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AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate SOA-C03 2026 (Udemy.com)

Full Practice Test with Explanations included! PASS the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate SOA-C03 Exam

4.6
22,452 reviews

Created by: Stephane Maarek

Last updated September 2026

Our take

Based on the ratings of 22,452 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in September 2026. No course pays to be reviewed.

Stephane Maarek's course is exam prep for the AWS CloudOps Engineer Associate, SOA-C03. It runs 390 lectures and about 25 hours over 22 sections, moving from EC2 and Systems Manager through CloudFormation, S3, databases and monitoring, then finishing with a long Route 53 and VPC stretch. The requirements ask for an existing Developer or Solutions Architect Associate cert, and the course behaves accordingly. It is direct and quick, built for people who already know the basics.

Reviewers praise the teaching. They describe clear explanations, a sensible order, labs that work, and a slide PDF that helps with revision. Several say they passed, one with no hands-on project experience. The complaints are sharper than a 4.6 average suggests. Low-star reviewers say the CloudOps update is thin, with videos reused from older Developer and Solutions Architect courses, one recorded in 2021. Others report uneven audio, quiz questions on topics the videos skip, and a pace that loses anyone without background.

The numbers still lean strongly positive: 15,397 of 22,452 ratings are five stars, from about 158,000 students. It was last updated in September 2026. Treat it as the backbone of your study, not the whole plan. One reviewer found the final test much harder than the section quizzes, so extra practice exams are sensible. It suits experienced AWS people well. Newcomers should start with a foundations course.

Best forPeople who already hold an AWS associate cert and want a structured, fast run at the SOA-C03 CloudOps exam.
Skip it ifYou are new to AWS, or want CloudOps material that is all freshly recorded with no recycled older videos.

Pros

  • Clear, ordered teaching that explains why services behave as they do, not just what to memorize
  • Downloadable slide PDF and highlighted exam points make revision quick
  • Reviewers say the labs are up to date and actually work
  • Updated in September 2026, with a full practice exam and explanations included

Cons

  • Some videos are reused from older Developer and Solutions Architect courses, one reportedly from 2021
  • Fast pace and assumed AWS background, so newcomers can get lost
  • Section quizzes are easier than the final test, and some questions cover topics not shown
Thanks to this course, I successfully passed the exam despite having no prior hands-on project experience
Rostyslav Krotenko, a student

Listed as All Levels, but it really needs an AWS Developer or Solutions Architect Associate behind it.

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What you will learn

  • Pass the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Certification (SOA-C02)
  • Full Practice Exam with Explanations included!
  • All 400+ slides available as downloadable PDF
  • Apply the right AWS services for your future real-world AWS projects
  • Master topics you know from a SysOps perspective: EC2, ELB, ASG, RDS & more
  • Use Systems Manager to perform automations and patching
  • Troubleshoot Elastic Beanstalk and CloudFormation
  • Store data properly with maximum performance using EBS and EFS
  • Master S3 and its ecosystem: Glacier, Snowball, Storage Gateway, CloudFront
  • Implement Monitoring, Security, Compliance, and AWS Account Management
  • Master networking in AWS: Route 53 and VPC in depth

Course content

22 sections · 390 lectures · 25 hours of video 23 quizzes, 1 practice test, 8 articles

  1. 1Introduction & Requirements - AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate 2 free previews4 lectures · 1 quiz · 6 min
  2. 2Slides and Code Download - AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate1 lecture
  3. 3EC2 for CloudOps 8 free previews17 lectures · 1 quiz · 1.2 hours
  4. 4AMI - Amazon Machine Image8 lectures · 1 quiz · 32 min
  5. 5Managing EC2 at Scale - Systems Manager (SSM)19 lectures · 1 quiz · 1.3 hours
  6. 6EC2 High Availability and Scalability29 lectures · 1 quiz · 2.2 hours
  7. 7CloudFormation for CloudOps36 lectures · 1 quiz · 2.4 hours
  8. 8Lambda for CloudOps6 lectures · 1 quiz · 26 min
  9. 9EC2 Storage and Data Management - EBS and EFS9 lectures · 1 quiz · 50 min
  10. 10Amazon S3 Introduction13 lectures · 1 quiz · 43 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Anyone wanting to acquire the knowledge to pass the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification
  • SysOps Administrators who want to upskill themselves and understand how to leverage the newest AWS Cloud Services for their accounts
  • SysOps Administrators wanting to being able to truly and quickly troubleshoot issues in the AWS Cloud

What you need before you start

  • Must have one AWS certification: Developer Associate or Solution Architect Associate
  • Windows / Linux / Mac OS X Machine
  • Desire to learn something truly exciting!

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Course Description

Welcome! I'm here to help you prepare and PASS the newest SOA-C03 AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate exam.

[May 2023 Update]: Over 20 videos have been refreshed/added to keep up with the AWS UI changes and exam changes

[April 2022 Update]: Over 30 videos have been refreshed/added to keep up with the AWS UI changes and exam changes

[October 2021 Update]: Over 50 videos have been refreshed/added to keep up with the AWS UI changes and exam changes

[August 2021 Update]: 200+ videos have been refreshed and added to update the course to exam version SOA-C02

[May 2020 Update]: 50+ videos have been updated to keep up with AWS UI changes.

[July 2019 Update]: Few lectures refreshed, including EC2 placement groups.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

The AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate certification is one of the most challenging exams. It's great at assessing how well you understand not just AWS, but how to administer it and troubleshoot issues, which makes this certification incredibly valuable to have and pass. Rest assured, I've passed it myself with a score of 980 out of 1000. Yes, you read that right, I only made one mistake! Next, I want to help YOU pass the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate certification with flying colors.

Important: It is highly advised that you first pass the Developer or Solution Architect certification first.

This is going to be a long journey, but passing the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam will be worth it!


This AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate course is different from the other ones you'll find on Udemy. Dare I say, better (but you'll judge!)

  • It covers in-depth all the new topics on the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate SOA-C03 exam

  • It's packed with practical knowledge on how to use AWS inside and out as a SysOps

  • It teaches you how to prepare for the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate exam AND how to prepare for the real world

  • It's a logical progression of topics, not a laundry list of random services

  • It's fast-paced and to the point

  • It has professional subtitles

  • All 400+ slides available as downloadable PDF


Concretely, here's what we'll learn to pass the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate exam:

  • EC2 For SysOps: Placement Groups, Shutdown Behavior, Troubleshooting, AMI, CloudWatch Metrics

  • SSM - Systems Manager: Manage EC2 at Scale, Automation, Run Command, Secure Shell, Parameter Store

  • High Availability and Scalability: ELB Load Balancers (SysOps), Auto Scaling (SysOps), CloudWatch Metrics

  • Elastic Beanstalk for SysOps

  • CloudFormation for SysOps: including cfn-init scripts

  • EBS & EFS: Operations, Troubleshooting, CloudWatch metrics, RAID

  • S3 in depth: ALL you need to know about S3: MFA, Default Encryption, Policies, Access Logs, Athena, Glacier, CloudFront, Snowball, Storage Gateway, and more

  • Databases: RDS, Aurora & ElastiCache - Security, Backup, Snapshots, Performance, Metrics, Troubleshooting, Scalability

  • Monitoring, Audit & Performance: CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Config

  • AWS Account Management: Health, Organizations, Billing and Cost Monitoring and Control

  • Security and Compliance: over 10 services

  • Route 53: Practical hands-on guide to using Route 53 in the real world

  • VPC: Complete guide to building fully operational and 2019-ready VPC

  • Tips to ROCK the exam


This AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate course is full of opportunities to apply your knowledge:

  • There are many hands-on lectures in every section

  • There are quizzes at the end of every section

  • There's an AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate practice exam at the end of the course

  • We'll be using the AWS Free Tier most of the time

  • I'll be showing you how to go beyond the AWS Free Tier (you know... the real world!)


Take a look at these student reviews:

5 stars: "Got 93.8% on the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam after taking this course. Highly recommended!" - Vasiliy S.

5 stars: "Best AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate material on Udemy. Detailed explanation and good example. I already bought a few from other sources including acloud guru, but this beats the pack." – Olasunkanmi G.

5 stars: "Stephane did it again!!! The course is extremely high quality. The lecturer's rhetorical abilities are extraordinary. He has a lot of practical experience and teaches you what you will need in practice and what is needed to pass the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam. He raised the bar for what it means high-quality course to an absolutely different level." - Marko S.

5 stars: "The slides are worth the cost of the course alone! Over 450 slides and were an awesome last-minute preparation tool I used to identify any gaps I had before taking the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate exam." - Antonio C.


-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Instructor

My name is Stéphane Maarek, I am passionate about Cloud Computing, and I will be your instructor in this course. I teach about AWS certifications, focusing on helping my students improve their professional proficiencies in AWS.

I have already taught 1,500,000+ students and gotten 500,000+ reviews throughout my career in designing and delivering these certifications and courses!

With AWS becoming the centerpiece of today's modern IT architectures, I have decided it is time for students to learn how to be an AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate. So, let’s kick start the course! You are in good hands!

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

This course also comes with:

  • Lifetime access to all future updates

  • A responsive instructor in the Q&A Section
Read More All Levels All Levels product length iconTime: 25h

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Instructor Details

Stephane Maarek

Stephane is a solutions architect, consultant and software developer that has a particular interest in all things related to Cloud & Big Data. He's also a many-times best seller instructor on Udemy for his courses in AWS and Apache Kafka.


[See FAQ below to see in which order you can take my courses]

Stéphane is recognized as an AWS Hero and is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional & AWS Certified DevOps Professional. He loves to teach people how to use the AWS properly, to get them ready for their AWS certifications, and most importantly for the real world.

He also loves Apache Kafka. He used on the Program Committee organizing the Kafka Summit in New York, London and San Francisco. He also was an active member of the Apache Kafka community, and has authored blogs on Medium and the guest blog for Confluent. He also has co-founded Conduktor, a prominent company in the Kafka ecosystem.


During his spare time, Stéphane composes piano music, that he publishes online under the artist name Makera ?


FAQ: In which order should you learn?...

Read More

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Reviews

4.6

22,452 ratings on Udemy

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By Francesco Longo on 8/6/2026

Happy to share that I've passed the SOA-C03 exam on my first attempt: my 5th AWS certification (All done with courses by Stéphane Maarek). This journey wouldn't have been the same without the excellent course by Stéphane Maarek. Clear explanations, well-structured content, and a very practical approach that really helps you understand why things work, not just what to memorize.

By Sithembiso Mjoko on 6/8/2026

The content is too generic and recycled. It does not cover much about the context of the certification and its application for most services. It would be better if the presenter went more in-depth in the services and features rather than only sharing what they are.

By Dominic Lewis on 4/12/2026

So far, this is the best learning content I've come across for AWS. I thoroughly enjoy Stéphane as an instructor. Lectures are structured so you can easily follow along, labs are up to date and actually work. And the explanations are thoughtful and appropriate for the course content. I appreciate that this course is direct, expecting you to have a foundation, so your time is spent focused on the new and more advanced topics. If you have prior experience with AWS (like the cloud practitioner cert) you'll find yourself learning very fast with this course.

By Peter Wong on 3/27/2026

Covered all the topics I want to know in detail. My personal goal is to learn about the various AWS resources/features (and not certification per se) so this course has been extremely helpful. For additional nuances/details I have use this course as a guide so as to enable me to further information from AWS documentation, asked ChatGPT or Google the relevant topic. Overall I am very happy with this course.

By Udemy User on 3/21/2026

I’m Japanese, but this course is understandable enough to pass the exam (No more excellent textbooks in Japan) Deep and organizational lecture really helped me, so I’ll definitely recommend it to anyone

By Foluso Olateju on 3/1/2026

I’ve been working with AWS for over eight years, but I felt that much of my learning had been random. I learned things on the go, and I’ve used almost all AWS services, probably about 80% of them. I understand what they do and how to implement and deploy them. Because my training has been informal, I decided to pursue certifications to standardise my experience. The AWS Skill Builder for this certification contains a lot of written documentation, which can be exhausting without videos to reinforce the learning. So, I enrolled in this course and another one on LinkedIn Learning. I completed both courses and all their practice questions. I also went through the AWS practice questions, including all the pretests and official practice exams. I completed everything within a month: Weeks 1 and 2 were for LinkedIn Learning and AWS pretests, and Weeks 3 and 4 were for this course by Stéphane. I reviewed all the practice questions again before taking the exam at the end of February. I passed the exam with a strong score. I must say, this course really is all you need to ace the exam, as long as you also do the practice questions.

By Ido Givol on 12/27/2025

4.5, very good overall. Some quizzes contain information that is not taught (or removed in the case of Beanstalk). The course has good information, and is understandable. Ideally I'd add a cheatsheet/overview in each section for further understanding. For example: When would you use inspector vs config automation. When should you use cloudwatch metrics alarms to trigger automation vs log group filter, or cloudtrail etc.

By Cameron Schnurr on 12/2/2025

I don't know where you get half way through from, the biggest sections are near the front. I'm closer to 3/4 complete. Course is great but more in depth than the exam. Great for me but takes long time to study properly. Great work Stephane!!!

By Ashish on 11/25/2025

Course is a very fast paced and sometimes a bit cumbersome to follow. However i have trust that i would be able to pass AWS CloudOps Associate exam using this video. Only suggestion is that kindly keep up the good work and better quality in your videos.

By Andrew Russell Dean on 10/12/2025

Thank you Stephane for helping me pass my AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification, now I'm working on the Sys Ops Admin/Cloud Ops Engineer using your course. Your course is great as always, thanks again. - Andrew

By Emmanuel Lema on 12/20/2020

THANKS MAREEK. I PASSED THIS CERTIFICATION. WITH 76%

By Lior Ronen on 12/20/2020

Excellent training, highly recommended

Showing 12 of 322 reviews

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Overall Score : 92 / 100

AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer Associate SOA-C03 2026
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 25h
  • Price: $34.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon September 2026
  • Level: All Levels All Levels
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:390 in 22 sections
  • Practice:23 quizzes, 1 practice test
  • Students:158,000
  • Subtitles:29 languages
  • Udemy badge:Bestseller
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