Cloud computing is transforming the way organizations operate, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to lead that transformation. Among the many career paths available in the cloud space, one of the most critical and high-impact roles is that of the AWS SysOps Administrator. This article introduces the role, certification path, responsibilities, and why it’s an excellent career choice for those interested in cloud operations.
Why Choose the AWS SysOps Path?
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification is specifically designed for professionals responsible for managing and operating systems on AWS. Unlike architecture-focused roles that plan and design infrastructure, SysOps Administrators are in charge of execution — provisioning, configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting AWS environments.
The demand for cloud operations professionals is growing steadily. As more businesses migrate their infrastructure to the cloud, the need for qualified experts to maintain high availability, optimize performance, and control costs is skyrocketing. This certification not only improves job prospects but also validates practical skills that are immediately applicable in real-world roles.
What Does an AWS SysOps Administrator Do?
An AWS SysOps Administrator ensures that cloud environments are stable, secure, and running efficiently. The responsibilities are broad, spanning across:
- Deploying and maintaining AWS resources: Creating virtual servers, setting up storage solutions, and configuring network connectivity.
- Monitoring systems: Using services like Amazon CloudWatch to track resource performance and availability.
- Automating tasks: Writing scripts and templates (like CloudFormation) to automate deployments and updates.
- Ensuring security and compliance: Managing access with IAM roles and policies, applying encryption, and maintaining audit logs.
- Handling incidents and recovery: Troubleshooting system issues, restoring backups, and implementing failover solutions.
In many organizations, the SysOps Administrator is the front line of support for all AWS infrastructure-related concerns.
Who Should Pursue This Role?
This career path is ideal for professionals with a background in system administration or IT operations who want to transition into cloud roles. Specific profiles that benefit from becoming a SysOps Administrator include:
- System administrators are looking to evolve with the industry by gaining cloud skills.
- DevOps professionals aiming to specialize in AWS operational tooling and processes.
- Cloud engineers who maintain and troubleshoot cloud-based applications and services.
- IT professionals seeking career growth by gaining expertise in scalable and automated infrastructure management.
If you’re someone who enjoys problem-solving, automation, and ensuring that systems run smoothly, this role might be a great fit.
Prerequisites and Skills Required
To succeed as an AWS SysOps Administrator, certain foundational skills are expected:
- One year of hands-on AWS experience is highly recommended before taking the certification.
- Strong familiarity with Linux or Windows system administration.
- Comfortable working with the AWS CLI, SDKs, and Management Console.
- Basic networking knowledge (subnets, DNS, firewalls, routing).
- Understanding of IAM, security best practices, and encryption.
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools like CloudFormation or Terraform (optional but beneficial).
- Awareness of cost management strategies using AWS pricing calculators and budget tools.
This blend of operational knowledge, scripting ability, and platform familiarity enables SysOps Administrators to manage cloud systems effectively and efficiently.
Key Areas of Responsibility
Let’s break down some of the main duties of a SysOps Admin in more detail:
1. Resource Provisioning and Automation
Creating and configuring EC2 instances, load balancers, auto scaling groups, and databases. Automation through templates (e.g., CloudFormation) is a big part of this.
2. Monitoring and Logging
Setting up CloudWatch alarms, custom metrics, and log aggregation. Administrators must ensure visibility into system behavior and proactively respond to anomalies.
3. Security Management
Enforcing least privilege access, rotating credentials, and implementing network isolation (e.g., VPC, security groups). Understanding shared responsibility is essential.
4. Disaster Recovery and Backups
Developing snapshot schedules, restoring data from Amazon S3 or Glacier, and planning failover strategies using Multi-AZ deployments.
5. Performance Optimization
Analyzing usage patterns, selecting the right instance types, and tuning databases. Optimization is a continuous process and critical for cost control.
6. Cost Management
Using tools like AWS Budgets and Cost Explorer to track and reduce expenses, along with rightsizing workloads.
Certification Domains
The AWS SysOps Administrator – Associate exam is broken down into six major domains. Understanding them gives insight into the skill areas you’ll need to master:
- Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation – Covers CloudWatch, EventBridge, and system health tools.
- Reliability and Business Continuity – Focuses on backups, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery.
- Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation – Covers automation using AMIs, EC2 Auto Scaling, and CloudFormation.
- Security and Compliance – Includes IAM, data protection, logging, and auditing.
- Networking and Content Delivery – Involves VPCs, Route 53, NAT gateways, and CloudFront.
- Cost and Performance Optimization – Focuses on budgeting, performance tuning, and cost-effective resource usage.
You’ll need both theoretical knowledge and practical, hands-on experience across all these areas to pass the exam and thrive in the role.
Real-World Value and Career Opportunities
Beyond certification, AWS SysOps skills translate directly into job opportunities. Roles such as Cloud Operations Engineer, AWS Administrator, Site Reliability Engineer (SRE), or Cloud Support Engineer all rely on similar skills.
These roles often involve supporting enterprise environments, handling multi-region deployments, working with security/compliance teams, and automating operational tasks.
In terms of salary, professionals with this certification often earn:
- US: $85,000 to $120,000+ depending on experience.
- India: ₹5.5 to ₹9 lakhs per year.
- UK/Europe: \u00a350,000 to \u00a380,000 or more.
The upward mobility is strong — with the right experience, professionals can advance into senior cloud engineer, DevOps lead, or even cloud architect positions.
How to Prepare for the AWS SysOps Administrator – Associate Exam
Now that you’re familiar with what an AWS SysOps Administrator does, it’s time to focus on how to successfully prepare for the certification exam. This exam validates your ability to monitor, manage, and operate workloads on AWS. Below, we break down exactly how to approach your preparation, even if you’re starting from scratch.
What to Expect from the Exam
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam is designed for people with at least one year of hands-on experience managing AWS systems. It features a mix of multiple-choice questions, multiple-response questions, and scenario-based practical tasks.
You’ll have 130 minutes to complete the exam, and it costs USD 150. AWS doesn’t publish an official passing score, but aiming for at least 72% correct answers is a safe goal.
The exam covers six key areas:
- Monitoring and reporting
- High availability, backup, and recovery
- Deployment and automation
- Security and compliance
- Networking and content delivery
- Cost and performance optimization
Some topics are more heavily weighted than others, so knowing where to focus is critical.
Step-by-Step Study Plan (About 6 Weeks)
Week 1: Start with the fundamentals. Review core AWS services such as EC2, S3, IAM, and VPC. These are the building blocks for everything else. Make sure you understand the AWS Well-Architected Framework, especially the pillars of operational excellence and reliability.
Week 2: Focus on monitoring and logging. Get comfortable using Amazon CloudWatch, AWS Config, and CloudTrail. Practice setting up alarms, viewing metrics, and analyzing logs. Try configuring monitoring for EC2 instances and RDS databases.
Week 3: Learn how to automate deployments. Study services like AWS CloudFormation, Elastic Beanstalk, and the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI). Try creating a CloudFormation stack or scripting the launch of an EC2 instance with the CLI.
Week 4: Dive into security. Understand how IAM works, how to use encryption with AWS Key Management Service (KMS), and how to apply least privilege access. Practice creating users, groups, and policies in IAM, and enable multi-factor authentication.
Week 5: Explore networking and performance optimization. Study topics like VPC setup, subnets, route tables, and security groups. Learn how services like Route 53 and CloudFront improve delivery. Experiment by building a simple VPC architecture.
Week 6: Spend this final week reviewing and practicing. Take multiple practice exams and timed quizzes. Go back to any topics where you’re weak. Review AWS whitepapers and FAQs. Practice interpreting logs and fixing simulated failures.
Trusted Study Resources
To study effectively, combine video courses, documentation, and hands-on labs:
- AWS Skill Builder offers both free and paid training directly from AWS.
- A Cloud Guru and Udemy provide in-depth video courses (look for instructors like Stéphane Maarek).
- Whizlabs offers solid practice exams and scenario-based questions.
- AWS Whitepapers (especially on security, operations, and cost optimization) help deepen your understanding.
- GitHub is a good source for sample CloudFormation templates and automation scripts.
- AWS Free Tier allows you to experiment and gain real-world experience.
Practical Focus is Key
The SysOps exam is not just about memorizing facts. Many questions are based on real-world scenarios. For example, you might need to troubleshoot logs, optimize performance, or restore backups. You may also have to complete interactive lab tasks during the test, which require you to actually perform actions within a simulated AWS console.
To prepare, create your practice environment using EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, and CloudWatch. Try deploying a sample application, monitor it, and fix any intentional misconfigurations. This kind of hands-on learning will make a big difference.
Know the AWS Mindset
AWS exam questions often test not just what works, but what works best according to AWS best practices. For example, they tend to favor answers that are secure, scalable, cost-effective, and highly available.
Always think in terms of:
- Automating where possible
- Minimizing risk and downtime
- Using the least privilege model for permissions
- Optimizing for cost and performance
If you see an option that uses automation, encryption, and scaling, that’s probably the correct answer.
Booking the Exam
When you’re consistently scoring well on practice exams and feel confident in your hands-on ability, it’s time to book the test. You can schedule it on the AWS Training and Certification portal and take it either at a testing center or online from your home (just make sure your room and equipment meet the proctoring requirements).
- Don’t just study — build. Hands-on practice is more valuable than flashcards.
- Take detailed notes on each AWS service you touch.
- When doing practice tests, read every question carefully and analyze why each wrong answer is incorrect.
- Use AWS FAQs and service documentation to catch subtle details.
- Stay calm on exam day — flag difficult questions and come back to them later.
Career Opportunities, Salaries, and Real-World Skills for AWS SysOps Professionals
Earning the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification is more than just a technical milestone—it can unlock real career opportunities and boost your earning potential. In this section, you’ll learn what kind of roles you can expect to pursue, how much they pay, and what real-world skills you’ll need to stay competitive in today’s cloud-first IT world.
What Jobs Can You Get With This Certification?
The SysOps Administrator certification prepares you for roles that focus on managing day-to-day operations in the cloud. You’re not just launching servers—you’re making sure cloud systems run efficiently, stay secure, and recover quickly if things go wrong.
Here are some common job titles for certified professionals:
- Cloud Operations Engineer
- Systems Administrator (Cloud)
- DevOps Engineer (Entry to Mid-Level)
- Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
- AWS SysOps Administrator
- IT Infrastructure Engineer (AWS Focused)
- Platform Engineer
You’ll often find this certification listed as a requirement or a “nice to have” in job postings that mention cloud monitoring, automation, and system performance optimization.
How Much Can You Earn?
Your salary depends on factors like experience, location, company size, and job title. But AWS-certified professionals consistently earn more than their non-certified peers.
On average:
- Entry-level roles with this certification typically start between $75,000 and USD 95,000 annually.
- With 2–3 years of hands-on AWS experience, professionals can earn $100,000 to $125,000+.
- In high-demand cities or remote positions with global companies, salaries can go even higher, up to $140,000 or more for mid-level roles.
Freelancers or consultants with SysOps expertise can also bill $50 to $100+ per hour, depending on project complexity.
How Much Can You Earn as an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator?
Getting AWS Certified is not just about proving your technical skills—it’s also a gateway to higher earning potential and stronger career security in the cloud computing industry. The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification specifically targets professionals who are hands-on with AWS infrastructure and operations. So, what does the salary landscape look like for those who hold this credential?
Average Salary Estimates
While actual salaries vary based on several factors, AWS SysOps Administrators typically earn competitive compensation. According to multiple salary tracking sources:
- In the United States, certified SysOps Administrators earn between $95,000 and $135,000 per year, depending on location, experience, and company size.
- Entry-level roles may start around $75,000 to $90,000, especially for candidates with less than two years of experience but who have the certification and some real-world exposure.
- Mid-level professionals (with 3–5 years of experience) often command $100,000 to $120,000 annually.
- Senior SysOps Administrators or DevOps Engineers with overlapping responsibilities can make $130,000 to $160,000 or more, particularly in tech hubs or companies with large-scale AWS usage.
In global markets:
- UK-based professionals can earn around £50,000 to £80,000 annually.
- In India, salaries range from ₹8 LPA to ₹25 LPA, depending on role complexity and company tier.
- In Canada or Australia, certified SysOps Admins often make CAD 90,000 to 120,000 or AUD 95,000 to 130,000, respectively.
Factors That Influence Salary
Your salary as an AWS SysOps Administrator is influenced by several critical variables:
1. Experience Level
A junior administrator with one certification and some hands-on lab experience will earn less than a seasoned professional who has deployed, maintained, and troubleshot production environments at scale.
2. Job Role and Title
Although “SysOps Administrator” is a specific role, many job titles overlap:
- AWS Systems Engineer
- Cloud Operations Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
If you’re working in a DevOps capacity and automating deployments with CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code, your salary may trend higher than a purely operational SysOps role.
3. Location
Tech-heavy regions such as San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Toronto, London, and Sydney tend to offer higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for cloud expertise. Remote roles have also gained popularity and may offer competitive pay to attract global talent.
4. Certifications
While this guide focuses on the SysOps Administrator – Associate, holding multiple AWS certifications (like the Solutions Architect or DevOps Engineer – Professional) can significantly boost your earning potential. Employers often reward continuous learning with better compensation.
5. Company Size and Cloud Maturity
Startups may offer lower base salaries but higher equity, while enterprise-level companies often provide stronger job security, benefits, and structured salary bands. Companies with a mature cloud footprint tend to offer better compensation to skilled SysOps professionals who can manage automation, performance tuning, and compliance in cloud operations.
6. Technical Skills Beyond Certification
If you bring additional skills—like scripting (Python, Bash), experience with Terraform or AWS CDK, or knowledge of monitoring tools like Datadog and Prometheus—you become more valuable, which reflects in your salary offers
Freelancing and Contracting Rates
Freelance SysOps administrators and consultants can charge anywhere from $50 to $150+ per hour, depending on expertise and project complexity. Short-term projects that involve migration, automation, or optimization often offer higher rates. Freelancing is an attractive path for those with deep AWS operational knowledge who prefer flexible, remote work arrangements.
Career Growth and Long-Term Earning Potential
Becoming a SysOps Administrator is often a stepping stone toward more advanced and lucrative cloud roles. With time and additional certifications or experience, you can grow into:
- DevOps Engineer – Focus on automation, CI/CD, and release pipelines.
- Cloud Architect – Design end-to-end cloud systems across multiple services.
- Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) – Manage uptime, reliability, and infrastructure at scale.
- Cloud Security Engineer – Specializing in compliance, threat detection, and encryption.
Each of these roles often comes with a salary boost. DevOps and Cloud Architects in the U.S., for instance, regularly earn $140,000 to $180,000+ annually.
What Real-World Skills Are in Demand?
The certification proves your foundational knowledge, but to truly stand out, you need real-world operational skills. Here’s what employers are looking for:
1. Monitoring & Incident Response
- Setting up CloudWatch metrics and alarms
- Diagnosing performance problems
- Responding to system failures or spikes in usage
2. Automation
- Writing automation scripts with AWS CLI, Python (Boto3), or shell
- Using CloudFormation or Terraform to manage infrastructure as code
- Automating backups, updates, and scaling tasks
3. Cost Optimization
- Identifying underused resources
- Applying Reserved Instances or Savings Plans
- Using Cost Explorer and budgets effectively
4. Security Best Practices
- Enforcing least privilege access with IAM
- Managing data encryption using KMS
- Detecting and responding to security events with AWS Config and GuardDuty
5. Networking Knowledge
- Designing VPCs, subnets, NAT gateways, and route tables
- Securing inbound/outbound traffic with security groups and NACLs
- Connecting on-prem environments to the cloud via VPN or Direct Connect
6. Backup and Disaster Recovery
- Setting up automated backups for EC2, RDS, and EBS
- Creating and testing recovery plans
- Ensuring high availability with multi-AZ and multi-region deployments
Career Growth Paths
Once you’re certified and have real-world experience, your next step could be moving into more strategic or higher-paying roles. Some typical growth paths include:
- DevOps Engineer or DevOps Specialist – Add skills in CI/CD, containers (Docker, ECS, EKS), and deployment pipelines.
- Cloud Solutions Architect – Focus more on design, scalability, and cost planning across entire cloud systems.
- Security Engineer – Specializing in cloud security, compliance, and governance.
- SRE (Site Reliability Engineer) – Bridge ops and software engineering with an emphasis on automation, monitoring, and reliability.
Many professionals use the SysOps certification as a stepping stone toward Professional-level certifications, like:
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
How to Stand Out
To stand out beyond your certification:
- Build a GitHub portfolio: Share your infrastructure code, automation scripts, or monitoring dashboards.
- Get involved in open source or cloud communities.
- Write technical blog posts or document your learning journey on LinkedIn or Medium.
- Stay current with AWS updates—cloud tools evolve fast.
- Get a multi-cloud experience (Azure, GCP) if you want to broaden your opportunities.
The AWS SysOps Administrator – Associate certification is more than just a badge. It signals to employers that you have the skills to operate, monitor, and manage complex cloud systems. Combined with real-world practice, this credential can open doors to a high-paying and future-proof IT career.
Practice Questions and Study Checklist
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate
This study guide focuses on two things: realistic practice questions to test your understanding and a detailed study checklist to ensure you’ve covered everything the exam expects. It’s meant to help you identify knowledge gaps and improve your exam readiness step-by-step.
Section A: Practice Questions with Answers and Explanations
Each question below mirrors the type of scenario-based questions you’ll see on the AWS exam. Take your time answering them, then read the explanation carefully to solidify your knowledge.
Question 1: EC2 Monitoring and Notifications
You are running an application on an EC2 instance. You want to receive a notification whenever CPU utilization exceeds 80% for more than five minutes.
What should you do?
A. Use CloudWatch and Auto Scaling
B. Use CloudTrail and CloudWatch Logs
C. Use IAM and AWS Config
D. Use CloudWatch and Amazon SNS
Correct Answer: D
Explanation: CloudWatch can create alarms based on metrics such as CPU utilization. You can link the alarm to an Amazon SNS topic to send notifications (e.g., via email or SMS).
Question 2: IAM Access Control
Your security team requires that users launching EC2 instances must tag them with a specific key-value pair.
What should you use to enforce this?
A. Security Groups
B. AWS Config
C. IAM policy with a condition
D. CloudWatch Logs
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: IAM policies can include conditions that require specific tags when launching resources. This ensures compliance and resource organization.
Question 3: Cross-Region Backup Strategy
Your RDS database is critical, and your organization wants to be able to recover data even if an AWS Region becomes unavailable.
What’s the best solution?
A. Enable Multi-AZ for RDS
B. Take manual snapshots
C. Use cross-region read replicas or copy snapshots across regions
D. Enable automatic backups
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Multi-AZ supports availability within a region but not across regions. For regional failure recovery, use cross-region replication or manually copy snapshots to another region.
Question 4: Infrastructure Automation
You want to automate the setup of VPCs, subnets, and EC2 instances across different environments (such as dev and prod).
Which AWS service should you use?
A. AWS OpsWorks
B. AWS Elastic Beanstalk
C. AWS CloudFormation
D. Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: AWS CloudFormation allows you to create infrastructure using code. You can deploy the same template to different environments, ensuring consistency and version control.
Question 5: Unexpected Billing Spikes
Your monthly AWS invoice has suddenly increased. You need to identify what caused this.
What should you do first?
A. Use Trusted Advisor
B. Review your Reserved Instances
C. Check the Billing Dashboard and Cost Explorer
D. Open a support case
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Billing Dashboard and Cost Explorer allow you to quickly visualize usage patterns, cost trends, and sudden spikes across services.
Question 6: Event Logging for Security
A team member terminated an EC2 instance, but no one remembers who did it. Your compliance team wants details.
Which service helps in this situation?
A. Amazon CloudWatch
B. AWS Config
C. AWS CloudTrail
D. Amazon Inspector
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: AWS CloudTrail records API calls. You can search its logs to determine who took specific actions, like terminating an EC2 instance, and when.
Question 7: Designing High Availability
Your web application must stay online even if one Availability Zone becomes unavailable.
What should you do?
A. Use one EC2 instance in one Availability Zone
B. Distribute EC2 instances across multiple Availability Zones and use a load balancer
C. Use Auto Scaling in a single Availability Zone
D. Rely on EC2 Spot Instances
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Distributing EC2 instances across multiple Availability Zones and placing them behind an Elastic Load Balancer ensures fault tolerance and availability during a zone failure.
Section B: Study Checklist by Domain
Use the checklist below to make sure you’ve covered the most critical concepts from each domain of the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam.
Domain 1: Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation
- Understand how to configure CloudWatch Alarms and Metrics.
- Know how to use the CloudWatch Agent for custom metrics.
- Understand CloudTrail and how to analyze logs for specific events.
- Be able to set up automated responses using AWS Lambda or Systems Manager Automation.
- Understand the role of AWS Config in resource compliance monitoring.
Domain 2: Reliability and Business Continuity
- Know how to enable Multi-AZ for high availability with RDS and EC2.
- Understand the use of cross-region replication for S3 and RDS.
- Be able to explain backup and restore options across AWS services.
- Know how Auto Scaling and ELB contribute to fault-tolerant architectures.
- Understand disaster recovery models: pilot light, warm standby, and multi-site.
Domain 3: Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation
- Master the basics of CloudFormation: templates, stacks, and change sets.
- Use Systems Manager Run Command, State Manager, and Patch Manager effectively.
- Know how to create custom AMIs and manage EC2 launch configurations.
- Understand the role of user data scripts and EC2 metadata.
- Be able to deploy repeatable infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code principles.
Domain 4: Security and Compliance
- Know the difference between IAM roles, policies, groups, and users.
- Be comfortable writing IAM policies with specific conditions.
- Understand how AWS Config helps with auditing and compliance.
- Know encryption options for S3, EBS, RDS, and other services.
- Learn how to use AWS services like GuardDuty, Inspector, and Security Hub.
Domain 5: Networking and Content Delivery
- Be able to design secure VPC architectures with public/private subnets.
- Understand how NAT gateways and route tables control traffic flow.
- Know how to configure Security Groups and NACLs.
- Understand DNS configurations with Route 53 and record types.
- Know when to use CloudFront and how it accelerates content delivery.
- Understand VPC peering, Transit Gateway, and Direct Connect.
Domain 6: Cost and Performance Optimization
- Use AWS Budgets and Cost Explorer to monitor and forecast usage.
- Identify cost-saving opportunities via Trusted Advisor.
- Learn about EC2 pricing models: On-Demand, Reserved, Spot.
- Know how to optimize Auto Scaling and load balancing for cost-efficiency.
- Understand service quotas and performance bottlenecks across AWS.
Study Plan Tips
If you’re studying over 4–6 weeks, use this timeline as a guideline:
Week 1–2:
- Focus on IAM, EC2, S3, and CloudWatch basics.
- Practice setting up and monitoring resources in the AWS Console.
- Start reading the AWS whitepapers on operational excellence and security.
Week 3–4:
- Dive into RDS, CloudFormation, Systems Manager, and VPC networking.
- Explore hands-on labs or use AWS Free Tier to deploy sample environments.
- Practice writing IAM policies and using CloudTrail logs.
Week 5:
- Take practice exams and analyze which areas need more work.
- Review high-value topics like disaster recovery, monitoring, and automation.
- Join study groups or review AWS documentation for gaps.
Week 6 (Final Prep):
- Focus on weak areas and do final quizzes.
- Skim whitepapers and FAQs for services like CloudFormation, CloudTrail, and Route 53.
- Get a good night’s sleep before the exam.
Final Thoughts
Passing the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam isn’t just about memorizing facts. It’s about understanding how AWS services interact in real-world situations and knowing how to troubleshoot, secure, and automate systems effectively.
Use these practice questions to reinforce what you’ve learned, and keep the checklist nearby as you study. If you’re comfortable with at least 80–90% of the checklist topics, you’re in good shape.
Good luck—and remember, this exam validates your ability to run cloud operations the right way. That’s a powerful skill to carry forward in your cloud career.