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Vera
4 things to practise

Three exams, one after another, while working full time.

Fundamentals, an associate cert, and the hands-on one that is actually hard.

Certification paths stall in the gap between exams, not during them.

What this actually involves

Cloud certifications are usually taken as a sequence over a year or more, and the failure point is between exams rather than in them — you pass one, lose momentum, and the next booking never happens. Each also tests something different: fundamentals is vocabulary, associate is scenario judgment, and the hands-on ones are timed diagnostics where your debugging order decides the result.

The sequence

Roughly in order, though nothing here blocks anything else — start with whichever is next for you.

  1. If new to cloud
    Azure Fundamentals ReviewVocabulary and categorisation. Skip if you already work in cloud daily, since it will not teach you much.Practise this ↗
  2. Core cert
    AWS Solutions Architect ReviewScenario questions where four services work and one fits the constraint. The skill is finding the constraint, not knowing the services.Practise this ↗
  3. Early
    Book the exam before you feel readyThe most reliable predictor of whether someone finishes a certification path is whether a date exists. Study to the date, not to a feeling.You do this one. Vera isn’t involved.
  4. If security-adjacent
    CompTIA Security+ ReviewAcronym-dense and drills well verbally. Often paired with cloud certs for infrastructure roles.Practise this ↗
  5. Advanced
    Kubernetes CKA ReviewPerformance-based and tightly timed. Rehearse diagnostic order away from a cluster, because the clock punishes checking things in the wrong sequence.Practise this ↗
  6. Ongoing
    Build something between examsCertifications without hands-on work are visible to interviewers within about two questions. Build the thing you just got certified on.You do this one. Vera isn’t involved.

Common questions

Which certification should I do first?

Fundamentals if cloud is new, otherwise go straight to associate level. The fundamentals exam is a poor use of time if you already work in the environment.

Do certifications get you hired?

They get you past filters. Interviews test whether you can reason about tradeoffs, which is why building something matters alongside.

How do I study while working full time?

Short daily verbal sessions during commutes cover more ground than weekend blocks you keep postponing.

Other goals

Land a Software Engineering RoleScreens, system design, behavioral rounds, and the take-home review.Break Into Tech From Another CareerAnswer it well once, then the rest is a normal job search.Get Promoted to Senior EngineerEvidence, visibility, the promo panel, and the compensation conversation after.

Not practising doesn’t save you anything.

The ticket, the evening, the weeks of applying — all of it is spent before anyone says a word. The practice is the only cheap part, and the only part that changes how the rest goes.

Start with step one

15 minutes free · no card needed