A realistic SysOps plan is about eight weeks of hands-on practice in a free-tier account, finishing with timed mocks.
| Week | Focus | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Monitoring, logging, remediation | You can set alarms and automate a fix |
| 3-4 | Deployment/automation + networking | You can write a CloudFormation template and debug a VPC |
| 5-6 | Reliability + security/compliance | You can build for HA and apply IAM/encryption |
| 7-8 | Cost/performance + full timed mocks | You score comfortably above 720/1000 |
Final-stretch tips
Sit full-length, timed practice exams across the six domains, and keep practising in a free-tier account. Confirm the current exam format with AWS before booking.