If you’re holding a course or book labelled C02, here’s what’s different and how much of it still applies.

AWSFrom Amazon Web ServicesAWS Certified Solutions Architect – AssociateThe current exam guide for SAA-C03, including domains and in-scope services.→

The timeline

SAA-C02 launched in 2020 as the successor to the earlier SAA-C01. AWS retired it at the end of August 2022 and SAA-C03 took over. SAA-C02 is no longer available to take.

What stayed the same

What changed: domain weights

Security went from the third-largest to the largest domain. Resilience and performance each lost a few points. Cost optimization gained a little.

So C03 expects you to be stronger on IAM, encryption, network security, and data protection than C02 did.

What changed: the content

The numbers tell part of the story. The rest is about what AWS emphasizes.

• More security depth. Identity, key management, secrets handling, and protecting data in transit and at rest get more attention.
• Newer services and features. The blueprint reflects services that matured after the earlier exam, particularly around containers, serverless, data movement, and analytics.
• Modern architecture patterns. More focus on decoupled, event-driven designs and managed services over self-managed ones.
• Updated task statements. AWS reworded the objectives under each domain to match current practice.

AWS doesn’t publish a service-by-service diff. The way to see what’s in scope is to read the current exam guide.

Can you use old C02 study material?

Partly. The core of AWS architecture hasn’t changed: VPC networking, EC2 and Auto Scaling, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, load balancers, and the Well-Architected pillars are still at the center. A good C02 course will teach you most of what you need.

But you’ll want to patch the gaps:

• Add extra time on security services and IAM
• Check which newer services appear in the current exam guide
• Use SAA-C03 practice exams so the weighting and question style match

What to look for in any study resource

• It’s labelled SAA-C03
• It was updated after August 2022, and ideally within the last year
• Its security coverage is substantial, not an afterthought

Since AWS refreshes associate exams every few years, also check the AWS exam page to make sure C03 is still the current version when you book. The page lists the live exam code.

Is C03 harder?

It’s about the same overall. The increased security weighting makes it harder for people who skipped IAM and encryption, and easier for people who focus there. If you’ve prepared against the current blueprint, you shouldn’t notice a major difference in difficulty.

Existing C02 certifications

If you passed C02 before it retired, your certification stays valid until its three-year expiry. You don’t need to retake C03 to keep it. See how long the certificate is valid.

For a deeper look at the current exam, read what SAA-C03 is and the SAA-C03 preparation guide.

A few more questions people ask

Is SAA-C02 still available?

No. AWS retired it at the end of August 2022. If a site is selling C02 practice exams as current, they’re out of date.

Did the price change between versions?

No. Both versions cost $150 and use 65 questions, 130 minutes, and a scaled 720 to pass.

What should I do if my course says SAA-C02?

Check how recently it was updated. If it’s pre-2022, use it for the basics, then add current security material and SAA-C03 practice exams to cover the gap.