Prerequisites
- AWS Associate certification (SAA recommended)
- Basic understanding of networking concepts (TCP/IP, DNS, routing)
- 1–2 hours of study time per day
Study Schedule
Weeks 1–2Networking Foundations & VPC Deep Dive
- TCP/IP, OSI model, subnetting, CIDR review
- VPC design: subnets, route tables, IGW, NAT, endpoints
- IPv6, dual-stack, IPAM
- Hands-on: design and implement a multi-tier VPC
Weeks 3–4Transit Gateway & Multi-VPC Architectures
- TGW route tables, attachments, propagation
- Route table isolation and centralized inspection
- VPC peering, shared VPC, Connect attachments
- Hands-on: build hub-and-spoke with TGW
Weeks 5–6Direct Connect Deep Dive
- Connection types, VIFs, DX Gateway
- BGP configuration, route preferences, communities
- LAGs, redundancy patterns, failover design
- Hands-on: simulate DX with CloudFormation (conceptual)
Weeks 7–8VPN & Hybrid DNS
- Site-to-Site VPN, accelerated VPN, Client VPN
- Route 53 Resolver endpoints, forwarding rules
- Hybrid DNS architecture for multi-account
- Practice: 50+ Domain 2 questions
Weeks 9–10DNS, CDN & Edge
- Route 53 routing policies, health checks, DNSSEC
- CloudFront: distributions, behaviors, Origin Shield
- Global Accelerator, Lambda@Edge, CF Functions
- Practice: 50+ mixed questions
Weeks 11–12Network Security & Operations
- Network Firewall, GWLB, WAF, Shield
- VPC Flow Logs, Traffic Mirroring, Reachability Analyzer
- Centralized inspection and security patterns
- Practice: 50+ Domain 3–4 questions
Week 13Final Review & Mock Exams
- Take 2–3 full 65-question mock exams
- Deep review of incorrect answers
- Final review of all cheat sheets and flashcards
- Focus on DX, TGW, and hybrid DNS weak areas
Study Tips
This is a deep specialty exam — invest time in understanding protocols
Build real VPC architectures with TGW and practice connectivity scenarios
Study BGP fundamentals if not already familiar (ASN, MED, communities)
Draw every architecture you study — visual learning is critical for networking
Ready to Practice?
Put your study plan into action with ANS-C01 practice questions.