AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C03) Certification Preparation

This three-day course prepares you for the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam in its new SCS-C03 version. It covers all six official domains, from threat detection to multi-account governance, from a security engineer's point of view: how to design, control and respond on AWS. Demos, incident case studies and exam-style questions shape every day.

The essentials

Objectives

Program

  1. Detection (16%)
    • Logging strategy
    • Monitoring and alerting
    • Analysing security findings
  2. Incident response (14%)
    • Response plans and automation
    • Containment, investigation and evidence
  3. Infrastructure security (18%)
    • Edge security and DDoS protection
    • VPC network controls
    • Compute hardening
  4. Identity and access management (20%)
    • Authentication and federation
    • Policies, authorisation and access troubleshooting
  5. Data protection (18%)
    • Encryption in transit and at rest
    • Key and secrets management
    • Data lifecycle
  6. Security foundations and governance (14%)
    • Multi-account strategy
    • Secure, compliant deployment
    • Compliance assessment
  7. Hands-on scenarios and exam practice
    • Workshop: from a GuardDuty finding to containment
    • Reading and fixing IAM policies
    • Timed mock exam and debrief

Prerequisites

Target audience

The exam

SCS-C03 has 65 questions, 15 of them unscored, in 170 minutes. Alongside multiple-choice and multiple-response items, it includes ordering and matching questions. You need 750 out of 1000, with no per-domain minimum. It runs at Pearson VUE centres or online with a remote proctor, in English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese and Spanish (Latin America); there is no French version. AWS lists the fee at USD 300 and a three-year validity.

Preparation tips

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What changed between SCS-C02 and SCS-C03?

SCS-C03 is organised into six domains, including one on security foundations and governance, and adds ordering and matching questions. SCS-C02 is no longer offered.

Can I take it in French?

No. We therefore practise questions in English during the course, with explanations in French if you prefer.

How much experience do I really need?

AWS targets three to five years of securing cloud environments. In practice, a security engineer who has worked daily on AWS for a couple of years, and who is comfortable with IAM and logging, is usually ready to start.

Are service names abbreviated in the exam?

Yes, some services appear under their short names. A reference list is available during the exam through the Help button.

Is this course relevant for a SOC team?

Yes. The detection and incident response domains map directly to the work of analysts monitoring AWS workloads.

Securevalley training — online and in-person sessions. Contact us for pricing and registration terms.

Securevalley is not a training partner of AWS. AWS, Amazon Web Services and AWS Certified are trademarks of Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates.