CLF-C02 · 65 Questions · 90 Minutes · 4 Domains · Validated 2026-09-26
AWS is broad. The Cloud Practitioner exam is not.
This repository is designed to help learners focus on what CLF-C02 actually tests, recognize AWS services quickly, avoid common exam traps, and use official AWS resources without getting lost in unnecessary implementation detail.
Whether you have 48 hours or several weeks, the goal is the same:
Learn the exam blueprint, understand the core AWS ideas, practice scenario recognition, and spend your time where it matters most.
This is an independently maintained community study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
| Your situation | Recommended path |
|---|---|
| Exam in 48 hours | Start with 01-48-HOUR-PLAN.md, then focus heavily on Domains 2 and 3 |
| A few days to a few weeks | Follow the domain files in order, then drill comparisons and practice questions |
| Already studied AWS | Use 06-SERVICE-CHEAT-SHEET.md, 07-CONFUSING-SERVICES-EXAM-TRAPS.md, and the practice sets |
| Taking the exam online | Read MY_EXPERIENCE.md for a privacy-safe personal exam-day checklist and current Pearson-policy links |
| Want official links only | Go straight to resources/ |
| Want modern AWS AI/GenAI too | Read resources/MODERN-AWS-AI.md after the exam-focused material |
| Domain | Weight | Study priority |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cloud Concepts | 24% | High |
| 2. Security & Compliance | 30% | Very High |
| 3. Cloud Technology & Services | 34% | Very High |
| 4. Billing, Pricing & Support | 12% | Medium |
Domains 2 + 3 = 64% of scored content.
Current official format:
- 65 total questions
- 50 scored + 15 unscored
- 90 minutes
- Multiple choice and multiple response
- Passing score: 700/1000 scaled
- No penalty for guessing; unanswered questions are incorrect
Practice percentages in this repository are study-readiness heuristics only. They are not conversions to AWS's scaled score.
00-EXAM-BLUEPRINT.md— official blueprint translated into what to know02-DOMAIN-1-CLOUD-CONCEPTS.md— cloud value, Well-Architected, CAF, migration, economics03-DOMAIN-2-SECURITY-COMPLIANCE.md— shared responsibility, IAM, security, compliance04-DOMAIN-3-TECHNOLOGY-SERVICES.md— compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, AI/ML, integration05-DOMAIN-4-BILLING-PRICING-SUPPORT.md— pricing, cost tools, Organizations, Support, partner resources
06-SERVICE-CHEAT-SHEET.md— rapid service recognition07-CONFUSING-SERVICES-EXAM-TRAPS.md— high-value comparison pairs08-LAST-MINUTE-CRAM.md— condensed final review
practice/QUESTIONS.md— 50-question mock weighted exactly to the official domainspractice/ANSWERS.md— validated explanations and mistake diagnosispractice/TARGETED-GAPS-QUESTIONS.md— 40 questions on easy-to-miss and underrepresented blueprint detailspractice/TARGETED-GAPS-ANSWERS.md— validated explanations for the targeted drillpractice/VALIDATION-AUDIT.md— deep audit of weighting, answer keys, ambiguity, coverage and current AWS terminology
MY_EXPERIENCE.md— personal online-proctored exam experience, room/setup checklist, technical interruption lessons, and review strategyblog/HASHNODE-CLF-C02-EXAM-EXPERIENCE.md— standalone Hashnode-ready article based on the same experience
Exam-day experience pages are personal guidance, not official policy. Always verify the current AWS/Pearson VUE instructions for your own appointment.
10-OUT-OF-SCOPE-SKIP.md— material not worth deep study for CLF-C0211-DEEP-VALIDATION-AUDIT.md— what was checked against current AWS and Pearson sourcesresources/VALIDATION-NOTES.md— latest validation notes and methodology
resources/OFFICIAL-AWS.md— official AWS source links plus Pearson VUE exam-day policy linksresources/SKILL-BUILDER.md— current AWS learning and free-vs-subscription exam-prep entry pointsresources/MODERN-AWS-AI.md— current AI/GenAI services, clearly separated from CLF-C02 scoperesources/COMMUNITY-RESOURCES.md— supplemental community resources with freshness warnings
For every service, be able to answer four things:
- What problem does it solve?
- What exam phrase should make me choose it?
- What is it commonly confused with?
- What does it not primarily do?
Example:
CloudTrail
Does: records AWS API and account activity
Trigger: “Who changed or deleted this AWS resource?”
Confused with: CloudWatch and Config
Not primarily for: CPU/performance monitoring
That pattern is much more useful than memorizing long service descriptions.
AWS explicitly says the CLF-C02 target candidate is not expected to perform deep:
- coding
- cloud architecture design
- troubleshooting
- implementation
- load/performance testing
So this repository does not spend your study time on advanced CLI syntax, Kubernetes administration, deep VPC routing labs, production IaC, database tuning, or long implementation walkthroughs unless they directly support an exam concept.
Those are valuable real-world skills, but they are not the fastest route to CLF-C02 readiness.
AWS evolves quickly. This repository separates current AWS technology from current CLF-C02 requirements.
The current explicit CLF-C02 Machine Learning list includes services such as:
- Amazon Comprehend
- Amazon Kendra
- Amazon Lex
- Amazon Polly
- Amazon Q
- Amazon Rekognition
- Amazon SageMaker AI
- Amazon Textract
- Amazon Transcribe
- Amazon Translate
Modern topics such as Amazon Bedrock, foundation models, RAG, Bedrock Knowledge Bases, Bedrock Guardrails, and Amazon Bedrock AgentCore are useful AWS knowledge, but they are kept in resources/MODERN-AWS-AI.md and are not presented as CLF-C02 requirements unless AWS adds them to the official scope.
This repository is intended to be safe to share publicly.
- Examples are generic rather than tied to a person, employer, school, or private project.
- Do not publish candidate IDs, registration/order numbers, exam-launch tokens, ID/passport images or numbers, addresses, phone numbers, personal email addresses, private screenshots, credentials, API keys, or private URLs.
- No exam dumps, leaked questions, reconstructed live exams, or screenshots of live exam content are accepted.
- Corrections should cite official AWS documentation wherever possible.
- Historical Git commits can preserve old text and public commit-author metadata even after the latest branch is cleaned; see
DISCLAIMER.mdfor that limitation.
The 2026-09-26 privacy review found no current-branch secret or sensitive exam PII. Historical Git content is a separate limitation and has not been destructively rewritten.
When sources disagree, use this order:
- Official CLF-C02 Exam Guide
- Official Domain 1–4 task statements
- Official Technologies and Concepts page
- Official In-Scope / Out-of-Scope service lists
- Current AWS service documentation
- AWS Skill Builder / Certification Prep
- Pearson VUE AWS OnVUE policy for online-testing rules
- Community material only as supplemental guidance
The AWS in-scope and out-of-scope lists are explicitly non-exhaustive and subject to change, so the current task statements remain the most important exam-content reference.
See resources/OFFICIAL-AWS.md for the validated links.
Found a stale AWS service name, broken official link, changed exam scope, or confusing explanation?
Contributions are welcome. Please use CONTRIBUTING.md and include an official AWS source for scope-sensitive corrections whenever possible.
Do not submit exam dumps, memorized live-exam questions, appointment screenshots, private identifiers, secrets, or content presented as leaked/real exam material.
You do not need to know every AWS service in depth to pass CLF-C02.
You need to understand the cloud fundamentals, recognize the major services, distinguish the common look-alikes, and read scenario wording carefully.
Learn the map. Drill the distinctions. Practice the scenarios. Then go into the exam calm and prepared.
Exam-first AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) prep: concise notes, service cheat sheets, traps, original practice questions, official AWS resources, and modern AI guidance.
Last full validation: 2026-09-26
Public-sharing/privacy review: 2026-09-26
Maintained independently. Not affiliated with Amazon Web Services.