The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional exam, coded SAP-C02, is the advanced architecture credential from Amazon Web Services. It is written for people who already design cloud solutions for complex organizations and need to show they can balance security, cost, resilience, and performance across many applications at once. Passing it earns the Professional level certification, which AWS positions as proof of advanced skill in designing optimized solutions based on the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
AWS has announced that this exam is being updated. According to the AWS certification page, registration for the updated version, SAP-C03, opens on October 27, 2026, and the last day to take SAP-C02 is November 16, 2026. If you are already preparing for SAP-C02, check your scheduling window against that date. If your timeline runs past it, review the SAP-C03 exam guide when AWS publishes it, because domain weights and tested services may change.
SAP-C02 measures whether a candidate can make sound architectural decisions in business situations, not whether they can recall service names. The exam guide describes four abilities: designing for organizational complexity, designing new solutions, continuously improving existing solutions, and accelerating workload migration and modernization. Each is judged against the Well-Architected Framework, so cost, security, reliability, performance, and operational excellence all shape what counts as the best answer.
AWS does not list formal prerequisites on the exam page. The exam guide describes a target candidate with two or more years of experience using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions. That person can evaluate application requirements, recommend deployment architectures, and give expert guidance across multiple applications and projects inside a complex organization. Holding an associate level AWS certification is a common route, but it is a recommendation of experience, not a rule.
AWS also states that some skills are out of scope, including frontend development for mobile apps, the 12 factor app methodology, and in depth operating system knowledge.
The exam contains 75 questions in a 180 minute session. Questions are either multiple choice (one correct answer and three distractors) or multiple response (two or more correct answers from five or more options). On multiple response questions you must select every correct option to earn credit. Unanswered questions count as incorrect and there is no penalty for guessing.
Only 65 of the 75 questions affect your score. The other 10 are unscored questions AWS uses to evaluate future content, and they are not marked on the exam. Results are reported as a pass or fail designation with a scaled score from 100 to 1000, and the minimum passing score is 750. Scoring is compensatory, so you do not have to pass each domain individually, only the exam overall.
The exam guide weights four content domains by share of scored content:
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity (26 percent): Network connectivity across environments, security controls, resilient designs, planning a multiple account environment, and cost visibility across an organization.
Design for New Solutions (29 percent): The largest domain. It covers deployment strategy, business continuity, security, reliability, performance, and cost decisions for new workloads.
Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions (25 percent): Finding ways to improve operational excellence, security, performance, reliability, and cost in architectures that are already running.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization (20 percent): Choosing which workloads to move, selecting a migration approach, and deciding how to modernize applications once they are on AWS.
The guide also notes that some questions may cover emerging topics, such as security and responsible AI controls for generative AI services. These appear as unscored pretest items. Read the current exam guide on the AWS documentation site for the full task statements and the list of in scope services Want more exam practice? Take our SAFe Scrum Master online test.
Exams are scheduled through your AWS Certification account on the official AWS training site. You can test at a Pearson VUE testing center or take the exam online with a proctor. AWS lists English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America) as available languages. The fee is 300 USD, though local taxes and exchange rates can change what you pay. Because options and policies change, confirm identification rules, rescheduling terms, and pricing on AWS before you book. Once you hold any AWS certification, AWS offers a 50 percent discount on your next exam.
This certification is aimed at roles where architectural judgment carries weight, such as solutions architect, cloud architect, and technical lead positions that span several teams and applications. AWS notes that the certification appeared on a list of top paying certifications for 2023 and 2024 in a Skillsoft IT skills and salary report, and that certified individuals report greater confidence and credibility with technical colleagues and customers. Salary outcomes vary widely by region, employer, and experience, so treat the certification as supporting evidence of skill rather than a guarantee. AWS suggests the AWS Certified Security Specialty as one possible next step.
Scenario heavy exams reward repetition with questions. AllExamQuestions.com offers free practice tests you can use to check your understanding of each domain, notice where you rush long scenarios, and rehearse pacing across 75 questions. Pair them with the official AWS exam guide and hands on work in a AWS account, and always cross check against the current guide before exam day.
Last updated on Nov, 3 2026
