AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03): 2026 Guide
• Nathaniel Miller
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam (SAA-C03) costs $150. It has 65 questions in 130 minutes, you need 720 out of 1,000 to pass, and the certification is valid for three years. It is the most popular AWS certification and the one most cloud job postings ask for by name.
Below: what the exam covers, how it is weighted, who should take it and in what order, and a realistic study plan.
Fifteen of the 65 questions are unscored. You cannot tell which, so treat every question as if it counts.
SAA-C03 Exam Facts
| Detail | SAA-C03 |
|---|---|
| Exam fee | $150 (50% off with a voucher from a previous AWS pass) |
| Questions | 65 (50 scored, 15 unscored), multiple choice and multiple response |
| Time | 130 minutes |
| Passing score | 720 / 1,000 (scaled) |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test center or online proctored |
| Validity | 3 years |
| Prerequisites | None. AWS recommends about a year of hands-on experience designing on AWS |
The unscored questions are AWS testing new items. You cannot tell which ones they are, so treat every question as if it counts.
Security is the heaviest domain, and it shows up inside the other three.
The Four Domains
SAA-C03 is organized around the AWS Well-Architected Framework. Each domain asks the same underlying question: given these requirements, which design is best?
| Domain | Weight | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Design Secure Architectures | 30% | IAM, least privilege, VPC security (security groups vs network ACLs), encryption with KMS, securing S3 |
| 2. Design Resilient Architectures | 26% | Multi-AZ and multi-Region design, decoupling with SQS/SNS, Auto Scaling, disaster recovery strategies |
| 3. Design High-Performing Architectures | 24% | Choosing the right compute, storage and database; caching with CloudFront and ElastiCache |
| 4. Design Cost-Optimized Architectures | 20% | Pricing models (On-Demand, Savings Plans, Spot), S3 storage classes, right-sizing |
Security is the heaviest domain, and it also shows up inside the other three. If you are short on time, the highest-return topics are IAM policy logic and VPC design.
Who Should Take It, and When
SAA-C03 suits cloud engineers, systems administrators moving to AWS, developers who design what they deploy, and anyone whose job title includes “architect.” It is a scenario exam: most questions describe a business requirement and offer four designs that would all work. Your job is to pick the one that best meets the stated priority, whether that is the cheapest, the most resilient or the least operational effort.
Should you take Cloud Practitioner first? If you are new to AWS, yes. The $100 Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) exam teaches the vocabulary, and passing it earns a 50% voucher that brings SAA-C03 down to $75. That makes the combined cost $175, only $25 more than SAA-C03 on its own. If you already work in AWS every day, skip it.
For the full sequence of AWS certifications, including where Solutions Architect Professional and the specialty certs fit, see our AWS certification path for 2026.
Delete what you build. Leftover NAT gateways are the usual surprise on a study bill.
A Realistic 8-Week Study Plan
This plan assumes 6 to 8 hours a week and some general IT background.
| Weeks | Focus | Hands-on task |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | IAM, VPC fundamentals, EC2, EBS | Build a VPC with public and private subnets and a NAT gateway |
| 3 | S3 (storage classes, lifecycle, policies), CloudFront | Host a static site on S3 behind CloudFront with a bucket policy |
| 4 | Databases: RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, ElastiCache | Deploy RDS Multi-AZ and test failover |
| 5 | Decoupling and serverless: SQS, SNS, Lambda, API Gateway, EventBridge | Build an SQS-triggered Lambda |
| 6 | Resilience and DR: Auto Scaling, ELB, Route 53 routing policies, backup and restore | Put an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer |
| 7 | Cost optimization, KMS, monitoring with CloudWatch and CloudTrail | Set a budget alarm and review Cost Explorer |
| 8 | Full-length timed practice exams; review every wrong answer | Retest weak domains |
Delete anything you build at the end of each session. Leftover NAT gateways and load balancers are the classic surprise on a study account’s bill.
Exam-Day Tactics
- Find the deciding phrase. “Most cost-effective,” “least operational overhead” and “highest availability” each point to a different answer. Underline it mentally before reading the options.
- Prefer managed services. When two answers both work, AWS usually favors the managed one, such as Aurora over self-managed databases on EC2, or Fargate over hand-built clusters.
- Eliminate first. Usually two options are clearly wrong. Spend your time on the remaining two.
- Flag and move on. 130 minutes for 65 questions is two minutes each. Don’t let one case burn ten.
Is SAA-C03 Worth It?
For anyone working with AWS, yes. It costs $150, and it is the AWS credential recruiters filter for most. Its value comes from what it forces you to learn: how to trade off cost, resilience and performance. That is the core of cloud design work. On its own it will not replace hands-on experience. Combined with real projects, it is the clearest signal of AWS competence below the Professional level.
How StormWind Studios Approaches SAA-C03
StormWind’s live AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) course is taught by working cloud architects. It covers each domain using the scenario reasoning the exam actually tests, and it builds the hands-on labs above into the class. Teams new to AWS can start with AWS Cloud Practitioner, then move up.
If your organization runs on more than one cloud, our Azure certification path maps the equivalent Microsoft route. AZ-104 and AZ-305 are the closest counterparts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam cost?
$150. If you hold an active AWS certification, you get a 50% voucher for your next exam, which brings it to $75.
How many questions are on SAA-C03?
65 questions in 130 minutes, of which 50 are scored. You need a scaled score of 720 out of 1,000 to pass.
How long should I study for SAA-C03?
Most candidates with an IT background need 6 to 10 weeks at 6 to 8 hours a week. Complete beginners should take Cloud Practitioner first.
Is SAA-C03 hard?
It is a step up from Cloud Practitioner. Most questions describe a scenario with several workable answers, and you have to choose the best one for the stated requirement. Hands-on practice makes the biggest difference.
How long is the certification valid, and how do I renew it?
Three years. Renew by passing the current version of the exam, or by passing Solutions Architect Professional, which renews the Associate automatically.
Do I need Cloud Practitioner before SAA-C03?
No, it is optional. It’s worth taking if you’re new to AWS, because its 50% voucher means the two exams together cost only $25 more than SAA-C03 on its own.