Complete Roadmap to Become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Home » Complete Roadmap to Become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate in 2026

Introduction

If you’re planning to kick start or level up your cloud career in 2026, the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) is your golden ticket.
It validates your ability to design, deploy, and secure scalable cloud architectures using AWS — the world’s leading cloud platform.In this guide, we’ll break down a complete step-by-step roadmap — from understanding basics to mastering advanced topics — designed for both beginners and working professionals.

Table Of Contents

Introduction
Roadmap Timeline Overview
Exam Details (SAA-C03)
Bonus Tips for Success
Final Words

Roadmap Timeline Overview

Phase	Duration	Focus Area	Outcome
Phase 1	Week 1–2	AWS Fundamentals	Understand AWS ecosystem & services
Phase 2	Week 3–6	Core AWS Services	Master EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, VPC
Phase 3	Week 7–9	High Availability & Architecture Design	Learn design patterns & fault tolerance
Phase 4	Week 10–12	Security, Monitoring & Cost Optimization	Secure your infra & manage cost effectively
Phase 5	Week 13–14	Practice Labs & Mock Exams	Real-world projects & exam readiness
Phase 6	Ongoing	Hands-On & Continuous Learning	Keep updated with AWS innovations

Phase 1: Build Strong AWS Foundations (Week 1–2)

Goal:

Understand the core AWS concepts and how cloud computing works.

Topics to Cover:

What is Cloud Computing (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
AWS Global Infrastructure: Regions, AZs, Edge Locations
AWS Management Console & CLI
IAM (Identity and Access Management)
Billing and AWS Free Tier usage

Resources:

AWS Skill Builder – Cloud Practitioner Essentials (Free)
AWS Whitepaper: Overview of Amazon Web Services

YouTube playlist: AWS Learning Zone – AWS Basics for Beginners

Phase 2: Master Core AWS Services (Week 3–6)

Goal:

Get hands-on with the most-used AWS components that form the backbone of every architecture

Key Services:

Compute

EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) – Launch & manage instances
Auto Scaling, Load Balancers (ALB/NLB)
Lambda (Serverless computing)

Storage

S3 (Simple Storage Service) – Buckets, versioning, lifecycle policies
EBS (Elastic Block Storage)
EFS (Elastic File System)

Databases

RDS (Relational Database Service)
DynamoDB (NoSQL database)
ElastiCache

Networking

VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) – Subnets, Route Tables, Security Groups
NAT Gateways & Internet Gateways
Route 53 – DNS management

Practice

Launch an EC2 instance, attach an EBS volume, and connect via SSH or EC2 Instance Connect
Host a static website on S3
Create a custom VPC with public and private subnets

Phase 3: Design for High Availability & Fault Tolerance (Week 7–9)

Goal

Learn how to design scalable, resilient, and secure architectures — key focus of the certification.

Topics

Multi-AZ & Multi-Region deployment strategies
Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB)
Auto Scaling Groups
S3 cross-region replication
RDS Read Replicas & Failover setups
Caching strategies using CloudFront & ElastiCache

Hands-On

Build a Highly Available WordPress app using EC2 + RDS + ALB
Configure S3 static hosting with CloudFront CDN

Phase 4: Security, Monitoring & Cost Optimization (Week 10–12)

Goal:

Understand AWS’s best practices for security, monitoring, and cost efficiency.

Topics:

Security

IAM policies & roles
KMS (Key Management Service)
AWS Config, CloudTrail, GuardDuty

Monitoring

CloudWatch Metrics & Alarms
AWS Trusted Advisor
AWS Well-Architected Framework

Cost Optimization

Right-sizing instances
Reserved vs. On-Demand vs. Spot Instances
AWS Cost Explorer & Budgets

Hands-On:

Enable billing alerts using CloudWatch
Create IAM policies for least privilege access
Use Trusted Advisor to optimize cost and performance

Phase 5: Practice & Mock Exams (Week 13–14)

Goal:

Test your knowledge and get exam-ready.

What to Do:

Solve 500+ practice questions from trusted resources
Take 3–5 full-length mock exams
Analyze AWS whitepapers — Well-Architected Framework, Security Best Practices, Cost Optimization.

Key Tools:

AWS Skill Builder Quizzes
Exam Readiness: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (Free Course)

Phase 6: Real-World Practice & Continuous Learning (Ongoing)

Goal:

Move from certification prep to real-world expertise.

Projects to Try:

Deploy a 3-tier architecture (Web + App + DB)
Create a CI/CD pipeline using CodePipeline + CodeBuild + EC2
Implement multi-account architecture using AWS Organizations

Continuous Learning:

Follow AWS re:Invent sessions
Join AWS Community Groups
Read AWS Blog for updates and new features

Exam Details (SAA-C03)

Category	Details
Exam Format	Multiple choice, multiple response
Duration	130 minutes
Cost	USD $150
Passing Score	~72% (varies)
Validity	3 years

Bonus Tips for Success

Spend 70% time on hands-on labs and 30% on theory
Read AWS FAQs (EC2, S3, VPC, RDS — highly important!)
Review AWS whitepapers weekly
Focus on design questions, not just configurations

Final Words

The AWS Solutions Architect – Associate certification isn’t just about passing an exam — it’s about mastering the cloud mindset.
By following this period-wise roadmap, you’ll confidently design, deploy, and manage AWS workloads like a true professional.👉 Start your journey today with AWS Learning Zone, and let’s make 2026 your year to become a Certified AWS Architect!