# AIB-C01 Study Plans Three day-by-day study plans for the AWS Certified AI Business Strategist beta exam — a 10-day sprint, a 4-week plan and an 8-week plan — with domain-weighted time, readiness gates, a weekly review ritual and a day-before checklist. import { Tabs, TabItem } from '@prosefly/astro-components'; Three plans for the **AWS Certified AI Business Strategist (AIB-C01)** beta exam, sized to how much AI experience you bring. All three follow the same rules: time follows the blueprint weights, you take mock 1 as a cold diagnostic, you re-read your two weakest domains, and you only book after mock 2 (timed at the full 170 minutes) with a follow-up pacing check. This is independent preparation — it is not an official AWS study plan and passing is never guaranteed. Read the current [exam guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-certification/latest/ai-business-strategist-01/ai-business-strategist-01.html) and confirm the weights before you commit. :::tip[The weights are almost flat] D2 is 28%; D1, D3 and D4 are 24% each. There is no domain you can skip. The plans give D2 a little more time and otherwise split evenly — do not over-invest in a favourite domain and starve another. ::: ## Domain weights drive the hours ```text D1 Fundamentals & Literacy 24% ████████████ D2 Strategy & Business Value 28% ██████████████ D3 Governance & Responsible AI 24% ████████████ D4 Readiness, Leadership, Scale 24% ████████████ └── flattest blueprint on the site ``` ## The readiness gates (all plans share these) ```text MOCK 1 (diagnostic, untimed) ──▶ per-domain breakdown │ ▼ Re-read the two WEAKEST domains ──▶ redo every missed item aloud │ ▼ MOCK 2 (timed, 170 min, cold) ──▶ compare per-domain to mock 1 │ ▼ 130-min PACING CHECK ──▶ can you finish inside the shorter figure? │ ▼ BOOK only if ≥ 75% raw and no domain far below the rest ``` The 130-minute pacing check exists because AWS's own material carries a duration discrepancy — the certification page says 170 minutes, the exam guide says 130. Prepare for 170 and rehearse finishing inside 130, so a shorter clock on the day cannot surprise you. ## Choose your plan For someone who already works alongside AI teams and needs to convert experience into exam-shaped judgment. About 2 hours per day. | Day | Focus | Reading & questions | Checkpoint | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Orientation + D1 | Course overview, exam logistics; D1 fundamentals & literacy page + its questions | Note the compensatory model and 170/130 discrepancy | | 2 | D2 strategy (heaviest) | D2 page; ROI and build-buy-partner sections; the [KPI Library](/appendix/aws/kpi-library/) | Can you build a business case with a baseline? | | 3 | D3 governance | D3 page; the [Governance Toolkit](/appendix/aws/governance-toolkit/) tier matrix and RACI | Can you tier a use case and name the control set? | | 4 | D4 readiness & scale | D4 page; CAF phases; maturity models | Can you place an org on a maturity model? | | 5 | Case studies 1–3 | [Case studies](/aws/aib-c01/case-studies/) worked end to end | Reason aloud before reading the trace | | 6 | **Mock 1 (diagnostic)** | [Mock 1](/aws/aib-c01/practice-exam/), untimed, review mode | Per-domain breakdown; mark two weakest | | 7 | Weakest domain #1 | Re-read; redo every missed item aloud | Explain why each distractor is wrong | | 8 | Weakest domain #2 + case studies 4–6 | Re-read; finish case studies | Trade-offs and arithmetic, not just the answer | | 9 | **Mock 2 (timed, 170 min)** | [Mock 2](/aws/aib-c01/practice-exam-2/), cold, interactive mode | Compare per-domain to mock 1 | | 10 | Pacing + gaps | 130-min pacing check on missed items; day-before checklist | Book only if ≥ 75% raw and even across domains | For the target candidate — a product/program manager, consultant or line-of-business leader with roughly six months alongside AI adoption. About 6–7 hours per week. | Week | Hours | Focus | Deliverable / gate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 7 | D1 fundamentals & literacy (full) + D2 strategy start; overview and logistics | Distinguish AI/ML/GenAI and rule-vs-AI in plain words | | 2 | 7 | D2 strategy (heaviest, finish) + [KPI Library](/appendix/aws/kpi-library/) | A one-page business case with a baseline and ROI | | 3 | 7 | D3 governance + the [Governance Toolkit](/appendix/aws/governance-toolkit/); **Mock 1 (diagnostic)** at week end | Tier three use cases; per-domain breakdown from mock 1 | | 4 | 6 | D4 readiness & scale + case studies; re-read two weakest domains; **Mock 2 (timed, 170 min)**; 130-min pacing check | Book if ≥ 75% raw, no domain far below the rest | For someone new to AI who needs to build vocabulary and judgment before exam-shaping. About 4–5 hours per week, unhurried. | Week | Hours | Focus | Deliverable / gate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 5 | Overview, logistics, glossary; D1 concepts (AI/ML/GenAI, data types, quality) | Define the core terms from memory | | 2 | 5 | D1 finish (agents, rule-vs-AI, monitoring/drift, shadow AI, prompt/RAG/fine-tune basics) + its questions | Explain when AI is *not* the answer | | 3 | 5 | D2 strategy part 1: use-case mapping, build-buy-partner, prioritise/scale/pause/terminate | Score three use cases on value and feasibility | | 4 | 5 | D2 strategy part 2: KPIs, baselines, ROI, leading indicators + [KPI Library](/appendix/aws/kpi-library/) | A business case with a constructed baseline | | 5 | 5 | D3 governance part 1: responsible-AI dimensions, oversight, governance by design | Apply the tier matrix to a scenario | | 6 | 5 | D3 governance part 2: structures, risk classification, bias/IP/reliability + [Governance Toolkit](/appendix/aws/governance-toolkit/); **Mock 1 (diagnostic)** | Per-domain breakdown; mark two weakest | | 7 | 5 | D4 readiness, maturity, data foundations, change, scaling (CAF phases, COEs) + case studies | Place an org on a maturity model and name the next gap | | 8 | 5 | Re-read two weakest domains; **Mock 2 (timed, 170 min)**; 130-min pacing check; day-before checklist | Book only if ≥ 75% raw and even across domains | ## Weekly review ritual (30 minutes, every week) A short recurring habit stops knowledge decaying between study blocks. 1. Re-answer the five questions you got wrong that week, **aloud**, explaining why each distractor is weaker. 2. Redraw one framework from memory — the risk-tier matrix, the KPI tree, or the CAF phases — then check it. 3. Say the week's judgment rule in one sentence: this week's version of "baseline before deployment" or "governance by design". 4. Update a running list of terms you still cannot define cold; move them to the front of next week. ## The booking gate - [ ] Mock 2 scored **≥ 75% raw**, cold and timed at 170 minutes. - [ ] No domain sitting far below the others (the blueprint is flat; so should your scores be). - [ ] Completed a **130-minute pacing check** so a shorter clock cannot surprise you. - [ ] Can name the responsible-AI dimensions and apply the risk-tier matrix without notes. - [ ] Can build a business case with a baseline and an ROI figure aloud. - [ ] Downloaded the current exam guide and confirmed the four weights are unchanged. - [ ] Confirmed beta specifics: results timing differs from standard exams; the official practice exam is not available during beta. - [ ] Checked whether the **Early Adopter badge** (earn the certification by **15 February 2027**) still applies to your booking. - [ ] Pearson VUE account created; OnVUE system test passed if testing online. ## One-page day-before checklist The last day is for logistics and rest, not new material. Cramming a new topic the night before trades sleep for a fact you probably will not recall. | Item | Done | | --- | --- | | Re-read your own one-line judgment rules (one per domain) | ☐ | | Skim the risk-tier matrix and the KPI tree once — no new topics | ☐ | | Confirm exam time, timezone and check-in window | ☐ | | For online proctoring: OnVUE system test passed, clean desk, ID ready | ☐ | | For a test centre: route, ID, arrival 30 minutes early | ☐ | | Remember the mechanics: 85 items, multiple-response needs **all** correct, unanswered = incorrect, no guessing penalty | ☐ | | Plan pacing: ~2 minutes per item at 170 min; flag and move on | ☐ | | Sleep — it beats one more topic | ☐ | :::tip[Pacing on the day] At 85 items in 170 minutes you have about two minutes each; at 130 minutes, about 90 seconds. Answer everything (no guessing penalty), flag the hard ones, and return with time in hand. A blank is scored exactly like a wrong answer, so never leave one. ::: ## Key takeaways - Time follows the weights; the blueprint is nearly flat, so no domain is skippable and D2 gets only a little extra. - Mock 1 is a diagnostic you take cold; its per-domain breakdown chooses what you re-read next. - Re-read your two weakest domains and redo missed items aloud before mock 2. - Mock 2 is timed at 170 minutes, cold; the 130-minute pacing check guards against the duration discrepancy in AWS's material. - Book only at ≥ 75% raw with even domain scores; scaled scores are not percentages, so treat the raw figure as your readiness signal. - Keep a weekly review ritual so earlier weeks do not decay, and spend the last day on logistics and sleep.