Certification Industry: Cloud
Certificate Name: AWS Specialty Big Data
Certificate Issuing Authority: Amazon Web Services(AWS)
Certification Price: 300 USD
Certificate Validity: 3 years
The average starting salary of an AWS Big Data Specialty certified professional is 160,000 $USD. Depending on one's additional experience and performance it can cross 250,000 $USD every year. This certification validates technical skills and experience in designing and implementing AWS services to derive value from data and helps to grow career.The AWS Certified Big Data- Speciality exam is intended for those individuals who perform complex Big Data analyses with at least two or more years of experience using AWS technology. Abilities Validated by the Certification:
Recommended Knowledge:
Recommended Courses:
To register for an exam, sign in to aws.training and click Certification in the top navigation. Next, click the AWS Certification Account button, followed by Schedule New Exam. Find the exam you wish to take and click either the Schedule at PSI or Schedule at Pearson VUE button. You will then be redirected to the test delivery provider’s scheduling page, where you will complete your exam registration.
Exam Format - Multiple-choice, multiple-answer
Exam Time - 170 minutes
Exam Language - Available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese
Passing Criteria - AWS Certification passing scores are set by using statistical analysis and are subject to change. AWS does not publish exam passing scores because exam questions and passing scores are updated to reflect changes in test forms as the content is updated.
For recertification for the Specialty certification, take the Current Specialty exam. For example, if you are an AWS Certified Security – Specialist, you can retake the current AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam to recertify.
AWS Big Data - Specialty Certification Path
Summary
I started the Linux Academy (LA) Big Data trainiing course and reviewing AWS white papers and FAQs on the same day. In my opinion, the questions on this exam were tough. It's really important to focus on HOW AWS technologies integrate with each other along with understanding specific use cases and technologies for AWS end-to-end solutions throughout exam domains (collection, storage, processing, analysis, visualization, and security).
Linux Academy - 2-3 hours for 14 Days
I completed the Big Data Specialty course training on Linux Academy (LA) from start to finish in approximately 2 weeks.
Pros
As always, the labs were great and saved me from spending a significant amount of money in my own AWS accounts. I really enjoyed the LA scheduling feature that provides daily email reminders of what courses I needed to finish to stay on track with my time line.
Cons
As this certification is nearing its end of life, some of the LA training content was dated which forced me to spend more time on reviewing the newest whitepapers and online resources provided by AWS.
AWS White Papers & FAQs 1+ Hours for 21 Days
Pros
There is a large amount of content in the white papers and FAQs. For all content possible, including developer guides, I downloaded them in PDF form. As I read through the PDFs I would highlight and annotate the important topics and key words that I needed more clarification on.
Cons
There is a large amount of information to digest. I recommend breaking up your sessions so that you can retain more information instead of pushing through until you complete an entire white paper or FAQ section.
AWS Exam Readiness - Big Data Specialty (Digital) 1 Day
Pros
Information and instructions provided in this digital training was very important for passing the exam. I highly recommend spending your time learning exactly what the instructor describes in this digital training course. If you have questions, make sure to review any white papers or FAQs for further information.
Cons
Several topics are covered very quickly. This forced me to review the white papers and FAQs in more detail than I would've previously anticipated.
WhizLabs Practice Tests - 1-2 hours 4 days
Pros
I took 2 practice exams. The free version (15 questions) and one of the full practice versions. Questions on the practice exams were challenging and helpful to review. Post review - They provide descriptions to the answers along with hyperlinks that point directly to the AWS content for reference. This was fantastic for reviewing and preparation purposes.
Cons
There were multiople questions and answers that appeared to have missing words. This made it challenging to understand questions and answers. As stated above, it was very useful for learning, once I submitted my answers and reviewed the descriptions and followed the hyperlink to the AWS reference.
Overall
If I were to weigh the importance of resources for preparation it would go as follows:
When I finished the 170 minute exam, I only had about 15 minutes left on the exam timer. I hope others find this exam review and prep useful. Thank you for your time in advance.
-Ryan
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Ryan Cosner