Know what each in-scope service does.
Pass reports describe the exam as mostly service recognition and concepts. Candidates who passed quickly focused on the purpose of each service and the shared responsibility model rather than deep configuration.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Exam Guide
Validates foundational knowledge of cloud concepts, core AWS services, security and compliance, and AWS pricing, billing and support.
CLF-C02 checks that you can describe cloud concepts, recognize what the main AWS services do and explain security, pricing and support basics. Learn the in-scope services from one course, then use practice questions to spot which services and terms you mix up.
Understand the exam
Syllabus
Domain 1Cloud concepts24%
- 1.1Define the benefits of the AWS Cloud
- 1.2Identify design principles of the AWS Cloud
- 1.3Understand the benefits of and strategies for migration to the AWS Cloud
- 1.4Understand concepts of cloud economics
Example scenario: A company buys servers for its peak season and leaves them idle the rest of the year. Which cloud benefit addresses this, and how would you explain it to a finance manager?
Domain 2Security and compliance30%
- 2.1Understand the AWS shared responsibility model
- 2.2Understand AWS Cloud security, governance, and compliance concepts
- 2.3Identify AWS access management capabilities
- 2.4Identify components and resources for security
Example scenario: A team runs a database on EC2 and asks who is responsible for operating system patches. How does the answer change if they move to Amazon RDS?
Domain 3Cloud technology and services34%
- 3.1Define methods of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud
- 3.2Define the AWS global infrastructure
- 3.3Identify AWS compute services
- 3.4Identify AWS database services
- 3.5Identify AWS network services
- 3.6Identify AWS storage services
- 3.7Identify AWS artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) services and analytics services
- 3.8Identify services from other in-scope AWS service categories
Example scenario: An application needs a database for millions of small key-value lookups with no servers to manage. Which AWS service categories would you compare?
Domain 4Billing, pricing, and support12%
- 4.1Compare AWS pricing models
- 4.2Understand resources for billing, budget, and cost management
- 4.3Identify AWS technical resources and AWS Support options
Example scenario: A manager wants an email when this month's spending is likely to exceed a set amount. Which AWS tool would you set up?
Official CLF-C02 exam guide · CLF-C02
Format
- Questions
- 65
- Duration
- 90 min
- Passing score
- 700 / 1000
- Delivery
- Test centre or online
- Languages
- English, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish
Question types
Choose the single best answer from four options; one is correct and three are distractors.
CertUp example
A company wants to stop buying servers for peak demand that sits idle the rest of the year. Which benefit of the AWS Cloud addresses this?
Show answer
Elasticity, so capacity scales up and down with demand. You pay for what you use instead of owning idle capacity.
Choose two or more correct answers from five or more options; you must select every correct option to get credit.
CertUp example
Which TWO tasks are the customer's responsibility under the shared responsibility model when running an application on Amazon EC2?
Show answer
Patching the guest operating system, and configuring security group rules. AWS secures the infrastructure; the customer secures what runs on it.
Eligibility and booking
Create an AWS Certification account with a personal email, choose CLF-C02 and schedule with Pearson VUE at a test centre or online. Non-native English speakers can request 30 extra minutes before booking.
Make a study plan
Read the exam guide's in-scope service list first. Then work through one course and use practice questions to check which services you can tell apart.
Plan for 15–50 hours. Plan for the low end if you already work in IT or with AWS; add time if cloud computing is new to you.
- 1Understand the examRead the syllabus and format, check you’re eligible and pick a target date.2 h
- 3Learn the core conceptsWork through one main course or book, topic by topic.24 h
- 4Practice with mock examsTake timed practice tests and review every mistake.12 h
- 5Prepare for exam dayBook the exam and check the ID and delivery rules.2 h
Learn the core concepts
One complete course is enough to cover the outline. AWS's free Essentials course is the official option; a paid video course adds more demonstrations.
Best free official courseAWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials
Best paid video course[NEW] Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 2026Best for non-technical beginnersAWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Exam TrainingLearn the current support plans. The exam guide lists Basic, Business Support+, Enterprise and Unified Operations. Some older courses still teach the earlier Developer and Business plans.
Practice with mock exams
Start with AWS's free 20-question set to learn the style. Then use a practice bank to find the services and pricing terms you confuse, and read the explanation for every miss.
Official Practice Question Set (CLF-C02)
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Practice Exams CLF-C02Official Practice Exam (CLF-C02)Are you ready?
- You can say what each in-scope service does in a sentence.
- You can explain the shared responsibility model for EC2, RDS and Lambda.
- You finish fresh timed practice exams with time to spare and can explain your wrong answers.
Prepare for exam day
Choose the checklist for your test-centre or online appointment.
Before going to the test centre
Before testing from home
- Bring two accepted IDs matching the name in your AWS Certification account.
- Arrive 15 to 30 minutes before your appointment.
- Store your belongings as instructed. Breaks are allowed, but the exam clock keeps running.
- Run the OnVUE system test on the computer and network you will use.
- Prepare a private room and a clear desk, and have one government-issued photo ID ready.
- Start check-in early. Arriving more than 15 minutes late forfeits the exam fee.
- You cannot leave the camera view or take a break during the exam.
You can reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before the appointment, and reschedule twice at most. Results are posted to your AWS Certification account within five business days.
Advice from exam takers
Use one course plus a practice bank.
Several candidates used a single course, the free official question set and one paid practice bank, then reviewed the explanations rather than adding more courses.
Plan by your background.
People with IT or AWS experience report a few days to two weeks of study. Complete beginners describe one to three months. Pick your hours based on how many of the services are new to you.