AWS delivers the SAA-C03 online exam through Pearson VUE's OnVUE system, which is available for this exam alongside the in-person test-centre option. Both paths give you 130 minutes for 65 questions under the same scoring rules; the online option adds a remote proctor and a pre-exam system and ID check instead of an in-person check-in desk.
Whether you sit SAA-C03 online or at a Pearson VUE test centre, the exam content, timing, and scoring are identical. What differs is how you check in and how you are monitored.
SAA-C03 online exam: OnVUE basics
AWS makes Pearson VUE's OnVUE online-proctored option available for SAA-C03. With OnVUE, a remote proctor monitors you by webcam and screen share instead of an in-person test-centre attendant, and you complete a system and environment check before your appointment begins. This hub does not publish specific room, camera, or ID hardware requirements beyond what AWS's own booking flow states, so confirm the current OnVUE requirements in your AWS Certification account before your appointment.
Test centre check-in versus online check-in
At a Pearson VUE test centre, you arrive in person, present ID, and are seated at a monitored workstation for the full exam. With OnVUE, your check-in happens from your own space: you verify your identity and environment through the proctoring software before the exam unlocks. Neither path changes the exam pattern described on the exam format page: 65 questions, 130 minutes, scored on a 100-1000 scale with a 720 passing score.
During the SAA-C03 exam
Once the exam starts, you have 130 minutes to answer all 65 questions, made up of 50 scored and 15 unscored items mixed together. You can flag questions and return to them before time runs out, on both the test-centre and OnVUE delivery paths. Multiple-response questions tell you how many correct answers to select; read that instruction each time, since the count of correct answers varies by question rather than always being the same.
After the SAA-C03 exam
AWS uses a compensatory scoring model across the four domains, so your result reflects performance across Design Secure Architectures, Design Resilient Architectures, Design High-Performing Architectures, and Design Cost-Optimized Architectures combined, not a separate pass requirement in each. See the exam objectives page for what each domain covers if you want to understand your result in more detail once it is available.
Choosing online versus in person for SAA-C03
If your home or office setup would struggle to pass an online system and environment check, or you prefer a fixed, distraction-free room away from home, the Pearson VUE test-centre path removes that uncertainty. If travelling to a centre is inconvenient, OnVUE removes the travel step, provided your setup meets Pearson VUE's requirements at the time you book. Review cost and booking for how each option is booked and what a retake costs if you need one.
Preparing your last day before the exam
Regardless of delivery method, spend your final day before the exam reviewing rather than learning new material, since cramming new content the day before rarely changes a score built over weeks of study. Revisit the domain that scored weakest on your last practice test attempt, and confirm the logistics for your chosen delivery method (booking confirmation, ID, or your OnVUE system check) the night before rather than the morning of your appointment.
What to bring or have ready
For a Pearson VUE test centre appointment, bring the identification documents that your booking confirmation lists as required; the exact accepted ID types are specified in Pearson VUE's own policy shown during booking, not published by this hub separately. For OnVUE, have that same form of ID ready to present on camera during the identity check, along with a clear, private space for the duration of the exam, since the proctor monitors your surroundings as part of the check-in process.
Handling the unexpected
If you sit SAA-C03 at a test centre and encounter a technical problem with the workstation, or if OnVUE's proctoring software has a connection issue during your online exam, the standard path is to alert the test centre staff or OnVUE proctor immediately through the tools built into the exam session, rather than closing the exam window yourself. This hub does not publish AWS's specific incident-handling policy beyond that; if something goes wrong, follow the guidance the proctor or centre staff gives you in the moment, and raise any dispute afterward through your AWS Certification account.
Staying within the domains you prepared for
Every question on SAA-C03, whether taken online or in person, maps back to the four domains on the exam objectives page. If a scenario feels unfamiliar mid-exam, it is still testing one of those four areas; use the process of identifying which domain a hard question belongs to as a way to apply what you already studied, rather than treating an unfamiliar scenario as evidence you are unprepared.
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.