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Professional certification · Cloud · Associate · Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS Solutions Architect Associate Mock Tests, Syllabus & Complete Exam Guide

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03). Practise 32 full-length mock tests on the official pattern, drill every topic, and get the eligibility, syllabus, cut-off, rank and college details you need — all in one place.

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AWS Solutions Architect Associate at a glance

Questions
65
Passing score
720 / 1000
Duration
130 minutes
Marking
No negative marking
ModeComputer-based (Pearson VUE) · test centre or online-proctored
FrequencyOn-demand — schedule any time
LanguagesEnglish and several other languages
By the ExamguruX Editorial TeamReviewed for pattern accuracy against Amazon Web Services (AWS)Last updated 29 July 2026

AWS Solutions Architect Associate full-length mock tests

Attempt 32 full-length AWS Solutions Architect Associate mock tests built on the official 65-question, 1000-mark pattern. The first few are free — every test comes with instant results and a step-by-step solution for each question.

AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 01

Free
65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min8.9K attemptsModerate
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 02

Free
65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min12.8K attemptsHard
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 03

Free
65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min16.7K attemptsEasy
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 04

65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min20.6K attemptsHard
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 05

65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min24.5K attemptsEasy
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 06

65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min28.4K attemptsModerate
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 07

65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min32.3K attemptsHard
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 08

65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min36.3K attemptsModerate
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AWS SAA-C03 Practice Exam 09

65 Qs · 1000 marks130 min40.2K attemptsHard
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Unlock all AWS Solutions Architect Associate tests

The first tests in each section are free to try. Get the complete AWS Solutions Architect Associate mock library, every topic test and all available languages for 3 months — a one-time ₹199 / 3 months.

AWS Solutions Architect Associate — full access

₹199/ 3 months
  • Every full-length mock test
  • All topic-wise tests, every subject
  • All available languages
  • Step-by-step solution for every question
  • Indicative marks-to-rank & cut-offs

Secure payment by Razorpay · one-time ₹199 for 3 months

AWS Solutions Architect Associate topic-wise tests & syllabus

120 topic tests across 4 subjects — a focused set of 15 tests for every topic in the AWS Solutions Architect Associate syllabus, tagged with approximate exam weightage so you practise where the marks are.

120 topic-wise tests · 15 per topic across 4 subjects. Pick a subject, expand a topic, and start drilling.

IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 01

Free
15 Qs · 15 marks20 min87.0K attemptsModerate
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 02

Free
15 Qs · 15 marks20 min114K attemptsEasy
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 03

20 Qs · 20 marks26 min21.7K attemptsHard
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 04

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min49.1K attemptsModerate
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 05

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min76.4K attemptsEasy
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 06

20 Qs · 20 marks26 min104K attemptsHard
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 07

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min11.1K attemptsModerate
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 08

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min38.5K attemptsEasy
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 09

20 Qs · 20 marks26 min65.8K attemptsHard
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 10

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min93.2K attemptsModerate
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 11

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min121K attemptsEasy
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 12

20 Qs · 20 marks26 min27.9K attemptsHard
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 13

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min55.2K attemptsModerate
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 14

15 Qs · 15 marks20 min82.6K attemptsEasy
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IAM, Encryption & KMS — Test 15

20 Qs · 20 marks26 min110K attemptsHard
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AWS Solutions Architect Associate sample questions

A few real AWS Solutions Architect Associate questions with answers and step-by-step solutions, in the exact style of the full mock tests.

Design Secure ArchitecturesSample 1

An application on an EC2 instance needs to read objects from an S3 bucket. What is the most secure way to grant this access?

  • A.Store an IAM user's access keys in the application code
  • B.Attach an IAM role (instance profile) with the required S3 permissions to the instance
  • C.Make the S3 bucket public and filter by IP
  • D.Embed the root account credentials as environment variables

Solution: Attach an IAM role to the EC2 instance (via an instance profile). The application uses temporary, automatically-rotated credentials — no long-lived keys are stored on the instance.

Design Resilient ArchitecturesSample 2

A relational database must survive an Availability Zone failure with automatic failover and no data loss. Which RDS feature provides this?

  • A.Read replicas
  • B.Multi-AZ deployment
  • C.A larger instance class
  • D.Manual snapshots only

Solution: RDS Multi-AZ maintains a synchronous standby in another AZ and fails over automatically on an AZ or instance failure — it is for high availability, not read scaling.

Design High-Performing ArchitecturesSample 3

Users worldwide report slow loading of static images and videos served from a single Region. Which service reduces latency by caching content at edge locations?

  • A.Amazon CloudFront
  • B.AWS Direct Connect
  • C.Amazon EBS
  • D.AWS Batch

Solution: Amazon CloudFront is a CDN that caches content at global edge locations close to users, cutting latency for static (and cacheable dynamic) content.

Design Cost-Optimized ArchitecturesSample 4

A workload runs 24/7 with steady, predictable usage for at least one year. Which pricing model minimizes compute cost?

  • A.On-Demand Instances
  • B.Compute Savings Plans or Reserved Instances
  • C.Spot Instances
  • D.Dedicated Hosts on-demand

Solution: For steady, long-running usage, a 1- or 3-year Savings Plan or Reserved Instance commitment offers the largest discount over On-Demand.

About the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam

Validates the ability to design secure, resilient, high-performing and cost-optimized architectures on AWS, in line with the AWS Well-Architected Framework.

What is the AWS Solutions Architect – Associate certification?

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (exam code SAA-C03) is Amazon Web Services' benchmark associate-level certification for people who design solutions on AWS. It tests whether you can take a set of business and technical requirements and design an architecture that is secure, resilient, high-performing and cost-optimized — the pillars of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.

The exam is scenario-based rather than recall-based: most questions describe a situation and ask for the best (or most cost-effective, or most secure) way to solve it using AWS services. It has 65 questions in 130 minutes, is scored on a scaled 100–1000 range with a passing mark of 720, and carries no negative marking.

Why the SAA is worth earning

AWS is the largest cloud provider, and the Solutions Architect – Associate is consistently among the most requested cloud certifications in job listings. It is a strong signal to employers that you understand core AWS services and, more importantly, how to combine them well — which is exactly what solutions architect, cloud engineer, DevOps and cloud consultant roles need.

Because the exam rewards judgement over memorisation, the candidates who pass comfortably are those who pair service knowledge with hands-on practice and a lot of scenario questions. Working through realistic, exam-style questions across all four domains is the most efficient way to build the pattern-recognition the paper demands.

AWS Solutions Architect Associate eligibility & exam pattern

Check whether you meet the AWS Solutions Architect Associate eligibility criteria and understand exactly how the paper is structured and marked before you plan your preparation.

Eligibility criteria

Prerequisites
None required. AWS recommends around one year of hands-on experience designing solutions on AWS before attempting the exam.
Recommended knowledge
Core AWS compute, storage, networking, database and security services, plus a working understanding of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
Exam cost
USD 150 (plus applicable tax); the price can vary slightly by country.
Languages
Offered in English and several additional languages (such as Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese).
Validity
The certification is valid for 3 years; you must recertify before it expires to keep it active.
Delivery
Taken at a Pearson VUE test centre or online with remote proctoring, on demand.

Exam pattern & marking

SubjectQuestionsMarks
Design Secure ArchitecturesIAM, KMS, security groups/NACLs, WAF/Shield~2030%
Design Resilient ArchitecturesMulti-AZ, Auto Scaling, decoupling, DR~1726%
Design High-Performing ArchitecturesCloudFront, caching, EBS/EFS, scaling~1624%
Design Cost-Optimized ArchitecturesSavings Plans/Spot, S3 classes, right-sizing~1320%
TotalNaN1000

The SAA-C03 exam has 65 questions (50 scored plus 15 unscored trial questions) to be answered in 130 minutes. Questions are multiple-choice (one correct answer) and multiple-response (two or more correct answers). There is no negative marking, so you should answer every question. Results are reported as a scaled score from 100 to 1000, and the minimum passing score is 720 — there is no per-domain pass requirement. On ExamguruX, each practice question is scored +1 for a correct answer with no penalty, and your result is shown against the passing standard.

Duration: 130 minutes.

How to prepare for AWS Solutions Architect Associate

A proven, focused AWS Solutions Architect Associate preparation method — from building strong fundamentals to peaking with full-length mocks.

  1. 1

    Learn the Well-Architected Framework

    Every question maps to one of the framework's pillars — security, reliability, performance efficiency and cost optimization. Internalise the trade-offs each pillar cares about, and many scenario questions answer themselves.

  2. 2

    Know the core services cold

    Build deep familiarity with VPC, IAM, EC2, S3, EBS/EFS, RDS/Aurora, DynamoDB, ELB, Auto Scaling, Route 53, CloudFront, SQS/SNS and Lambda — what each does, when to use it, and how they combine.

  3. 3

    Get hands-on in the console

    Scenario questions feel concrete once you've actually built the thing. Spin up a VPC, attach an IAM role to an instance, set an S3 lifecycle policy — hands-on practice makes the right answer obvious.

  4. 4

    Read scenario questions carefully

    The exam loves qualifiers — 'most cost-effective', 'least operational overhead', 'highest availability'. The correct option is the one that best fits that specific constraint, not just any option that would technically work.

  5. 5

    Study to the domain weighting

    Security is the heaviest domain (30%), followed by resilience (26%), performance (24%) and cost (20%). Spend your time in proportion, and make sure security and reliability are your strongest areas.

  6. 6

    Drill full-length, timed mocks

    Rehearse complete 65-question exams under the 130-minute clock, review every explanation, and use the topic tests to close the domains where you lose the most marks until you clear 720 comfortably.

AWS SAA scoring & how to pass

The exam is scored on a scaled 100–1000 range, and the minimum passing score is 720 — you do not need to pass each domain individually, only the overall scaled score. There is no negative marking, so every question should be answered. The bands below map an approximate practice score to your readiness, and the domain weighting shows where the marks concentrate.

AWS Solutions Architect Associate marks vs. rank

Score rangeReadinessGuidance
900 – 1000TopComfortably above the bar — exam-ready
720 – 899PassMeets the 720 passing standard
650 – 719BorderlineClose — shore up your weakest domain
500 – 649Not yetSolidify core services and hands-on practice
Below 500EarlyStart with fundamentals: VPC, IAM, EC2, S3

Exam domain weighting

Design Secure ArchitecturesDomain 1

Indicative marks: 30%

Design Resilient ArchitecturesDomain 2

Indicative marks: 26%

Design High-Performing ArchitecturesDomain 3

Indicative marks: 24%

Design Cost-Optimized ArchitecturesDomain 4

Indicative marks: 20%

The SAA-C03 pattern — 65 questions in 130 minutes, scaled 100–1000 scoring with a 720 pass mark, no negative marking, and the four domain weightings (30/26/24/20) — reflects the official AWS exam guide. Exam pricing, available languages and recertification rules can change; always confirm current specifics on the official AWS Certification site before booking.

Roles & career paths the AWS SAA supports

The Solutions Architect – Associate is one of the most in-demand cloud certifications, and it maps to a clear set of roles. It signals that you can translate business requirements into well-architected AWS solutions. The table below shows representative roles the credential supports and where they sit.

RoleWhere it's usedLevelWhat you do
Solutions Architect (Associate)Cloud teams & consultanciesAssociateDesign and advise on AWS architectures
Cloud EngineerProduct & platform teamsAssociateBuild and operate cloud infrastructure
DevOps EngineerPlatform / SRE teamsAssociateCI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, reliability
Cloud ConsultantAWS partners & consultanciesAssociateAdvise clients on migration & design
SysOps / Cloud AdministratorIT operationsAssociateOperate and monitor AWS workloads
Cloud-native DeveloperEngineering teamsAssociateBuild applications on AWS services
Cloud Migration SpecialistMigration & modernizationAssociateMove workloads to AWS
Solutions Architect – ProfessionalSenior cloud rolesNext stepAdvance after SAA plus experience

A representative set of institutes that admit through AWS Solutions Architect Associate. Many more roles participate in the counselling process.

AWS Solutions Architect Associate important dates

The typical AWS Solutions Architect Associate timeline, from notification to counselling. Dates are tentative until the official notification is released.

  1. Register & schedule

    Any time via Pearson VUE — test centre or online-proctored

  2. Exam

    65 questions in 130 minutes

  3. Provisional result

    Often shown on-screen at the end of the exam

  4. Official result

    Typically within about 5 business days

  5. Digital badge & certificate

    Issued on passing; valid for 3 years

  6. Retake policy

    A 14-day wait applies before re-attempting if you don't pass

AWS Solutions Architect Associate — frequently asked questions

Quick, reliable answers to the questions AWS Solutions Architect Associate aspirants ask most.

What is the passing score for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam?

Results are reported on a scaled score from 100 to 1000, and the minimum passing score is 720. It's a single overall score — you do not have to pass each domain separately. Because scaled scoring is normalised across question difficulty, treat 720 as the target and aim comfortably above it in practice.

How many questions are on the SAA-C03 exam and is there negative marking?

There are 65 questions to answer in 130 minutes — 50 are scored and 15 are unscored trial questions that don't affect your result (and aren't marked as such). Questions are multiple-choice and multiple-response, and there is no negative marking, so you should answer every question.

What are the exam domains and their weightings?

There are four domains: Design Secure Architectures (30%), Design Resilient Architectures (26%), Design High-Performing Architectures (24%) and Design Cost-Optimized Architectures (20%). Security and resilience together make up more than half the exam, so prioritise them.

Do I need experience or prerequisites to take the SAA?

There are no formal prerequisites, but AWS recommends around one year of hands-on experience designing solutions on AWS. In practice, pairing service knowledge with real console/lab experience — and lots of scenario questions — is what gets people through comfortably.

How long is the certification valid?

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate is valid for three years. Before it expires, you recertify (by passing the current version of this exam or a higher-level one) to keep the credential active.

How should I use these mock tests to prepare?

Take full-length 65-question mocks under the 130-minute clock to build exam stamina and pacing, and review the explanation for every question — right or wrong. Use the domain topic tests to drill your weakest areas (usually security or cost) until your practice scores sit well above 720.

Official sources & references

The AWS Solutions Architect Associate pattern, marking, eligibility and dates on this page are verified against Amazon Web Services (AWS). Exam details can change each cycle — always confirm current specifics on the official source before you rely on them.

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