# 🎯 The 30-Day AWS SAA-C03 Prep Tracker **Aligned with the official AWS 4-step exam prep framework** *Designed by Gangadhar Ure — AWS SAA + SAP certified | Cloudadhar* --- ## 📋 How to use this tracker - **Daily commitment:** 90 minutes (1 hr study + 30 min hands-on) - **Weekend commitment:** 3 hours (mocks + labs) - **Tools you'll need:** - AWS Free Tier account ([aws.amazon.com/free](https://aws.amazon.com/free)) - AWS Skill Builder ($29/month subscription recommended for weeks 3–4) - AWS Certification Official Practice Question Set (free, 40 min) - AWS Certification Official Practice Exam (subscription, 2h 10m) - **Mark each day complete** with ✅ as you go - **If you miss a day:** Don't double up — just continue. The plan has buffer days built in. --- ## 🗓️ Week-by-week overview | Week | AWS 4-Step Phase | Your goal | |---|---|---| | **Week 1 (Days 1–7)** | Step 1: Get to know the exam | Take the Official Practice Question Set blind. Identify weak domains. | | **Week 2 (Days 8–14)** | Step 2: Refresh AWS knowledge | Cover Domains 1 & 2 (Secure architectures, Resilient architectures) | | **Week 3 (Days 15–21)** | Step 2 + 3: Continue + Review | Cover Domains 3 & 4 (High-performing + Cost-optimized) | | **Week 4 (Days 22–28)** | Step 3 + 4: Practice + Assess | 5 full mocks. Score 80%+ on 3 = ready | | **Days 29–30** | Final review | Light revision. Sleep well. Show up. | --- ## ✅ Week 1 — Get to know the exam (Days 1–7) > **Goal:** Take the Official Practice Question Set on Day 1 BEFORE studying. You will fail. That's the point. You now know where to focus. ### Day 1 — Reverse-learning baseline - [ ] Create AWS Skill Builder account (free) - [ ] Read the [SAA-C03 Exam Guide](https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-associate/) (15 min) - [ ] Take the **Official Practice Question Set** (40 min, 20 Qs) — DO NOT STUDY FIRST - [ ] **Write down your score.** This is your baseline. - [ ] Note which domains you got wrong: - Domain 1: Secure architectures (30%) - Domain 2: Resilient architectures (26%) - Domain 3: High-performing architectures (24%) - Domain 4: Cost-optimized architectures (20%) ### Day 2 — AWS account + free tier setup - [ ] Create AWS Free Tier account if you don't have one - [ ] Set up MFA on root - [ ] Set billing alarm at $5 (CloudWatch) - [ ] Create IAM admin user — never use root again ### Day 3 — Read the official Exam Prep Overview - [ ] Enroll in **"Exam Prep Overview: AWS SAA-C03"** (20 min, free on Skill Builder) - [ ] Read the AWS short-name service list (e.g., S3 = Amazon Simple Storage Service) - [ ] Bookmark the official exam guide PDF ### Day 4 — Skim the 4 exam domains - [ ] Domain 1: Design Secure Architectures (30%) — skim only - [ ] Domain 2: Design Resilient Architectures (26%) - [ ] Domain 3: Design High-Performing Architectures (24%) - [ ] Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures (20%) - [ ] **For each:** Note 3 services you don't know yet ### Day 5 — Build a study schedule - [ ] Block 90 min/day on your calendar for the next 25 days - [ ] Pick exam date: Day 30 (or Day 35 if you want buffer) - [ ] Schedule the exam at [pearsonvue.com/aws](https://www.pearsonvue.com/aws) — pay the $150 fee NOW (commitment = focus) - [ ] Join r/AWSCertifications on Reddit for daily Qs ### Day 6 — Hands-on Day: IAM basics - [ ] Create 3 IAM users with different policies (read-only, power user, admin) - [ ] Create an IAM role for EC2 to access S3 - [ ] Read: IAM Policies vs Resource Policies vs SCPs (15 min) ### Day 7 — Review + rest - [ ] Re-take Day 1's Practice Question Set - [ ] Note any improvement - [ ] Light day — rest is part of the plan --- ## ✅ Week 2 — Domains 1 & 2 (Days 8–14) > **Goal:** Master Secure + Resilient architectures. These are 56% of the exam. ### Day 8 — Domain 1 Review - [ ] Enroll in **"Domain 1 Review: SAA-C03"** on Skill Builder (45 min) - [ ] Focus services: IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager, Cognito, GuardDuty, Inspector, Macie, WAF, Shield, Security Hub ### Day 9 — Hands-on: KMS + Secrets Manager - [ ] Create a KMS customer-managed key (CMK) - [ ] Encrypt an S3 bucket with SSE-KMS - [ ] Store a database password in Secrets Manager - [ ] Rotate it automatically ### Day 10 — Domain 1 Practice - [ ] Take **"Domain 1 Practice: SAA-C03"** on Skill Builder (30 min) - [ ] Score 70%+ = move on. Below 70% = re-read Domain 1 weak spots. ### Day 11 — Domain 2 Review - [ ] Enroll in **"Domain 2 Review: SAA-C03"** (45 min) - [ ] Focus services: EC2 Auto Scaling, ELB (ALB/NLB), Route 53, RDS Multi-AZ, Aurora, S3 Cross-Region Replication, DynamoDB Global Tables, AWS Backup, Disaster Recovery patterns (Backup/Restore, Pilot Light, Warm Standby, Multi-Site) ### Day 12 — Hands-on: Multi-AZ + Auto Scaling - [ ] Launch an EC2 in an Auto Scaling Group (min 1, max 3) - [ ] Attach an Application Load Balancer - [ ] Set up a Route 53 health-checked record - [ ] Test: stop the EC2 → ASG should launch a replacement ### Day 13 — Domain 2 Practice - [ ] Take **"Domain 2 Practice: SAA-C03"** on Skill Builder - [ ] Take **AWS SimuLearn Domain 2** lab (1 hr) - [ ] Score 70%+ = move on ### Day 14 — Mock #1 + review - [ ] Take a free SAA mock from Tutorial Dojo (or Skill Builder Practice Exam if subscribed) - [ ] **Target: 65%+** - [ ] Write down EVERY wrong question + why you got it wrong --- ## ✅ Week 3 — Domains 3 & 4 (Days 15–21) > **Goal:** Master High-performing + Cost-optimized. These are 44% of the exam. ### Day 15 — Domain 3 Review - [ ] Enroll in **"Domain 3 Review: SAA-C03"** (45 min) - [ ] Focus services: CloudFront, Global Accelerator, S3 Transfer Acceleration, ElastiCache (Redis vs Memcached), DAX, EFS, FSx, Storage Gateway, Direct Connect, VPC peering vs Transit Gateway, Snowball/Snowmobile ### Day 16 — Hands-on: CloudFront + ElastiCache - [ ] Set up a CloudFront distribution in front of an S3 static site - [ ] Configure ElastiCache Redis cluster - [ ] Use Redis for session storage (mini Node.js app) ### Day 17 — Domain 3 Practice - [ ] Take **"Domain 3 Practice: SAA-C03"** (30 min) - [ ] Take **AWS SimuLearn Domain 3** lab - [ ] Score 70%+ = move on ### Day 18 — Domain 4 Review - [ ] Enroll in **"Domain 4 Review: SAA-C03"** (45 min) - [ ] Focus services: Compute Savings Plans vs EC2 Reserved Instances vs Spot, S3 Storage Classes (Standard, IA, One Zone-IA, Glacier Instant/Flexible/Deep Archive), S3 Lifecycle Policies, AWS Cost Explorer, Budgets, Compute Optimizer, Trusted Advisor ### Day 19 — Hands-on: S3 Lifecycle + Spot - [ ] Create an S3 bucket with lifecycle policy: Standard → IA after 30 days → Glacier after 90 - [ ] Launch a Spot fleet for an SQS-based batch worker - [ ] Set up a Budget alert at 80% of $20 ### Day 20 — Domain 4 Practice - [ ] Take **"Domain 4 Practice: SAA-C03"** - [ ] Take **AWS SimuLearn Domain 4** lab - [ ] Score 70%+ = move on ### Day 21 — Mock #2 + review - [ ] Take another full mock (Tutorial Dojo or Skill Builder) - [ ] **Target: 70%+** - [ ] Compare to Mock #1 — you should see improvement in your weakest domain --- ## ✅ Week 4 — The mock blitz (Days 22–28) > **Goal:** 5 full mocks. Score 80%+ on at least 3 of them. ### Day 22 — Mock #3 - [ ] Take a 65-Q timed mock (130 minutes) - [ ] **Target: 75%+** - [ ] Spend 90 min reviewing wrong answers — read the WHY, not just the right choice ### Day 23 — Weak-area drill - [ ] Identify your weakest domain from Mock #3 - [ ] Re-take that Domain Practice on Skill Builder - [ ] Re-read the FAQ for the top 5 services in that domain ### Day 24 — Mock #4 - [ ] Take another full mock (different source than Mock #3) - [ ] **Target: 78%+** - [ ] Review wrong answers — same WHY drill ### Day 25 — AWS Official Practice Exam - [ ] Take the **AWS Certification Official Practice Exam** on Skill Builder (2h 10m, $40 or included in subscription) - [ ] **This is the closest to the real thing.** Score here predicts your real exam. - [ ] **Target: 80%+** ### Day 26 — Mock #6 (final) - [ ] One more full mock to confirm readiness - [ ] **Target: 82%+** - [ ] If below 70% across all 5 mocks → **push the exam date 1 week**. Don't be a hero. ### Day 27 — Flashcard sprint - [ ] Anki / Quizlet — 50 SAA flashcards on weak services - [ ] Focus: storage classes, RDS engines, ELB types, EBS volume types, encryption options ### Day 28 — Exam strategy day - [ ] Read the **Exam Prep Summary** on Skill Builder (5 min) - [ ] Practice 3 time-pressured 20-Q quick mocks (25 min each) - [ ] Goal: speed + accuracy under time --- ## ✅ Days 29–30 — Final approach ### Day 29 — Light review - [ ] Re-read your wrong-answer log (1 hour) - [ ] Skim your handwritten notes - [ ] **NO new content.** Resist the urge to cram. - [ ] Sleep 8 hours ### Day 30 — Exam day - [ ] Eat a good breakfast - [ ] Reach the test center 30 min early (or boot exam software 15 min early for online) - [ ] Bring: government ID + 1 backup ID - [ ] **In the exam:** - 65 questions in 130 minutes = 2 min per question - Flag tough ones, move on - Use the last 20 min for flagged + review - Pass mark: 720 / 1000 (~72%) - [ ] **You got this.** 🚀 --- ## 🛠️ Tools used in this tracker | Tool | Cost | When to use | |---|---|---| | AWS Skill Builder (free) | $0 | Domain reviews, Practice Q Set | | AWS Skill Builder subscription | $29/month | Domain Practice, SimuLearn, Official Practice Exam | | AWS Free Tier account | $0 | All hands-on labs | | Tutorial Dojo mocks | ₹1,500 one-time | 5 full-length mocks | | Anki / Quizlet | Free | Flashcards | | **Exam fee** | **$150 USD (~₹12,500)** | Day 30 | | **Total** | **~₹14,500** | — | > **Voucher hack:** Pass CLF-C02 first → get 50% off SAA voucher = $75 instead of $150. --- ## 📊 Daily tracking grid | Day | Date | Hours studied | Score (if mock) | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | / / | 1.5 | __% baseline | | | 2 | / / | | | | | 3 | / / | | | | | ... | / / | | | | | 30 | / / | EXAM | __% RESULT | | *Print this page, stick it on your wall, fill it in daily.* --- ## 💬 Stuck? Need help? - **WhatsApp Gangadhar:** wa.me/91XXXXXXXXXX - **DM on Instagram:** @cloudadhar - **Free 1:1 doubt-clearing call** for the first 20 people who complete this tracker → DM "DONE" --- ## 🚀 What's next after SAA? Once you pass, your options: | Goal | Next cert | Timeline | |---|---|---| | Climb the architect ladder | **SAP-C02** (Professional) | 4 months | | Move into DevOps | **SOA-C02** then **DOP-C02** | 6 months | | Get into Agentic AI / ML | **AIF-C01** (AI Practitioner) | 4 weeks | | Specialize in security | **SCS-C02** (Security Specialty) | 3 months | **Want a custom roadmap?** Join the **Aarambh Cohort 01** — AWS + Agentic AI in 12 weeks, live, with mentorship. Starts **28 June 2026**. Early-bird ₹12,999. 👉 [cloudadhar.com/join-batch](https://www.trainwithcloudadhar.com/join-batch) --- *This tracker is free. Pass it to anyone studying for SAA. If it helps, give @cloudadhar a follow on Instagram.* **Made with ☕ + 12 yrs of production AWS pain by Gangadhar Ure.**