AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) validates a foundational understanding of the AWS Cloud: what it is, how its core services fit together, how AWS bills for them, and how the shared-responsibility security model works. It is not a technical, hands-on exam — it is a breadth exam.
Exam format at a glance
| Format | 65 questions (multiple choice and multiple response) in 90 minutes. Delivered at a Pearson VUE test centre or online with a proctor. |
| Cost | Approximately 100 USD, before regional pricing and taxes. |
| Scoring | Scored on a scaled 100–1000 range; 700 is the passing mark. AWS does not publish the exact question-to-scale conversion. |
| Validity | Valid for 3 years, then renewed by recertifying or by earning a higher-level AWS certification. |
Who this exam is for
- People in non-engineering roles — sales, finance, project management, leadership — whose employer has asked them to hold a baseline AWS credential
- Career-changers using it as a first, confidence-building step before AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
- Engineers who want a low-effort formal credential to point at while they prepare for a deeper associate exam
How to actually study for it
- Learn the four domains in AWS's published weighting order — Cloud Technology and Services is the largest slice at 34%, Security and Compliance next at 30%.
- Be able to state which party is responsible for what under the shared-responsibility model for several service types (EC2 vs. S3 vs. RDS vs. Lambda).
- Know the purpose of the pricing and support tools by name — Cost Explorer, Budgets, the Pricing Calculator, Trusted Advisor, the support plan tiers.
- Use the free 10-question diagnostic first to find your weakest domain, then work through that domain's free practice page and Review Mode before taking a full timed attempt.
Where to go next
Start with the free 10-question diagnostic to see where you actually stand, read 15 sample questions with answers, or go straight to the one-page CLF-C02 cheat sheet. The full CLF-C02 practice exam covers every domain at the real exam's weighting, with every answer explained.