Is the AWS Certified Security — Specialty Worth It?
Strengths
- Strong earning potential with an average salary of $148,000
- Good job market demand with 11.0K active listings
Considerations
- Moderate exam investment at $300
- Challenging exam (8/10 difficulty) — requires significant preparation
- Lower pass rate (48%) — thorough preparation is essential
- Has prerequisites — not suitable for complete beginners
Bottom line: At $300 exam cost with an average salary of $148,000, the AWS Certified Security — Specialty offers a strong return on investment for cybersecurity professionals. Not sure if this is the right choice? See how it stacks up in our AWS Certified Security — Specialty vs Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500) comparison.
Who Should Get the AWS Certified Security — Specialty?
This certification is a good fit if you are:
- Senior cybersecurity professionals aiming for architect or lead roles
- Experienced practitioners seeking top-tier industry recognition
- Anyone targeting roles that list AWS Certified Security — Specialty as preferred or required
Exam Details
Salary Data
Professionals holding the AWS Certified Security — Specialty certification earn between $118,000 and $195,000 annually, with an average of $148,000. For context, the CISSP averages $152,000.
Job market demand trend: Growing (+15% YoY)
Disclaimer: Salary figures are US-median estimates compiled from BLS wage statistics, Glassdoor, and job-posting aggregates. They are estimates only, not financial advice or a guarantee of earnings. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, employer, and negotiation.
Prerequisites
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate or equivalent AWS knowledge recommended
- 5+ years of IT security experience with 2+ years in AWS security
- Hands-on experience with AWS security services (IAM, KMS, GuardDuty, Security Hub)
Skills Covered
Best Study Resources
AWS Exam Guide — SCS-C02
CourseZeal Vora — AWS Security Specialty
Practice ExamsTutorials Dojo Practice Exams
OfficialAWS Security Documentation & Whitepapers
Comparisons Featuring AWS Certified Security — Specialty
More Cybersecurity Certifications
View all →CISSP
ISC2 · Advanced
CISM
ISACA · Advanced
CCSP
ISC2 · Advanced
ISACA CISA
ISACA · Advanced
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AWS Security Specialty worth it?
How hard is the SCS-C02 exam?
AWS Security Specialty vs CISSP — which is more valuable?
Explore other options in cybersecurity: CISSP, CISM, and more in our Cybersecurity Certifications hub.
Sources for every data point
Each quantitative claim on this page is mapped to a verifiable source. Official vendor pages and government datasets are preferred; community estimates and editorial extrapolations are flagged explicitly.
| Data point | Source | Tier | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam duration | Amazon Web Services — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam code | Amazon Web Services — official certification page Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Passing score | Amazon Web Services — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Exam price | Amazon Web Services — official certification page Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Question count | Amazon Web Services — official exam guide Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF. | Official | verified 29d ago |
| Job listings | LinkedIn — active US postings mentioning "AWS Certified Security — Specialty" Count sampled quarterly; fluctuates daily. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Average salary | Glassdoor — AWS Certified Security — Specialty role salary (US) Aggregate from public salary postings. Cross-checked against BLS OEWS for the closest SOC category. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Salary range | Glassdoor + Payscale — AWS Certified Security — Specialty salary distribution 10th–90th percentile derived from public salary aggregators. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Pass rate | Community consensus — Amazon Web Services pass-rate discussions Most vendors do not publish pass rates. Community data is self-reported with survivor bias. | Community | verified 29d ago |
| Study hours | Community consensus — certification subreddits and TechExams threads Typical range for candidates with modest prior experience in the domain. | Community | verified 29d ago |
| Demand trend | LinkedIn + Indeed — multi-quarter listing comparison Editorial summary of YoY listing change. | Editorial estimate | verified 29d ago |
Data Sources & Transparency
- Salary data — Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor, and job posting aggregates (US median)
- Job listings — LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice active postings (sampled quarterly)
- Pass rates — Community-reported estimates from Reddit, TechExams, and certification forums
- Exam details — Amazon Web Services official certification documentation