AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) is the foundational AWS exam. It tests whether you can explain AWS value, shared responsibility, core services, and the billing model — not whether you can design a VPC from scratch.
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Exam overview
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Exam code | CLF-C02 |
| Level | Foundational |
| Questions | ~65 (multiple choice / multiple response) |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 700 / 1000 (scaled) |
| Cost | ~$100 USD |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Validity | 3 years |
Official outline: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.
Four domains (CLF-C02)
1. Cloud Concepts (~24%)
Cloud economics, CAF, migration strategies, Well-Architected pillars at a vocabulary level.
2. Security and Compliance (~30%)
Shared responsibility (this is the highest-miss domain), IAM users/roles/policies, MFA, encryption at rest vs in transit, AWS compliance programs at a recognition level.
3. Cloud Technology and Services (~34%)
When to use EC2 vs Lambda vs containers; S3 classes; RDS vs DynamoDB vs Redshift; VPC, CloudFront, Route 53; CloudWatch vs CloudTrail vs Config.
4. Billing, Pricing, and Support (~12%)
On-Demand vs Savings Plans vs Reserved vs Spot; TCO vs OpEx; AWS Organizations and consolidated billing; Support plan differences.
3-week study plan
| Week | Focus | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloud concepts + shared responsibility + IAM | 80 questions |
| 2 | Core compute, storage, database, networking services | 100 questions |
| 3 | Billing, support, Well-Architected + 2 timed exams | 2 full mocks |
Total time: 20–40 hours. Pair with AWS Skill Builder Cloud Practitioner essentials.
If you already work in AWS daily, compress this to 7–10 days and spend the time on billing and support questions — those are where experienced engineers fail.
CLF-C02 vs SAA-C03
| Cloud Practitioner | Solutions Architect Associate | |
|---|---|---|
| Depth | What / when | How to design |
| Networking | VPC exists | Subnets, routes, endpoints, hybrid |
| Best for | Beginners, non-engineers | Engineers targeting architect jobs |
Full comparison: Cloud Practitioner vs Solutions Architect. Roadmap: AWS certification path 2026.
Resources on CertStud
Next cert: SAA-C03 or AI Practitioner if your role is AI-focused.
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