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FREE AWS Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam Guide 2026: Blueprint, Study Plan, Pass Rate
Key Facts
- SAA-C03 has been the live AWS Solutions Architect - Associate exam version since August 30, 2022, and remains active in 2026.
- The SAA-C03 exam fee is 150 USD, with foreign exchange rates and local taxes applied in some jurisdictions.
- The SAA-C03 exam contains 65 questions: 50 scored questions and 15 unscored pretest questions that are not identified.
- The SAA-C03 exam duration is 130 minutes, giving candidates approximately two minutes per question on average.
- The SAA-C03 passing score is 720 on a 100-1000 scaled score using a compensatory scoring model.
- SAA-C03 domain weights are Secure Architectures 30%, Resilient Architectures 26%, High-Performing Architectures 24%, and Cost-Optimized Architectures 20%.
- An AWS certification is valid for 3 years from the date the candidate passes the exam.
- Candidates who fail SAA-C03 must wait 14 calendar days before retaking the exam, with no total attempt limit.
- The AWS Well-Architected Framework has 6 pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, and Sustainability.
- AWS Graviton-based EC2 instances use up to 60% less energy than comparable EC2 instances for the same performance, according to AWS.
AWS Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 Exam Guide 2026: The Only Guide You Need to Pass
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (exam code SAA-C03) is still the live Solutions Architect - Associate exam in 2026, and AWS notes that this certification ranked among the top 10 certifications of 2023 in Skillsoft's IT Skills and Salary Report.
If you searched for "AWS SAA-C03 study guide 2026", you are probably asking one of three questions: Is SAA-C03 still the current version? What exactly is being tested this year? How do I pass without wasting four months on the wrong material? This guide answers all three and then some, in one place, with no upsells.
SAA-C03 2026 At-a-Glance
- Spec Current Value
- Exam Code SAA-C03 (in effect since August 30, 2022)
Successor (SAA-C04) Not announced as of Q3 2026. SAA-C03 remains the live exam.
- Cost $150 USD
- Duration 130 minutes
- Questions 65 total (50 scored + 15 unscored pretest)
- Question Types Multiple choice, multiple response
- Passing Score 720 on a 100-1000 scaled score (compensatory scoring)
- Delivery Pearson VUE testing center or online proctored exam
Validity 3 years (recertify by passing the latest version of the exam, or by earning AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional)
Prerequisite None required. AWS recommends 1 year of hands-on AWS experience.
Languages English, French (France), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
Why this cert still matters in 2026: the SAA-C03 blueprint is broad enough that the certification genuinely maps to real work. It is not a trivia exam. The scenarios in SAA-C03 mirror the decisions you will make at a cloud-native company on day one.