My Journey To Get AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner in 2020

I want to recount my journey as a recipient of the  Digital Talent Scholarship (DTS) from the Ministry of Communication and Information Indonesia.

Disclaimer: This writing was created in early 2021, and there may have been changes to the exam (CLF-C01 to CLF-C02). Additionally, PSI is no longer available, and Pearson Vue is the sole provider. Please always refer to this link:  https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-cloud-practitioner

Having received the award last year, why did I decide to enroll in the Academy again in 2020? Furthermore, I had the opportunity to participate in the DTS Fresh Graduate Academy (FGA) at Informatics ITB last year, where I opted for Artificial Intelligence. Although I gained valuable knowledge during that time, the curriculum was a blend of Cloud Computing using Amazon Web Service (AWS) for two weeks, followed by four weeks of Machine Learning. Despite our project focusing on Machine Learning, the final examination was centered around Cloud Computing.

As I didn’t fully grasp the entire concept and theory, I couldn’t obtain a voucher for the AWS Cloud Practitioner (perhaps due to my limited understanding and a score below the required rank). It’s worth noting that Cloud Computing and Machine Learning are distinct subjects, and at that time, I hadn’t fully comprehended the nuances between them.

Similar to the FGA 2019 experience, prior to being accepted as an awardee, I had to undergo a 40-question exam within a 30-minute timeframe. Despite having prepared for AWS content, the exam unexpectedly focused on Network-related topics.

Fortunately, I was lucky to be accepted. I chose the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Indonesia with the aim of experiencing a novel and refreshing environment, even though the classes were conducted online.

The schedule is quite packed; each day, we receive a minimum of three hours of Zoom explanations from our supportive lecturers (1.5 hours for theory and 1.5 hours for hands-on) over a span of 35 days, excluding Saturdays and Sundays. Gratitude to our dedicated lecturers for their efforts.

The most demanding aspect for me is balancing my responsibilities at home as a mother to a toddler. Therefore, in the early morning, I attend to household chores such as cooking and tidying up. At 8 o’clock every day for 35 days, I engage in Zoom sessions with lecturers and classmates. I maintained this routine consistently, without missing a day, as I found joy in learning about AWS, despite having the option to skip a maximum of two days. An interesting aspect is that my classmates are recent graduates, and although I am four years their senior, adapting to their pace wasn’t challenging for me. The real challenge lay in convincing my daughter to allow me to study uninterrupted for a minimum of three hours daily. Fortunately, my 2.5-year-old daughter cooperated (thanks to my husband too :D).

“Perseverance, secret of all triumphs.” — Victor Hugo

Aspiring to become a Software Engineer (haha, envisioning a cool and nerdy presence in history), I endeavor to document both my knowledge and areas where I lack understanding in this platform. Like many beginners in any field, I grant myself the freedom to make mistakes, recognizing that they are essential for learning. However, for greater accuracy, I seek the assistance of my friends to proofread and correct my work.

So ya, this is 35 days material:

1. Explore Six Benefit of Cloud Computing
2. Learn and Explore about Total Cost Ownership
3. Why We Need Implement Multi Region, Multi AZ, Where should we implement our system ?
4. Industry Compliance - HIPPA, PCI DSS, What is Security OF the Cloud ?
5. What is the best instance for database ?
6. Explore Spot Instance
7. Review Materi
8. S3 implementation, S3 Object Life Cycle,S3 Inteligent Tiering
9. Which database is suitable for specific use case?
10. Network implementation for specific use case from traditional customer
11. Mini Project - Create challenge base on the first 10 module's knowledge
12. Review + Quiz
13. Automation tools that commonly use in a company or enterprise, Automation challenge
14. When is the best time to align with Well Architected Framework?
15. Other Services
16. Explore about Cloud Endure Application, VMWare on AWS, AWS Snowball Edge
17. How AI ML help government ? How AWS use AI ML in sports ?
18. Mid Term Assessment
19. Hybrid Cloud implementation. Local network + VPC, Hybrid Cloud implementation.
20. News Portal Load Balancing
21. Multi Region Load Balancing
22. Find a use case that suitable for implementing EFS
23. How to secure our AWS Implementation based on Well Architect Framework?
24. Why we need roles ? Take a closer look to IAM
25. Review + Quiz
26. What is other 3rd partly tools that we can use for monitoring purpose?
27. Plan a strategy to for online registration
28. Mini Project - Create challenge base on module 19–27
29. Compare LighSail, Manual implementation or Elastic Beanstalk
30. The usage of IaC, IaC best practice
31. Best practice Deployment Automation
32. Sample design of Online Market Place, design of Online Learning Management System
33. Simplify thing with Serverless
34. Final Term Assessment
35. Certification Preparation

Following weekly exams on  Dicoding, I received a complimentary voucher for the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam. Out of our class of 23 students, only 18 were fortunate enough to receive the voucher. I will elaborate on the procedures leading up to, during, and following the Cloud Practitioner exam.

Before Exam  

Thus, we received vouchers for exams through PSI, despite online reviews suggesting that Pearson VUE might be a better option. Nevertheless, due to the PSI vouchers, we were compelled to utilize PSI. Some of my friends encountered issues before or during the exam, such as proctors not showing up, extended waiting times of up to 3 hours, and a lack of clarity regarding whether the exam would proceed. To address these concerns, my friends took the initiative to send emails to  [email protected],  [email protected], and  [email protected]. Additionally, they submitted a request through a provided link and contacted PSI customer service by describing the situations that occurred before or during the AWS exam. Typically, my friends were able to secure rescheduled exams, resolving the issues. As a suggestion, if you are in Indonesia and using PSI, consider scheduling exams at night, as our time zone (WIB) is 12 hours ahead of the USA.

How to register for the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam (CLF-C01)

1. Sign in to https://www.aws.training using your AWS Builder ID account. 
2. In the Dashboard and Learning Library, you can learn about AWS services that might improve AWS CLF-C01 exam preparation. 
3. Then click Certification then click Go to Your Account.
4. You have entered certmetrics then select Request Accommodation Exam, click ESL (English as second language) +30 if you wanna increase the exam time from 90 minutes to 120 minutes.
5. Then select Manage PSI Exam or Manage Pearson Vue Exam and select online from my home or office.
6. Next, check the technical requirements for your device and internet network.
7. Then choose the schedule you want, and pay for the exam using CC or Jenius debit. 
8. DONE, congratulations, you have registered for the exam.

Supplementary materials that I assembled alongside hands-on experience and content from aws.training include scenarios like this one:

1. AWS Documentation here is something we should read even if it is only cursory and repetitive. The important thing is we understand the concept and the differences in its features. For example AWS ec2 standard and convertible, what’s the difference? Keywords: keep going and back to documentation.
2. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Study Guide Foundational (CLF-C01) Exam by Ben Piper and David Clinton published in 2019. This book is good enough to review AWS, conceptually nothing has changed by now (2021), but because AWS features are developing very fast, it’s better when reading this book immediately to check back the documentation so we can know its accuracy. Second, I recommend doing the problems in this book, it is very helpful to know if we understand or not about the material.
3. Udemy, it was free when my friend told me. The material only reviews a kind of cheatsheet of AWS features in a more structured manner. Quite helpful, although I will return to the documentation for a more complete explanation.
4. Examtopics. Many questions that can be done with more than 600 questions. I think there is good for training our brain speed in determining the answer (because the answer is in multiple choice). When we are accustomed to answering quickly (without needing to look at the answer key) it means that we may already understand the material. It should be noted that at Examtopics, the answers there and the discussion can go wrong, so we need to (again go back to the official AWS documentation). Some say that the AWS exam is only like Examtopics, in my opinion it’s not quite right because the AWS exam is designed to be more difficult so that people who really understand can pass the exam.
5. All information regarding the Cloud Practitioner exam can be found here. Cost ($100), format(multiple choice, multiple answer), time(90 minutes), proctor supervises directly, language (Indonesian language exists, but it’s better to use English so as not to be confusing). There is also an exam guide and what kind of material will be tested here. Also, there are sample questions like this, keep in mind that if there are 4 multiple choices, usually the correct answer is 1, if the multiple choice is 5 then usually the correct answer is 2. So you have to be careful when reading the questions.
6. If you need to prepare for the exam in more detail, you can read it here. If you need classroom, you can come here ,here , here

Study tips  

Learning new things can be tough, according to what I’ve read. One good way is to write down what you understand and what you find tricky in a book. Notes can be on paper or typed on a blog, explaining what you’ve learned in your own words. After that, it’s important to go over the material again to get used to it. Doing practice tests on your own, like you’re in an exam, helps avoid surprises during the real test.

Engaging in practical, hands-on learning is highly beneficial. Since the program spans only one month with limited time for independent exploration, I allocate about 2–3 weeks specifically for exam-focused studies. Altogether, I have a total of 2 months for preparation.

my notes

During Exam  

Make sure you are in a closed room (doors and windows closed), alone (no one is accompanying you).

1. Click the lauch exam from aws.training, download the software, then install the PSI/Pearson Vue browser
2. Photo ID Chart
3. Face photo by system
4. Wait for verification from proctor
5. Proctor chat (ask for points 6 and 7)
6. Showing the room 360 degrees, including under the table.
7. Show our handphone to the proctor then put it behind us or put it in a place beyond our reach
8. Launch exam
9. 90 minute exam. When the exam is asked not to make a sound or whisper.
10. When finished, the program will automatically show that you passed the exam or not.
11. After that the proctor will chat that the exam has been completed and the program will automatically close.

After Exam  

Typically, it takes around 1–3 days for the exam results. You will be provided with both your certificate and test scores, as outlined below.

Following the exam and receiving the certificate, what comes next? Demonstrate and prove my worth by creating my own documentation or producing straightforward videos showcasing what I’ve learned. Every journey begins with the basics. Every senior engineer once started as a junior engineer, so maintain my enthusiasm for learning and self-improvement.

Nova Lailatul Rizkiyah, a newbie at everything, is eager to learn anything.