This guide is for anyone booking the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam (SAA-C03) who needs to pick a course and a place to practice. Every option is on Udemy, and I read every fact on the course page.
- Best overall: Stephane Maarek's course, the most reviewed, updated in September 2026.
- Best practice exams: Tutorials Dojo (Jon Bonso), 6 exams with 390 questions.
- Shorter alternative: Neal Davis, 23.5 hours of video.
- Practice exams from the same author: Stephane Maarek's own set of 6 exams.
| Course | Level | Length | View course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2026 Udemy Best overall | All levels | 27.5 h | View course |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) Course Udemy Shorter alternative | All levels | 23.5 h | View course |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams Udemy Best practice exams | All levels | — | View course |
| Practice Exams | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Udemy Same-author practice exams | Beginner | — | View course |
What the SAA-C03 exam looks like
SAA-C03 is the current version. As of September 27, 2026, AWS had not announced a new version of this exam (the updates it announced were for other certifications). You get 65 multiple-choice or multiple-response questions in 130 minutes. 50 of them count toward your score and 15 are unscored. Scores run from 100 to 1,000 and 720 passes. You can take it at a Pearson VUE center or online.
There are four content domains:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Design secure architectures | 30% |
| Design resilient architectures | 26% |
| Design high-performing architectures | 24% |
| Design cost-optimized architectures | 20% |
AWS recommends at least one year of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions. Most questions ask you to pick between architectures, and memorized definitions won't carry you far, so I'd give practice exams as much time as the lessons.
Stephane Maarek: best overall
Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2026
Stephane Maarek • Udemy
The course with the most students and reviews of the ones I compared: 27.5 hours of lessons, updated in September 2026. Start here if you want all four domains in one place.
- Level
- All levels
- Length
- 27.5 h
- Certificate
- Completion
- Rating
- 4.7 (298k)
- Audio
- English
- Subtitles
- English; 32 auto-generated languages
Pros
- 27.5 hours of video, updated September 25, 2026
- 4.7 rating from more than 298,000 reviews
- Includes 1 full practice exam
Cons
- Only 1 practice exam: add a practice-test set before you book the exam
It was updated on September 25, 2026, so it tracks the current exam. It includes 1 full practice exam. For more practice, add Tutorials Dojo or the same author's practice exam set below.
Neal Davis: shorter alternative
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) Course
Neal Davis, Digital Cloud Training • Udemy
A full course from Digital Cloud Training in 23.5 hours, about four hours shorter than Maarek's, updated in September 2026. Worth a look if you want a second instructor on the same syllabus.
- Level
- All levels
- Length
- 23.5 h
- Certificate
- Completion
- Rating
- 4.6 (23k)
- Audio
- English
- Subtitles
- English; 29 auto-generated languages
Pros
- 23.5 hours of video, four hours shorter than Maarek's course
- Updated September 11, 2026
- Includes 1 practice exam
Cons
- About 23,000 reviews, far fewer than Maarek's course
It includes 1 practice exam and has a 4.6 rating from about 23,000 reviews, far fewer than Maarek's course.
Tutorials Dojo: best practice exams
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams
Jon Bonso, Tutorials Dojo • Udemy
Six practice exams with 390 questions, updated in September 2026. Take them once you've studied the content and want to know if you're ready.
- Level
- All levels
- Certificate
- None
- Rating
- 4.6 (29.9k)
- Audio
- No video; questions in English
Pros
- 6 practice exams with 390 questions
- 4.6 rating from nearly 30,000 reviews
- Updated September 21, 2026
Cons
- Practice exams only, no lessons: use it alongside a course
There are no video lessons.
Stephane Maarek: same-author practice exams
Practice Exams | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate
Stephane Maarek, Abhishek Singh • Udemy
Six practice exams with 390 questions and explanations, from the author of the best-overall course. Good if you studied with him and want the same style of explanations.
- Level
- Beginner
- Certificate
- None
- Rating
- 4.6 (22k)
- Audio
- No video; questions in English
Pros
- 6 practice exams with 390 questions and explanations
- Same author as the best-overall course, updated September 4, 2026
Cons
- Practice exams only, no lessons: use it alongside a course
Like the Tutorials Dojo set, it has no lessons and the same number of questions. It was last updated on September 4, 2026.
How I chose
I used the same methodology as every guide. For this exam I checked whether each course covers the four SAA-C03 domains, how recently it was updated, and whether practice exams are included or available. For now I only compare courses on Udemy. I read every fact on each course page on September 27, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is SAA-C03 still the current exam?
Yes. I checked AWS's pages on September 27, 2026, and there was no announcement of a new version for this certification.
Do I need the Cloud Practitioner first?
AWS suggests starting with Cloud Practitioner if you have no IT work experience. For SAA, it recommends at least one year of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions.
How many questions do I need to get right?
AWS reports a scaled score from 100 to 1,000 and 720 passes. The exam guide does not give a number of correct answers. Of the 65 questions, only 50 count toward the score.
Do I need practice exams on top of a course?
The video courses in this guide include 1 or 2 practice exams each. The exam gives you 130 minutes for 65 questions, and practice exams are where you rehearse that pace. That's why I listed the Tutorials Dojo and Stephane Maarek sets.