This guide is for anyone taking the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02), the entry-level AWS certification, who is trying to pick a course and figure out how many practice exams to add. All three options are on Udemy, and I read every fact on the course page.
- Best overall: Stephane Maarek's course, the most reviewed CLF-C02 course on Udemy, updated in September 2026.
- Alternative course: Neal Davis's course (Digital Cloud Training), 15 hours with a practice exam.
- Practice exams: Maarek's set of 6 practice exams with 390 questions.
| Course | Level | Length | View course |
|---|---|---|---|
| [NEW] Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 2026 Udemy Best overall | Beginner | 14.5 h | View course |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Exam Training Udemy Alternative course | Beginner | 15 h | View course |
| 6 Practice Exams | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 Udemy Practice exams | Beginner | — | View course |
What the CLF-C02 exam looks like
You get 65 multiple-choice or multiple-response questions and 90 minutes. Only 50 of them count toward your score. The other 15 are unscored questions AWS is trying out, and you can't tell which ones they are. Scores run from 100 to 1,000 and 700 passes. A blank answer counts as wrong, so answer everything, even if you have to guess.
You can take it at a Pearson VUE test center or online with a remote proctor. AWS says the exam is meant for people new to the cloud, including people without an IT background. The certification is valid for 3 years.
There are four content domains:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Cloud technology and services | 34% |
| Security and compliance | 30% |
| Cloud concepts | 24% |
| Billing and support | 12% |
The shared responsibility model shows up in several domains. AWS handles security of the cloud (data centers, hardware, physical network), and the customer handles security in the cloud (data, access, how services are configured). The exam does not test coding, architecture design or troubleshooting.
Stephane Maarek: best overall
[NEW] Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 2026
Stephane Maarek • Udemy
The most reviewed CLF-C02 course on Udemy, with nearly 296,000 reviews, updated on September 26, 2026. It works for beginners with no AWS experience.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- 14.5 h
- Certificate
- Completion
- Rating
- 4.7 (296k)
- Audio
- English
- Subtitles
- English; 31 more languages, auto-generated
Pros
- 14.5 hours of video, updated September 26, 2026
- 4.7 rating from nearly 296,000 reviews
- Includes 1 full practice exam with explanations
Cons
- Only 1 practice exam: add a practice-test set before you book
It has 14.5 hours of video and 1 full practice exam with explanations. One practice exam isn't much, so I'd add a practice-test set before booking the exam.
Neal Davis: alternative course
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Exam Training
Neal Davis, Digital Cloud Training • Udemy
15 hours of video updated on September 11, 2026, with 1 practice exam. Pick this one if Maarek's teaching style doesn't work for you.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- 15 h
- Certificate
- Completion
- Rating
- 4.6 (40k)
- Audio
- English
- Subtitles
- English; 27 more languages, auto-generated
Pros
- 15 hours of video, updated September 11, 2026
- Includes 1 practice exam
Cons
- About 40,000 reviews, far fewer than Maarek's course
It covers the same syllabus at about the same length and is also aimed at beginners. It has a 4.6 rating from about 40,000 reviews, far fewer than Maarek's course.
Stephane Maarek: practice exams
6 Practice Exams | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02
Stephane Maarek, Abhishek Singh • Udemy
6 practice exams with 390 questions and explanations, updated on September 21, 2026. Take them after the course to get used to the question format and find your weak domains.
- Level
- Beginner
- Certificate
- None
- Rating
- 4.6 (40k)
- Audio
- No video; questions in English
Pros
- 6 practice exams with 390 questions and explanations
- Same author as the best-overall course, updated September 21, 2026
Cons
- Practice exams only, no lessons: use it alongside a course
There are no lessons here, so it goes on top of either course above. Maarek wrote it with Abhishek Singh, and it has a 4.6 rating from about 40,000 reviews.
How I chose
I used the same methodology as every guide. For this exam I looked at the number of practice exams, the date of the last update and whether the course starts from zero. For now I only compare courses on Udemy. I read every fact on the course page on September 28, 2026.
I left out in28Minutes' course (Ranga Karanam). It has 19 hours, but the last update was in May 2026 and it has fewer reviews than the two courses above. If you want a second source of questions after Maarek's set, Digital Cloud Training's practice exams (6 tests, 389 questions) and Tutorials Dojo's mock exams (6 tests, 340 questions) are both good options.
Frequently asked questions
What is the passing score?
700 on a scale of 100 to 1,000. Of the 65 questions, only 50 count toward the score.
Do I need AWS experience?
No. AWS mentions up to 6 months of exposure to AWS, but it isn't required, and the exam is also aimed at people without an IT background.
How long is the exam?
90 minutes for 65 questions.
Can I take the exam in a language other than English?
Yes. AWS offers it in 12 languages, including Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
How long is the certification valid?
3 years.