IT & Cloud
AWS SysOps Administrator Associate (SOA-C02)
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
Free SOA-C02 practice questions 30 questions with full answer explanations. No sign-up. Start practice →Overview
Note: AWS retired exam SOA-C02 on 29 September 2025. The associate operations path is now the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer - Associate (SOA-C03). Confirm the current exam code with AWS before you register. The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate (SOA-C02) is the operations-focused associate certification. Where the Solutions Architect Associate is about designing systems and the Developer Associate is about building them, SysOps is about running them: monitoring, deployment and automation, reliability, security, networking and cost on AWS.
It is the right associate exam for systems administrators, cloud-operations engineers and SREs. AWS recommends around a year of hands-on operational experience, and the exam rewards knowing how to keep workloads healthy, secure and cost-effective in production.
✓ Who it is for
- Systems administrators who keep AWS workloads running in production
- Cloud operations and SRE engineers responsible for uptime and incident response
- Engineers who automate provisioning with CloudFormation and Systems Manager
- People who own monitoring, logging and cost control on AWS day to day
- Solutions Architect Associate holders moving toward an operations role
✕ Who it is not for
- People new to AWS - start with Cloud Practitioner.
- Those focused on designing architectures (Solutions Architect) or building apps (Developer).
- Anyone wanting a purely conceptual exam - SysOps is operational and detail-heavy.
Exam structure
| Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation | 20% - CloudWatch metrics, alarms and logs, EventBridge, and automated remediation |
|---|---|
| Reliability and Business Continuity | 16% - scaling, load balancing, backups, high availability and disaster recovery |
| Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation | 18% - CloudFormation, Systems Manager, and provisioning and automating resources |
| Security and Compliance | 16% - IAM, data protection and encryption, and compliance and auditing |
| Networking and Content Delivery | 18% - VPC, subnets and routing, Route 53, CloudFront, and connectivity troubleshooting |
| Cost and Performance Optimization | 12% - cost management, right-sizing and performance tuning |
How the exam is weighted
- Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation 20%
- Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation 18%
- Networking and Content Delivery 18%
- Reliability and Business Continuity 16%
- Security and Compliance 16%
- Cost and Performance Optimization 12%
What each domain covers
- Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation
- CloudWatch metrics, alarms and logs · EventBridge · Automated remediation
- Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation
- CloudFormation · Systems Manager · Provisioning and automating resources
- Networking and Content Delivery
- VPC, subnets and routing · DNS (Route 53) · CloudFront · Connectivity and troubleshooting
- Reliability and Business Continuity
- Scaling and load balancing · Backups · High availability and disaster recovery
- Security and Compliance
- IAM · Data protection and encryption · Compliance and auditing
- Cost and Performance Optimization
- Cost management and right-sizing · Performance tuning
Realistic study time
- With AWS experience ~8-12 weeks part-time
- Newer to AWS Longer; start with Cloud Practitioner-level basics
Bars show relative effort, not a guarantee. Your time depends on background and study method.
Turn this into a week-by-week schedule with the Study Plan Generator.
What it really costs
Fees change and vary by region. Confirm the current amount on the official site before you register.
Want your full out-of-pocket figure? Try the Cost Calculator.
Salary & career value
Indicative ranges for orientation only - not surveyed data, and not financial or career advice. Sources and date below.
US SysOps and cloud-operations staff who hold this credential commonly report indicative pay around ~$90k-125k. It is an operations-focused associate cert; pay tracks systems and cloud-ops roles rather than architect roles.
Pass rate: Not published. AWS does not make pass rates public for the SysOps Administrator - Associate or any of its exams. The pass mark is a scaled score of 720 / 1000; figures shared on study forums are unofficial and inconsistent.
Indicative annual pay (USD), each role's typical band on a shared scale.
Other markets (indicative)
| United Kingdom | ~£40k-72k |
|---|---|
| Canada | ~CA$85k-125k |
Jobs that often ask for it:
- AWS SysOps Administrator
- Cloud Operations Engineer
- Systems Administrator
- Cloud Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
Is it worth it?
Worth it for systems and cloud-operations roles, where it proves you can run AWS workloads reliably, securely and cost-effectively, and the operational detail it covers maps directly to a SysOps or SRE job. It is often seen as the most hands-on of the three associate exams, so the prep itself builds practical skill. Skip it if your focus is designing architectures or building applications, where the Solutions Architect or Developer Associate is a better fit, and note that many people sit the Solutions Architect Associate first because it appears in more job listings.
Not sure this is the right exam for you? Compare your options with the Exam Finder.
Compare SOA-C02 with other exams
Independent, like-for-like comparisons to help you choose the right one.
Career paths featuring SOA-C02
What to do next
SysOps pairs naturally with the Solutions Architect Associate. From operations, the DevOps Engineer Professional is a common next step.
On exam day
65 multiple-choice and multiple-response questions in 130 minutes, online-proctored or at a test centre. Confirm the current format on the AWS exam page beforehand.
Keeping your certification
Valid for three years; recertify by passing the current version or a qualifying exam.
FAQ
- SysOps, Solutions Architect or Developer Associate?
- SysOps is for operating workloads, Solutions Architect for designing them, and Developer for building them. Choose by your role; they overlap on core services.
- How hard is the AWS SysOps Associate?
- It is considered one of the more demanding associate exams because it is operational and detail-heavy - monitoring, automation, networking and troubleshooting. Hands-on experience helps a lot.
- Does the SysOps exam still have hands-on labs?
- The exam format has changed over time. Confirm the current format on the AWS exam page before you book, since AWS updates it periodically.
- How long does it take to study for SysOps?
- Often 8-12 weeks part-time with some AWS experience. Hands-on practice in a free-tier account shortens it.
- Does the certification expire?
- Yes, it is valid for three years, after which you recertify.
Related exams
- AWS Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) - Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) - Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) - Microsoft