Pass your first AI exam: a 4-step study plan

Pass your first AI exam: a 4-step study plan

A few weeks ago I passed the AWS Certified AI Practitioner exam on my first try, using the practice tools I built. This is the plan I’d give anyone starting their first AI certification, step by step.

It works for any AI exam, not just AWS. Plus a free prompt that turns any exam guide into a study schedule, and a course I’m building.

đź§­ Your 4-step study plan

1. Read the exam guide first. Every major vendor publishes one, with the topics and how much each is worth. On the AWS AI Practitioner, the biggest domain, Applications of Foundation Models, is 28% of the scored content. Start there.

2. Practice under time. Reading feels productive, but answering questions is what shows you what you actually know. I used HOW TO // AI CERT, the practice tools I built.

3. Watch it explained. When a topic won’t stick, a walkthrough helps. I made a free 30-minute AWS AI Practitioner exam guide video, plus a deep dive for each domain.

4. Quiz yourself on your weak spots. The prompt in the next section does the work.

Get the free AWS AI Practitioner study guide →

🎯 Try this: turn any exam guide into a study plan

Open the official exam guide for the certification you want and copy its domain list, percentages included. Paste it into ChatGPT or Claude and ask:

“Build me a 4-week study plan from these domains. Give the heaviest domains the most time, and end each week with 10 practice questions on that week’s topics.”

Then check the plan against the guide yourself. AI tools can get exam details wrong, so the vendor’s own page is always the final word.

Want it done for you? Our free AI study plan generator builds a week-by-week plan for your exam.

Look up any AI exam’s price and length →

📝 Practice before you pay for the exam

HOW TO // AI CERT has 6,151 original practice questions across 18 AI and cloud certifications, with study guides, flashcards and timed mock exams. It’s what I used to prepare for the AWS AI Practitioner.

HOW TO AI CERT on three phones: AWS AI Practitioner practice question, study guide and timed mock exam

Every exam starts with 10 free questions, no sign-up, and 10 more unlock with your email. Every question is original, written from the vendors’ published objectives. No brain dumps, nothing copied from real exams.

Try 10 free questions →

🎓 Coming soon: my AWS AI Practitioner course

I’m turning my AWS AI Practitioner prep into a full course, built on the same four steps. Join the waitlist and you’ll hear first when it opens.

Join the course waitlist →

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Frequently asked questions

Does this study plan work for AI exams other than AWS?

Yes. Every major vendor publishes an exam guide with its topics and how much each is worth, so the same four steps apply: read the guide, practice under time, watch the hard topics explained, then quiz yourself on your weak spots.

Can ChatGPT or Claude build my study plan?

Yes. Paste the official domain list, percentages included, and ask for a 4-week plan that gives the heaviest domains the most time. Then check the plan against the vendor's own guide, because AI tools can get exam details wrong.

Which part of the AWS AI Practitioner exam should I study first?

Start with the heaviest domain. On the AWS AI Practitioner, Applications of Foundation Models is 28% of the scored content, according to AWS's exam guide.

Where can I practice AI exam questions for free?

HOW TO // AI CERT gives you 10 free questions on every exam with no sign-up, and 10 more when you add your email. Every question is original, written from the vendors' published objectives, with nothing copied from real exams.

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