Free AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 Exam Questions and Answers
Replaces AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C02. Questions from the earlier version are also in this bank.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) is the exam AWS sets for people who design systems on its cloud. It runs 130 minutes, asks 65 multiple-choice and multiple-response questions, and is scored from 100 to 1000 with 720 to pass — compensatory scoring, so a weak domain can be carried by a strong one. Four domains are weighted: secure architectures 30%, resilient architectures 26%, high-performing architectures 24%, cost-optimised architectures 20%. There is no formal prerequisite, though AWS recommends about a year of hands-on design work. Security carries the most marks and repays the most study. The bank also holds questions from the earlier SAA-C01 and SAA-C02 versions of this exam.
Candidates comparing SAA-C03 exam dumps, ExamTopics and other SAA-C03 practice tests use this page for the answers and explanations behind each question. Download the free SAA-C03 PDF, then sit the timed SAA-C03 exam simulation before booking with Amazon.
Last updated: October 3, 2026
- Exam code
- SAA-C03
- Provider
- Amazon
- Questions in our bank
- 1000+
- Free to read
- First 10, with answers
- Official page
- Official Exam website
- Our test mode duration & pass mark
- 130 mins · 70%
Recommended: Switch to Test Mode to start a practice test that simulates the real exam experience.
Question #1
A company hosts a containerized web application on a fleet of on-premises servers that process incoming requests. The number of requests is growing quickly. The on-premises servers cannot handle the increased number of requests. The company wants to move the application to AWS with minimum code changes and minimum development effort. Which solution will meet these requirements with the LEAST operational overhead?
Correct answer: A
Explanation
AWS Fargate is a serverless compute engine that lets users run containers without having to manage servers or clusters of Amazon EC2 instances1. Users can use AWS Fargate on Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) to run the containerized web application with Service Auto Scaling. Amazon ECS is a fully managed container orchestration service that supports both Docker and Kubernetes2. Service Auto Scaling is a feature that allows users to adjust the desired number of tasks in an ECS service based on CloudWatch metrics, such as CPU utilization or request count3. Users can use AWS Fargate on Amazon ECS to migrate the application to AWS with minimum code changes and minimum development effort, as they only need to package their application in containers and specify the CPU and memory requirements. Users can also use an Application Load Balancer to distribute the incoming requests. An Application Load Balancer is a load balancer that operates at the application layer and routes traffic to targets based on the content of the request. Users can register their ECS tasks as targets for an Application Load Balancer and configure listener rules to route requests to different target groups based on path or host headers. Users can use an Application Load Balancer to improve the availability and performance of their web application.
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Discussion
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All AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 practice questions →
Other Amazon certifications
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 (opens in a new tab)
- AWS Certified Developer - Associate DVA-C02 (opens in a new tab)
- SCS-C03: AWS Certified Security - Specialty (opens in a new tab)
- SOA-C03: AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer - Associate (opens in a new tab)
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional SAP-C02: AWS Certified Solutions Architect -Professional SAP-C02 (opens in a new tab)
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional DOP-C02: AWS Certified DevOps Engineer -Professional DOP-C02 (opens in a new tab)
- AWS Certified Database - Specialty (opens in a new tab)
- AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty ANS-C01 (opens in a new tab)
- AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty (MLS-C01) (opens in a new tab)
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FAQ
Learn More: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/
- Q1: How much does the AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) exam cost?
- A: The exam costs 150 USD as of October 2026, and you pay the full fee for every attempt. If you already hold an AWS certification you receive a 50% discount voucher in your AWS Certification Account that can be applied to the exam.
- Q2: How many questions are on the SAA-C03 exam and how long is it?
- A: The real exam has 65 questions and you get 130 minutes. Only 50 questions count towards your score; the other 15 are unscored items AWS is trialling, and they are not identified on the exam.
- Q3: Is the SAA-C03 exam hard to pass?
- A: AWS does not publish a pass rate, but you need a scaled score of at least 720 on a 100 to 1,000 scale, and scoring is compensatory, so you only need to pass the exam overall rather than each domain. Questions are multiple choice (one correct answer out of four) or multiple response (two or more correct answers out of five or more), unanswered questions count as wrong and there is no penalty for guessing. AWS recommends at least one year of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions on AWS, but there are no formal prerequisites.
- Q4: What are the SAA-C03 exam domains and weightings?
- A: The exam guide weights the scored content as Design Secure Architectures 30%, Design Resilient Architectures 26%, Design High-Performing Architectures 24% and Design Cost-Optimized Architectures 20%.
- Q5: How long is the AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification valid?
- A: The certification is valid for 3 years. To keep it you either pass the latest version of the Solutions Architect Associate exam before it expires or earn the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional certification, which renews the Associate at the same time.
- Q6: Can I take the SAA-C03 exam online, and in which languages?
- A: You can take the exam at a Pearson VUE test centre or as an online proctored exam. It is offered in English, French (France), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, although AWS has said the Italian version will be retired after December 31, 2026.
- Q7: What is the retake policy if I fail the SAA-C03 exam?
- A: If you fail you must wait 14 calendar days before you can retake the exam, and you pay the full registration fee each time. AWS sets no limit on the number of attempts, but once you pass you cannot retake the same exam version for two years.
- Q8: Is there a new version of the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam coming?
- A: As of October 2026 AWS has not announced a successor to SAA-C03 or a retirement date for it. AWS's September 2026 certification updates cover the Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C03), Developer Associate (DVA-C03) and Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C02) exams, but not the Solutions Architect Associate.
- Q9: What is the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 exam?
- A: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 is a Amazon certification exam. Judging by the questions in our bank, it concentrates on amazon, architect, lambda, overhead and instances.
- Q10: What topics does the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 exam cover?
- A: Questions in our AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 bank cluster around amazon, architect, lambda, overhead, instances, bucket, operational and documents. Working through the full set is the quickest way to find which of these you are weakest on.
- Q11: How should I prepare for AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03?
- A: Work through the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 practice questions here, checking your answer on each one, then sit the practice test to rehearse the exam under timed conditions before the real thing.
- Q12: Are these real AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 exam questions?
- A: They are drawn from officially released past questions and from community members who have sat AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03. Answers are verified and updated weekly.
- Q13: Where do I register for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 exam?
- A: Register through Amazon directly at https://aws.amazon.com/certification/. Exampractice is not affiliated with Amazon and does not administer the exam.
- Q14: Is there a free AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 sample?
- A: Yes. Every AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate SAA-C03 page shows a free sample of real questions. Upgrading opens the full bank and the practice test.
- Q15: What are Amazon Certification Exams?
- A: Amazon Certification Exams validate your expertise in Amazon Web Services (AWS), covering a range of cloud computing skills, including architecture, development, operations, and data analytics. These certifications demonstrate your proficiency in designing, deploying, and managing applications on the AWS platform.
- Q16: Why should I pursue Amazon Certification?
- A: Amazon Certification enhances your professional credibility, showcasing your skills and knowledge in AWS services. This can lead to better job opportunities, higher salaries, and career advancement in the cloud computing and IT industry.
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- A: Benefits include recognition as a certified cloud professional, improved job performance, access to exclusive resources, continuing education opportunities, and staying current with the latest AWS technologies and best practices.
- Q18: Who should take Amazon Certification Exams?
- A: IT professionals, cloud architects, developers, system administrators, data analysts, and anyone involved in designing, implementing, and managing cloud solutions on AWS should consider these certifications to validate their expertise and advance their careers.
- Q19: What types of Amazon Certification Exams are available?
- A: Amazon offers various certification paths, including Foundational Level (AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner), Associate Level (AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified Developer, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator), Professional Level (AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional), and Specialty Certifications (Security, Big Data, Advanced Networking, and more).
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