AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner(CLF-C01) Exam Guide & Overview
Updated: Mar 7
Introduction
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C01) examination is intended for individuals who have the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively demonstrate an overall understanding of the AWS Cloud, independent of specific technical roles addressed by other AWS certifications (for example, Solutions Architect - Associate, Developer - Associate, or SysOps Administrator - Associate).
It validates an examinee’s ability to:
Define what the AWS Cloud is and the basic global infrastructure
Describe basic AWS Cloud architectural principles
Describe the AWS Cloud value proposition
Describe key services on the AWS platform and their common use cases (for example, compute and analytics)
Describe basic security and compliance aspects of the AWS platform and the shared security model
Define the billing, account management, and pricing models
Identify sources of documentation or technical assistance (for example, white papers or support tickets)
Describe basic/core characteristics of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud.
NOTE: Becoming an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is a recommended step in achieving Specialty certification or an optional start toward Associate-level certification.
Recommended AWS Knowledge
It is recommended that candidates have at least six months of experience with the AWS Cloud in any role, including technical, managerial, sales, purchasing, or financial.
Recommended General IT Knowledge
Candidates should have a basic understanding of IT services and their uses in the AWS Cloud platform.
Exam Preparation
These training courses and materials will help with exam preparation:
AWS Training (aws.amazon.com/training)
AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials (Second Edition) course
(https://aws.amazon.com/training/course-descriptions/cloud-practitioner-essentials/)
AWS Technical Essentials course
(https://aws.amazon.com/training/course-descriptions/essentials/)
AWS Business Essentials course
(https://aws.amazon.com/training/course-descriptions/business-essentials/)
AWS Whitepapers (aws.amazon.com/whitepapers) Kindle and .pdf and Other Materials
Overview of Amazon Web Services whitepaper, December 2018
(https://d0.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/aws-overview.pdf)
Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices whitepaper, October 2018
(https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/AWS_Cloud_Best_Practices.pdf)
How AWS Pricing Works whitepaper, June 2018
(https://d0.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/aws_pricing_overview.pdf)
The Total Cost of (Non) Ownership of Web Applications in the Cloud whitepaper, August 2012
(https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/aws-tco-web-applications.pdf)
Compare AWS Support Plans webpage
(https://aws.amazon.com/premiumsupport/compare-plans/)
Exam Content
Response Types
There are two types of questions on the examination:
Multiple-choice: Has one correct response and three incorrect responses (distractors).
Multiple-response: Has two or more correct responses out of five or more options. Select one or more responses that best complete the statement or answer the question. Distractors, or incorrect answers, are response options that an examinee with incomplete knowledge or skill would likely choose.
However, they are generally plausible responses that fit in the content area defined by the test objective.
Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect; there is no penalty for guessing.
Unscored Content
Your examination may include unscored items that are placed on the test to gather statistical information. These items are not identified on the form and do not affect your score.
Exam Results
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C01) examination is a pass or fail exam. The examination is scored against a minimum standard established by AWS professionals who are guided by certification industry best practices and guidelines. Your results for the examination are reported as a scaled score from 100 through 1000, with a minimum passing score of 700. Your score shows how you performed on the examination as a whole and whether or not you passed. Scaled scoring models are used to equate scores across multiple exam forms that may have slightly different difficulty levels. Your score report contains a table of classifications of your performance at each section level. This information is designed to provide general feedback concerning your examination performance. The examination uses a compensatory scoring model, which means that you do not need to “pass” the individual sections, only the overall examination. Each section of the examination has a specific weighting, so some sections have more questions than others. The table contains general information, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses. Exercise caution when interpreting section-level feedback.
Content Outline
This exam guide includes weightings, test domains, and objectives only. It is not a comprehensive listing of the content on this examination.
The table below lists the main content domains and their weightings. Domain % of Examination
Domain 1: Cloud Concepts 28%
Domain 2: Security 24%
Domain 3: Technology 36%
Domain 4: Billing and Pricing 12%
TOTAL 100%
Domain 1: Cloud Concepts
1.1 Define the AWS Cloud and its value proposition
1.2 Identify aspects of AWS Cloud economics
1.3 List the different cloud architecture design principles
Domain 2: Security
2.1 Define the AWS Shared Responsibility model
2.2 Define AWS Cloud security and compliance concepts
2.3 Identify AWS access management capabilities
2.4 Identify resources for security support
Domain 3: Technology
3.1 Define methods of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud
3.2 Define the AWS global infrastructure
3.3 Identify the core AWS services
3.4 Identify resources for technology support
Domain 4: Billing and Pricing
4.1 Compare and contrast the various pricing models for AWS
4.2 Recognize the various account structures in relation to AWS billing and pricing
4.3 Identify resources available for billing support
Exam Overview
Exam Format - Multiple choice, multiple answer
Exam Type - Foundational
Exam Time - 90 minutes to complete the exam
Exam Cost - 100 USD
Exam Language - Available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese