AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam Guide
A factual reference for the CLF-C02 exam — domains, task statements, question formats, scaled scoring, and how to register. All facts sourced from the official AWS exam guide.
What is the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner?
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) is a foundational-level certification from Amazon Web Services. It validates broad knowledge of the AWS Cloud — concepts, core services, security principles, pricing, and support options.
There are no formal prerequisites and no hands-on lab component. The exam is designed to be accessible to people without a technical background, including business analysts, project managers, sales professionals, finance teams, and career-changers who want to demonstrate a working understanding of cloud computing in an AWS context.
Who it is for
- Non-technical roles at companies that use AWS — understanding what the cloud is and how AWS services are priced and governed
- Early-career technologists building a credential base before pursuing associate-level certifications (Solutions Architect, Developer, SysOps)
- Career-changers entering the cloud industry who need to demonstrate foundational cloud literacy
- AWS partners whose staff are required to hold at least a foundational certification
Independent resource: This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon Web Services, Inc. The exam described here is administered by AWS. This page summarises publicly available information from the official AWS certification page.
Exam Domains and Task Statements
The CLF-C02 exam is divided into four domains. The percentage shown is the proportion of scored questions from that domain. All task statements below are drawn directly from the official AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Guide (CLF-C02).
Domains 2 and 3 together account for 64% of the exam. Direct more preparation time there.
Question Formats
The CLF-C02 exam uses two question types. Both appear in this course's practice tests in roughly the same proportion as the real exam.
One correct answer from four options. Three distractors are plausible; the exam tests understanding, not elimination of obvious wrong answers.
Example prompt: "A company wants to… Which AWS service BEST meets this requirement?"
Two correct answers from four or five options. You must select exactly the right two; partial credit is not awarded. These questions are labelled "(Select TWO.)" in the stem.
Strategy: Eliminate the two or three clearly wrong options first, then choose between the remaining candidates.
Unscored questions
Of the 65 questions, 50 are scored and 15 are unscored (experimental). Unscored questions look identical to scored ones and are not labelled during the exam. AWS uses them to evaluate questions for future exams. They do not affect your final score — but because you cannot identify them, treat every question as if it counts.
How the Exam is Scored
Scores are reported on a scaled scale of 100 to 1000. The passing score is 700. There is no penalty for incorrect answers — an unanswered question counts the same as a wrong one, so always select an answer for every question.
What "scaled scoring" means
Raw scores (percentage of questions answered correctly) are not reported directly. AWS applies a statistical scaling process to account for minor difficulty variations between different versions of the same exam. This means two candidates who answered the same proportion of questions correctly may receive slightly different scaled scores if they sat different exam forms — and both are equally valid.
The practical implication: aim to demonstrate consistent understanding across all four domains, not just to maximise a raw count. Domain breakdowns appear on your score report, showing where you were stronger or weaker regardless of whether you pass.
Exam Cost and How to Register
The standard exam fee is $100 USD. Pricing may vary by country and is subject to change — the authoritative current price is shown during checkout on the official AWS exam portal.
You can sit the exam in-person at a Pearson VUE or PSI testing centre, or online proctored from home. Both formats use the same question content and scoring.
Steps to register
- Go to the official AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner page and click Schedule Exam.
- Sign in or create a free AWS account.
- Select your testing format (in-person or online proctored) and your preferred date and location.
- Pay the exam fee (credit/debit card accepted).
- Receive a booking confirmation by email.
Before you pay out of pocket: Some employers offer AWS exam vouchers through partner programmes. AWS also periodically offers a free practice exam attempt to candidates who have completed certain AWS training courses. Check with your employer and your AWS Training and Certification account before registering.
Recommended Study Timeline
Study time varies significantly based on your existing cloud and IT experience. Candidates with no IT background typically need more time on Domain 3 (Cloud Technology and Services), which covers a wide range of AWS services.
Domains 1 & 2 — Cloud Concepts and Security
Work through the training content for task statements 1.1–1.4 and 2.1–2.4. Pay close attention to the shared responsibility model (2.1) — it is tested frequently and in multiple contexts. Run quick quizzes after each topic to identify gaps early.
Domains 3 & 4 — Technology and Billing
Domain 3 has eight task statements and covers compute, databases, networking, storage, AI/ML, and more. Spend more time here than anywhere else — it is 34% of the exam. Domain 4 is smaller (12%) but covers pricing models and Support plans that are easily confused.
Shorter timed practice tests
Take the 15-question and 30-question timed tests. Review every explanation — including questions you got right — to understand the reasoning rather than the answer. Note which domains you are weakest in and return to the training content for those areas.
Full 65-question timed exams
Take the full 65-question, 90-minute exam repeatedly until you are consistently comfortable with the pacing. Each attempt draws a fresh randomised subset weighted to match the official domain percentages, so no two attempts are identical. Review weak domains between attempts.
Candidates with existing IT or AWS experience may compress this timeline. Candidates coming from a non-technical background may benefit from additional time on Weeks 1–2 before moving to timed practice.
Ready to start preparing?
Use the free diagnostic to see where you stand, or jump straight into practice tests.
10-day money-back guarantee · One-time payment · No subscription