The final day of this study plan focuses on two critical areas: managing AWS costs effectively and preparing strategically for the exam. Understanding pricing models and cost control tools is essential for both certification and real-world cloud architecture.
🎯 Study Objectives
- Learn AWS pricing models and cost optimization techniques.
- Explore tools like Cost Explorer, Budgets, and Trusted Advisor.
- Review exam structure, question types, and time management strategies.
- Finalize your readiness with mock exams and review sessions.
💰 AWS Cost Optimization
✅ Pricing Models
| Model | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| On-Demand | Pay per use, no commitment | Dev/test, unpredictable workloads |
| Reserved | 1–3 year commitment, lower cost | Steady-state usage |
| Spot Instances | Up to 90% discount, interruptible | Batch jobs, fault-tolerant workloads |
| Savings Plans | Flexible pricing across services | Long-term cost reduction |
✅ Cost Management Tools
- AWS Cost Explorer: Visualize usage and spending trends.
- AWS Budgets: Set thresholds and receive alerts.
- Trusted Advisor: Recommends cost-saving opportunities.
- Compute Optimizer: Suggests right-sizing for EC2 and Auto Scaling.
Use consolidated billing with AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts efficiently.
🧠 Exam Strategy
✅ Exam Format
- Duration: 130 minutes.
- Questions: ~65 multiple choice and multiple response.
- Passing score: ~720/1000 (scaled).
✅ Preparation Tips
- Focus on scenario-based questions and trade-offs.
- Use elimination to narrow down choices.
- Flag difficult questions and return later.
- Practice with AWS Skill Builder, Whizlabs, or Tutorials Dojo.
✅ Final Review Checklist
- ✅ IAM roles vs policies.
- ✅ VPC architecture and routing.
- ✅ EC2 pricing and storage types.
- ✅ Load balancing and scaling.
- ✅ Monitoring and audit tools.
- ✅ HA vs DR strategies.
- ✅ Cost optimization techniques.
🧪 Mock Exam Practice
- Take at least one full-length timed mock exam.
- Review incorrect answers and revisit weak topics.
- Focus on understanding why an answer is correct, not just memorizing.
📎 Resources
✅ Summary
Day 7 wraps up your AWS Solutions Architect Associate journey. With a solid grasp of cost management and a strategic exam approach, you’re ready to tackle the certification with confidence. Good luck and may your architecture always be scalable, secure, and cost-efficient.
End of Series