AWCC study plan

Define the core AWCC terminology set (platform objects, workspace/tenant hierarchy, configuration artifacts, policy constructs) in your own words and map each term to the domain where it is tested

Summarize the six exam domains and their weightings, then rank them by study priority based on your current experience

Build a personal glossary of at least 40 terms with one-line definitions and one example use each

Identify which platform components you have hands-on access to and note gaps where you will need lab or documentation study

Explain how the platform's core architectural components interact (control plane vs. runtime, configuration storage, tooling entry points)

Describe the available tooling interfaces (CLI, API, console/UI, SDKs) and state which tasks each is best suited for

Set up or verify access to a working environment and confirm you can authenticate and list existing resources

Diagram the environment topology from user/tool entry point through to the managed resources

Install and configure the primary CLI/SDK tooling and confirm version and authentication state

Create a minimal working configuration artifact (workspace/project plus one resource) end to end

Document every required parameter and default value encountered during the build

Break and then repair the configuration to observe validation error messages

Implement a multi-resource configuration that exercises at least three distinct resource types

Apply environment-specific parameterization or variable overrides and verify the resulting differences

Test configuration validation and rollback behavior by introducing a deliberate error and reverting

Compare two configuration approaches (e.g., declarative file vs. imperative commands) and record trade-offs

Extend the configuration with a dependency between resources and verify correct ordering

Instrument the deployment with logging and at least two monitoring signals (metrics or health checks)

Write a troubleshooting decision tree covering the five most likely failure modes you can name

Reproduce one failure from your decision tree and resolve it using only logs and diagnostics

Define baseline alert thresholds and explain what each alert indicates operationally

Describe the identity and access model: how permissions are granted, scoped, and audited

Apply least-privilege principles to your lab configuration and verify the reduced permissions still work

List the compliance-relevant controls (audit logging, data handling, secret management) and where each is configured

Re-read the official exam objectives and mark each sub-objective as confident, shaky, or unknown

Close at least five 'unknown' items through documentation study or lab practice

Explain the certification scope boundaries: what the exam does and does not cover

Review your glossary and correct any definitions that proved inaccurate during hands-on work

Complete two timed full-length practice runs under exam conditions and score them by domain

Re-study only the two lowest-scoring domains using your own glossary and playbook

Recite the core terminology and architecture from memory without notes

Finalize a one-page pre-exam summary sheet of facts, defaults, and common pitfalls