Question 1Compute services
A startup wants AWS's own fully managed container orchestration service, closely integrated with other AWS services, and has no need for Kubernetes. Which service fits?
Is the Cloud Practitioner exam hard?
It is the foundational AWS exam and AWS designs it for people new to the cloud, with or without an IT background. What makes it hard is breadth: many services, each with a job you must recognize from a short scenario.
| Exam | CLF-C02 |
|---|---|
| Questions | 65: 50 scored and 15 unscored, multiple choice or multiple response |
| Time | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 700 on a scale of 100 to 1,000 |
| Who it is for | Candidates new to the cloud; up to 6 months of AWS exposure, but not required |
What makes it hard
- Breadth: the exam guide's in-scope list runs from compute and storage to machine learning, analytics and business applications.
- Close choices: many questions offer four real services, and only one fits the scenario's clue.
- Security and Compliance carries 30% of scored content, and the shared responsibility model runs through it.
- Some questions are multiple response: you must pick two or more correct options.
What makes it easier
The exam stays at the level of knowing what each service is for. AWS lists coding, designing architecture, troubleshooting and implementation as out of scope. Short daily drills on matching services to jobs pay off more than long reading sessions.
How long to study
AWS does not publish study hours. Start with the free diagnostic: your score in each domain shows how much ground there is to cover, and the weakest domain is the place to begin.
Try 3 questions
Question 2Security, governance and compliance
An internal auditor wants a record of every console sign-in and API call made in the company's AWS account, including who made it and from which IP address. Which service provides this?
Question 3Pricing models
A company bought a regional Reserved Instance for a Linux instance with default tenancy. It then moves the workload to a different Availability Zone in the same Region and to a smaller size in the same instance family. What happens to the Reserved Instance discount?
Next step
Questions people ask
Can you pass Cloud Practitioner with no IT experience?
AWS designs it for candidates new to the cloud who may not have an IT background. Up to 6 months of AWS exposure helps, but AWS says it is not required.
Is Cloud Practitioner harder than the Associate exams?
It is AWS's foundational level. Associate exams go deeper into designing and building on AWS, which the Cloud Practitioner exam leaves out of scope.
What is the hardest part of the exam?
For most candidates, telling similar services apart under time pressure, and the security questions. Security and Compliance is 30% of scored content.