Chapter 3: AWS Cloud Certification
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner — the most popular entry-level AWS certification worldwide (and especially huge in India for IT freshers, non-tech people moving to cloud roles, sales/marketing folks in tech companies, etc.).
Think of it as your “AWS driving license” — it proves you understand the basics of the cloud road, traffic rules (security/compliance), vehicle types (services), and how to pay tolls (billing) — but it doesn’t make you a Formula 1 driver yet (that’s Associate/Professional levels).
Let me explain it like your favorite college teacher — step-by-step, real examples, why it matters in Hyderabad/India job market 2026, how hard it is, how to prepare, and exactly what the exam looks like right now.
1. What exactly is AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner? (Official definition + simple words)
Official name (2026): AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (exam code: CLF-C02)
What it validates: Foundational, high-level understanding of AWS Cloud, services, security basics, pricing models, and support — independent of any specific job role.
In simple words: After passing, you can confidently say: “I know what AWS is, why companies use it, the main services (without deep config), how AWS keeps things secure/compliant, and how billing actually works so I don’t get surprise bills.”
It’s not hands-on heavy like Developer or Solutions Architect certs. It’s mostly conceptual + awareness.
Target people (from AWS exam guide 2026):
- Someone with 0–6 months AWS exposure
- Non-technical roles: sales, marketing, project managers, recruiters in cloud companies
- Beginners/freshers wanting first cloud cert
- Anyone who works with AWS people and wants to speak the same language
2. Exam Format & Logistics (Current as of Feb 2026 — CLF-C02 version)
| Detail | Info (2026) |
|---|---|
| Exam Code | CLF-C02 (launched Sept 2023, still current) |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Number of Questions | 65 total (≈50 scored + 15 unscored experimental) |
| Question Types | Multiple choice (1 correct out of 4) + Multiple response (2+ correct out of 5+) |
| Passing Score | Scaled 700 out of 1000 (roughly ~70–75% correct, but scaled) |
| Cost | $100 USD (≈ ₹8,300–8,800 INR depending on exchange + taxes) |
| Delivery | Online proctored (home with webcam) or Pearson VUE test center |
| Languages | English + many others (Hindi/Japanese/etc. available) |
| Validity | 3 years (recertify by retaking or passing higher cert) |
| Difficulty (for beginners) | Easy–Moderate (if you study properly — pass rate high with good prep) |
No coding, no architecture design, no troubleshooting scenarios — mostly “what is…”, “which service does…”, “identify the benefit of…”.
3. The 4 Domains — What % of questions come from where? (Official 2026 weights)
This is super important — study time should match these percentages roughly.
| Domain # | Domain Name | Weight (scored questions) | What it covers (simple) | Study focus tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloud Concepts | 24% | What is cloud? AWS value prop, global infra (Regions/AZs), migration benefits, Cloud Adoption Framework | High — foundational |
| 2 | Security and Compliance | 30% | Shared Responsibility Model, IAM basics, compliance programs, security services overview (GuardDuty, Shield, etc.) | Highest weight — memorize Shared Model! |
| 3 | Cloud Technology and Services | 34% | Core services overview (EC2, S3, VPC, Lambda, RDS, etc.), high-level use cases, support plans | Highest — know 15–20 main services & when to use them |
| 4 | Billing, Pricing, and Support | 12% | Free Tier, pricing models (on-demand/reserved/savings plans), billing console, support plans (Basic/Developer/Business/Enterprise) | Lowest — but tricky questions here |
Pro tip: Domain 2 & 3 together = 64% — master security basics + main services = half the battle won.
4. Real-life example questions (style you’ll see — not exact, but very close)
Example 1 (Domain 1 – Cloud Concepts): Which AWS design principle allows you to automatically add/remove resources based on demand? A) High availability B) Elasticity C) Fault tolerance D) Scalability → B) Elasticity (classic easy one)
Example 2 (Domain 2 – Security): According to the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, who is responsible for patching the guest OS on an EC2 instance? A) AWS B) Customer C) Both D) Third-party vendor → B) Customer (this comes up a lot!)
Example 3 (Domain 3 – Services): A company wants durable, low-cost object storage for backups and media files. Which service? A) Amazon EBS B) Amazon RDS C) Amazon S3 D) Amazon EFS → C) Amazon S3
Example 4 (Domain 4 – Billing): Which pricing model lets you commit to usage for 1–3 years for big discount? A) On-Demand B) Spot Instances C) Reserved Instances / Savings Plans D) Dedicated Hosts → C
5. Why do this cert in Hyderabad/India in 2026? (Job market reality)
- Fresher advantage: 70–80% of cloud job postings (TCS, Infosys, Accenture, Cognizant, Capgemini, Deloitte, Wipro, startups) mention “AWS knowledge” or “cert preferred”. Cloud Practitioner on resume = instant shortlist boost.
- Salary bump: Entry-level cloud roles (support, admin, sales) — certified candidates often get ₹4.5–8 LPA vs ₹3–5 LPA without.
- Non-tech to tech switch: Many from mechanical/civil/HR switch to cloud ops/sales via this cert.
- Very high pass rate: With 40–60 hours study — most pass first attempt.
- Resume keyword: Recruiters search “AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner” on Naukri/LinkedIn.
6. How to prepare (realistic 2026 plan for working professional/student)
Free path (most popular in India):
- AWS Skill Builder – Cloud Practitioner Essentials (free digital training, 6–12 hours)
- AWS official Exam Prep course + Official Practice Question Set (20 questions free)
- FreeCodeCamp / Adrian Cantrill / Stephane Maarek YouTube full course (CLF-C02 updated)
- AWS Free Tier hands-on: Create S3 bucket, launch EC2 t3.micro (feel the console)
- Practice: Tutorials Dojo / Whizlabs / ExamTopics (paid mocks — 500–1000 questions)
Timeline example (Hyderabad student/working 4–6 hrs/week):
- Week 1–2: Cloud concepts + global infra
- Week 3–4: Security & Shared Model (very important)
- Week 5–6: All major services (watch demos)
- Week 7: Billing + support + mocks
- Week 8: 3–5 full timed practice exams → aim 80%+ consistently → Book exam when scoring 80–85% on mocks.
Total study time: 40–80 hours (2–3 months casual pace)
Ready for next?
- Want a detailed 30-day study plan?
- Or best free/paid resources 2026?
- Or difference between Cloud Practitioner vs Solutions Architect Associate?
Just tell me — next class is ready! 🚀📜
