The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator exam targets those specialists who want to leverage their knowledge and competency in operating, managing, and deploying the technical features of AWS services. Passing this exam earns you the related AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate certificate.

Target Audience

This test targets those individuals who already worked for a minimum of one year with AWS products and understand its features. Also, the vendor recommends that the test-takers should have experience in operating and managing different types of systems on AWS infrastructure. Additionally, the candidates who apply for this exam should have a good understanding of how to manage AWS tenets and implement them in cloud architecture systems. Then, the target audience for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate test should have practical experience in managing SDKs/API and AWS CLI tools. Besides, the applicants’ chances to pass such a test from the first attempt are higher if they understand how the network technology features are related to AWS products and how to implement security controls that meet compliance requirements. On top of that, the examinees should have a minimum of 1 to 2 years of experience in a system administrator role or related position. Finally, partakers are recommended to consolidate their skills in working with virtualization technology and know about how to audit and monitor systems experience.

Details of Actual Exam

The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate evaluation has the code SOA-C01. If candidates want to take this test and obtain the associated namesake certification, they will need to find the correct answers to 65 questions that are either multiple-response or multiple-choice inquiries. What’s more, the exam duration is 130 minutes. During this time, the applicants should answer as many questions as possible and get the minimum passing score of 720 points. Besides, the SOA-C01 exam is a proctored test. Therefore, the candidates can choose to take it online or check for the available dates in an official testing center from their country. Apart from scheduling the exam, the candidates will need to pay a registration fee, whose value is $150. Moreover, they can also take a practice exam prior to the official test to check their preparedness status, and the registration fee for this one is $20. Finally, the final evaluation comes in different languages. Apart from English, the test-takers can choose between Korean, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese language options.

Topics Tested in AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate

In general, the actual exam syllabus is divided into seven sections. Thus, the candidates who want to get the passing score in such a test from the first attempt should increase their knowledge of the following topics:

• Understanding how to implement reporting and monitoring services in AWS infrastructure;
• Implementing high availability features;
• Identifying and executing the necessary steps for provisioning as well as deployment;
• Creating and managing data storage alongside retention processes & policies;
• Executing and managing security in addition to compliance policies on AWS infrastructure;
• Applying AWS networking features;
• Becoming experts in AWS resource optimization and automation.

Training Resources for SOA-C01

If you want to secure your success in the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate exam, then you need to focus on efficient training. While the exam blueprint will help you understand what’s expected from your side and what skills you need to augment, you will also need to allocate enough time to self-study. For example, you can use some books available on Amazon, such as:

• AWS for System Administrators: Build, Automate, and Manage Your Infrastructure on the Most Popular Cloud Platform – AWS by Prashant Lakhera

  This book is available on Amazon in Kindle format for $17.19 or paperback version for $39.99. Particularly, it focuses on helping the candidates leverage their knowledge of working with infrastructure automation techniques and gets them familiar with Boto3, the Terraform, or CloudFormation elements. The examinees who decide to use a manual like this to prepare for the real test will also have the opportunity to explore the main features and benefits of these infrastructure components. Also, takers will learn how to leverage AWS features to improve their infrastructure’s flexibility and availability. Another topic included in this book focuses on helping the test-takers discover Amazon’s various features useful in building a reliable and secure environment, suitable for hosting different apps.

• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Study Guide with Online Labs: Associate (SOA-C01) Exam by Sara Perrott and Brett McLaughlin

  This guide is available on Amazon to help the candidates get a more comprehensive overview on how to implement the theoretical information they learn during preparation in a realistic scenario. Therefore, this study guide offers different real-life examples that will offer a practical experience to test-takers. In addition, the book goes through all the topics included in the exam syllabus and helps partakers consolidate their knowledge of the tested topics. Also, it includes 2 personalized practice exams that offer the applicants the opportunity to check their preparedness status and get used to the test difficulty. Plus, the candidates will benefit from 100 electronic flashcards and a detailed searchable key term glossary. What is more, the material comes with 6 online AWS lab modules that will bring serious advantages for candidates as they will have the opportunity to apply the information collected during the study in real-business situations.

• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate All-in-One-Exam Guide (Exam SOA-C01) by Sam Alapati

  A book like this follows the official blueprint for the real exam. Thus, the examinees who choose this self-study material will be able to improve their knowledge of systems operations together with AWS Access and Identity Management or AWS service security features. Additionally, the examinees will learn about AWS Lambda, Batch, ECS, and other related services and systems. This book also covers topics like database management in a cloud environment as well as archiving & storing data with the help of AWS services. Apart from covering the theoretical information, this all-in-one guide includes more than 250 practice questions that will help the candidates check their preparedness level and allow them to get familiar with the exam structure and difficulty.

Conclusion

Passing the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate exam can be a smooth process for those candidates who understand that training is important and take the proper actions to leverage their knowledge. Apart from going through the test blueprint and enrolling in the available official courses, the examinees can use the books available on Amazon to increase their chances to pass such a test from the first try.