AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Exam Format and Passing Score

Here’s the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam format and passing score in one line: 65 questions in 90 minutes, and you need a scaled score of 700 out of 1,000 to pass. Only 50 of those questions count. The good news: nobody asks you to write code. The less-good news: they do ask you to tell apart services with suspiciously similar names. Below: the official format, how scoring works, the four topic areas, cost, retakes, and five original practice questions.

What the Cloud Practitioner exam actually is

AWS stands for Amazon Web Services, Amazon’s cloud computing business. The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is its entry-level (“Foundational”) certification. The current exam code is CLF-C02. As of Oct 20, 2026, AWS lists CLF-C02 as the current exam, and its Coming Soon page announces no replacement.

It’s built for people who need to understand the cloud, not build it: career switchers, sales, marketing, and project managers. AWS says candidates could have up to 6 months of AWS exposure, but that isn’t required.

The official exam format

As of Oct 20, 2026:

• 65 questions: 50 scored plus 15 unscored questions AWS is testing for future use. They aren’t marked, so treat every question as real.
• Two question types: multiple choice (one right answer of four) and multiple response (two or more right answers of five or more choices).
• 90 minutes, about 83 seconds per question — roomy, unless you spend six minutes arguing with one question about storage classes.
• Passing score: 700 on a scaled score range of 100–1,000.
• No penalty for guessing. Unanswered questions are scored as wrong, so never leave a blank.
• Cost: $100 USD.
• Where you test: a Pearson VUE testing center or an online proctored exam.
• Languages: Arabic, English, French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. AWS says the Italian and German versions will be retired after December 31, 2026.
• Valid for 3 years once you pass.

Sources: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner page and the official CLF-C02 exam guide, both checked as of Oct 20, 2026.

How the 700 passing score works (put the calculator down)

The 700 is a scaled score, not a percentage. Different people get different versions (forms) of the exam, and some can be slightly harder. Scaling evens that out across forms.

The exam guide doesn’t publish a raw-to-scaled conversion, so don’t assume 700 means “exactly 35 of 50 right.” Aim well above the line in practice instead of calculating the bare minimum.

Two more details from the exam guide:

• It’s compensatory. You pass the exam as a whole, not each section, so a strong security score can cover a shaky billing score.
• Your score report may show section-level feedback. AWS says to read it with caution — it’s a rough guide, not a grade per topic.

The four domains (and where your points come from)

The exam guide splits scored content into four “domains” (topic areas):

• Domain 1 — Cloud Concepts: 24% (about 12 of the 50 scored questions). Cloud benefits, the AWS Well-Architected Framework, migration, and cloud economics.
• Domain 2 — Security and Compliance: 30% (about 15). The shared responsibility model, IAM (Identity and Access Management — who can do what in your account), root user protection, and encryption.
• Domain 3 — Cloud Technology and Services: 34% (about 17). Regions and Availability Zones, plus compute, database, network, storage, and AI/analytics services.
• Domain 4 — Billing, Pricing, and Support: 12% (about 6). Pricing models (On-Demand, Reserved, Spot, Savings Plans), budgeting tools, and AWS Support plans.

Source: CLF-C02 exam guide, as of Oct 20, 2026. Question counts are our math; AWS publishes only percentages.

Domains 2 and 3 are 64% of your score, so limited study time goes there first. Billing is only 12%, but it’s the domain people skip — and then meet six questions about it anyway.

Heads-up: the current guide lists support options as Basic Support, AWS Business Support+, AWS Enterprise Support, and AWS Unified Operations. Older flashcards may use other plan names.

What’s not on the exam (a short, happy list)

The exam guide lists these as out of scope: coding, designing cloud architecture, troubleshooting, implementation, and load and performance testing. You need to know what services do and when to pick them, not how to configure them.

Results, retakes, and recertifying

• Results: most AWS exams don’t show pass/fail when you finish. Results arrive within five business days in your AWS Certification Account. Yes, five business days of refreshing your email.
• Retakes: wait 14 calendar days after a fail. No limit on attempts, but you pay the full fee each time.
• Extra time: non-native English speakers testing in English can request “ESL +30” (30 more minutes) before registering.
• Discount: once you hold one AWS certification, you get 50% off other AWS certification exams.
• Recertifying: before the 3 years run out, you can complete the AWS Cloud Quest: Recertify Cloud Practitioner game-based training, pass the latest Cloud Practitioner exam, or pass any Associate-level or Professional-level exam.

Sources: AWS Certification FAQs, AWS Certification Before Testing policies, and AWS Recertification page, as of Oct 20, 2026.

Try 5 practice questions

These are original questions written for this post, not from any real AWS exam or sample set.

1. (Security and Compliance) A company runs its web app on Amazon EC2 virtual servers. Under the AWS shared responsibility model, who is responsible for installing security patches on the servers’ operating system?

A. AWS, because it owns the hardware
B. The customer
C. Pearson VUE
D. Nobody — EC2 patches itself automatically

Answer: B. AWS secures the cloud itself (data centers, hardware, network). On EC2, the operating system is the customer’s job. The split shifts with managed services, which is why the exam loves asking.

2. (Cloud Technology and Services) A store wants its website to keep running if one data center in a Region loses power. What’s the best basic approach?

A. Run the app in a single Availability Zone with a bigger server
B. Run the app across multiple Availability Zones in the Region
C. Store a backup copy on a laptop
D. Turn on a higher AWS Support plan

Answer: B. Availability Zones don’t share single points of failure, so spreading across them is the textbook route to high availability.

3. (Billing, Pricing, and Support) A nightly data job can stop and restart without harm, and the team wants the lowest compute cost. Which purchasing option fits best?

A. On-Demand Instances
B. Dedicated Hosts
C. Spot Instances
D. A 3-year Reserved Instance for a server that only runs at night

Answer: C. Spot Instances are discounted spare capacity that can be interrupted — fine for work that can restart. Dedicated Hosts cost more, not less.

4. (Cloud Concepts) A startup moves from buying its own servers to paying for AWS only for what it uses each month. Which cloud economics idea does this show?

A. Trading fixed up-front costs for variable costs
B. Bring Your Own License (BYOL)
C. Increasing on-premises capacity
D. Choosing a single point of failure

Answer: A. You stop buying up front and pay as you go.

5. (Security and Compliance — multiple response, select TWO) Which two actions help protect an AWS account’s root user?

A. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the root user
B. Share the root password with the whole team so no one gets locked out
C. Use IAM users or roles for everyday work instead of the root user
D. Paste the root password into the team chat for safekeeping
E. Use the root user for all daily tasks so access is simpler

Answer: A and C. MFA adds a second proof of identity, and everyday work belongs to IAM users or roles, keeping the all-powerful root user locked away. (If B or D tempted you, please also change your Wi-Fi password.)

The bottom line

The CLF-C02 is 65 questions (50 scored) in 90 minutes, and you pass with a scaled 700 out of 1,000. It costs $100 and lasts 3 years. Spend most of your time on security and core services (64% of the score), don’t skip billing, and practice until you clear the line comfortably.

Exam facts checked against the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner page, the official AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) exam guide, the AWS Certification FAQs, the AWS Certification Before Testing policies, and the AWS Recertification page, as of Oct 20, 2026. Exam details and fees can change, so confirm with AWS before you schedule. ebooklessons.com is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon Web Services (AWS).