Testing Vendor Experience

I took the exam through Pearson Vue, starting promptly at 10 AM with a check-in scheduled for 9:30 AM. I had completed system checks in advance and was using a MacBook Pro (Intel) in a dedicated, cleared room for the test.

The check-in process required me to conduct another system check, which initially failed because my internal microphone was not registering sound. It was a bit embarrassing to audibly test my microphone, but I pressed on.

Next, I scanned my ID using my mobile phone. I had turned off my phone and placed it out of reach, causing a slight delay before I was ready to proceed, with my ID confirmed.

I was then required to take four photos:

• A front-facing photo at my desk.
• A picture of the back of my desk (against a wall).
• A left-side photo from my room.
• A right-side photo from my room.

Once that was completed, the proctor requested a final scan of my room with my laptop camera and instructed me to disconnect my external monitor.

During the exam, I received a chat message asking me to stop touching my face, which was a fair request. Overall, I’d rate the vendor experience an 8/10—no significant issues arose.

Exam Structure — Part 1

The exam consisted of 55 questions, and overall, the quality of the questions was commendable. However, I encountered one question that seemed to lack sufficient information for a clear answer. Given my background, I can usually identify these discrepancies easily, but I chalked it up to a minor quality assurance issue, which is understandable for a BETA exam.

After answering the 55 questions, I had the chance to review them. Any flagged questions were highlighted, and I could only proceed to the next section once I was satisfied, with the warning that returning to the question section was not permitted.

Exam Structure — Part 2

The second segment of the exam comprised labs, which I had been eagerly anticipating. I faced three labs, each recommended to take around 20 minutes. The total time was allocated for all labs, as they were not individually timed, but it was essential to manage my time effectively.

Each lab followed a straightforward process: I logged in to the AWS console from a Windows desktop interface and was presented with a scenario instructing me to create or implement specific tasks.

The lab topics were quite relevant:

• Utilize AWS Config to enforce compliance.
• Configure a scalable application, including VPC, load balancers, and security groups.
• Set up data buckets with logging as per specified requirements.

I estimated each lab could be completed in 15–20 minutes, provided everything functioned correctly, and I was careful to double-check my work.

However, I did face some significant issues.

Issue 1 — User Interface

While navigating the AWS console, I couldn't locate the NEXT or FINISH buttons, as they were positioned off the bottom of the maximized window. Attempts to scroll or adjust the zoom settings were unsuccessful. To resolve this, I had to resize the browser window, which resulted in a white screen initially, but eventually allowed me to scroll and access the buttons.

I would rate this experience a 3/10—very distracting and frustrating, causing delays in my progress.

Issue 2 — Copy and Paste Limitations

Copy and paste functionality was inconsistent during the exam, with only about 10% success. A notice suggested checking a desktop file for instructions, but that too had issues. As a result, I had to manually type lengthy strings, which was cumbersome and time-consuming.

This aspect deserves a 1/10 rating for an exceedingly poor experience.

Issue 3 — Lab Completion Challenges

Upon finishing a lab, I received an unexpected message indicating that I hadn't viewed all multimedia content. It took several minutes to realize I needed to scroll throughout the entire desktop interface before I could submit my work.

This could have posed a significant barrier for many candidates, earning another 1/10 in my assessment.

Overall, the labs were technically strong, and the emphasis on real-world skills makes it hard to pass merely through rote memorization; however, the implementation aspects require substantial improvement, meriting an 8/10.

Question Topics

While adhering to NDA restrictions, I will outline essential knowledge areas you should be familiar with without revealing specific question content.

• Understand all DNS record types and their applications.
• Familiarize yourself with Route 53 routing types, including failover and geolocation.
• Master CloudFront security measures, including signed URLs and access restrictions.
• Be fluent in the use of pre-signed URLs with S3.
• Know encryption options for all AWS storage services.
• Distinguish which settings can only be established at creation versus those adjustable later.
• Learn the architecture and availability of EFS.
• Understand VPC flow logs, CloudTrail, S3 logs, and how to interpret them.
• Grasp the implications of using both NACL and security groups simultaneously.
• Diagnose connectivity issues with EC2 instances.
• Understand high availability using Auto Scaling Groups (ASGs).
• Familiarize yourself with Spot Fleets and their operational features.
• Learn how to configure S3 bucket policies and access restrictions.

Main Product Coverage — Master These:

• EC2, Lambda, S3, EFS, Glacier, Storage Gateway, RDS, DynamoDB, VPC, CloudFront, Route 53, CloudWatch, IAM, WAF, and others.

A Few Final Thoughts

2. Be cautious of existing courses that quickly rebrand themselves as 'SOA-C02 Compatible'; this exam represents a significant shift, requiring genuine learning rather than surface-level knowledge.
3. Demos are critical—this new certification format emphasizes practical skills, so ensure you practice your implementation and troubleshooting abilities regularly. I have a demos repository available to help.
4. I will continue to share insights and recommendations as I learn more.

Please stay tuned for updates, and feel free to share this content wherever it might be beneficial.