Vendor Experience Review

I took the exam through Pearson Vue, which was scheduled to start at 10 AM, with check-in at 9:30 AM. I had already conducted system checks a few days prior, and I was using a MacBook Pro (Intel) in a dedicated, cleared room.

Upon check-in, I had to perform another system check. Initially, it failed because my internal microphone wasn’t picking up sound. It felt a bit silly to say "test test 1 2 3 4" during the check, but at least no one else was around to hear it.

Next, I had to scan my ID with my mobile phone. Logically, I had turned my phone off and set it out of reach, but after a minute, I was cleared to proceed.

Then, I needed to take four photographs:

• From the front of my desk.
• The back of my desk (which was against a wall—eek!).
• A side view pointing right.
• A side view pointing left.

Once completed, the proctor asked me to pan my laptop camera around the room for a final inspection and unplug my external monitor.

During the exam, I occasionally touched my face and received a chat message asking me to stop, which was fair.

Overall, from the vendor's perspective: 8/10—no significant issues.

Exam Structure — Part 1

The exam consisted of 55 questions, and the quality of the questions was generally good. However, I encountered one question that seemed to lack sufficient information for a correct answer. Given my experience, I can usually identify such issues, but since this was a beta version, I can overlook an occasional mistake.

After answering all 55 questions, I was prompted to review my flagged responses. It’s important to note that once you move past this section, you cannot return to it.

Exam Structure — Part 2

The second part involved lab exercises, which I was eagerly anticipating. There were three labs, each suggested to take around 20 minutes. The overall time for labs was not individually timed, but candidates must manage their time effectively.

The process for each lab was straightforward. You would access a Windows desktop within the testing environment, log in, and the AWS console would load. On the right side, a scenario was provided detailing what to create or implement.

You must follow the instructions, complete the task, and proceed to the next lab. Once you move on, you cannot return to the previous lab.

The topics covered in the labs were quite relevant:

• Utilizing AWS Config for compliance checks.
• Setting up a scalable application, including VPC, Load Balancers, Auto Scaling Groups, and Security.
• Configuring data buckets with logging as per specified requirements.

Each lab could realistically be completed in about 15-20 minutes, assuming everything functions correctly and you take the time to double-check your work.

However, I did encounter several issues.

Issue 1 — User Interface

While navigating the AWS console, I couldn’t locate the "NEXT" or "FINISH" buttons; they were off-screen even with the window maximized. I attempted scrolling and adjusting the zoom, but nothing worked. Imagine that the testing software is fullscreen, yet the Windows session is a smaller subset, causing the desktop to extend beyond the visible area.

To resolve this, I had to:

• Minimize the browser window.
• Then, it turned completely white.
• Resize the width.
• Finally, I was able to scroll and click the buttons.

Rating: 3/10. This was extremely frustrating and distracting, leading to a significant delay in starting the first lab.

Issue 2 — Copy and Paste Functionality

Copying and pasting from the exam software to the Windows desktop was unreliable. Out of ten attempts, only one succeeded. There was a notice indicating that if copy and paste failed, I should refer to a file on the desktop, which contained the same instructions. Unfortunately, that also didn’t work. I had to manually type several lengthy strings, including:

• Security Group Names
• ARNs
• Randomized Bucket Names
• Role and Rule Names

Rating: 1/10. This was a particularly poor experience. Anyone who knows me knows I have a keen eye for detail and triple-check everything, making this very frustrating.

Issue 3 — Completing a Lab

Upon finishing a lab, I received an unexpected message stating that I hadn’t viewed all the multimedia for that content. It took me a few minutes to realize that it required me to scroll in every direction within the Windows session to proceed.

This could potentially confuse many candidates, so I’ll rate this issue a 1/10 as well.

Overall Impression

The labs were technically solid, and memorization alone will no longer suffice for passing. However, there is considerable room for improvement in the implementation process. Rating: 8/10.

Suggested Topics for Study

I must be cautious here due to NDA restrictions, but I can provide a list of key concepts you should familiarize yourself with:

• DNS Record types and their applications.
• Route53 routing types, including failover and geolocation.
• CloudFront security measures.
• Pre-signed URLs with S3.
• Encryption options for AWS storage platforms.
• Understanding EFS architecture and performance.
• Logging formats for various AWS services.
• Diagnosing EC2 instance connectivity issues.
• High availability using Auto Scaling Groups.

Main Product Coverage — Focus on These:

• EC2
• Lambda
• S3
• EFS
• Glacier
• RDS
• DynamoDB
• CloudFront
• Route53
• IAM
• And many more...

Final Thoughts

1. I'm here to assist, so feel free to reach out with questions or join my Slack community at https://techstudyslack.com.
2. Be wary of courses quickly rebranding as "SOA-C02 Compatible." This is a significant change requiring a deep understanding of the material. My course is designed specifically for this new exam version.
3. Demos are crucial! The new certification format emphasizes real-world skills, so practice your implementation and troubleshooting abilities. A theory-only course won’t suffice. Check out my demo repository for assistance.
4. I’ll continue to share insights as I learn more.
5. If you're looking for a course on this material, mine is nearly finished (90%+ complete) and would have been suitable for today’s exam. Visit https://learn.cantrill.io/p/aws-certified-sysops-administrator-associate.

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