Introduction
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C01) is intended for individuals who have technical expertise in deployment, management, and operations on AWS.
It validates an examinee’s ability to:
- Deploy, manage, and operate scalable, highly available, and fault tolerant systems on AWS
- Implement and control the flow of data to and from AWS
- Select the appropriate AWS service based on compute, data, or security requirements
- Identify appropriate use of AWS operational best practices
- Estimate AWS usage costs and identify operational cost control mechanisms
- Migrate on-premises workloads to AWS
Examination Prerequisite
There are no prerequisites for taking the SysOps Administrator-Associate examination.
Recommended AWS Knowledge
- Minimum of one year hands-on experience with AWS
- Experience managing/operating systems on AWS
- Understanding of the AWS tenets – architecting for the cloud
- Hands-on experience with the AWS CLI and SDKs/API tools
- Understanding of network technologies as they relate to AWS
- Understanding of security concepts with hands-on experience in implementing security controls and compliance requirements
Recommended General IT Knowledge
- 1-2 years’ experience as a systems administrator in a systems operations role
- Understanding of virtualization technology
- Monitoring and auditing systems experience
- Knowledge of networking concepts (e.g., DNS, TCP/IP, and Firewalls)
- Ability to translate architectural requirements
Exam Preparation
These training courses and materials may be helpful for examination preparation :
For AWS Training :
- System Operations on AWS
Other :
- This was pulled from https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certification-prep/ à SysOps tab
- The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate Exam: Official Study Guide
For White Papers :
- Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices
- AWS Security Best Practices
- Amazon Web Services: Overview of Security Processes
- AWS Well-Architected Framework
- Development and Test on AWS
- Backup and Recovery Approaches Using AWS
- Amazon Virtual Private Cloud Connectivity Options
- How AWS Pricing Works
Exam Content :
There are two types of questions on the examination:
- Multiple-choice: Has one correct response and three incorrect responses (distractors).
- Multiple-response: Has two or more correct responses out of five or more
Select one or more responses that best complete the statement or answer the question. Distractors, or incorrect answers, are response options that an examinee with incomplete knowledge or skill would likely choose. However, they are generally plausible responses that fit in the content area defined by the test objective.
Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect; there is no penalty for guessing.
Content Outline :
This exam guide includes weightings, test domains, and objectives only. It is not a comprehensive listing of the content on this examination. The table below lists the main content domains and their approximate weightings.
Exam Results :
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator (SOA-C01) is a pass or fail exam. The examination is scored against a minimum standard established by AWS professionals who are guided by certification industry best practices and guidelines.
Your results for the examination are reported as a score from 100-1000, with a minimum passing score of 720. Your score shows how you performed on the examination as a whole and whether or not you passed. Scaled scoring models are used to equate scores across multiple exam forms that may have slightly different difficulty levels.
Your score report contains a table of classifications of your performance at each section level. This information is designed to provide general feedback concerning your examination performance. The examination uses a compensatory scoring model, which means that you do not need to “pass” the individual sections, only the overall examination. Each section of the examination has a specific weighting, so some sections have more questions than others. The table contains general information, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses. Exercise caution when interpreting section-level feedback.
| Domain | % of Examination |
| Domain 1: Monitoring and Reporting | 22% |
| Domain 2: High Availability | 8% |
| Domain 3: Deployment and Provisioning | 14% |
| Domain 4: Storage and Data Management | 12% |
| Domain 5: Security and Compliance | 18% |
| Domain 6: Networking | 14% |
| Domain 7: Automation and Optimization | 12% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Domain 1: Monitoring and Reporting
- Create and maintain metrics and alarms utilizing AWS monitoring services
- Recognize and differentiate performance and availability metrics
- Perform the steps necessary to remediate based on performance and availability metrics
Domain 2 : High Availability
- Implement scalability and elasticity based on use case
- Recognize and differentiate highly available and resilient environments on AWS
Domain 3 : Deployment and Provisioning
- Identify and execute steps required to provision cloud resources
- Identify and remediate deployment issues
Domain 4 : Storage and Data Management
- Create and manage data retention
- Identify and implement data protection, encryption, and capacity planning needs
Domain 5 : Security and Compliance
- Implement and manage security policies on AWS
- Implement access controls when using AWS
- Differentiate between the roles and responsibility within the shared responsibility model
Domain 6 : Networking
- Apply AWS networking features
- Implement connectivity services of AWS
- Gather and interpret relevant information for network troubleshooting
Domain 7 : Automation and Optimization
- Use AWS services and features to manage and assess resource utilization
- Employ cost-optimization strategies for efficient resource utilization
- Automate manual or repeatable process to minimize management overhead
