# AWS Security Specialty Study Plan (SCS-C02) Fully guided AWS Security Specialty (SCS-C02) study plan. Upload the free AWS exam guide PDF and exclam.ai generates flashcards and quizzes for IAM, encryption, logging, and incident response. Canonical URL: https://exclam.ai/cloud-certs/aws/security-specialty/ [Cloud certifications](https://exclam.ai/cloud-certs/index.md)›[AWS](https://exclam.ai/cloud-certs/aws/index.md)›Security Specialty AWS · SCS-C02 Updated August 2026 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 [Official exam guide (PDF)](https://d1.awsstatic.com/training-and-certification/docs-security-spec/AWS-Certified-Security-Specialty_Exam-Guide.pdf) Plan length 6 weeks12 weeks18 weeks 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 ##### September 2026 1. Wk 1Sep 21 – Sep 27Threat Detection and Incident ResponseCoverageReadQuizFlashcards14%5 study · 2 buffer 2. Wk 2Sep 28 – Oct 4Security Logging and MonitoringCoverageReadQuizFlashcards18%5 study · 2 buffer ##### October 2026 1. Wk 3Oct 5 – Oct 11Infrastructure SecurityCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20%5 study · 2 buffer 2. Wk 4Oct 12 – Oct 18Infrastructure SecurityCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20%5 study · 2 buffer 3. Wk 5Oct 19 – Oct 25Identity and Access ManagementCoverageReadQuizFlashcards16%5 study · 2 buffer 4. Wk 6Oct 26 – Nov 1Data ProtectionCoverageReadQuizFlashcards18%5 study · 2 buffer ##### November 2026 1. Wk 7Nov 2 – Nov 8Management and Security GovernanceCoverageReadQuizFlashcards14%5 study · 2 buffer 2. Wk 8Nov 9 – Nov 15ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer 3. Wk 9Nov 16 – Nov 22ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer 4. Wk 10Nov 23 – Nov 29ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer 5. Wk 11Nov 30 – Dec 6MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer ##### December 2026 1. Wk 12Dec 7 – Dec 13MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer Exam daySun, Dec 13, 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. Effort earned today 3/ 4 Active days 24 To exam 12weeks Best day 6EP Total study time 11h 51m Avg / study day 30 min LessMore Sample activity — your own streaks, study time, and module milestones appear here once you upload. Sign in to unlock your full 12 weeks plan Every module dated to your exam, with quizzes and FSRS flashcards generated from your own materials. [Unlock my full plan free](https://exclam.ai/pricing/index.md) ## 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. | Domain | Approximate weight | | --- | --- | | Threat Detection and Incident Response | 14% | | Security Logging and Monitoring | 18% | | Infrastructure Security | 20% | | Identity and Access Management | 16% | | Data Protection | 18% | | Management and Security Governance | 14% | Source: [official SCS-C02 exam guide](https://d1.awsstatic.com/training-and-certification/docs-security-spec/AWS-Certified-Security-Specialty_Exam-Guide.pdf) 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. [Download the exam guide](https://d1.awsstatic.com/training-and-certification/docs-security-spec/AWS-Certified-Security-Specialty_Exam-Guide.pdf) ## 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 Upload your notes · Works with exclam.ai Zeal Vora Upload your notes · Works with exclam.ai Tutorials Dojo Upload your notes · Works with exclam.ai ## 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. ## Other AWS certifications [CLF-C02 Cloud Practitioner foundational · ~40h](https://exclam.ai/cloud-certs/aws/cloud-practitioner/index.md) [SAA-C03 Solutions Architect Associate associate · ~100h](https://exclam.ai/cloud-certs/aws/solutions-architect-associate/index.md) [DVA-C02 Developer Associate associate · ~80h](https://exclam.ai/cloud-certs/aws/developer-associate/index.md) [SOA-C02 SysOps Administrator Associate associate · ~100h](https://exclam.ai/cloud-certs/aws/sysops-administrator-associate/index.md)