3 AWS Certifications in 3 Months

Late last year I had some time, due to project and general end of year slow down, so I decided to try and see if I could achieve 3 AWS certifictions in 3 months.  I focused on the 3 certifications that best followed my career path so I started out with the Cloud Practitioner to get a feel for the testing process and also to see the format of the AWS exams.  I did pass the GCP Certified Architect exam several years prior but it had been a while so I wanted to make sure I was ready.  I then followed up the Cloud Practioner Cert with the Solutions Architect Associate and ended with the Developer Associate.

I gave myself 3 weeks of studying per certification and spent the last week taking the practice exams.  I would repetitively take the practice exams until I passed them 3 times.   I would set up the exams on a Friday of the final week after lunch time and block my calendar off so I wouldn't be distracted.  I did take all the exams at home but I would suggest clearing your work area prior to taking the exam.  The examiners are pretty strict about what can be in your area while you are taking the exam.

As for how / what I studied, I leveraged Cloud Academy for all my learning.  I have been using AWS since 2011 so having alot of experience helped but using Cloud Academy helped me fill in the gaps of the products that I didn't use on a regular basis.  They have study tracks for every exam and I basically followed those tracks.  One thing I realized was there was quite a bit of overlap as I went thru the tracks for each exam so in some of the areas that I had expertise in, I would speed up the video's.

In hindsight, I would have probably done the Cloud Practitioner, then the Developer Associate, and then ended with Solutons Architect Associate.  I think this covers things in a better order.  As for the toughness, I thought the Developer exam was harder than the Solutions Architect exam but that may be due to me focusing more on the Architectural side of things for the past couple of years.  I would definitely recommend taking all three of them to tighten up your expertise and to fill in your knowledge gaps.  I feel more confident in my skills now and like having them on my linked in profile.