This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ravi Prakash Singh
A few weeks ago, I finally cleared the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – SOA-CO3 exam 
.
If you’re planning to take it, trust me — this exam goes beyond memorizing AWS services. It’s all about how well you can think like a CloudOps Engineer who can automate, monitor, and troubleshoot production systems.
Here’s exactly how I prepared, what resources I used, and a few tips that made all the difference.
Step 1: Understanding What AWS Expects
Before I even started studying, I went through the AWS official exam guide. It gives you the exam domains and weightage:
Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation
Reliability and Business Continuity
Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation
Security and Compliance
Cost and Performance Optimization
AWS SOA-CO3 Exam Guide
This helped me focus my time strategically. For example, “Monitoring and Remediation” has a big chunk of questions — so I doubled down on CloudWatch, Systems Manager, and CloudTrail.
Step 2: Get Hands-On — AWS Isn’t Theory
If you try to pass this exam by reading alone, you’ll struggle.
What helped me most was actually building things:
Set up Auto Scaling Groups with CloudWatch alarms
Deployed and rolled back changes using CodeDeploy
Created a CloudFormation stack to automate provisioning
Configured AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager
Monitored applications with CloudWatch Logs and metrics
Each hands-on activity built my confidence — and many questions in the exam were almost identical to what I had practiced.
Step 3: Official AWS Resources Are Gold
I made full use of free AWS resources, especially:
AWS Skill Builder – great for structured modules
AWS Documentation – for deeper technical clarity
Well-Architected Framework (Ops Pillar) – crucial for understanding reliability and automation best practices
Don’t underestimate AWS docs — some of the trickiest questions came directly from real-world scenarios that are explained in the documentation.
Step 4: Practice Tests — The Game Changer
I took multiple practice tests before the real exam, and this made a massive difference.
One that really helped me simulate the actual exam environment was this 
Udemy Course: AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – SOA-CO3 Practice Test
It includes scenario-based questions, detailed explanations, and real-world use cases that closely mirror the AWS exam format.
Each test helped me discover weak areas — and the explanations made sure I learned from every mistake.
Step 5: Revision Before the Exam
Here’s what my final 7-day revision looked like:
Reviewed CloudWatch, CloudTrail, and IAM deeply
Revisited all practice test mistakes
Read key AWS whitepapers (especially Reliability and Security)
Created small CloudFormation templates from scratch
Focused on key services like SSM, ECS, and RDS
This last week was all about reinforcing muscle memory for AWS services and syntax.
Final Thoughts
The AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer (SOA-CO3) exam was challenging but incredibly rewarding.
It taught me to think in terms of automation, observability, and cost efficiency — the pillars of modern CloudOps.
If you’re preparing, my advice is simple:
Go hands-on
Study from official AWS resources
Practice until you’re confident
And when you’re ready, test your knowledge with a solid mock exam before the real one.
AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – SOA-CO3 Practice Test on Udemy
Best of luck to everyone preparing — you’ve got this! 
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ravi Prakash Singh