AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C04): Complete 2026 Study Guide and Exam Preparation

AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C04): Complete 2026 Study Guide

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C04) certification is one of the most sought-after cloud certifications in the IT industry. With cloud adoption accelerating globally, professionals holding this certification command average salaries of $130,000-$150,000 annually. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to pass the SAA-C04 exam on your first attempt.

What is the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification?

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C04) is an intermediate-level certification that validates your ability to design distributed systems on AWS. Released in late 2024, the C04 version reflects the latest AWS services and architectural best practices, including increased focus on serverless technologies, cost optimization, and security.

This certification demonstrates your competency in:

• Designing resilient, high-performing, secure, and cost-optimized architectures
• Selecting appropriate AWS services based on requirements
• Migrating complex workloads to AWS
• Implementing cost control strategies
• Understanding AWS Well-Architected Framework principles

SAA-C04 Exam Format and Structure

Understanding the exam format is crucial for effective preparation:

• Exam Code: SAA-C04
• Duration: 130 minutes
• Question Count: 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored)
• Question Types: Multiple choice and multiple response
• Passing Score: 720 out of 1000 (approximately 72%)
• Cost: $150 USD
• Validity: 3 years
• Testing Format: Pearson VUE testing center or online proctoring

SAA-C04 Exam Domains and Weightage

The SAA-C04 exam covers four main domains with the following distribution:

Domain 1: Design Secure Architectures (30%)

This is the heaviest weighted domain. Key topics include:

• IAM Best Practices: Users, groups, roles, policies, MFA, and identity federation
• Network Security: Security groups, NACLs, VPC design, VPN, Direct Connect
• Data Protection: Encryption at rest and in transit using KMS, CloudHSM, SSL/TLS
• Compliance: AWS Artifact, compliance programs, shared responsibility model
• Threat Detection: GuardDuty, Inspector, Macie, Security Hub

Domain 2: Design Resilient Architectures (26%)

• High Availability: Multi-AZ deployments, Auto Scaling, Elastic Load Balancing
• Disaster Recovery: Backup strategies, RTO/RPO, pilot light, warm standby
• Decoupling: SQS, SNS, EventBridge, Step Functions
• Data Durability: S3 storage classes, EBS snapshots, RDS backups

Domain 3: Design High-Performing Architectures (24%)

• Compute Optimization: EC2 instance types, Lambda, ECS, EKS, Fargate
• Storage Performance: EBS volume types, EFS, S3 performance features, FSx
• Database Selection: RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, ElastiCache, DocumentDB
• Networking Performance: CloudFront, Global Accelerator, VPC endpoints
• Caching Strategies: CloudFront, ElastiCache, DAX, API Gateway caching

Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures (20%)

• Cost-Effective Compute: Spot Instances, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans
• Storage Optimization: S3 Intelligent-Tiering, lifecycle policies, Glacier
• Database Cost Control: Aurora Serverless, DynamoDB on-demand pricing
• Monitoring and Optimization: Cost Explorer, Budgets, Trusted Advisor

Essential AWS Services You Must Master

The SAA-C04 exam heavily tests your knowledge of core AWS services. Here are the critical services organized by category:

Compute Services

• EC2: Instance types, purchasing options, user data, metadata, placement groups
• Lambda: Serverless functions, triggers, layers, execution models
• ECS/EKS: Container orchestration, task definitions, services
• Elastic Beanstalk: Platform as a Service, deployment strategies

Storage Services

• S3: Storage classes, versioning, lifecycle policies, replication, encryption
• EBS: Volume types (gp3, io2, st1, sc1), snapshots, encryption
• EFS: Network file system, performance modes, storage classes
• Storage Gateway: Hybrid cloud storage, file/volume/tape gateways

Database Services

• RDS: Multi-AZ, Read Replicas, automated backups, encryption
• Aurora: Global databases, serverless, cloning, backtrack
• DynamoDB: Tables, indexes, streams, DAX, global tables
• ElastiCache: Redis vs Memcached, cluster modes, replication

Networking Services

• VPC: Subnets, route tables, internet gateways, NAT gateways
• Route 53: Routing policies, health checks, DNSSEC
• CloudFront: Edge locations, cache behaviors, origin groups
• Load Balancers: ALB, NLB, GLB – use cases and differences

90-Day SAA-C04 Study Plan

Follow this structured study plan to maximize your chances of passing:

Month 1: Foundation Building (Days 1-30)

• Week 1-2: Create free AWS account, complete AWS Cloud Practitioner essentials (if new to AWS)
• Week 3: Study compute services (EC2, Lambda, Auto Scaling)
• Week 4: Study storage services (S3, EBS, EFS)
• Daily Practice: 30-60 minutes hands-on in AWS Console

Month 2: Deep Dive (Days 31-60)

• Week 5: Databases (RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB)
• Week 6: Networking (VPC, Route 53, CloudFront)
• Week 7: Security and identity (IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager)
• Week 8: Application integration (SQS, SNS, EventBridge)
• Daily Practice: Build small projects combining multiple services

Month 3: Practice and Review (Days 61-90)

• Week 9-10: Take 2-3 full practice exams, review weak areas
• Week 11: Intensive review of AWS Well-Architected Framework
• Week 12: Final practice exams, review flagged questions
• Last 3 days: Light review, rest, mental preparation

Best Study Resources for SAA-C04

Official AWS Resources (Free)

• AWS Skill Builder: Free digital training courses and labs
• AWS Documentation: Comprehensive service documentation
• AWS Whitepapers: Well-Architected Framework, security best practices
• AWS Free Tier: Hands-on practice with 60+ services
• Official Exam Guide: Download from AWS Training portal

Paid Resources (Worth the Investment)

• Stephane Maarek’s Course (Udemy): Consistently top-rated, comprehensive coverage
• Adrian Cantrill’s Course: Deep technical focus with advanced labs
• Tutorials Dojo Practice Exams: Most realistic exam simulators
• A Cloud Guru/Pluralsight: Video courses with hands-on labs

SAA-C04 vs SAA-C03: What’s New?

If you’re familiar with the previous version, here are the key changes in SAA-C04:

• Increased Serverless Focus: More questions on Lambda, API Gateway, Step Functions
• Modern Database Services: Aurora Serverless v2, DynamoDB global tables
• Container Services: Greater emphasis on ECS, EKS, Fargate
• Cost Optimization: Savings Plans, Compute Optimizer, Cost Anomaly Detection
• Security Enhancements: Security Hub, Network Firewall, WAF v2
• Reduced Legacy Focus: Less emphasis on EC2-Classic, older RDS versions

Common Exam Scenarios and Solutions

Understanding these common scenarios will help you tackle exam questions effectively:

Scenario 1: High Availability Web Application

Question Pattern: “Design a highly available web application…”
Solution Components:

• Multi-AZ Application Load Balancer
• Auto Scaling group across multiple AZs
• RDS Multi-AZ or Aurora with read replicas
• S3 for static content with CloudFront CDN
• Route 53 health checks and failover routing

Scenario 2: Cost Optimization for Predictable Workloads

Question Pattern: “Reduce costs for steady-state workloads…”
Solution Components:

• Reserved Instances or Savings Plans for baseline capacity
• Spot Instances for fault-tolerant, flexible workloads
• S3 Intelligent-Tiering or lifecycle policies
• RDS Reserved Instances
• CloudWatch monitoring to right-size resources

Scenario 3: Data Protection and Compliance

Question Pattern: “Ensure data encryption and meet compliance requirements…”
Solution Components:

• KMS for encryption key management
• S3 default encryption and versioning
• RDS encryption at rest and SSL in transit
• VPC endpoints to keep traffic private
• CloudTrail for audit logging
• Config for compliance monitoring

Exam Day Tips and Strategies

• Time Management: You have 2 minutes per question. Flag difficult questions and return later
• Elimination Strategy: AWS questions often have 2 obviously wrong answers. Eliminate those first
• Watch for Keywords: “Most cost-effective”, “highest performance”, “minimal operational overhead”
• Beware of Over-Engineering: AWS prefers simple, managed solutions over complex custom ones
• Read Carefully: Questions may ask for “what to do FIRST” or “what is NOT recommended”
• Use Process of Elimination: Remove obviously incorrect answers to improve odds

After Passing: Career Opportunities

The AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification opens numerous career paths:

• Cloud Solutions Architect: $120,000-$160,000 average salary
• DevOps Engineer: $110,000-$150,000 average salary
• Cloud Migration Specialist: $130,000-$170,000 average salary
• AWS Technical Consultant: $125,000-$165,000 average salary

Many professionals use this certification as a stepping stone to advanced certifications like Solutions Architect Professional or specialized certifications in Security, Machine Learning, or Advanced Networking.

Conclusion

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C04) certification is an excellent investment in your cloud computing career. With dedicated preparation using the 90-day study plan outlined above, hands-on practice with AWS services, and quality practice exams, you can confidently pass the certification on your first attempt.

Remember that certification is just the beginning. Continuous learning and real-world experience with AWS services will solidify your expertise and maximize the career benefits of this valuable credential.

Start your preparation today, leverage the free AWS resources available, and join the thousands of certified AWS Solutions Architects building the cloud infrastructure of tomorrow.