The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification is designed for system administrators and IT professionals who deploy, manage, and operate workloads on AWS. It validates your skills in monitoring, automation, networking, security, and operational best practices.
How to prepare for the AWS SysOps certification
Step 1. Review the official exam guide
Download the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam guide from the AWS website. It’s between these key domains:
Monitoring, Reporting, and Automation
High Availability and Business Continuity
Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation
Security and Compliance
Networking and Content Delivery
Cost and Performance Optimization
Each domain outlines specific knowledge areas. Understanding the weightage helps you prioritize which domains you’ll need to focus more on.
Step 2. Enroll in a structured training course
Choose a course that matches your learning style. Here are some recommendations:
AWS Skill Builder – Exam Readiness: AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate
A Cloud Guru or Linux Academy course
Udemy – Popular and affordable video courses
Whizlabs – Includes practice tests and labs
Step 3. Gain hands-on experience
Practical experience is key. Create and use your Free Tier AWS account to practice. Here are some things you can practise:
Launching and managing EC2 instances
Configuring CloudWatch alarms and logs
Setting up IAM policies and roles
Managing S3 buckets, VPCs, and Auto Scaling
Using AWS CLI and Systems Manager
Additionally, you can try building a sample infrastructure project to reinforce concepts.
Step 4. Study whitepapers and FAQs
AWS whitepapers help you learn cloud best practices and exam-level topics. You can focus on these:
Additionally, you can read FAQs for services like EC2, CloudWatch, IAM, and VPC.
Step 5. Take practice exams
Take multiple practice tests to identify your weak areas and improve them. When you’re taking these practice exams, you must focus on:
Time management
Understanding why answers are wrong
Getting comfortable with the exam format
Simulating exam labs (e.g., create alarms, configure instances)
FAQ
Is AWS SysOps certification difficult?
Yes, AWS SysOps certification is considered the toughest associate-level AWS exam due to its real-world scenarios and hands-on labs. However, with proper preparation, it's manageable.
Do I need experience to take the SysOps exam?
AWS recommends 1+ years of experience with AWS operations, but it's not mandatory. With enough hands-on labs and study, even beginners can pass.
What’s the passing score for the SysOps exam?
AWS does not publish exact passing scores, but the passing score typically ranges between 70–75%.
Can I take the SysOps exam online?
Yes, the SysOps exam offers two methods of examination. You can choose an online proctored format or visit a physical testing center.
