An AWS devops course study plan for DOP-C02 should follow the exam's own domain weights: spend the most time on SDLC Automation (22%), then Configuration Management and IaC and Security and Compliance (17% each), then Resilient Cloud Solutions and Monitoring and Logging (15% each), then Incident and Event Response (14%), finishing with full timed mocks.
There is no single official AWS devops course study plan for DOP-C02 - AWS publishes the exam guide and domain weights, and leaves preparation up to you. The most reliable way to build a plan is to let those official weights decide how much time each domain gets, rather than splitting your time evenly across six domains that are not equally represented on the exam.
The domain weights behind this plan
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| SDLC Automation | 22% |
| Configuration Management and IaC | 17% |
| Security and Compliance | 17% |
| Resilient Cloud Solutions | 15% |
| Monitoring and Logging | 15% |
| Incident and Event Response | 14% |
These weights, from the exam objectives page, are the backbone of the plans below. Whether you have a short runway or a longer one, the proportion of time spent on each domain should track these percentages.
A 4-week plan
A compressed plan makes sense if you already have solid hands-on AWS experience and mainly need to close gaps and build exam pacing. In the first week, cover SDLC Automation and Configuration Management and IaC together, since they are the two largest domains. In the second week, move to Security and Compliance and Resilient Cloud Solutions. In the third week, cover Monitoring and Logging and Incident and Event Response, then spend time revisiting whichever domain felt weakest across the first two weeks. Reserve the final week for full-length timed mocks and reviewing every question you get wrong, going back to the specific domain each miss came from rather than re-reading everything.
An 8-week plan
An 8-week plan gives you roughly two weeks per pair of domains, following the same weighting: two weeks on SDLC Automation, two weeks split between Configuration Management and IaC and Security and Compliance, two weeks split between Resilient Cloud Solutions and Monitoring and Logging, and a final two weeks covering Incident and Event Response plus a full review cycle. Within each domain-focused week, alternate between reading and hands-on practice in an AWS account, then close the week with domain-specific practice questions rather than saving all testing for the end.
A 12-week plan
A longer runway suits candidates building up the recommended experience alongside their study, not just reviewing it. Spend the first two weeks on foundational hands-on work across all six domains at a shallow level, so you know what each one actually involves in an AWS account. Then move through SDLC Automation, Configuration Management and IaC, and Security and Compliance across the middle weeks, since together they carry more than half the exam's weight. Cover Resilient Cloud Solutions, Monitoring and Logging, and Incident and Event Response in the following weeks. Reserve the final two to three weeks for full-length timed mocks, domain-level review of every mistake, and a final pass through anything that is still shaky.
Turning weight into hours, honestly
This page describes an AWS devops course study plan in terms of weeks and domain order rather than specific hour counts, because AWS does not publish a recommended number of study hours for DOP-C02, and inventing one would not be honest. Use the domain weights as a proportion: if you can commit roughly ten hours a week, a domain worth 22% of the exam should get noticeably more of that time than a domain worth 14%, in that same rough proportion.
Practicing what you have studied
Reading about a domain and being able to answer scenario-based questions on it under time pressure are different skills. Once you have gone through the material for a domain, working timed questions from that same domain closes the loop. See sample questions for worked examples with full explanations, and our practice test for a full-length mock that mirrors the real exam format. If you are still deciding whether you have the prerequisites to start this plan, check that page first.
Exam facts on this page come from Amazon Web Services’s own pages (official exam page). Prices, versions and policies change — confirm there before you book.