planning and readiness only, not an official conversion table.
In practice, your result is based on performance on the scored items, then converted to the reporting scale:
A score report may also show domain-level feedback to indicate relative strengths and weaknesses, but the certification decision is the overall scaled score, not separate domain passes.
| Band | From |
|---|---|
| PassMeets the certification standard for the current form of the exam. | 700+ |
| Below passingDoes not yet meet the certification standard. | 100+ |
≈ 4.9%1 h 15 min
Covers the cloud concepts that let AWS systems grow, shrink, remain accessible, and serve users across multiple geographies. The exam tests whether candidates can distinguish these concepts and apply them correctly to simple architecture or business scenarios.
≈ 5.9%1 h 15 min
Covers the foundational financial ideas behind cloud adoption, especially how AWS changes cost structure and purchasing decisions. The exam tests understanding of basic economic trade-offs such as CapEx versus OpEx, variable expense, consumption pricing, and economies of scale.
≈ 3.9%1 h
Covers foundational AWS design principles and the high-level Well-Architected mindset expected at Cloud Practitioner level. The exam tests recognition of good cloud design choices rather than deep architecture implementation detail.
≈ 2.9%45 min
Covers the business outcomes organisations seek from AWS adoption and the sustainability advantages of using cloud infrastructure. The exam tests whether candidates can connect cloud features to business benefits such as faster innovation, operational efficiency, and reduced environmental impact.
About 5 h 15 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 4.9%1 h 15 min
Covers the AWS Shared Responsibility Model: which security and compliance duties remain with AWS and which remain with the customer across cloud services. The exam tests recognition of responsibility boundaries, especially how they differ between infrastructure, managed, and abstracted services.
≈ 5.9%2 h
Covers core AWS Identity and Access Management concepts used to control authentication and authorization in an AWS account. The exam tests correct use of the root user, IAM users, groups, roles, policies, and least-privilege access.
≈ 3.9%1 h 15 min
Covers account and sign-in protection mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication, federated access, AWS IAM Identity Center, and Amazon Cognito. The exam tests selection of the right service or control for workforce access, consumer identity, and stronger account security.
≈ 3.9%1 h 30 min
Covers foundational AWS data protection concepts for encryption in transit and at rest, plus the key services AWS KMS, AWS Certificate Manager, and AWS Secrets Manager. The exam tests when to use each service and how they support confidentiality and secure secret handling.
≈ 3.9%1 h 30 min
Covers foundational network and edge security controls in AWS, including instance- and subnet-level filtering and managed protections for web applications and DDoS events. The exam tests service identification and correct placement of controls such as security groups, network ACLs, AWS WAF, AWS Shield, and AWS Firewall Manager.
≈ 3.9%1 h 30 min
Covers AWS services used for recording activity, evaluating configurations, detecting threats, assessing exposure, and aggregating security findings. The exam tests recognition of each service’s primary purpose and how they complement one another in a basic security operations model.
≈ 2.9%1 h
Covers the main AWS resources and services used to support compliance evidence, audits, multi-account governance, and basic optimization checks. The exam tests choosing the correct tool for obtaining compliance reports, automating evidence collection, organizing accounts, and reviewing security-related recommendations.
About 10 h of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 2.9%1 h 15 min
Covers the main cloud deployment approaches, the common ways customers access AWS services, and the structure of the AWS global infrastructure. The exam tests recognition of when to use public cloud, hybrid, or multicloud language and the ability to interpret Regions, Availability Zones, and edge locations in scenario questions.
≈ 2.9%1 h 30 min
Focuses on Amazon EC2 and the core compute decisions a Cloud Practitioner must recognize, including instance types, purchasing options, and related compute services. The exam tests service selection, basic instance characteristics, and when EC2 is more appropriate than managed or serverless alternatives.
≈ 2.9%1 h 15 min
Covers the AWS services and patterns used to distribute traffic, scale capacity, and improve workload resilience. The exam tests whether candidates can match Elastic Load Balancing and Auto Scaling concepts to availability, elasticity, and fault-tolerance requirements.
≈ 2.9%1 h 30 min
Examines AWS managed application runtimes and simplified deployment services, especially AWS Lambda and the main application platform options. The exam tests service choice by operating model, such as event-driven serverless, managed web application deployment, simple virtual private servers, or fully managed container web apps.
≈ 2%1 h 15 min
Covers the core AWS container services and how they relate to orchestration, server management, and container image storage. The exam tests whether candidates can distinguish ECS, EKS, Fargate, and ECR in straightforward architecture and service-selection scenarios.
≈ 3.9%2 h
Covers AWS storage options for object, block, file, archival, hybrid, and backup use cases. The exam tests recognition of the correct storage service or storage class based on access pattern, durability, shared access needs, and recovery objectives.
≈ 3.9%2 h
Focuses on AWS database choices across relational, NoSQL, in-memory, analytical, and purpose-built categories. The exam tests whether candidates can match workload requirements to the correct managed database service and distinguish transactional from caching and analytics use cases.
≈ 3.9%2 h
Covers the core AWS networking building blocks, DNS and content delivery services, and private connectivity options. The exam tests basic architecture interpretation, such as identifying the right service for isolated networking, DNS routing, low-latency delivery, or private links between environments.
≈ 2%1 h
Addresses messaging, pub/sub, event routing, and workflow orchestration services used to decouple applications. The exam tests service selection for queueing, fan-out notifications, event buses, and multi-step business processes.
≈ 2%1 h 15 min
Covers foundational AWS services for querying, preparing, processing, visualizing, indexing, and streaming data. The exam tests whether candidates can identify the appropriate analytics or streaming service from short business or technical scenarios.
≈ 2%1 h
Introduces the main AWS artificial intelligence and machine learning services at a service-recognition level. The exam tests whether candidates can match a business requirement such as image analysis, chatbots, speech, text extraction, or translation to the correct AWS service.
≈ <1%1 h
Covers the foundational AWS services used to monitor resources, automate provisioning, manage operations, establish guardrails, and publish approved products. The exam tests recognition of each service’s primary role in day-to-day cloud operations and governance.
≈ <1%45 min
Covers selected AWS services for contact centres and end-user computing. The exam tests straightforward service identification for cloud contact centres, managed virtual desktops, and application streaming scenarios.
About 17 h 45 min of study, lessons and core practice
≈ 3.9%1 h 15 min
Covers how AWS charges for core service usage and which pricing options reduce cost for different workload patterns. The exam tests recognition of on-demand consumption, storage and data transfer charging basics, and when to choose commitment-based discounts such as Savings Plans or Reserved Instances.
≈ 2.9%1 h
Focuses on the AWS tools used to view bills, analyze spending, forecast costs, and set budget or optimization controls. The exam tests whether candidates can choose the correct billing or cost-management tool for a stated need.
≈ 2.9%1 h
Covers AWS Support plan levels and the main technical and account-help resources available to customers. The exam tests selection of the appropriate support option or self-service resource based on business and technical needs.
≈ 2%1 h 15 min
Covers the business drivers for moving to AWS, common migration strategies, and the AWS services used to migrate applications and transfer data. The exam tests whether candidates can match migration goals and data-movement needs to the appropriate AWS approach or service.
≈ 2%35 min
CLF-C02 only
How standalone and multi-account AWS environments affect billing, cost visibility, and discount aggregation, including AWS Organizations and consolidated billing concepts.
About 5 h 5 min of study, lessons and core practice
1 diagnostic · 2 full-length, timed and scored like the real test
Strategy guides
8
Pacing, section strategy and test-day guides
Free to start
Every lesson and guide is free, with 40 practice questions a day and the diagnostic. Pro removes the limits.
Compare plansSo a 700 is the certification standard, but it does not mean that exactly 70% of all questions were correct.
AWS does not publish a per-item marking scheme for candidates. In preparation materials generated from this blueprint, multiple-response items should be treated as requiring the complete correct set to earn credit.
No negative marking is published for this exam. If you are unsure, make your best selection rather than leaving an item unanswered.
A good exam habit is:
A sensible readiness target is an estimated scaled score of about 800 or above across more than one realistic mock, with no major weakness in any domain.
If your results are hovering around the pass line, you may still have content gaps hidden by easier question mixes. A stronger buffer reduces risk from normal form-to-form variation and exam-day pressure.
Common trouble spots include: