# A Journey to AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

> Two-week study plan — Udemy, AWS Skill Builder, Cloud Quest, Escape Room, and Pearson VUE tips (extra time, Credly badge).

- HTML page: https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/
- Language: en
- Translation (fr): https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/fr/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/index.md
- Published: 2024-05-14
- Updated: 2026-11-05
- Tags: AWS, Certification, Cloud, Learning
- Author: Antoine Boucher (https://antoineboucher.info/CV/index-en.html)I passed the **AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)** after about **two weeks** (~60 hours) of focused study. Not because the exam is trivial, but because mixing video, labs and gamified prep kept me moving. This post is the resource stack that worked for me (Udemy, Skill Builder, Cloud Quest, Escape Room) plus the **Pearson VUE** practicalities: extra time if English is not your first language, online proctoring, and the Credly badge.

## My study guide: a two-week sprint

**Time commitment:** about 60 hours over two weeks.

The resources I used:

1. **Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02** (Udemy, paid)

   ![Udemy course page for Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-001.png)

2. **AWS Cloud Quest: Cloud Practitioner** (AWS Skill Builder, free)

   ![AWS Cloud Quest landing page, a role-playing game for cloud skills](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-002.png)

3. **AWS Escape Room: Exam Prep for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)** (AWS Skill Builder, free trial of the paid tier)

   ![AWS Escape Room course page on Skill Builder](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-003.png)

4. **Free practice exam** on [W3Schools](https://www.w3schools.com/aws/aws_cloudessentials_awscert.php)

   ![W3Schools AWS Cloud Practitioner certification page](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-004.png)

5. **Exam Prep Enhanced Course: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02, English)** (AWS Skill Builder, free trial of the paid tier)

   ![Exam Prep Enhanced Course page on Skill Builder](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-005.png)

### AWS Skill Builder

AWS Skill Builder is AWS’s online learning hub: courses from beginner to advanced, plus labs tied to the services on the exam. What I used there:

- **Structured learning paths:** Cloud Practitioner has a dedicated path that tracks the exam objectives.
- **Hands-on labs:** console walkthroughs, so you click through workflows instead of only watching videos.
- **Variety of content:** videos, quizzes and reading. I switched formats when one got dull.

### AWS Cloud Quest

AWS Cloud Quest: Cloud Practitioner is a game-shaped course: quests and puzzles that still teach the same AWS services.

- **Interactive:** you play through tasks instead of clicking Next on slides.
- **Scenarios:** quests map to common cloud decisions, not trivia alone.
- **Pace:** easier to finish a quest on a tired evening than another lecture chapter.

### AWS Escape Room

The Escape Room packs exam-style problems into timed challenges. It is lighter than another straight practice quiz and still useful for format and pressure.

- **Exam simulation:** format and time pressure closer to the real test.
- **Problem solving:** you reason through scenarios instead of reciting definitions.
- **Pace:** it kept me studying on days when another video chapter would have stalled.

### How I sequenced the two weeks

- **Week 1:** Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner on Udemy, videos and hands-on labs.
- **Week 2:** Cloud Quest, Escape Room, practice exams and the Exam Prep Enhanced Course on Skill Builder.

## Pearson VUE and extra exam time

I booked through Pearson VUE, which offers in-person and online proctoring. Scheduling and exam day went without drama.

A useful tip: if English is not your primary language, AWS offers the **ESL +30** accommodation, which adds **30 minutes** to the exam. (The Medium version of this post said 50 %; the approval screen below shows the actual accommodation.) Steps:

1. **Request the accommodation before scheduling.** In your AWS Certification account, open *Exam accommodations* and request ESL +30.

   ![AWS Certification note on requesting the ESL +30 accommodation](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-006.png)

   ![Exam accommodations page with ESL +30 approved](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-007.png)

2. **Verify your ID.** Have a valid ID ready; it is required in person and online.
3. **Schedule the exam with the extension.** Once approved, book with the extra time included. The buffer helps when you parse long scenario questions in a second language.

   ![Exam history showing a pass on AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-008.png)

## Preparing for the online proctored exam

If you take the exam online:

1. **Long wait times:** log in at least 30 minutes early; check-in can drag before the timer starts.
2. **Room setup:** clean room, no food, no second monitor. The proctor asks for a 360° webcam sweep.
3. **Proctoring software:** install and test Pearson VUE’s software before exam day.
4. **Quiet environment:** tell roommates or family the schedule so nobody knocks mid-question.

## Getting your digital badge

After you pass, AWS issues a digital badge through Credly:

![Digital badges section of the AWS Certification account](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-009.png)

1. **Wait for the notification:** the Credly email arrives 2 to 3 days after the exam.
2. **Create a Credly account** with the same email address as your AWS Certification account.
3. **Accept the badge** by following the email instructions.
4. **Share it** on LinkedIn, your resume, or anywhere else you list credentials.

![Credly dashboard with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner badge](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner/images/img-010.png)

## When to use this sprint plan

| You are… | Does this two-week path fit? |
|----------|------------------------------|
| New to cloud vocabulary | Yes |
| Already running production on AWS daily | Skip CLF and go role-specific |
| Looking for hands-on Kubernetes depth | Partly: add labs beyond CLF |
| Taking the test in a second language | Yes: request ESL +30 early |

## Pitfalls

- **Cramming without labs:** Cloud Quest carries retention; video alone fades.
- **Skipping practice exams:** format surprises hurt more than content gaps.
- **Practising on an account with no budget alert:** set an AWS Budgets alarm before you start the labs on your own account.

## Takeaway

The certification is a vocabulary checkpoint more than a deep architecture exam, but **Cloud Quest** and **Escape Room** made that vocabulary stick better than lectures alone. If you are on a similar sprint, stack one paid course with Skill Builder trials and book the exam while the context is fresh.

## Related posts

- [Caddy + EC2 + CloudWatch](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/caddy-ec2-cloudwatch-lambda/): AWS after the certification
- [Run:ai on AWS webinar](https://antoineboucher.info/CV/blog/posts/runai-aws-inference-webinar/)

## References

- [AWS Skill Builder](https://aws.amazon.com/training/skill-builder/)
- [AWS Cloud Quest](https://aws.amazon.com/training/digital/aws-cloud-quest/)
- Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 (Udemy)
- [AWS Escape Room: Exam Prep for AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner](https://aws.amazon.com/training/digital/aws-escape-room/)
- [Free practice exam (W3Schools)](https://www.w3schools.com/aws/aws_cloudessentials_awscert.php)
- [Exam Prep Enhanced Course: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner](https://aws.amazon.com/training/digital/aws-certified-cloud-practitioner-exam-prep/)

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*Originally published on [Medium](https://medium.com/@antoine.boucher012/a-journey-to-aws-certified-cloud-practitioner-9b17dffe4533).*