During Testing (Test Day)

Refer to your confirmation email for instructions regarding what to bring and expect on test day. We ask that you arrive at the test center 15–30 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. This will give you adequate time to complete the necessary sign-in procedures. When testing at an AWS event, be prepared for a longer check-in process. When checking in for your exam, you will be asked to provide your registration name and exam title to the test administrator. You will need to provide your forms of identification. You will need to provide a signature agreeing to the test-delivery provider’s candidate agreement. You may be required to have your photograph taken during the check-in process. Your belongings must be stored according to the instructions of the test center staff before entering the testing room. You may be required to fill out a log sheet. The test administrator will then escort you to your computer workstation.

Refer to your confirmation email for instructions on how to prepare for test day. You will be able to launch your exam up to 30 minutes prior to your scheduled exam time. Please ensure that you have run the testing vendor’s system test on your computer prior to your appointment. If you are more than 15 minutes late for your appointment, or your computer does not pass the system test, you will not be able to launch your exam and your exam fees will be forfeited.

Once you have launched your exam, you will be guided through a self-check-in process to provide your identification and perform a testing environment check. When the check-in process is complete, you will be connected with a proctor to begin your exam.

Before your appointment, review all requirements and video walkthrough on Pearson VUE’s website.

The first and last name on the valid primary and secondary IDs that you present at your exam appointment must be identical to the first name (given name) and last name (surname) as entered into your AWS Certification Account at the time of registration.
Please also note:

• Only Roman (English) alphabet characters are supported on your AWS Certification Account.
• Special characters do not need to be present on your AWS Certification Account name to test; for example: ü or ö. As needed, replace them with equivalent Roman (English) alphabet characters.
• Middle names, titles or Suffix are not required to be in your profile even if they are present on your valid forms of identification.
• If you only have a first name or last name, please add a period (“.”) to the empty first or last name field when creating your AWS Training and Certification account.

Contact AWS Training and Certification support if you have any issues regarding your name on test day. Test administrators are instructed not to allow a candidate to test if the first and last names of the IDs and their AWS Certification Account are not identical. See “Change your name” section below for instructions on how to update your AWS Account name prior to your exam date.

If you have any questions or concerns about the ID you are required to provide for admittance for your exam, please contact Pearson VUE Customer Service.

One primary ID is required to test for any online proctored exam (OnVUE). Here are the guidelines for OnVUE exam ID requirements. Review the Unacceptable IDs section below. If you have any questions or concerns about the ID you are required to provide for admittance for your exam, please contact Pearson VUE Customer Service before your exam appointment.

Two primary IDs, or one primary ID and one secondary ID, are required to test in a test center. If you have any questions or concerns about the ID you are required to provide for admittance for your exam, please contact Pearson VUE Customer Service before your exam appointment.

Primary and secondary IDs are defined as follows:

Primary ID: A primary ID must be an original (no photocopies or digital IDs), unexpired, government-issued ID that includes your first and last name in Roman (English) characters; a recent, recognizable photograph; and your visible signature. Examples include an international travel passport or driver’s license. Note: If you do not have a primary ID from the country in which you are testing, you must bring an international travel passport. The passport must be issued from your country of citizenship, and the information on the passport must be in Roman characters.

Secondary ID: A secondary ID can be any ID that includes your first and last name in Roman (English) characters and your visible signature, or your first and last name in Roman (English) characters and a recent recognizable photo.

Unacceptable IDs:

• Restricted IDs*, including but not limited to the Geneva Convention ID, all Canadian Health Cards, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Common Access Card (CAC) or certain secure access IDs.
• For online proctored exams, IDs from the following locations where Pearson VUE delivery is restricted: North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Russia and the Sevastopol/Crimea/Donbas region of Ukraine.
• Expired, damaged IDs.
• Digital, photocopied, laminated paper or paper IDs (for example, Aadhaar identifications are not acceptable).

ID Exceptions (allowed):

• European Union Candidates testing the in the EU Zone: EU card
• Japanese candidates testing in Japan (two IDs): Employee or student ID with a recent, recognizable photo and Japanese health card.
• Government-issued PVC Aadhaar card ONLY (all other forms of Aadhaar IDs such as letter/paper, paper laminated and/or digital formats are NOT accepted).
• Local Language Exceptions:
  • Online exams: Local language (non-Roman or non-English) IDs are accepted. Local language IDs must meet the guidelines for OnVUE exam ID requirements. Review the Unacceptable IDs section above.
  • Test Center exams: Local language (non-Roman or non-English) IDs are accepted for candidates testing in the country where the identification was originally issued. IDs must be unexpired, government-issued with photo.
  • For example:
    • Acceptable: ID in Japanese is presented in a Japan testing center.
    • Unacceptable: ID with Simplified Chinese characters is presented in a Japan testing center.
  • Unexpired government-issued IDs from countries where Pearson VUE delivery is restricted can be used at test centers available outside of the restricted locations (North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Russia and the Sevastopol/Crimea/Donbas region of Ukraine).

Test administrators are instructed not to allow a candidate to test if the first and last names of the IDs and their AWS Certification Account are not identical. If the name on the My Profile page of your AWS Certification Account does not match your valid forms of identification, you must either change your name in your account two (2) business days before your exam or open a case with AWS Training and Certification Customer Service. Indicate that your name is incorrect on your AWS Certification Account and provide the correct name. AWS Training and Certification Customer Service will process this request as soon as possible. Do not schedule an exam until your request has been processed. Cancel an existing examination appointment before requesting an account update, and then reschedule after the request is processed to avoid confusion at the testing appointment.

Customers can change their name in their Certification account two business days (48 hours) before their first exam.

To change the name on your AWS Certification account, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to your AWS certification account https://www.aws.training/.
2. Go to the Profile tab, and then choose “Account”
3. Enter your legal first and last name exactly as it appears on your government issued ID.
4. Select “Update Information”.

If the system does not allow you to make this update, then please submit a ticket to the AWS Training and Certification Support team (https://support.aws.amazon.com/#/contacts/aws-training). Complete all required fields in the form.

• In the Inquiry Type, select "Account Assistance"
• In the Additional Details, select "Name Change"
• In the How can we help you? please ask us to change your name
• Enter your name as it is listed on your valid forms of identification.
• Click the Submit button

If needed, our Support team will request documentation to process the edit. Once all necessary information is submitted, please allow up to two (2) business days for the change to be processed.

Note that we may require all of the following to process the name change:

• A copy of legal documentation of your name change
• A scanned copy of a photo identification with proof of your original name
• Another copy of a photo identification with proof of your new name

Candidates 13–17 years of age and their parent/legal guardian have specific ID requirements.

Test center ID requirement – teen candidate: The teen candidate must present one form of photo ID. School IDs are acceptable.

Test center ID requirements – parent/legal guardian: The parent/legal guardian who is identified on the consent form must accompany the teen candidate to the test center and provide a primary ID in accordance with the ID policy. The first and last name on the primary ID must exactly match the name of the parent/legal guardian on the consent form.  

Please contact AWS Training and Certification support to learn more about the teen testing process.

General: The AWS Certification Program Agreement (the “CPA”) contains terms that govern your participation in the AWS Certification program. Details of this policy can be found on our Policies page.

Test center rules can be found at the following page:

• Pearson VUE Candidate Rules Agreement
  

A violation of Pearson VUE test center rules may lead to the immediate cancellation or termination of your exam without refunding or rescheduling the exam appointment.

When taking your exam at a test center, you will be presented with the Candidate Code of Conduct before your exam launches. Details of this policy can be found on our Policies page.

Scheduled breaks are not configured for AWS Certification exams. For exams at a test center, you are permitted to take unscheduled breaks. The time for the exam will not stop during an unscheduled break. You are not permitted to leave the building at any time during an exam.

For online proctored exams, you are not permitted to stand up from or leave the view of the camera for any reason for the duration of the exam, including for a restroom break or any other kind of break.

At AWS’s sole discretion, AWS may initiate an investigation into any report or information that a candidate has engaged in any conduct that is in violation of the AWS Certification Program Agreement, AWS Certification Policies, our test delivery provider's rules and regulations, or conduct that otherwise threatens the validity and security of AWS Certification exams. AWS may also initiate an investigation into a candidate’s exam performance or behavior based on data forensics analyses. Learn more about testing irregularity investigation procedures on our Policies page.

The value that AWS Certification provides is contingent upon objective, fair, and consistent application and enforcement of all testing rules, policies, and procedures. To protect that value, any candidate or AWS Certified individual who has knowledge of any testing irregularities or policy violations, whether by an AWS Certified individual, candidate, test center, or other third party, is encouraged to report that information to [email protected] for further investigation. AWS will treat reports of testing irregularities or policy violations in a confidential manner to the fullest extent possible.

Once seated for the exam, verify that your name and exam are showing correctly on screen. You should notify the proctor immediately if there are any discrepancies. You must agree to the on-screen Candidate Code of Conduct prior to starting the AWS Certification exam.

As a testing candidate, you can expect your behavior to be monitored throughout the test-taking period by AWS and our test delivery provider. You must complete your own exams without assistance. However, if there is a malfunction with a test computer, report the issue immediately to a test administrator or proctor, and request that they log an incident. Do not ask test center employees questions about exam content or scores, as they will be unable to assist in these matters.

During testing, there will be a built-in timer on the computer screen that will show how much of your testing session remains. Be sure to plan wisely so that all questions can be answered in the allotted time. There are no penalties for incorrect responses. Unanswered questions will be marked as wrong. Note that the timer will continue to count down during any unscheduled breaks at a test center. If you need to step away from the testing station, you may alert the test administrator. You will be required to complete the check-in steps again to re-enter the exam. For kiosk testing and online proctored exams, no breaks are permitted.

Exams delivered through Pearson VUE include the following:

• Introduction screen: Displays your name and exam information.
• Candidate Code of Conduct: You are given 5 minutes to read and agree to the Candidate Code of Conduct. Failure to agree, or timing out without a response, will end the exam and no refunds will be provided.
  
• Exam section:
  • A timer is located in the upper-right portion of the screen. A timer warning will display when 5 minutes remain.
  • The item counter, or question counter, is located in the upper-right portion of the screen.
  • The navigation controls are located in the lower-left portion of the screen. You are allowed to go to the next and previous question throughout the exam, unless specifically noted.
  • Select the Flag for Review button in the upper-right portion of the screen to flag a question for later review.
  • Select the Comment button in the upper-left portion of the screen to enter feedback on a given question. 
  • After navigating through all of the exam questions, a review screen will appear to present you with the opportunity to review all, incomplete, or flagged questions. Select the End Review button to exit the exam section.  
• Survey section: Candidates are given 5 minutes to complete the end-of-exam survey questions.
• Exit screen: Provides information on exam results. Select the End Exam button to close out of the exam.

The test delivery provider provides a Comment button on-screen for each question while you take an exam. However, the time taken to post comments is subtracted from the exam time limit. Therefore, we recommend that you flag individual questions and add any comments when you have completed your exam. Comments regarding question content or translation accuracy may be captured by selecting the Comment button on a particular question, entering the comment, and selecting Save. Comments are linked to the question where the comment was entered. All comments are reviewed by AWS in aggregate and carefully considered during technical and psychometric reviews. No individual response to feedback will be provided.