AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C02): Ultimate 2025 Study & Exam Preparation Guide

What the AWS Certified Security – Specialty Covers (and Why It Matters)

The AWS Certified Security – Specialty validates advanced, hands‑on expertise in securing AWS environments. You’ll be tested on the design and implementation of detective, preventive, and responsive controls; governance; incident response; and the cryptography and identity patterns that power strong, scalable security on AWS. The certification is valid for 3 years, after which you recertify by passing the latest version. [1†source]

What makes this credential uniquely valuable is its scope: you’ll design guardrails that hold across many accounts, automate detections and containment, and prove you can securely operate critical services like Amazon S3, VPC, KMS, IAM, GuardDuty, Security Hub, and more—using the same best practices the AWS Well‑Architected Framework’s Security Pillar recommends. [2†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Build your preparation around real scenarios—multi‑account governance, incident response playbooks, and encryption trade‑offs—not just service trivia. That’s how the exam, and the job, are structured. [2†source]

Important 2025 Update: SCS‑C03 Announced

If you’re scheduling the exam now, here’s the headline:

• Registration for the updated Security – Specialty (SCS‑C03) opens November 18, 2025.

• Last day to take the current SCS‑C02 is December 1, 2025. [0†source]

AWS states the update expands coverage in areas like generative AI/ML security and reorganizes parts of the detection and incident response content. If your exam date falls after December 1, 2025, plan to prepare for SCS‑C03—and watch for the new, version‑specific study resources on AWS Skill Builder when registration opens. [0†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Choose your path today. Exam on/before Dec 1: study SCS‑C02. After Dec 1: pivot to SCS‑C03 and use the updated official prep. [0†source]

Who Should Take It? Prerequisites and Experience

Good news: there are no required prerequisite certifications. AWS recommends 3–5 years of security design experience and at least 2 years of hands‑on experience securing AWS workloads. This is an advanced exam; practical experience matters as much as book knowledge. [3†source]

Retake policy 101:

• If you don’t pass, you can retake after 14 days; there’s no cap on attempts.

• You can’t retake a passed version for two years (but you may take a new series code when launched). [4†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• If you’re newer to AWS security, front‑load your study with hands‑on labs in IAM, KMS, Organizations/Control Tower, and incident response automation. These are high‑impact topics you’ll revisit across domains. [3†source][2†source]

Exam Format, Scoring, and Logistics

For SCS‑C02:

• 65 questions total (50 scored + 15 unscored experimental).

• 170 minutes to complete.

• Multiple choice and multiple response.

• Scaled score from 100–1000; 750 is the minimum passing score.

• Delivery through Pearson VUE, either online proctored or at a test center.

• Price: USD 300 (or local equivalent).

• Languages offered include English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America). [3†source][5†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Practice under timed conditions (about 2.5 minutes per question). Build an exam‑day rhythm: answer → flag → move on. This prevents time sinkholes on long scenario questions. [6†source]

SCS‑C02 Domains and Weights (Official Blueprint)

AWS publishes the blueprint across localized exam guides. As of now, these are the official SCS‑C02 domain weights: [5†source]

1. Threat Detection & Incident Response — 14%

2. Security Logging & Monitoring — 18%

3. Infrastructure Security — 20%

4. Identity & Access Management — 16%

5. Data Protection — 18%

6. Management & Security Governance — 14%

Important note: Some English pages may still show outdated domain weights. Always defer to the most current localized exam guide or the exam guide accessible in your AWS Certification account. [7†source][5†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Allocate study time proportionally—your largest slices are Infrastructure Security (20%), Logging & Monitoring (18%), and Data Protection (18%). Still, don’t neglect Governance (14%); it’s where many candidates lose easy points. [5†source]

What Services and Capabilities Are In Scope?

Expect multi‑service scenario questions bridging:

• Detective and response: Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Security Hub, Amazon Detective, CloudWatch, EventBridge, incident response playbooks and automation patterns.

• Identity and access: IAM, IAM Identity Center (successor to AWS SSO), AWS Organizations and SCPs, ABAC, cross‑account access patterns.

• Data protection: AWS KMS (CMKs, grants, rotation), AWS Secrets Manager, AWS Certificate Manager, S3 encryption controls and S3 Object Lock.

• Infrastructure and edge security: Amazon VPC, AWS Network Firewall, AWS WAF, AWS Shield, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon Route 53, Amazon Inspector.

• Governance and compliance: AWS Config, conformance packs, AWS Audit Manager, AWS Backup, AWS Control Tower, multi‑account strategy. [7†source][8†source][2†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Make a one‑page “integration map.” For example: GuardDuty → EventBridge → Lambda for auto‑containment; Detective for pivots; Security Hub for standards and cross‑account posture. Bring this map into every practice session. [8†source]

Deep Dives by Domain (How to Think Like the Exam)

1) Threat Detection & Incident Response (14%)

You’ll triage findings, automate containment, preserve evidence, and coordinate recovery. Strong candidates know how to wire GuardDuty to EventBridge and Lambda for automated actions (tag, snapshot, quarantine), use Detective for graph‑based investigations, and lock down evidence with S3 Object Lock. You’re expected to understand incident playbook structure and how it maps to AWS services. [9†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Build a mini IR pipeline in a lab: Trigger a benign GuardDuty finding, route it to EventBridge, invoke a Lambda that isolates an instance (e.g., adjust SGs), and store logs with Object Lock. [9†source]

2) Security Logging & Monitoring (18%)

Design org‑wide logging: AWS CloudTrail (all regions, all accounts), centralized log buckets, AWS Config with conformance packs, Security Hub standards across accounts, and data flows into a SIEM if needed. Pay attention to organization‑level best practices (e.g., centralized account for logging) and detective guardrails. [10†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Draft a “minimum viable logging posture” for a 3‑OU org. Include CloudTrail org trail, Config aggregators, Security Hub delegated admin, and alert routing patterns (EventBridge → SNS/ChatOps). [10†source]

3) Infrastructure Security (20%)

Segment networks and layer controls: VPC design, AWS Network Firewall, WAF and Shield for edge protection, Inspector for continuous scanning (EC2, ECR, Lambda), CloudFront and Route 53 protections. Understand common attack paths and how AWS services mitigate them. [8†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Diagram an internet‑facing workload with WAF at CloudFront, Shield Advanced for DDoS, Network Firewall in inspection VPC, flow logs to analysis, and documented playbooks for burst/attack events. [8†source]

4) Identity & Access Management (16%)

Expect federation patterns with IAM Identity Center, service control policies at the org level, ABAC designs, and subtle policy conditions (aws, aws) that prevent confused‑deputy risks. Cross‑account access, permission boundaries, and session management show up often. [10†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Write three policy snippets: 1) a least‑privilege IAM policy with resource‑level constraints; 2) an SCP denying key high‑risk actions; 3) a boundary that keeps developers safe in a sandbox. Review how each interacts. [10†source]

5) Data Protection (18%)

Know how to design with KMS: customer‑managed keys, grants vs. key policies, rotation, and envelope encryption. Contrast S3 default encryption vs. bucket policies; understand S3 Object Lock (compliance vs. governance mode) and key management in Secrets Manager and ACM. [2†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Create a decision matrix for encryption: KMS key types, who administers, rotation needs, cross‑account access, and workload latency trade‑offs. [2†source]

6) Management & Security Governance (14%)

Operate securely at scale with multi‑account OUs, Control Tower baselines, SCP guardrails, and automated evidence collection using AWS Audit Manager and AWS Config conformance packs. Tie controls back to compliance objectives. [11†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Propose a 3‑tier OU model (Sandbox, Workloads, Security/Shared) with mandatory guardrails (e.g., root account protections, restricted regions), and show how you’ll measure adherence. [11†source]

Official AWS Prep Resources You Should Use First

• Exam Prep (Standard/Enhanced) for SCS‑C02 on AWS Skill Builder: the official path with videos, hands‑on labs, practice questions, and (in the Enhanced version) a full practice exam. It’s available in multiple languages and focuses on exam‑style scenarios. [12†source][13†source]

• Security Engineering on AWS (3‑day instructor‑led): a deep, hands‑on course for detective, preventive, and responsive controls across core security services. It pairs perfectly with exam prep and on‑the‑job skills. [8†source]

• Best‑practice source of truth: the AWS Well‑Architected Framework’s Security Pillar, plus the AWS Incident Response guidance with sample playbooks. These documents help you connect exam scenarios to proven architectures. [2†source][9†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Treat “official first” as a rule: read the exam guide, study Well‑Architected Security, and complete the official practice question set before you lean on third‑party materials. [7†source][2†source]

A Practical 6‑Week Study Plan (Adjust to Your Experience)

This sprint plan assumes prior hands‑on experience. Extend to 8–10 weeks if you’re earlier in your journey.

• Week 1: Orientation

  1. Read the latest exam guide; list the services “in scope.”

  2. Skim the Well‑Architected Security Pillar to reframe your thinking in AWS’s language of risk and controls.

  3. Set your test date and register (build commitment). [7†source][2†source]

• Weeks 2–3: Domain Deep Dives + Labs

  1. Log/monitoring lab: org‑wide CloudTrail, centralized logging account, Config aggregators, Security Hub standards; route alerts to incident channels.

  2. IR automation lab: GuardDuty → EventBridge → Lambda for auto‑containment; build detective pivots in Detective.

  3. IAM lab: federate with Identity Center, implement ABAC and SCPs, test permission boundaries and policy conditions.

  4. Data protection lab: KMS key designs (grants, rotation), Secrets rotation, S3 Object Lock and encryption choices. [10†source][9†source][2†source]

• Week 4: Architecture and Governance

  1. Design a multi‑account OU strategy with Control Tower baselines and SCP guardrails.

  2. Use Audit Manager and Config conformance packs to tie controls to evidence.

  3. Draft emergency and post‑incident procedures including forensics storage. [11†source]

• Week 5: Full‑Length Practices + Error‑Driven Study

  1. Take at least two timed practice exams.

  2. For each miss, circle back to the docs. Capture “why” in a short note (e.g., “SCPs affect principals in accounts under OU, not resource policies”).

  3. Tighten up weak links: IAM conditions, cross‑account KMS access, WAF/Shield/Network Firewall interplay. [12†source][6†source]

• Week 6: Taper + Official Practice

  1. Complete the official practice question set (and the Enhanced full practice if you have it).

  2. Rehearse your exam‑day routine: answer/flag/move, 2.5‑minute cadence, last‑pass quality checks.

  3. Sleep and nutrition strategy: test your brain at the hour you’ll test for real. [12†source][13†source][6†source]

Taking SCS‑C03 instead?

• Start this same structure after November 18, 2025, but substitute the SCS‑C03 exam guide and Skill Builder track, especially for new content areas like gen‑AI/ML security. [0†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Keep a “50‑line notebook” with the most testable details: IAM condition keys you always forget, KMS grant behaviors, CloudTrail org trail gotchas, default settings for WAF/Shield/Inspector, and where SCPs do and don’t apply.

Exam‑Day Strategy: How to Maximize Your Score

• Time management: Budget ~2.5 minutes per question. If you’re stuck at 90 seconds, pick the best answer, flag, and move on. Your first pass should get through the entire exam. [6†source]

• Read for the real requirement: “Least privilege” and “org‑wide guardrails” are powerful clues. If the business must meet a control uniformly across accounts, think SCPs and Control Tower—not per‑account IAM. [10†source]

• Look for “confused deputy” hints: Cross‑service calls and cross‑account access? Scan options for SourceArn/SourceAccount conditions. [10†source]

• Encrypt by design: If data residency and key ownership are implicit concerns, expect KMS CMKs, grants, and envelope encryption trade‑offs. [2†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Use elimination aggressively. Wrong options often violate least privilege, ignore org scope, or rely on manual steps where automation is expected.

What It Costs—and How to Budget

• Exam fee: USD 300 (Specialty tier). Local currency equivalents are published by AWS for your region. [12†source]

• Training: AWS Skill Builder Standard/Enhanced (self‑paced) or instructor‑led courses like Security Engineering on AWS. Invest where your gaps are biggest. [8†source][12†source]

• Recertification: Every 3 years; AWS places a 50% discount voucher in your Certification account for a future exam. [1†source]

• Retakes: Full fee per attempt with a 14‑day wait period. [4†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Tie your spend to a goal. If your employer values the cert, ask about exam vouchers and time for study—many organizations will sponsor both.

Career Value and ROI: What You Can Expect

• Market signal: Security – Specialty consistently appears among the highest‑paying cloud/security certifications. 2024–2025 reporting (based on Skillsoft’s salary dataset) shows it near the top of U.S. compensation rankings. Use local salary reports to calibrate your region. [14†source]

• Measurable benefits: Pearson VUE’s 2025 report highlights promotions, raises, and productivity gains tied to certification (e.g., a majority reported a promotion or expected one; about a third saw salary increases). [15†source]

• Demand trend: AWS notes strong growth in postings requiring the credential (e.g., a 73% rise in a prior 12‑month period)—a signal that employers recognize the specialization. [16†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Turn the credential into outcomes: Update your resume with domain‑aligned bullets (IR automation, org‑wide guardrails, encryption strategy) and lead a security improvement project at work to showcase applied value.

Real‑World Scenarios You Should Be Able to Solve

• Automating containment: A GuardDuty finding triggers an EventBridge rule that quarantines an EC2 instance by changing its security group and isolates the IAM role. Detective provides pivots to related entities. Evidence and logs go to S3 with Object Lock in compliance mode. [9†source]

• Org‑wide logging: Create an org trail in CloudTrail with all regions enabled, centralize logs in a dedicated account, enable Config aggregators and Security Hub delegated admin, and route critical findings to ChatOps. [10†source]

• Edge protection: For a public workload, place WAF at CloudFront, enable Shield Advanced, use AWS Network Firewall in a dedicated inspection VPC, monitor via VPC Flow Logs, and scan workloads with Inspector. [8†source]

• Least privilege at scale: Use Identity Center for SSO, ABAC for dynamic controls, and SCPs to prevent escalation (e.g., deny disabling CloudTrail or changing key security services). [10†source]

• Data protection strategy: Use KMS CMKs with grants for cross‑account access, envelope encryption for performance, S3 default encryption + Object Lock for immutability, Secrets Manager for rotation with Lambda. [2†source]

Actionable takeaway:

• Practice designing the “glue” between services—exam scenarios reward you for knowing how the parts interlock, not just what each box does by itself.

FAQs

Q1: Do I need another AWS certification before taking Security – Specialty?

A1: No. There are no prerequisite certifications. AWS recommends 3–5 years of security design experience and at least 2 years of hands‑on securing AWS workloads. [3†source]

Q2: What’s the passing score and scoring method?

A2: Scores are scaled from 100–1000; you pass at 750. There are 65 questions total, with 50 scored and 15 unscored experimental items. Unanswered questions are marked incorrect. [5†source]

Q3: Can I take the exam online?

A3: Yes. You can schedule online proctoring through Pearson VUE or take it at an authorized test center. [3†source]

Q4: What happens to SCS‑C02 and when does SCS‑C03 start?

A4: AWS announced SCS‑C03 registration opens November 18, 2025. December 1, 2025 is the last day to sit SCS‑C02. Prepare based on your target date and use the correct exam guide. [0†source]

Q5: How often do I need to recertify?

A5: Every 3 years. AWS provides a 50% voucher for a future exam in your Certification account to help with recertification. [1†source]

Conclusion

You don’t pass the AWS Certified Security – Specialty by memorizing features—you pass by thinking like a cloud defender. That means designing org‑wide guardrails, automating your response, and choosing the right identity and encryption patterns for real constraints. Pick your exam version (SCS‑C02 before Dec 1, 2025; SCS‑C03 afterward), commit to a date, and follow the 6‑week plan in this guide. If you show up with hands‑on practice, a scenario‑first mindset, and a clear test‑day strategy, you’ll not only earn the badge—you’ll be ready to lead.

If you’d like, I can tailor the 6‑week plan to your background (e.g., strong IAM, lighter on IR) and your exact target date. Just tell me where you’re starting and when you aim to test.

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