AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Exam Topics and Domains
What's on the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam — the four domains, their weightings, and what each really tests — in plain language.
AWS Cloud Practitioner is the entry door to the world's biggest cloud — no hands-on experience required. Knowing the weightings tells you where to focus.
The four domains at a glance
CLF-C02 is organised into four domains. The two biggest — Cloud Technology and Services (34%) and Security and Compliance (30%) — are nearly two-thirds of the exam, so they deserve the most study time.
| Domain | Weight | What it really tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cloud Concepts | 24% | The benefits of the AWS Cloud, core design principles, migration strategies, and cloud economics (the pay-as-you-go, no-upfront model). |
| 2. Security and Compliance | 30% | The AWS shared responsibility model, key security and compliance concepts, identity and access management (IAM), and where to find security resources. |
| 3. Cloud Technology and Services | 34% | The largest domain: AWS global infrastructure (regions, availability zones, edge locations) and the core services — compute, storage, networking, databases — plus how you deploy and operate them. |
| 4. Billing, Pricing, and Support | 12% | AWS pricing models, cost management tools, account structures, and the AWS support plans and technical resources. |
Front-load Domain 3 (Cloud Technology and Services) — the core services (EC2, S3, VPC, RDS, Lambda) and global infrastructure appear everywhere — and Domain 2 (Security and Compliance), where the shared responsibility model is the single most-tested idea.
How the exam is structured
The exam has 65 questions (50 are scored; 15 are unscored trial questions that don't affect your result) and you get 90 minutes. Scores are reported on a 100–1000 scale, and 700 or above passes. It uses compensatory scoring — you only need to pass overall, not each domain individually. There are no prerequisites. Treat a practice percentage as a study signal, not a predicted exam score.
AWS Cloud Practitioner and Azure AZ-900 are the entry-level equivalents for AWS and Azure — pick the one your target employer uses. When you're ready for a deeper, more hands-on AWS cert, Solutions Architect Associate (SAA) is the usual next step up from Cloud Practitioner.
- CLF-C02 has four domains; Cloud Technology and Services (34%) is the biggest.
- The top two domains (Tech 34% + Security 30%) are ~64% of the exam.
- 65 questions (50 scored) in 90 minutes; pass is 700 on a 100–1000 scale.
- Compensatory scoring — pass overall, not each domain; no prerequisites.
Frequently asked questions
How many domains are on the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam?
Four: Cloud Concepts (24%), Security and Compliance (30%), Cloud Technology and Services (34%), and Billing, Pricing, and Support (12%).
What is the passing score for AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)?
700 on a scale of 100 to 1000. The scale is not a straight percentage, so a raw practice percentage does not translate directly to the scaled score.
How many questions are on the exam and how long is it?
65 questions (50 scored plus 15 unscored trial questions) in 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites.
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