AWS Alexa is a cloud-based voice service. It acts as an artificial intelligence assistant for organizations and employees and can assist them in setting up meeting rooms, facilities, etc.. You can also ask Alexa to provide information, answer questions, play music, read the news, and get results or answers instantly. Alexa can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation system.
The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder-Speciality (AXS-C01) certification is an advanced level of certification designed for IT professionals who want to pursue a career in designing and managing the lifecycle and key operations of Alexa skills. The Alexa Skill Builder learning path is designed for software developers, voice developers, solutions architects, UI developers, voice designers, and others who perform a role involving Alexa skill-building. The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder - Speciality certification is the final step in this learning path.
This guide will provide resources and tips to help you prepare for the certification exam.
This certification is designed for software developers who have experience in any programming language and have a basic understanding of Alexa skills. Any IT professional looking for a career in voice services can go for this certification.
You should have:
A knowledge of any programming language.
You are also expected to have an understanding of the following topics:
This exam validates your ability to manage the complete lifecycle of building and publishing the Amazon Alexa skills by following AWS and Alexa security best practices. The skills validated by the certification are:
Explain the value of voice
Design a user experience
Design the architecture to build a skill
Follow AWS and Alexa security best practices for skill development
Develop, test, validate, and troubleshoot a skill
Manage the skill-publishing process and work with the Alexa Developer Console
The most important topics and concepts covered in the exam are:
S3, EC2 – Amazon S3 is a web service used to store and retrieve objects at any time from anywhere. The Pluralsight course Implementing Amazon S3 Storage on AWS provides thorough knowledge of S3. EC2 is an elastic compute service that allows you to run code. The AWS Compute Deep Dive course from Pluralsight provides deep knowledge of EC2.
The following table lists the percentage of test questions you are likely to encounter in each domain.
Domain | Weightage | Description |
---|---|---|
Voice-First Design Practices and Capabilities | 14% | Decide the type of interaction you want your customers to have with Alexa and follow Voice-Forward Design Considerations to make wise decisions. |
Skill Design | 24% | Design and develop an interaction model along with multi-turn conversations. |
Skill Architecture | 14% | Use Amazon services to extend Alexa skill functionality by following security best practices. |
Skill Development | 20% | Implement state management along with Alexa service interfaces and use SSML for expression and MP3 audio. |
Test, Validate, and Troubleshoot | 18% | Use CloudWatch or other debugging tools and test simulators to troubleshoot errors in an interaction model. |
Publishing, Operations, and Lifecycle Management | 10% | Describe the skill publishing process and perform skill analytics analysis in developer the console. |
There are three types of questions on the exam:
Note: Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect.
You have 170 mins to complete the exam.
The cost of the certification exam is $300 USD.
The certification can be taken at a testing Center or scheduled as an online proctored exam.
The results are reported as a score between 100 and 1000. The minimum passing score is 750.
The score report will contain a table that breaks down your performance at each section level. This information is designed to provide general feedback for each section. The examination uses a compensatory scoring model, which means that you do not need to “pass” the individual sections; only the overall examination score matters.
The following guide and courses will help you prepare for the exam:
Artificial intelligence smart speakers are a booming technology with a strong upward market trend. The smart speaker market is projected to grow by $23.1 billion worldwide by 2025. Amazon and Google are currently the only smart speaker makers in the world. There aren’t many developers with the combination of expertise in both cloud-based app delivery and developing for voice functionality and user experience. The new Alexa Skill cert is an effort to turn this tide by training and validating more developers in those areas.
According to Forbes, the average salary of an Alexa skill builder is $122,000. However, the salary package depends upon the knowledge and skills of the candidates.
Finally, some tips as you prepare for the exam:
Attempt practice tests several times to boost your confidence.
Review the AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty Exam (AXS-C01) Exam Guide a day or two before exam day. This will help you to review the exam topics so none of them is a surprise. You should be well prepared.
You should be relaxed and stress-free when you take the exam.
All the best and happy learning!