AWS · SAA-C03 · Balanced pace

10-week AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Study Plan (SAA-C03)

A 10-week study plan for AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) covers roughly 100 hours at ~10 hours per week across the published 4 exam domains. The sweet spot for most SAA-C03 candidates. 10 hours per week is sustainable while working, and leaves time for hands-on labs alongside reading.

Timeline
10 weeks
Hours per week
~10
Total hours
~100
Plan setup
ExamSun, Aug 23, 2026· Week 1010 weeks · ~10h/week

Week 1 · Design Secure Architectures

Your first 7 days · reading paired with its quiz and flashcards
  1. Mon, Jun 15ReadFlashcards4 EP
  2. Tue, Jun 16ReadFlashcards4 EP
  3. Wed, Jun 17ReadQuizFlashcards4 EP
  4. Thu, Jun 18ReadFlashcards4 EP
  5. Fri, Jun 19ReadQuizFlashcards4 EP
  6. Sat, Jun 20Buffer / rest
  7. Sun, Jun 21Buffer / rest

10-week SAA-C03 activity tracker

Visual preview of how exclam.ai distributes 10 weeks across the 4 SAA-C03 domains, plus review and mock phases. Adjust the start date and review week to match your exam timeline.

EP / day
4
daily target
Projected streak
4days
if you never miss
Study days
49
Modules
4
Per week
~10h
~100h total
To exam
10weeks

Sign in to unlock your full 10-week plan

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

Week-by-week module breakdown

A 10-week SAA-C03 plan walks the 4 domains in syllabus order. Heavier domains get more time; lighter ones may pair with adjacent material on intensive paces. Review and mock phases follow the coverage modules.

Module 1 of 4
Weeks 1–2
Exam weight 30%

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.

Module 2 of 4
Weeks 3–4
Exam weight 26%

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.

Module 3 of 4
Week 5
Exam weight 24%

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.

Module 4 of 4
Week 6
Exam weight 20%

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.

Phase: Review
Weeks 7–8

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.

Phase: Mocks
Weeks 9–10

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.

What this plan covers

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate has 4 domains. This plan allocates time across all of them, weighted by the published exam weights from the SAA-C03 exam guide.

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.

Is a 10-week plan right for you?

This plan works if…

  • You can commit 10 hours per week consistently
  • You want full domain coverage plus hands-on lab time
  • You are working full-time alongside prep
  • You want room for multiple practice exams before the real thing

Consider a different plan if…

  • ×You have less than 7 hours per week available
  • ×Your exam is fewer than the full plan length away

Other SAA-C03 durations

Start your 10-week SAA-C03 plan

Upload the free AWS SAA-C03 exam guide and exclam.ai builds the plan for you. Free to start.