Overview
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (exam code SAA-C03) is a role-based certification from Amazon Web Services. It checks whether a candidate can design cloud solutions on AWS that follow the AWS Well-Architected Framework: architectures that are secure, resilient, high-performing, and cost-optimized. It also checks the ability to review an existing AWS workload and recommend improvements. The certification is aimed at people who already work, or want to work, as a solutions architect.
Who can apply
AWS recommends at least one year of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions on AWS before attempting this exam, but this is a recommendation, not a mandatory prerequisite — there is no required prior certification or minimum qualification to register. AWS notes that candidates with one to three years of general IT experience have also used this certification as their starting point in AWS certification. Candidates with no IT background at all are advised to first earn the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification for foundational knowledge before attempting this exam.
Exam pattern
The exam has 65 questions, each either a single-answer multiple-choice question or a multiple-response question (more than one correct answer), to be completed in 130 minutes. It is delivered at a Pearson VUE testing centre or as an online proctored exam taken from the candidate's own computer with webcam and screen-sharing monitoring.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 65 (multiple choice or multiple response) |
| Duration | 130 minutes |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test centre, or online proctored |
| Scoring | Scaled score, 100–1,000 |
| Passing score | 720 |
Syllabus
The exam content is organised into four domains, each with its own share of scored questions:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Design Secure Architectures | 30% |
| Design Resilient Architectures | 26% |
| Design High-Performing Architectures | 24% |
| Design Cost-Optimized Architectures | 20% |
Design Secure Architectures covers designing secure access to AWS resources, designing secure workloads and applications, and choosing appropriate controls for data security.
Design Resilient Architectures covers designing scalable, loosely coupled architectures and designing highly available or fault-tolerant architectures.
Design High-Performing Architectures covers choosing high-performing and scalable storage, compute, database, and network solutions, plus high-performing data ingestion and transformation.
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures covers cost-optimised storage, compute, database, and network solutions.
Marking and results
Scores are reported on a scaled range of 100 to 1,000, and 720 is the minimum passing score. Most AWS Certification exams do not reveal a pass/fail result immediately at the end of the test. Final results are posted to the candidate's AWS Certification Account within five business days of the exam, except when a result is held for review. A downloadable PDF score report, showing performance by domain, becomes available in the same account.
If a candidate fails, they must wait 14 calendar days before retaking the exam. There is no cap on the number of attempts, but the full exam fee is charged each time. Once a candidate passes, they cannot retake the same exam again for two years.
Fees
For 2026, the exam costs 150 USD, payable at the time of scheduling.
How to apply
Candidates register through their AWS Certification Account at aws.training: sign in, open Certification, go to the AWS Certification Account, and choose Schedule New Exam. Selecting this exam and clicking Schedule at Pearson VUE redirects to Pearson VUE's own scheduling page to pick a test centre appointment or an online-proctored slot and pay the fee. All AWS Certification exams have been delivered exclusively through Pearson VUE since January 1, 2023.
After the exam
The certification is valid for three years from the date it is earned. Before it expires, a holder must recertify to keep it active, using one of these routes: passing the current version of the same exam (extends validity by three years from the completion date), passing a higher-level AWS certification that covers it — for example, passing the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam recertifies this Associate certification — or completing a defined amount of AWS Skill Builder learning and practical activity, which extends validity by one year instead of three.
Preparation tips
AWS publishes the official exam guide for SAA-C03, which lists every task statement inside each of the four domains in detail — working through it domain by domain is the most direct way to check coverage before scheduling the exam. Because the exam is scored by domain, it is worth being equally comfortable with cost-optimisation topics as with the heavier-weighted security and resilience domains, rather than concentrating only on the highest-weighted domain.
Is work experience required to take the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam?
No. AWS recommends at least one year of hands-on experience designing AWS-based solutions, but it is a recommendation, not an eligibility requirement — there is no mandatory prerequisite to register.
What is the passing score for this exam?
Scores are reported on a scale of 100 to 1,000, and 720 is the minimum passing score.
How much does the exam cost?
For 2026, the exam fee is 150 USD.
How long is the certification valid?
Three years from the date it is earned. Holders must recertify before it expires, either by retaking the current exam, passing a qualifying higher-level exam, or completing AWS Skill Builder maintenance activity.