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Amazon Web Services, Inc.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional (SAP-C02)

This certification tests AWS architecture design at the professional level. Rather than a single system, it covers complexity that spans multiple accounts and multiple organizations, the design of new solutions, continuous improvement of existing environments, and migration and modernization. The exam has 75 questions and a 180-minute limit, and 10 of those questions are unscored. Results are reported as a scaled score from 100 to 1,000, with a minimum passing score of 750. The fee is USD 300 and the certification is valid for three years. AWS describes the target candidate as having two or more years of experience using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions, and expects them to be able to give architectural guidance that extends across multiple applications and projects. The domains are weighted at 26% for organizational complexity, 29% for new solutions, 25% for continuous improvement, and 20% for migration and modernization. The official exam guide also names emerging topics around generative and agentic AI controls, and states that questions on them appear as pretest items that do not affect your score. Japanese is among the available exam languages.

Official page

Who takes it

  • Architects responsible for AWS environments that span multiple accounts or multiple business units
  • People who lead large-scale cloud migration and modernization engagements
  • Holders of AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate who want to extend their scope to cross-organizational design
  • Consultants who assess a customer's existing environment and propose improvements

What it lets you do

  • The domains are cut as organizational complexity, new solutions, continuous improvement, and migration and modernization, which maps onto the phases of a real engagement
  • The breadth of the scope forces you to organize AWS services you have only touched piecemeal into a coherent picture
  • Valid for three years once earned, and it can also be used to renew Associate-level certifications
  • Generative AI and agentic application control appear explicitly as Emerging Topics in the official exam guide, which shows where the exam is heading

The exam

As published by Amazon Web Services, Inc.. Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions
75 questions (65 scored, 10 unscored)
Time
180 minutes
Pass mark
Scaled score of 750 or higher on a 100–1,000 range. This is not a percentage of correct answers.
Fee
USD 300 (as listed on the AWS website)
Format
Multiple choice (one answer) and multiple response (two or more correct out of five or more options). Taken at a Pearson VUE test center or as an online proctored exam. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect, and there is no penalty for guessing.
Languages
English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America).
When it runs
Year-round. Scheduled on demand at a test center or with online proctoring.
Validity and renewal
Three years. Renewal options are set out on the AWS recertification page.

How hard it is

The pass rate is not published by the exam body. AWS publishes a minimum passing score of 750 on a scaled range of 100–1,000, which is high even among AWS certifications. The target candidate is described as having two or more years of experience using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions, with the assumption that they can advise on architecture spanning multiple applications and projects.

How long people study

Not published by the exam body. AWS publishes only recommended experience (two or more years of experience using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions) and gives no figure for study hours.

Syllabus

  • Domain 1: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity26%
  • Domain 2: Design for New Solutions29%
  • Domain 3: Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions25%
  • Domain 4: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization20%

Our apps and books for this exam

  • AWS SAP-C02 Practice Test

    Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Questions people ask

Is the passing score 75%?
No. AWS sets the minimum passing score at 750 on a scaled range of 100–1,000. 750 is a score, not a percentage of correct answers.
Do I have to pass the Associate exam first?
There are no prerequisites. What AWS publishes is a recommendation: two or more years of experience using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions.
Are all 75 questions scored?
No. 65 questions are scored and the remaining 10 are unscored; AWS uses them to evaluate candidate questions for future exams.
Will there be questions on generative AI?
content filtering for generative AI services using Amazon Bedrock Guardrails
Is anything explicitly outside the scope?
The official exam guide lists frontend development for mobile apps, the 12-factor app methodology, and in-depth knowledge of operating systems as out of scope.

Sources

These are the pages the figures came from. Some are published in Japanese only, and are marked as such — we keep the original titles rather than translating them, so you can match what you find on the official site. Exam rules change; check the official page before you apply.

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