If you are new to IT, take AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) first. If you already work on Linux servers or write code, skip it and go straight to Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03).

Either way, build something on a free AWS account before you book. The badge says you studied. A small project you can explain says you can do the work.

What is the difference between Cloud Practitioner and Solutions Architect Associate?

AWS says Cloud Practitioner is "designed for candidates new to Cloud who may not have an information technology (IT) background." It has 65 questions in 90 minutes and costs USD 100. The official exam guide says coding, designing cloud architecture and troubleshooting are out of scope.

Solutions Architect Associate is a design exam. It also has 65 questions, but you get 130 minutes, and it costs USD 150. Its exam guide says the target candidate has at least one year of hands-on experience designing solutions on AWS.

The questions differ too. Cloud Practitioner asks which AWS service fits a common need. The Associate exam describes what a company needs, then asks for the design that is the most secure, the most resilient, the fastest or the cheapest.

Who should take Cloud Practitioner first?

Take it first if words like subnet, IAM role or region still feel new. Security is 30 percent of the exam, and billing, pricing and support is 12 percent.

That billing part matters here, because AWS bills in US dollars. A beginner who forgets to stop a test server pays for it in dollars. The billing part of this exam teaches you how AWS charges before you make that mistake.

There is also a voucher. After you pass any AWS exam, you get a 50 percent discount voucher for a future exam. So Cloud Practitioner plus a discounted Associate costs USD 175 in exam money. The Associate alone costs USD 150. For USD 25 more, a first timer gets a second badge and a full practice run of the online exam, the proctor and the clock.

When should you skip it?

Skip it if you can already log in to a server with SSH, read its logs and explain what a security group does. Cloud Practitioner will teach you little that you do not already know.

Be honest with yourself here. If you fail, AWS says you must wait 14 days and pay the full price again. Failing the Associate once costs USD 300 in all, more than the USD 175 route through Cloud Practitioner.

Ask for 30 extra minutes if English is your second language

AWS gives a 30 minute extension to non-native English speakers who take an exam in English. It is called ESL +30.

You must ask for it before you register for the exam. Sign in to your AWS Certification account, open Request Exam Accommodations, and choose ESL +30 MINUTES. AWS says you only ask once, and it applies to your later exams too. The full steps are on the AWS before testing page.

On the Associate exam, that turns 130 minutes into 160, which is a lot of time for reading long questions slowly.

How do you take an AWS exam from Nepal?

You book through Pearson VUE from your AWS Certification account. You can sit the exam at a Pearson VUE test centre, if one near you offers AWS exams, or online from home. Online, you use your own computer in a private room, and a proctor watches through your webcam and a shared screen. AWS says English proctoring runs 24 hours a day, every day.

You pay in US dollars, and AWS notes that foreign exchange costs may apply. Check that your card allows online payments in dollars before the day you plan to book. A pass is valid for three years.

What to do before you book any AWS exam

Open an AWS account and stay on the Free plan. AWS gives new accounts USD 100 in credits, and up to USD 100 more for trying key services. The account closes after six months or when the credits run out. The details are on the AWS Free plan page.

Then do three things in this order:

  • Turn on MFA (a second login step) and set budget alarms at USD 1, 5 and 20.
  • Start one small EC2 server, put a file in an S3 bucket, and give a user only the access they need through IAM.
  • Delete everything, and check the bill the next day.

Next, take the free Cloud Practitioner Essentials course on AWS Skill Builder. Then read the official CLF-C02 exam guide and its list of in-scope services. Mark every service you cannot explain in one sentence. That list is your study plan.

Does an AWS certificate get you a job in Nepal?

Not on its own. Most DevOps job posts ask for two or more years of experience. A realistic first goal is a cloud or DevOps internship, or a junior cloud support role. These are posted on company career pages, merojob, KumariJob, JobAxle and LinkedIn.

A badge shows you studied. Put it next to a project on GitHub that you can explain step by step, including what broke and how you fixed it.

How we fit certification into our course

At Saarathi Academy in Old Baneshwor, Kathmandu, the Cloud Computing and DevOps course runs for 10 weeks. Week 4 is AWS on the Free plan, with MFA, IAM, EC2, S3, VPC and budget alarms. Weeks 1 to 3 cover Linux, Git and networking first, because AWS makes little sense without them.

AWS exams are optional, and you pay AWS directly if you sit one. In Week 10 you get a certification plan: Cloud Practitioner as an optional first badge, then Solutions Architect Associate with the 50 percent voucher. Classes run in person and online, with up to 10 students in the classroom.

Tonight, open the CLF-C02 exam guide linked above and read the in-scope services list. Count how many you could explain to a friend.

The week-by-week plan is on the Cloud Computing and DevOps course page, and the full syllabus is public.