The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) exam is the current version of AWS’s flagship architect certification. It validates that candidates can design, deploy and optimize complex solutions on AWS for large-scale and enterprise environments.
Compared with associate-level exams, SAP-C02 puts much more emphasis on multi-account setups, governance, hybrid networking, migrations and cost optimization at scale.
One of the strongest themes in the SAP-C02 blueprint is multi-account governance. Real enterprises rarely run everything in a single account. Instead, they rely on:
For the exam, you must be able to choose the right account strategy, define OU structures, and explain how to centralize shared services (DNS, logging, security tooling) without creating operational bottlenecks.
Another major focus area for SAP-C02 is networking at scale:
Many exam scenarios combine on-premises data centers, multiple VPCs and shared services, forcing you to balance performance, security and cost.
Large-scale migration is another core theme of the SAP-C02 exam. You are expected to:
Many questions ask you to design a migration path that minimizes downtime while also reducing risk and respecting compliance constraints.
In 2025, cost optimization is not optional. The SAP-C02 exam expects you to combine:
At the same time, solutions must remain resilient and highly available. The exam often tests your ability to select architectures that are both cost-optimized and compliant with RPO/RTO targets, sometimes across multiple regions.
A good SAP-C02 study plan usually includes:
Rather than memorizing services in isolation, you should think in terms of architectural patterns and trade-offs.
Prepare for complex AWS architecture scenarios with realistic SAP-C02-style questions that cover governance, networking, resilience and cost optimization together.
View AWS SAP-C02 Question Bank