Cloud certificationsAWSSecurity Specialty
AWS · SCS-C02
Updated August 2026

AWS Security Specialty Study Plan (SCS-C02)

The AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C02) validates deep knowledge of AWS security best practices including IAM, encryption, monitoring, incident response, and identity federation. Most respected AWS specialty for security-focused roles.

Typical prep
~120h
Timeline
~12w
Exam fee
$300 USD
Level
specialty
Plan length
12 weeks · ~10h/week

Approximate milestones

12 weeks
CoverageMonths 1–2
  1. Threat Detection and Incident Response~wk 1
  2. Security Logging and Monitoring~wk 2
  3. Infrastructure Security~wk 4
  4. Identity and Access Management~wk 5
  5. Data Protection~wk 6
  6. Management and Security Governance~wk 7
ReviewMonths 2–3
Mock examsMonth 3
Examend of Month 3

Your full plan · 12 weeks to exam day

12 weeks · ~10h/week
CoverageReviewMocks· chips show the task mix for that week; buffer days are the planned rest
August 2026
  1. Wk 1Aug 24 – Aug 30Threat Detection and Incident ResponseCoverageReadQuizFlashcards14%5 study · 2 buffer
  2. Wk 2Aug 31 – Sep 6Security Logging and MonitoringCoverageReadQuizFlashcards18%5 study · 2 buffer
September 2026
  1. Wk 3Sep 7 – Sep 13Infrastructure SecurityCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20%5 study · 2 buffer
  2. Wk 4Sep 14 – Sep 20Infrastructure SecurityCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20%5 study · 2 buffer
  3. Wk 5Sep 21 – Sep 27Identity and Access ManagementCoverageReadQuizFlashcards16%5 study · 2 buffer
  4. Wk 6Sep 28 – Oct 4Data ProtectionCoverageReadQuizFlashcards18%5 study · 2 buffer
October 2026
  1. Wk 7Oct 5 – Oct 11Management and Security GovernanceCoverageReadQuizFlashcards14%5 study · 2 buffer
  2. Wk 8Oct 12 – Oct 18ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
  3. Wk 9Oct 19 – Oct 25ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
  4. Wk 10Oct 26 – Nov 1ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
November 2026
  1. Wk 11Nov 2 – Nov 8MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
  2. Wk 12Nov 9 – Nov 15MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
Exam daySun, Nov 15, 2026End of week 12

SCS-C02 activity tracker

A visual preview of how exclam.ai turns your SCS-C02 plan into daily domain coverage, flashcard, quiz, review, and mock streaks. Switch the plan length to match your exam timeline.

EP / day
4
daily target
Projected streak
4days
if you never miss
Study days
59
Modules
6
Per week
~10h
~120h total
To exam
12weeks

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Every module dated to your exam, with quizzes and FSRS flashcards generated from your own materials.

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Exam format

65 questions, 170 minutes, multiple choice and multiple response.

Prerequisites

AWS recommends 5 years IT security experience and 2+ years AWS workloads.

Exam fee

$300 USD

Security Specialty exam domains

The 6 domains tested on SCS-C02, with approximate weights from the official exam guide. exclam.ai weights your study plan according to these percentages.

DomainApproximate weight
Threat Detection and Incident Response14%
Security Logging and Monitoring18%
Infrastructure Security20%
Identity and Access Management16%
Data Protection18%
Management and Security Governance14%

Source: official SCS-C02 exam guide published by Amazon Web Services.

Suggested schedule, module-by-module

How the 6-domain SCS-C02 plan distributes across the plan length you pick above. Heavier-weight domains get more time; lighter ones may pair into a single week.

Module 1 of 6
Week 1
Exam weight 14%

Threat Detection and Incident Response

Cover Threat Detection and Incident Response end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Module 2 of 6
Week 2
Exam weight 18%

Security Logging and Monitoring

Cover Security Logging and Monitoring end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Module 3 of 6
Weeks 3–4
Exam weight 20%

Infrastructure Security

Cover Infrastructure Security end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Module 4 of 6
Week 5
Exam weight 16%

Identity and Access Management

Cover Identity and Access Management end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Module 5 of 6
Week 6
Exam weight 18%

Data Protection

Cover Data Protection end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Module 6 of 6
Week 7
Exam weight 14%

Management and Security Governance

Cover Management and Security Governance end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.

Phase: Review
Weeks 8–10

Review

Weak-topic drilling. exclam.ai surfaces topics where you underperformed during coverage and re-quizzes them. Daily FSRS flashcard reps across all 6 topics to prevent decay. Start doing timed question batches focused on the heaviest-weight sections.

Phase: Mocks
Weeks 11–12

Mocks

Full-length SCS-C02 practice exams under timed conditions. Target one mock every 3–5 days. Same-day error review: for every question you miss, re-derive the solution from scratch. Taper in the final 3 days — light flashcards only.

Free official exam guide

Upload the SCS-C02 exam guide and exclam.ai builds your plan

Amazon Web Services publishes the SCS-C02 exam guide as a free PDF. Download it, upload it to exclam.ai, and get a fully guided study plan with adaptive flashcards and quizzes in minutes.

How exclam.ai helps with SCS-C02

Flashcards per domain

Upload the SCS-C02 exam guide and exclam.ai generates flashcards for each of the 6 domains, mapped to the approximate exam weights.

Practice quizzes with exam-weighted sampling

Quizzes pull more questions from heavier domains. exclam.ai tracks which domains you're weakest on and weights future practice accordingly.

~12-week adaptive schedule

Coverage phase, review phase, and mocks — distributed across your target timeline. Falls behind automatically rebalance without re-planning.

Popular SCS-C02 study vendors

exclam.ai works alongside whichever video course or practice exam provider you prefer. We do not reproduce or redistribute any commercial prep content, upload your own notes taken while studying.

Stéphane Maarek (Udemy)
Upload your notes · Works with exclam.ai
Adrian Cantrill
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Zeal Vora
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Tutorials Dojo
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SCS-C02 questions

Should I take SAA-C03 or SAP-C02 before SCS-C02?

SAA-C03 is typically enough if you have strong security background already. SAP-C02 is not required. Security Specialty assumes comfort with IAM, VPC, and encryption concepts — SAA covers the foundation.

How does SCS-C02 compare to CISSP?

Different focus. CISSP is broad information security governance and management. SCS-C02 is narrow AWS implementation of security controls. Most cloud security engineers hold both.

Start your SCS-C02 plan today

Upload the free AWS SCS-C02 exam guide and exclam.ai builds a fully guided study plan. Free to start.

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