CLF-C02 Cheat Sheet

#	Domain	Weight	Questions	Practice
1.0	Cloud Concepts	24%	242	Practice →
2.0	Security and Compliance	30%	234	Practice →
3.0	Cloud Technology and Services	34%	346	Practice →
4.0	Billing, Pricing, and Support	12%	217	Practice →
Total	100%	1,039

Domain

Weight

Questions

Practice

1.0

Cloud Concepts

24%

242

Practice →

2.0

Security and Compliance

30%

234

Practice →

3.0

Cloud Technology and Services

34%

346

Practice →

4.0

Billing, Pricing, and Support

12%

217

Practice →

Total

100%

1,039

Domain Quick Reference

1.0Cloud Concepts

Cloud Concepts on the CLF-C02 exam covers the fundamental principles of cloud computing, the AWS Global Infrastructure, the AWS Well-Architected Framework, and core AWS services like EC2, S3, and VPC, focusing on their benefits and use cases.

24%

Key concepts

✓Define cloud computing and its essential characteristics (on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service)
✓Identify the six pillars of the AWS Well-Architected Framework (Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, Sustainability)
✓Distinguish between the AWS Global Infrastructure components: Regions, Availability Zones, and Edge Locations
✓Understand the value propositions of AWS: pay-as-you-go pricing, economies of scale, elasticity, high availability, and fault tolerance
✓Match common AWS services to their categories: compute (EC2, Lambda), storage (S3, EBS, EFS), database (RDS, DynamoDB), networking (VPC, CloudFront)
✓Recognize design principles for cloud architectures: scaling (vertical vs. horizontal), loose coupling, and automation

Watch out for

⚠Confusing a Region (geographic area with multiple AZs) with an Availability Zone (one or more data centers within a Region)
⚠Thinking that all AWS services are globally available by default; many are Region-scoped (e.g., EC2 instances are tied to a specific Region)
⚠Believing the Well-Architected Framework is a single document; it's actually a set of best practices with six separate pillars
⚠Selecting a specific service (like Amazon RDS) when the scenario only requires a general understanding of database services; the exam may test concept over detail

2.0Security and Compliance

Security and Compliance covers the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, identity and access management (IAM), data encryption, monitoring and logging, and compliance programs—essentially how AWS helps you secure your cloud resources and meet regulatory requirements.

30%

Key concepts

✓Shared Responsibility Model: distinguishing between AWS responsibilities (physical security, hardware) and customer responsibilities (data, OS, network config)
✓IAM: managing users, groups, roles, policies, and applying least privilege
✓Data encryption: SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, client-side encryption, and encryption in transit (TLS)
✓Monitoring and logging: CloudTrail for API activity, CloudWatch for metrics, and Config for resource compliance
✓DDoS protection: AWS Shield Standard (free) vs. Shield Advanced (paid) for Layer 3/4 attacks
✓Compliance programs: SOC 1/2/3, PCI DSS Level 1, HIPAA BAA, and FedRAMP for regulated workloads

Watch out for

⚠Assuming AWS is responsible for everything (forgetting the customer side of the Shared Responsibility Model)
⚠Confusing AWS Shield with AWS WAF (Shield is DDoS protection, WAF is a web application firewall for HTTP requests)
⚠Thinking that enabling CloudTrail automatically logs all data events (it logs management events by default; data events must be enabled separately)
⚠Believing that encryption at rest is always enabled by default (it's not; you must enable it on services like S3 and EBS)

3.0Cloud Technology and Services

Cloud Technology and Services covers the core AWS services (compute, storage, database, networking), the shared responsibility model, deployment models, and the global infrastructure—essentially the foundational knowledge needed to start using AWS.

34%

Key concepts

✓Identify core AWS compute services: EC2, Lambda, Elastic Beanstalk, and their primary use cases
✓Differentiate storage services: S3 (object), EBS (block), EFS (file), and Glacier (archival)
✓Recognize database services: RDS (relational), DynamoDB (NoSQL), Redshift (data warehouse)
✓Understand the shared responsibility model: what AWS secures vs. what the customer secures
✓Describe AWS global infrastructure: Regions, Availability Zones, Edge Locations, and their purposes
✓Identify deployment models: cloud, on-premises, hybrid, and when to use each

Watch out for

⚠Confusing S3 storage classes (e.g., S3 Standard vs. S3 Glacier) and their retrieval times
⚠Mixing up EC2 pricing models: On-Demand, Reserved, Spot Instances, and Savings Plans
⚠Thinking the shared responsibility model means AWS secures everything, including customer data and IAM
⚠Assuming all AWS services are available in every Region (some are Region-specific or have limited availability)

4.0Billing, Pricing, and Support

The Billing, Pricing, and Support domain covers AWS pricing models (On-Demand, Reserved, Spot), the Free Tier, consolidated billing, cost management tools (Cost Explorer, Budgets), and support plans (Basic, Developer, Business, Enterprise).

12%

Key concepts

✓AWS Free Tier limits (e.g., 750 hours of EC2 t2.micro per month for 12 months)
✓Differences between On-Demand, Reserved, and Spot Instance pricing
✓Consolidated billing via AWS Organizations and its cost benefits
✓AWS Support plan features and response times (e.g., Business support has 1-hour response for production systems)
✓Using AWS Cost Explorer to visualize and analyze spending
✓AWS Budgets to set custom cost thresholds and receive alerts

Watch out for

⚠Assuming Spot Instances are always cheaper than On-Demand, but they can be interrupted and are not suitable for all workloads
⚠Thinking the Free Tier covers all services forever—many services have 12-month or usage limits
⚠Confusing AWS Support plan levels: e.g., Developer support does not include architectural guidance, only Business and Enterprise do
⚠Believing Reserved Instances require upfront payment—they offer partial upfront, all upfront, or no upfront options

Exam Day Reminders

→Read every question stem fully — look for qualifiers like 'MOST likely,' 'BEST,' or 'EXCEPT.'

→Flag uncertain questions and come back — don't waste time on one question.

→Eliminate obviously wrong options first, then choose between remaining ones.

→Trust your first instinct unless you have a specific reason to change.

→For CLF-C02, scenarios typically have one clearly best answer — look for the option that matches the specific constraints in the question.

#	Domain	Weight	Questions	Practice
1.0	Cloud Concepts	24%	242	Practice →
2.0	Security and Compliance	30%	234	Practice →
3.0	Cloud Technology and Services	34%	346	Practice →
4.0	Billing, Pricing, and Support	12%	217	Practice →
Total	100%	1,039

Domain

Weight

Questions

Practice

1.0

Cloud Concepts

24%

242

Practice →

2.0

Security and Compliance

30%

234

Practice →

3.0

Cloud Technology and Services

34%

346

Practice →

4.0

Billing, Pricing, and Support

12%

217

Practice →

Total

100%

1,039

Domain Quick Reference

1.0Cloud Concepts

24%

Key concepts

✓Define cloud computing and its essential characteristics (on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service)
✓Identify the six pillars of the AWS Well-Architected Framework (Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, Sustainability)
✓Distinguish between the AWS Global Infrastructure components: Regions, Availability Zones, and Edge Locations
✓Understand the value propositions of AWS: pay-as-you-go pricing, economies of scale, elasticity, high availability, and fault tolerance
✓Match common AWS services to their categories: compute (EC2, Lambda), storage (S3, EBS, EFS), database (RDS, DynamoDB), networking (VPC, CloudFront)
✓Recognize design principles for cloud architectures: scaling (vertical vs. horizontal), loose coupling, and automation

Watch out for

⚠Confusing a Region (geographic area with multiple AZs) with an Availability Zone (one or more data centers within a Region)
⚠Thinking that all AWS services are globally available by default; many are Region-scoped (e.g., EC2 instances are tied to a specific Region)
⚠Believing the Well-Architected Framework is a single document; it's actually a set of best practices with six separate pillars
⚠Selecting a specific service (like Amazon RDS) when the scenario only requires a general understanding of database services; the exam may test concept over detail

2.0Security and Compliance

30%

Key concepts

✓Shared Responsibility Model: distinguishing between AWS responsibilities (physical security, hardware) and customer responsibilities (data, OS, network config)
✓IAM: managing users, groups, roles, policies, and applying least privilege
✓Data encryption: SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, client-side encryption, and encryption in transit (TLS)
✓Monitoring and logging: CloudTrail for API activity, CloudWatch for metrics, and Config for resource compliance
✓DDoS protection: AWS Shield Standard (free) vs. Shield Advanced (paid) for Layer 3/4 attacks
✓Compliance programs: SOC 1/2/3, PCI DSS Level 1, HIPAA BAA, and FedRAMP for regulated workloads

Watch out for

⚠Assuming AWS is responsible for everything (forgetting the customer side of the Shared Responsibility Model)
⚠Confusing AWS Shield with AWS WAF (Shield is DDoS protection, WAF is a web application firewall for HTTP requests)
⚠Thinking that enabling CloudTrail automatically logs all data events (it logs management events by default; data events must be enabled separately)
⚠Believing that encryption at rest is always enabled by default (it's not; you must enable it on services like S3 and EBS)

3.0Cloud Technology and Services

34%

Key concepts

✓Identify core AWS compute services: EC2, Lambda, Elastic Beanstalk, and their primary use cases
✓Differentiate storage services: S3 (object), EBS (block), EFS (file), and Glacier (archival)
✓Recognize database services: RDS (relational), DynamoDB (NoSQL), Redshift (data warehouse)
✓Understand the shared responsibility model: what AWS secures vs. what the customer secures
✓Describe AWS global infrastructure: Regions, Availability Zones, Edge Locations, and their purposes
✓Identify deployment models: cloud, on-premises, hybrid, and when to use each

Watch out for

⚠Confusing S3 storage classes (e.g., S3 Standard vs. S3 Glacier) and their retrieval times
⚠Mixing up EC2 pricing models: On-Demand, Reserved, Spot Instances, and Savings Plans
⚠Thinking the shared responsibility model means AWS secures everything, including customer data and IAM
⚠Assuming all AWS services are available in every Region (some are Region-specific or have limited availability)

4.0Billing, Pricing, and Support

12%

Key concepts

✓AWS Free Tier limits (e.g., 750 hours of EC2 t2.micro per month for 12 months)
✓Differences between On-Demand, Reserved, and Spot Instance pricing
✓Consolidated billing via AWS Organizations and its cost benefits
✓AWS Support plan features and response times (e.g., Business support has 1-hour response for production systems)
✓Using AWS Cost Explorer to visualize and analyze spending
✓AWS Budgets to set custom cost thresholds and receive alerts

Watch out for

⚠Assuming Spot Instances are always cheaper than On-Demand, but they can be interrupted and are not suitable for all workloads
⚠Thinking the Free Tier covers all services forever—many services have 12-month or usage limits
⚠Confusing AWS Support plan levels: e.g., Developer support does not include architectural guidance, only Business and Enterprise do
⚠Believing Reserved Instances require upfront payment—they offer partial upfront, all upfront, or no upfront options

Exam Day Reminders

→Read every question stem fully — look for qualifiers like 'MOST likely,' 'BEST,' or 'EXCEPT.'

→Flag uncertain questions and come back — don't waste time on one question.

→Eliminate obviously wrong options first, then choose between remaining ones.

→Trust your first instinct unless you have a specific reason to change.

→For CLF-C02, scenarios typically have one clearly best answer — look for the option that matches the specific constraints in the question.

CLF-C02 Exam Blueprint — At a Glance

Domain Quick Reference

1.0Cloud Concepts

2.0Security and Compliance

3.0Cloud Technology and Services

4.0Billing, Pricing, and Support

Exam Day Reminders

More CLF-C02 resources

CLF-C02 Cheat Sheet

CLF-C02 Exam Blueprint — At a Glance

Domain Quick Reference

1.0Cloud Concepts

2.0Security and Compliance

3.0Cloud Technology and Services

4.0Billing, Pricing, and Support

Exam Day Reminders

More CLF-C02 resources