AWS Solutions Architect Professional study plan
AWS Solutions Architect Professional · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Designing and deploying dynamically scalable, highly available, fault-tolerant, and reliable applications on AWS
Compare tightly coupled versus loosely coupled designs and identify the decoupling boundaries in a three-tier web application
Diagram an active-active multi-Region architecture using Route 53 failover and health checks, labeling every single point of failure
Configure target tracking, step scaling, and scheduled scaling policies in a sandbox Auto Scaling group and observe the behavior under synthetic load
Map each application tier to a disaster recovery strategy (backup and restore, pilot light, warm standby, active-active) and justify the chosen RTO and RPO
Your checkpoint
One resilience design document containing an architecture diagram plus a table mapping every tier to its DR strategy, RTO, RPO, and the specific AWS mechanisms that meet them
Designing and deploying dynamically scalable, highly available, fault-tolerant, and reliable applications on AWS & Selecting appropriate AWS services to design and deploy an application based on a set of requirements
Build a queue-based decoupled workload with SQS, a dead-letter queue, and idempotent consumers, then force a poison message and confirm the DLQ captures it
Evaluate EC2, ECS on Fargate, Lambda, and AWS Batch against three written workload profiles and defend the selection criteria
Test Multi-AZ failover versus read replica promotion behavior for RDS and Aurora and record the observed downtime for each
Write a service-selection decision record recommending compute, storage, database, and networking services for a fictional three-tier application
Your checkpoint
A one-page architecture decision record covering compute, storage, database, and networking choices for a three-tier application, with explicit rejection reasons for the two closest alternatives per layer
Selecting appropriate AWS services to design and deploy an application based on a set of requirements
Design a hybrid connectivity topology combining Direct Connect with a VPN backup path and Transit Gateway routing, and document the failover behavior
Compare S3 storage classes, Intelligent-Tiering, and lifecycle transition rules, then choose a class per access pattern
Distinguish when to use S3, EFS, FSx for Windows File Server, and FSx for Lustre for four given workload descriptions
Differentiate SNS, SQS, EventBridge, and Kinesis Data Streams by delivery model, ordering, and fan-out and select one per scenario
Your checkpoint
A requirements-to-service matrix answering 12 written scenario prompts, with a written justification for each answer and an accuracy target of at least 10 of 12
Migrating complex, multi-tier applications to AWS
Inventory application dependencies and external integrations for a simulated on-premises three-tier application and group them into migration waves
Assign a migration strategy from the 6 Rs to each application in the inventory and justify every assignment
Design a DMS plus Schema Conversion Tool cutover with ongoing replication and a data validation step
Write a cutover runbook that includes pre-cutover checks, DNS switchover, and a tested rollback path
Your checkpoint
A migration plan document with dependency graph, wave sequencing, per-application 6 Rs rationale, and a rollback procedure for each wave
Migrating complex, multi-tier applications to AWS & Designing and deploying enterprise-wide scalable operations on AWS
Execute a small end-to-end migration lab that moves a tier from a simulated source into AWS and performs the cutover using your week 4 runbook
Design a multi-account structure using AWS Control Tower, an OU hierarchy, and service control policies that enforce guardrails
Centralize logging, CloudTrail, and security findings across accounts into a dedicated log archive and security account
Evaluate network segmentation options for a multi-account landing zone, including shared VPC versus VPC peering versus Transit Gateway
Your checkpoint
A landing zone design package containing an account and OU diagram, a list of at least 10 service control policies with the exact condition each enforces, and a centralized logging flow diagram
Designing and deploying enterprise-wide scalable operations on AWS & Implementing cost control strategies
Automate provisioning of a new account baseline with infrastructure as code and a repeatable pipeline
Design a tagging taxonomy plus cost allocation tags, budgets, and Cost Anomaly Detection alerts for an organization
Compare On-Demand, Savings Plans, Reserved Instances, and Spot for a workload mix of steady-state and bursty capacity
Build a shared services VPC with centralized egress and inspect traffic with a firewall appliance
Your checkpoint
A cost model spreadsheet comparing On-Demand versus Savings Plans versus Spot across a steady plus bursty workload, ending in a single projected monthly savings figure for the recommended mix
Implementing cost control strategies & Designing and deploying dynamically scalable, highly available, fault-tolerant, and reliable applications on AWS
Reduce storage spend by configuring S3 lifecycle rules, Intelligent-Tiering, and EBS gp3 migration in a sandbox account
Identify over-provisioned resources using Compute Optimizer and Trusted Advisor and record the recommended rightsizing action for each
Compile a cost optimization checklist in which every lever is paired with the AWS tool that surfaces it and an estimated percentage saving
Re-attempt the practice questions missed in weeks 1 through 4 and rewrite each explanation in your own words
Your checkpoint
A cost optimization checklist of at least 12 levers, each with the surfacing tool, the exact configuration change, and an estimated percentage saving
Designing and deploying dynamically scalable, highly available, fault-tolerant, and reliable applications on AWS & Selecting appropriate AWS services to design and deploy an application based on a set of requirements & Migrating complex, multi-tier applications to AWS & Designing and deploying enterprise-wide scalable operations on AWS & Implementing cost control strategies
Complete two timed 75-question, 180-minute practice sets under exam conditions with no reference material
Categorize every missed question by domain and by failure mode (knowledge gap, misread requirement, or elimination error)
Re-drill the two weakest domains with targeted labs and re-test only those domains
Write a one-page exam-day strategy covering question triage, flagging rules, and time budget per question
Your checkpoint
A final timed practice set scored at or above 80 percent, accompanied by a written review categorizing every missed question by domain and failure mode
Milestones
Week 2: Deliver the resilience design document and the architecture decision record, and score at least 70 percent on a 30-question untimed set covering Domains 1 and 2
Week 4: Score at least 70 percent on a 40-question timed set covering Domains 1, 2, and 3, and have the migration plan reviewed against a checklist of dependency, wave, and rollback completeness
Week 6: Score at least 75 percent on a 40-question timed set covering Domains 3, 4, and 5, and present the cost model with a defensible projected monthly savings figure
Week 8: Score at least 80 percent on two separate full-length timed practice sets and show that no single domain falls below 65 percent