Important: Complete both the courses and study material suggested in the My AWS SysOps Associate study guide and My AWS Developer Associate study guide first as this has some overlap. After you have completed these, then follow the study guide below.

Please review the following in addition to my
AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Notes.

1. My Study Guide for AWS DevOps Engineer Professional

2. AWS Workshops for DevOps:

AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Exam tests your hands on experience, So I highly recommend you gain some hands on experience using the following workshops:

• Introduction to AWS Code Family
• Building event-driven architectures on AWS
• AWS CloudFormation Workshop
• One Observability Workshop - Focus on AWS CloudWatch

FAQs:

1. Which video courses do I need to take?
   If you haven't completed all three associate certifications, then I recommend completing Stephane's Sys Ops and Developer Associate courses first.

2. How long does it take to prepare?
   If you have completed Sys Ops and Developer Associate exams then probably a month or two. Otherwise you might need at least 4-6 months.
   It took me six months in total (part time and a bit on and off due to some other activities).
   I suggest taking the exam as soon as you can after completing the Associate level certifications as the concepts will be fresh in your mind and you would have built up the momentum to complete the next certification level.

3. What if I do not feel confident to take the exam?
   I didn't feel confident even after completing the practice exams, so I took AWS SkillBuilder - Exam Prep Standard Course: AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional which helped me gain confidence. This course has precisely everything that is needed for the Professional exam (re:Invent videos, FAQs, blogs, etc.)

4. How is the Professional exam different to an Associate exam?
   The Professional exam is very different to the Associate exam as some of the questions are longer and some questions have two correct answers. It is important to pick the most appropriate answer based on the requirement in the question. Most importantly, AWS DevOps Engineer Professional exam tests your hands on experience.

5. What happens if I don't pass the practice exams?
   Try to score close to 70% in any practice exam in your first attempt. Don't be worried if you don't pass on your first attempt.

6. What do I do if I discover that I still have some weak areas after doing the practice exams?
   During the practice exams, if you find any areas that you seem to be weak in, then read more about those particular services in the AWS documentation.

7. What tools do I get to use during the exam at the test centre?
   I was given a pen and erasable sheet.

8. Where should I take the exam - online or at the test centre?
   You can take the exam anywhere but my preference is taking the test at a test center.

Note: I haven't included white-papers, FAQ's and workshops in this guide as I completed them during my preparation for the Associate exam.

3. AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Notes

4. Exam Tips

1. During the exam, I marked the questions I was unsure of for review. At the end of the exam, I had about 20 questions for review, which made me feel slightly confident that I might pass the exam.

2. Make sure that you don't leave any questions unanswered as there is no negative marking.

3. It is also very important to know the basics, the exam will test you on the basics as well.

4. DO NOT attempt to answer the questions based on key words alone, ensure you read all the answers as well.
   For example: Whenever we see cost, we tend to think of 'Reserved' but that may not always be the case for some scenarios.
   You will notice this when you do the live practice exams.

5. If English is your second language, you can request for ESL+30 mins before booking the exam from certmetrics > Request Exam Accomodations and wait for the approval. It might take a couple of days for the approval to come through.

5. More AWS Labs

AWS Labs/Workshops

1. This is a list of labs which you can use for further practice, using your own AWS account. This is optional as some of these labs are quite advanced.