AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Guide (2026)

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) - Complete Exam Guide

Introduction: Why Get AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner?

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is your gateway into the world of cloud computing and Amazon Web Services.

It's the foundational certification that validates your overall understanding of the AWS Cloud, independent of specific technical roles. Whether you're a developer, project manager, business analyst, or someone looking to pivot into cloud computing, this certification demonstrates that you understand the fundamental concepts of AWS services, cloud economics, security, and compliance.

This isn't just about passing an exam, it's about proving to employers and clients that you speak the language of cloud computing and understand how AWS can solve real business problems. In today's digital economy, cloud literacy is as essential as basic computer skills were a decade ago.

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Exam Overview: What You're Getting Into

Exam Details at a Glance

• Exam Code: CLF-C02
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Number of Questions: 65 questions
• Question Format: Multiple choice (1 correct answer) and multiple response (2+ correct answers)
• Passing Score: 700 out of 1000 (approximately 70%)
• Cost: $100 USD
• Validity: 3 years
• Delivery Method: Pearson VUE testing centers or online proctored exam
• Language Options: Available in English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Bahasa (Indonesian), Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese

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What Makes This Exam Different

Unlike associate and professional level AWS certifications, the Cloud Practitioner exam doesn't require deep technical expertise or hands-on experience with AWS services.

However, don't mistake "foundational" for "easy." This exam covers a broad range of topics and requires you to understand not just what AWS services do, but when and why you would use them.

The questions are scenario-based, meaning you won't just be asked to memorize definitions. Instead, you'll be presented with business problems and asked to identify the most appropriate AWS solution. This practical approach means you need to think like a cloud practitioner, not just memorize facts.

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Exam Domains: Breaking Down What's Tested

The CLF-C02 exam is divided into four domains, each weighted differently. Understanding these weightings helps you allocate your study time effectively.

Domain 1: Cloud Concepts (24% of exam)

What This Domain Covers:

This domain tests your understanding of the fundamental value proposition of cloud computing and AWS specifically. You need to grasp why organizations migrate to the cloud, what benefits they gain, and the core principles that make cloud computing revolutionary.

Key Topics You'll Encounter:

• Value Proposition of AWS Cloud: Understanding cost savings, agility, elasticity, scalability, and global reach
• AWS Cloud Economics: TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), ROI calculations, operational expense vs. capital expense
• Cloud Architecture Design Principles: The AWS Well-Architected Framework's six pillars (operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and sustainability)
• AWS Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF): Understanding the six perspectives (Business, People, Governance, Platform, Security, Operations)
• Migration Strategies: The 7 R's (Retire, Retain, Relocate, Rehost, Replatform, Repurchase, Refactor)

What Success Looks Like:

You should be able to explain to a non-technical stakeholder why moving to AWS makes business sense, what design principles should guide their architecture decisions, and what migration approach fits their specific situation.

Exam Question Style:

"A company wants to move from their on-premises data center to AWS to reduce costs and increase agility. Which of the following are benefits they can expect? (Select TWO)"

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Domain 2: Security and Compliance (30% of exam)

What This Domain Covers:

This is the heaviest-weighted domain, and for good reason—security is paramount in cloud computing. You need to understand the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, how to manage access and permissions, and what tools AWS provides for security and compliance.

Key Topics You'll Encounter:

• AWS Shared Responsibility Model: What AWS secures (security OF the cloud) vs. what customers secure (security IN the cloud)
• Identity and Access Management (IAM): Users, groups, roles, policies, MFA, identity federation
• Security Services: AWS WAF, Shield, GuardDuty, Inspector, Macie, Security Hub
• Encryption: Data at rest and in transit, AWS KMS, CloudHSM
• Compliance Programs: Understanding AWS compliance frameworks (HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC, GDPR)
• AWS Organizations: Consolidating multiple AWS accounts, Service Control Policies (SCPs)

What Success Looks Like:

You should be able to identify which party is responsible for what security measures, configure basic IAM permissions following the principle of least privilege, and recommend appropriate security services for different scenarios.

Exam Question Style:

"A healthcare company needs to ensure their AWS infrastructure complies with HIPAA regulations. Who is responsible for ensuring the applications deployed on EC2 instances are HIPAA compliant?"

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Domain 3: Cloud Technology and Services (34% of exam)

What This Domain Covers:

This is the largest domain and tests your knowledge of core AWS services across compute, storage, networking, databases, and more. You don't need to know how to configure these services in detail, but you must understand what each service does and when to use it.

Key Topics You'll Encounter:

• Compute Services: EC2, Lambda, Elastic Beanstalk, ECS, EKS, Fargate, Lightsail
• Storage Services: S3, EBS, EFS, S3 Glacier, AWS Backup, Storage Gateway
• Database Services: RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora, ElastiCache, Redshift
• Networking Services: VPC, Route 53, CloudFront, Direct Connect, VPN, Elastic Load Balancing
• Application Integration: SQS, SNS, EventBridge, Step Functions
• Management and Governance: CloudWatch, CloudTrail, AWS Config, Systems Manager, Trusted Advisor
• Developer Tools: CodeCommit, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, CodePipeline
• AI/ML Services: SageMaker, Rekognition, Comprehend, Lex, Polly

What Success Looks Like:

You should be able to match business requirements to appropriate AWS services. For example, knowing when to recommend S3 vs. EBS, or RDS vs. DynamoDB based on the scenario presented.

Exam Question Style:

"A company needs to store user-uploaded photos that will be accessed frequently for the first 30 days, then rarely accessed afterward. The photos must be retained for 7 years for compliance. Which S3 storage strategy would be most cost-effective?"

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Domain 4: Billing, Pricing, and Support (12% of exam)

What This Domain Covers:

This domain tests your understanding of AWS pricing models, cost management tools, and support plan options. You need to know how to estimate costs, optimize spending, and choose the right support level.

Key Topics You'll Encounter:

• AWS Pricing Models: On-Demand, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, Spot Instances
• Cost Management Tools: AWS Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, Cost and Usage Reports, AWS Pricing Calculator
• Billing Features: Consolidated billing, AWS Organizations, cost allocation tags
• Support Plans: Basic, Developer, Business, Enterprise (response times, features, costs)
• AWS Marketplace: Understanding third-party software and services

What Success Looks Like:

You should be able to recommend pricing strategies that balance cost and performance, identify tools for tracking and optimizing costs, and select appropriate support plans based on business needs.

Exam Question Style:

"A startup needs technical support from AWS with response times under 1 hour for critical issues and access to architectural guidance. Which support plan meets these requirements at the lowest cost?"

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The Must-Know Services: Your Priority List

Not all AWS services are equal on this exam. Some appear frequently, others rarely. Here's your strategic focus list- master these and you're 80% of the way there.

Critical Services (Study These First)

Compute:

• Amazon EC2: Virtual servers in the cloud—know instance types, pricing models, and use cases
• AWS Lambda: Serverless computing—understand event-driven architecture and when to use it
• Elastic Load Balancing: Distributes traffic across EC2 instances—know ALB vs. NLB vs. CLB

Storage:

• Amazon S3: Object storage—master storage classes (Standard, IA, Glacier, Glacier Deep Archive)
• Amazon EBS: Block storage for EC2—understand volume types and snapshots
• Amazon EFS: File storage—know when to use it vs. S3 vs. EBS

Database:

• Amazon RDS: Managed relational databases—understand Multi-AZ vs. Read Replicas
• Amazon DynamoDB: NoSQL database—know when to use it instead of RDS
• Amazon Aurora: High-performance managed database—understand its advantages

Networking:

• Amazon VPC: Virtual private cloud—understand subnets, security groups, NACLs
• Amazon CloudFront: Content delivery network—know use cases for caching
• Amazon Route 53: DNS service—basic understanding of routing policies

Security & Identity:

• AWS IAM: Users, groups, roles, policies—this is HEAVILY tested
• AWS Shield: DDoS protection—understand Standard vs. Advanced
• AWS WAF: Web application firewall—know basic use cases
• Amazon GuardDuty: Threat detection—understand what it monitors

Management & Monitoring:

• Amazon CloudWatch: Monitoring and logging—understand metrics, alarms, logs
• AWS CloudTrail: API auditing—know what it tracks and why it matters
• AWS Config: Resource inventory and compliance—understand configuration tracking
• AWS Trusted Advisor: Best practice recommendations—know the five categories

Important Services (Study These Second)

Compute:

• AWS Elastic Beanstalk (PaaS for deploying applications)
• AWS Fargate (Serverless containers)

Storage:

• AWS Storage Gateway (Hybrid cloud storage)
• AWS Backup (Centralized backup)

Database:

• Amazon Redshift (Data warehousing)
• Amazon ElastiCache (In-memory caching)

Application Integration:

• Amazon SQS (Message queuing)
• Amazon SNS (Pub/sub messaging)

Cost Management:

• AWS Cost Explorer (Visualize spending)
• AWS Budgets (Set cost alerts)
• AWS Pricing Calculator (Estimate costs)

Developer Tools:

• AWS CodePipeline (CI/CD)
• AWS CodeDeploy (Automated deployment)

AI/ML Services:

• Amazon SageMaker (Build ML models)
• Amazon Rekognition (Image analysis)
• Amazon Comprehend (Natural language processing)

High-Frequency Exam Topics

These concepts appear repeatedly across multiple questions:

1. Shared Responsibility Model - Know exactly what AWS manages vs. what you manage
2. IAM Best Practices - Least privilege, MFA, password policies, roles vs. users
3. S3 Storage Classes - When to use each class for cost optimization
4. EC2 Pricing Models - On-Demand vs. Reserved vs. Spot vs. Savings Plans
5. High Availability - Multi-AZ deployments, Region vs. AZ concepts
6. Scalability - Horizontal vs. vertical scaling, Auto Scaling
7. Cost Optimization - Right-sizing, reserved capacity, S3 lifecycle policies
8. Security Best Practices - Encryption at rest and in transit, security groups, NACLs
9. Well-Architected Framework - All six pillars and their principles
10. Support Plans - Features and response times for each tier

Services You Can Deprioritize

These services exist but rarely appear on the exam or appear only in passing:

• AWS Outposts, AWS Local Zones, AWS Wavelength (edge/hybrid infrastructure)
• Most IoT services (IoT Core, Greengrass)
• Advanced networking services (Transit Gateway, PrivateLink)
• Niche services (WorkSpaces, AppStream, WorkDocs)
• Quantum computing (Braket)
• Blockchain (Managed Blockchain)

Don't ignore these completely, but don't stress if your knowledge is surface-level.

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Study Strategy: Your Path to Success

Phase 1: Foundation Building (2-3 Weeks)

Start with understanding cloud concepts and the AWS value proposition. If you're new to cloud computing, spend extra time here. Use the study notes to build a solid conceptual foundation before diving into specific services.

Focus Areas:

• Read through Domain 1 study notes thoroughly
• Understand the Well-Architected Framework
• Grasp the basic economics of cloud computing

Phase 2: Service Deep-Dive (3-4 Weeks)

This is where you learn what each AWS service does. Don't try to memorize everything—instead, focus on understanding the purpose and use cases for each service.

Focus Areas:

• Study Domain 3 systematically (compute → storage → database → networking)
• Create mental associations (e.g., "EC2 = virtual servers", "S3 = object storage")
• Use hands-on labs to see services in action (AWS Free Tier is your friend)

Phase 3: Security and Compliance (2 Weeks)

Security is crucial and heavily tested. Understand the Shared Responsibility Model inside and out.

Focus Areas:

• Master IAM concepts (users, groups, roles, policies)
• Learn the security services and their use cases
• Understand compliance frameworks at a high level

Phase 4: Billing and Support (1 Week)

This domain is smaller but still important. Focus on pricing models and cost optimization.

Focus Areas:

• Understand different pricing models and when to use each
• Learn the cost management tools
• Memorize support plan features and response times

Phase 5: Practice and Refinement (2-3 Weeks)

This is where our practice exam sets come in. Take full-length practice exams under real conditions.

Strategy:

• Take Practice Set 1 as a diagnostic (no studying between start and finish)
• Analyze results by domain—identify weak areas
• Review study notes for weak areas
• Take Practice Set 2 after targeted review
• Repeat the analysis and review cycle
• Take Practice Set 3 when consistently scoring 85%+

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Exam Day Strategy: Maximizing Your Performance

Before the Exam

• Schedule Wisely: Book your exam for a time when you're most alert
• Get Rest: A well-rested brain performs significantly better
• Arrive Early: For testing centers, arrive 15-30 minutes early
• Technical Check: For online proctored exams, test your system 24 hours in advance

During the Exam

• Time Management: You have 90 minutes for 65 questions—that's about 1.4 minutes per question
• Read Carefully: Scenario-based questions can be wordy—identify the key requirement
• Eliminate Obviously Wrong Answers: Narrow down choices before selecting
• Flag and Return: Don't get stuck—flag difficult questions and move on
• Watch for Keywords: "Most cost-effective," "highest security," "least operational overhead" guide your answer
• Multiple Response Questions: Count carefully—these questions tell you how many answers to select

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Common Traps to Avoid

• Overcomplicating Solutions: AWS often tests for the simplest, most direct solution
• Ignoring the Scenario: Make sure your answer fits the specific context given
• Free Tier Confusion: Not all "free" services are actually free (some are free for 12 months, others always free)
• Shared Responsibility Misunderstanding: Know exactly where AWS's responsibility ends and yours begins

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Resources for Success

Official AWS Resources

• AWS Free Tier: Get hands-on experience with many services
• AWS Whitepapers: Especially "Overview of Amazon Web Services" and "AWS Well-Architected Framework"
• AWS Documentation: Official service documentation for deeper understanding
• AWS Training: Free digital training courses on AWS Skill Builder

CloudFluently Course Package Includes

• Comprehensive Study Notes: Organized by domain with clear explanations
• 195 Practice Questions: Three full-length practice exams (65 questions each)
• Detailed Explanations: Learn from both correct and incorrect answers
• Hands-On Projects: Practical exercises to reinforce learning
• Quick Reference Cheatsheets: Last-minute review materials
• Flashcards: Active recall practice for key concepts

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After You Pass: What's Next?

Passing the Cloud Practitioner exam is just the beginning. Here's how to leverage your certification:

Career Advancement

• Update Your Resume and LinkedIn: Add your certification prominently
• Join AWS Communities: Engage with other certified professionals
• Pursue Associate-Level Certifications: Solutions Architect, Developer, or SysOps Administrator

Continued Learning

• Hands-On Experience: Build projects using AWS services
• Stay Current: AWS releases new services regularly—keep learning
• Specialize: Choose a path (architecture, development, operations) for deeper expertise

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Final Thoughts: You've Got This

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam is achievable with the right preparation and mindset. This certification opens doors and validates your cloud knowledge in a meaningful way. The combination of study notes, practice exams, and hands-on experience in this package gives you everything you need to pass with confidence.

Remember: it's not just about passing the exam- it's about truly understanding cloud computing principles that will serve you throughout your career. Every hour you invest in studying is an investment in your professional future.

Now, let's get you certified. Start with the study notes, build your foundation, and use the practice exams to benchmark your progress. When you walk into that exam, you'll be ready.

Good luck, future AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner! 🚀