AWS Solutions Architect Associate Study Plan (SAA-C03)
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) is the most popular AWS certification in the world. It validates ability to design resilient, high-performing, secure, and cost-optimized architectures on AWS. Try the free SAA-C03 study calculator or upload the exam guide PDF for the full adaptive plan.
Approximate milestones
10 weeks- Design Secure Architectures~wk 2
- Design Resilient Architectures~wk 4
- Design High-Performing Architectures~wk 5
- Design Cost-Optimized Architectures~wk 6
Your full plan · 10 weeks to exam day
10 weeks · ~10h/weekSeptember 2026
- Wk 1Sep 21 – Sep 27Design Secure ArchitecturesCoverageReadQuizFlashcards30%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 2Sep 28 – Oct 4Design Secure ArchitecturesCoverageReadQuizFlashcards30%5 study · 2 buffer
October 2026
- Wk 3Oct 5 – Oct 11Design Resilient ArchitecturesCoverageReadQuizFlashcards26%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 4Oct 12 – Oct 18Design Resilient ArchitecturesCoverageReadQuizFlashcards26%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 5Oct 19 – Oct 25Design High-Performing ArchitecturesCoverageReadQuizFlashcards24%5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 6Oct 26 – Nov 1Design Cost-Optimized ArchitecturesCoverageReadQuizFlashcards20%5 study · 2 buffer
November 2026
- Wk 7Nov 2 – Nov 8ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 8Nov 9 – Nov 15ReviewReviewQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 9Nov 16 – Nov 22MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
- Wk 10Nov 23 – Nov 29MocksMocksQuizFlashcards5 study · 2 buffer
SAA-C03 activity tracker
A visual preview of how exclam.ai turns your SAA-C03 plan into daily domain coverage, flashcard, quiz, review, and mock streaks. Switch the plan length to match your exam timeline.
Sample activity — your own streaks, study time, and module milestones appear here once you upload.
Sign in to unlock your full 10 weeks plan
Every module dated to your exam, with quizzes and FSRS flashcards generated from your own materials.
Unlock my full plan freeExam format
65 questions, 130 minutes, multiple choice and multiple response. Passing score 720/1000.
None officially. Recommended 1 year of AWS hands-on experience or equivalent.
$150 USD
Solutions Architect Associate exam domains
The 4 domains tested on SAA-C03, with approximate weights from the official exam guide. exclam.ai weights your study plan according to these percentages.
| Domain | Approximate weight |
|---|---|
| Design Secure Architectures | 30% |
| Design Resilient Architectures | 26% |
| Design High-Performing Architectures | 24% |
| Design Cost-Optimized Architectures | 20% |
Source: official SAA-C03 exam guide published by Amazon Web Services.
Suggested schedule, module-by-module
How the 4-domain SAA-C03 plan distributes across the plan length you pick above. Heavier-weight domains get more time; lighter ones may pair into a single week.
Design Secure Architectures
Cover Design Secure Architectures end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Design Resilient Architectures
Cover Design Resilient Architectures end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Design High-Performing Architectures
Cover Design High-Performing Architectures end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures
Cover Design Cost-Optimized Architectures end-to-end. Build flashcards covering every learning objective and quiz yourself before moving to the next module.
Review
Weak-topic drilling. exclam.ai surfaces topics where you underperformed during coverage and re-quizzes them. Daily FSRS flashcard reps across all 4 topics to prevent decay. Start doing timed question batches focused on the heaviest-weight sections.
Mocks
Full-length SAA-C03 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.
Upload the SAA-C03 exam guide and exclam.ai builds your plan
Amazon Web Services publishes the SAA-C03 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 SAA-C03
Flashcards per domain
Upload the SAA-C03 exam guide and exclam.ai generates flashcards for each of the 4 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.
~10-week adaptive schedule
Coverage phase, review phase, and mocks — distributed across your target timeline. Falls behind automatically rebalance without re-planning.
Popular SAA-C03 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.
SAA-C03 questions
How long does it take to study for AWS SAA-C03?
Most candidates report 80-150 hours of prep over 6-12 weeks. Hands-on labs and practice exams typically consume half that time. Budget more if you are new to AWS.
Should I do Cloud Practitioner before SAA-C03?
Not required, but recommended for candidates new to AWS. If you already have AWS experience or come from another cloud, you can skip CLF-C02 and go directly to SAA-C03.
Which is better, Stéphane Maarek or Adrian Cantrill?
Both are highly rated. Maarek is more concise and exam-focused, best for candidates who want to pass quickly. Cantrill is more thorough with deeper architecture explanations, better for candidates who want to understand AWS in depth. Many candidates use both.
How hard is AWS SAA-C03?
Moderate difficulty. Passing rate is not published but community consensus is that SAA-C03 is harder than CLF-C02 and easier than SAP-C02 (Professional). Well-prepared candidates pass on first attempt roughly 60-70% of the time.
Can I upload the Well-Architected Framework PDF to exclam.ai?
Yes. The AWS Well-Architected Framework whitepaper is a free public PDF and highly recommended reading for SAA-C03. Upload it alongside the exam guide for richer practice generation.
Start your SAA-C03 plan today
Upload the free AWS SAA-C03 exam guide and exclam.ai builds a fully guided study plan. Free to start.