CEA-C01 AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Exam

In today’s cloud-driven world, Amazon Web Services (AWS) stands as the leading cloud platform powering businesses across industries. The CEA-C01 AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification legalizes your ability to design and organize scalable, highly available and fault-tolerant systems on AWS. Whether you’re an IT professional looking to advance your career or a cloud supporter looking for industry recognition, this certification opens doors to profitable opportunities.

This detailed guide will walk you finished all you need to know about the CEA-C01 exam from its structure and key topics to proven study strategies and important AWS services. By the end you’ll have a clear roadmap to certification success.

Why the CEA-C01 Certification Matters in 2025

1. Industry Demand for AWS Skills

AWS holds over 30% of the overall cloud market share making it the most generally adopted cloud stage. Companies peacefully search for AWS-certified professionals to optimize cloud infrastructure reduce costs and improve security.

2. Career Advancement & Salary Potential

AWS Solutions Architects earn an average salary of $130,000+ per year (Source: Payscale)
Certified professionals frequently secure promotions, leadership roles and consulting opportunities

3. Hands-On Cloud Expertise

The CEA-C01 exam tests real-world skills in:

Designing secure cloud architectures
Executing cost-optimized solutions
Ensuring high availability and fault acceptance

4. Global Recognition

AWS certifications are respected global giving you a reasonable advantage in job markets across North America, Europe and Asia.

CEA-C01 Exam Breakdown: What You Need to Know

Exam Format & Key Details

Detail	Specification
Exam Code	CEA-C01
Exam Name	AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Duration	130 minutes
Number of Questions	65 (Multiple-choice & multiple-response)
Passing Score	720/1000
Exam Fee	$150 USD
Languages Available	English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese

Exam Domains & Weightings

The CEA-C01 exam focuses on four serious domains:

1. Designing Secure Architectures (30%)

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Data encryption (KMS, SSL/TLS)
Network security (Security Groups, NACLs, AWS Shield)

2. Designing Resilient Architectures (26%)

High Availability (Multi-AZ, Auto Scaling)
Disaster Recovery (Backup, S3 Cross-Region Replication)
Fault Acceptance (Elastic Load Balancing, Route 53)

3. Designing High-Performing Architectures (24%)

Storage optimization (EBS, S3 storage classes)
Content Delivery (CloudFront, Global Accelerator)
Multiply optimization (EC2 instance types, Lambda)

4. Designing Cost-Optimized Architectures (20%)

AWS Pricing Models (On-Demand, Reserved, Spot Instances)
Cost Monitoring (AWS Cost Explorer, Trusted Advisor)
Right-Sizing Resources

Step-by-Step CEA-C01 Preparation Strategy

1. Understand the Official Exam Guide

AWS provides a detailed exam blueprint review it to identify key topics.

2. Take an AWS Training Course

AWS Skill Builder (Free & Paid Courses)
A Cloud Guru (Practical Labs)
Udemy (Stephane Maarek’s Course – Highly Recommended)

3. Get Hands-On with AWS Free Tier

Practice organizing:

EC2 instances (Linux/Windows)
S3 buckets (Static website hosting)
RDS databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL)
Lambda functions (Serverless applications)

4. Solve Practice Exams

Seminars Dojo (Best for scenario-based questions)
Whizlabs (Detailed explanations)
AWS Official Practice Test

5. Join AWS Communities

Reddit (r/AWS Certifications)
AWS Developer Forums
LinkedIn Groups (AWS Certified Solutions Architects)

Top 10 AWS Services to Master for CEA-C01

1. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)

Key Concepts: Example types, AMIs, EBS volumes
Exam Tip: Know when to use On-Demand vs. Spot Instances

2. Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)

Key Concepts: Storage classes (Standard, Intelligent-Tiering, Glacier)
Exam Tip: Recognize S3 Cross-Region Replication for tragedy recovery

3. Amazon VPC (Virtual Private Cloud)

Key Concepts: Subnets, Route Tables, NAT Gateways
Exam Tip: Know VPC Examining vs. Transit Gateway

4. AWS Lambda (Serverless Computing)

Key Concepts: Event triggers, Cold Start optimization
Exam Tip: Lambda participates with API Gateway, S3, DynamoDB

5. Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service)

Key Concepts: Multi-AZ distributions, Read Replicas
Exam Tip: Aurora is a frequently tested high-performance option

6. Amazon CloudFront (CDN)

Key Concepts: Advantage locations, TTL settings
Exam Tip: Use with S3 for static website hosting

7. AWS IAM (Identity & Access Management)

Key Concepts: Policies, Roles, MFA
Exam Tip: Least Pleasure Principle is serious

8. AWS Auto Scaling

Key Concepts: Scrabbling policies, Lifecycle hooks
Exam Tip: Works with EC2, DynamoDB, Aurora

9. AWS Route 53 (DNS Service)

Key Concepts: Routing policies (Weighted, Invisibility, Failover)
Exam Tip: Know Alias Records vs. CNAME

10. AWS Cloud Formation (Infrastructure as Code)

Key Concepts: Templates, Stacks
Exam Tip: YAML/JSON format questions may appear

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the CEA-C01 Exam

1. Ignoring the AWS Well-Architected Framework

This structure is important for designing secure high-performing systems.

2. Underestimating Cost Optimization Questions

AWS expects you to minimize costs without sacrificing performance.

3. Skipping Hands-On Labs

Theoretical knowledge isn’t enough practice organizing real AWS services.

4. Poor Time Management

First Pass: Answer easy questions quickly
Second Pass: Review flagged questions

Final Tips to Pass CEA-C01 on Your First Attempt

Focus on Weak Areas Use practice tests to identify gaps
Read AWS Whitepapers Specifically “AWS Well-Architected Framework”
Join Study Groups Discuss concepts with associates
Simulate Exam Conditions Take timed practice tests

Start Your CEA-C01 Journey Today!

The CEA-C01 exam AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam is interesting but achievable with the right strategy. By following this guide, utilizing practical practice and using high-quality study materials you’ll be well-prepared to pass and advance your cloud career.

Ready to get certified? Enroll in a CEA-C01 training course today and take the first step toward AWS mastery.

FAQs About the CEA-C01 Exam

Q1: How long does it take to prepare for CEA-C01?

Most candidates need 6–8 weeksof loyal study (2–3 hours daily).

Q2: Is coding required for CEA-C01?

No, but basic CLI and scripting knowledge (Python, Bash) helps.

Q3: What’s the best study resource for CEA-C01?

Stephane Maarek’s Udemy Course (Best for beginners)
Tutorials Dojo Practice Tests (Best for exam imaginary)