AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) study plan
AWS CRAW · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Cloud Technology and Services
Map every AWS service category (compute, storage, database, networking, analytics, integration) to at least one named service you can describe in one sentence
Explain the difference between Amazon EC2, AWS Lambda, and Amazon ECS and pick which fits three given workload scenarios
Describe the AWS global infrastructure hierarchy of Regions, Availability Zones, and edge locations and why it matters for resilience
Sketch a three-tier web architecture on paper using a load balancer, compute tier, and managed database
Your checkpoint
A one-page service map listing 20 services grouped by category, each with a one-sentence purpose and one example use case
Cloud Technology and Services
Compare Amazon S3 storage classes and state a cost or access pattern that justifies each
Distinguish block, file, and object storage and match EBS, EFS, and S3 to appropriate use cases
Describe how Amazon VPC subnets, route tables, security groups, and internet gateways combine to expose a public web tier
Explain the shared responsibility model boundaries for a managed database versus a self-managed EC2 database
Your checkpoint
A written comparison table of at least six storage and networking services with use case, durability or scope, and one cost consideration each
Security and Compliance
Define the AWS shared responsibility model and classify ten given tasks as customer or AWS responsibility
Explain how IAM users, groups, roles, and policies combine to grant least-privilege access
Describe when to use an IAM role instead of an access key and why long-term keys are discouraged
Identify the purpose of AWS CloudTrail, AWS Config, and Amazon GuardDuty and the question each answers
Your checkpoint
A scored self-quiz of 20 shared-responsibility and IAM scenarios with written justifications for each answer, targeting 80 percent or better
Security and Compliance
Explain how AWS KMS keys, envelope encryption, and S3 default encryption protect data at rest
Describe encryption in transit with TLS and where certificates are managed in AWS
Summarize the AWS compliance and governance offerings at a high level, including Artifact, Security Hub, and Organizations
Match at least four common threats (DDoS, credential leakage, misconfigured bucket, insider access) to an AWS mitigation service
Your checkpoint
A one-page threat-to-control matrix covering at least eight security services, reviewed against your week 3 notes for gaps
Cloud Concepts
Explain the six advantages of cloud computing and give a concrete example of each
Compare capital expense versus operational expense and describe how the pay-as-you-go model changes budgeting
Distinguish vertical scaling, horizontal scaling, and elasticity with a workload example for each
Describe the AWS Well-Architected Framework pillars and name one design tradeoff per pillar
Your checkpoint
A 300-word written explanation of cloud value for a non-technical stakeholder that correctly uses at least six cloud concepts terms
Billing, Pricing, and Support
Explain the AWS pricing models for compute, storage, and data transfer and identify which costs are usage-based versus fixed
Compare On-Demand, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and Spot pricing and pick the right option for three given scenarios
Describe the purpose of AWS Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, and consolidated billing in AWS Organizations
Identify the support plan tiers and the response-time and advisory differences between them
Your checkpoint
A sample monthly cost estimate for a small two-tier application, with each line item labeled by pricing model and one cost-optimization recommendation
Security and Compliance & Cloud Technology and Services
Integrate security services into the architecture you sketched in week 1 and justify each placement
Explain how AWS Backup, Multi-AZ deployments, and cross-Region replication differ in the resilience they provide
Describe the role of AWS Trusted Advisor, Well-Architected Tool, and Support in ongoing operational review
Resolve ten mixed scenario questions that combine a technology choice with a security or compliance constraint
Your checkpoint
An annotated architecture diagram with at least six services, each labeled with its security control and its resilience mechanism
Cloud Concepts & Security and Compliance & Cloud Technology and Services & Billing, Pricing, and Support
Re-take every missed question from weeks 3 through 7 and write the corrected reasoning for each
Complete two full timed practice sets under exam conditions and log your per-domain accuracy
Review your weakest domain notes for 90 minutes and rewrite the three concepts you most often miss
Confirm exam-day logistics including scheduling, identification, and testing environment requirements
Your checkpoint
A final readiness sheet showing per-domain practice accuracy, a list of remaining weak areas, and a go or reschedule decision with a stated threshold
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 75 percent on a 20-question Domain 3 practice set and explain every missed answer in writing
Week 4: Score at least 80 percent on a combined 30-question Domain 2 set and complete the threat-to-control matrix with no unlabeled services
Week 6: Score at least 75 percent on a 20-question Domain 1 and Domain 4 practice set and produce a cost estimate with no missing line items
Week 8: Score at least 85 percent overall on two timed full practice sets with no domain below 80 percent before sitting the exam