I recently passed the AWS Cloud Practitioner CLF-02 (formerly CLF-01) exam with a score of 82%.
This blog reveals my journey and top tips for obtaining this certification. But first, comment below: What's your biggest exam prep challenge?
Let's take off towards cloud mastery together!

About CLF-02

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification verifies an individual's foundational, broad-level comprehension of the AWS Cloud, its services, and associated terminology. Obtaining this certification serves as an excellent entry point for beginning your AWS Certification path.

The key concepts covered in the exam, along with their respective weights, are outlined in the image below.

Resources

1. The main thing I used to learn about AWS and get ready for the exam was AWS Skill Builder. You can try the "Cloud Foundations Learning course" or the "Exam Prep: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (Get Certified)" course, or both.

2. Another resource that I have used to learn about AWS and to prepare for the exam was AWS Skill Builder.

3. You can try the AWS Cloud Practitioner Cloud Quest from AWS for free. The best way to learn is by doing hands-on activities.
   This quest teaches a lot using that method.

4. The course by Stephane Maarek on Udemy is wonderful. I especially liked how he teaches things and the hands-on practice sessions he includes.

My journey and personal tips

I was new to cloud computing but I was interested in learning the cloud concepts and exploring more. However, my work focused mainly on front-end and mobile apps, so I couldn't go too deep into the cloud at first.

Luckily, I got a great opportunity - I was selected as one of 50 AWS Cloud Club Captains worldwide. AWS Cloud Clubs are student groups for college students and independent learners. You can learn more about the cloud clubs here: AWS Cloud Clubs

This helped me focus on cloud technology, and I decided to get certified. Big thanks to the AWS Academic Advocacy team for providing a voucher and guidance to help me pass the exam.

I used the resources above and took Stephane Maarek's Udemy course to prepare. It took me 3 weeks to prepare, then I scheduled my exam through AWS certifications.

The exam itself was easy to moderately difficult. Most questions were straightforward to answer directly.

Here are some of the tips that might help you:

• I believe the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam is more about having broad knowledge, so you should have an overview of the popular or most commonly used AWS services.

• I tried learning about when each service is needed and what use cases it applies to. This helped me better understand the services.

• Try to practice before the exam by doing the cloud quest activities, and if possible, try the official AWS practice question set.

• While going through any course or tutorial, also try doing some hands-on activities yourself. This helped me gain deeper knowledge of the services.

• Lastly, believe in yourself. You got this.

If you've made it to the end here, I have a bonus for you. I prepared some handwritten notes while getting ready for this exam. You can access those notes here: Notes

Ps: I wrote this blog before taking the CLF-02 exam.

Wishing you all the best with your coding journey. Happy learning, and follow along for more insightful articles!
Connect with me on LinkedIn: Abhishek Bhatt