Introduction to AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty
The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty certification validates expertise in building, testing, publishing, and managing Amazon Alexa skills. As voice interfaces like Alexa become increasingly popular, there is growing demand for developers skilled in voice app development.
Earning this certification demonstrates your ability to create seamless voice user experiences using proven best practices in voice interface design. It shows you have the technical knowledge to build custom skills using AWS services like Lambda, DynamoDB, and the Alexa Skills Kit.
This article provides detailed and comprehensive overview of the certification, including exam objectives, recommended experience, and tips for preparation and studying. Read on to learn everything you need to launch your Alexa skill builder career!
Who Should Earn the Certification?
The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty exam is designed for software developers and solutions architects who want to demonstrate expertise in building Alexa skills.
Ideal candidates have at least six months of hands-on experience using the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) to develop skills that integrate AWS services like Lambda and DynamoDB. You should also have published at least one Alexa skill to gain practical knowledge of the end-to-end skill building process.
Other professionals who may benefit from this certification include:
- Voice designers focused on crafting engaging voice user experiences
- Conversational AI developers building natural language interfaces
- Voice app developers looking to validate Alexa skill building skills
- Solutions architects designing voice-first solutions on AWS
Overall, this certification is best suited for technical professionals with working experience developing skills using ASK and AWS cloud services.
Exam Objectives and Content Outline
The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty exam (AXS-C01) tests your ability across six key domains:
1 Domain: Voice-First Design Practices and Capabilities (14%)
- Describe how users interact with skills
- Map features and capabilities to use cases
2 Domain: Skill Design (24%)
- Design and develop an interaction model
- Design a multi-turn conversation
- Use built-in intents and slots
- Handle unexpected conversational requests/responses
- Design multi-modal skills using service interfaces like audio, video, and gadgets
3 Domain: Skill Architecture (14%)
- Identify AWS services for extending skill functionality (S3, DynamoDB, CloudWatch)
- Use AWS Lambda to build skills
- Follow AWS and Alexa security best practices
4 Domain: Skill Development (20%)
- Implement in-skill purchasing and Amazon Pay
- Use SSML for expression and MP3 audio
- Implement state management
- Implement Alexa service interfaces like audio player, video player, display
- Parse Alexa JSON requests and provide responses
5 Domain: Test, Validate, and Troubleshoot (18%)
- Use CloudWatch and other tools to test and debug skills
- Validate skill functionality end-to-end
- Troubleshoot errors in interaction model and backend logic
6 Domain: Publishing, Operations, and Lifecycle Management (10%)
- Manage skill publishing, certification, distribution
- Monitor skill analytics and performance
- Manage skill operations and lifecycle
Refer to the official exam guide for the complete outline including knowledge required in each domain.
Recommended Experience
AWS recommends having at least six months of hands-on experience building Alexa skills with ASK before taking the exam. You should also have:
- Proficiency in a programming language like Node.js, Java, Python, or C# to implement skill logic
- Experience publishing a live Alexa skill to gain end-to-end understanding
- Knowledge of core AWS services used in skills like Lambda, DynamoDB, and CloudWatch
Hands-on practice is essential to reinforce key concepts and prepare for the exam’s realistic skill building scenarios. If you’re new to Alexa development, build some skills using ASK and AWS services to gain the recommended experience.
Preparing for the Exam
Here are some tips for preparing for the AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty exam:
- Read the exam guide – Review the exam guide to understand the format, content areas, and knowledge required. Focus your study on any domains you have less experience with.
- Take an exam readiness course – AWS offers an exam readiness course that provides an overview of each exam domain. Taking this course can help boost your knowledge.
- Study Alexa and AWS documentation – Study ASK guides on skill building, voice design, testing, and publishing. Also review AWS documentation on Lambda, DynamoDB, CloudWatch, and other services.
- Build practice skills – Hands-on experience is critical. Build sample skills that use different ASK features and AWS services to reinforce your learning.
- Use practice exams – Take practice exams from AWS and third parties like Tutorials Dojo to evaluate your knowledge and get comfortable with the question format. Review any missed questions.
- Learn from AWS sample skills – The Alexa Skills Kit SDK provides sample skills that demonstrate best practices. Review these to learn from real-world examples.
- Study advanced features – Make sure to learn more advanced skill building topics like skill connections, reminders, proactive events, and Alexa Presentation Language (APL).
- Focus on your weak areas – Use the exam guide to identify domains or services you need more hands-on practice with. Spend extra time studying those weak areas.
Allow several weeks to thoroughly prepare and take practice exams to gauge your readiness. With diligent study of ASK and AWS services, you’ll gain the knowledge to pass the exam.
Exam Format
The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty exam contains 65 multiple choice and multiple response questions. You will be given 130 minutes to answer the exam questions.
The exam is available via online proctoring or at physical test centers run by PSI and Pearson VUE. Online proctoring allows you to take the exam remotely while being monitored via your webcam and microphone.
The exam covers a broad range of skill building topics across the six domains in the exam guide. Some of the key areas to study include:
- Voice design principles and best practices
- Interaction modeling with intents, slots, dialogs
- Using SSML tags to customize Alexa’s speech
- Implementing skill logic with AWS Lambda
- Testing and validating skills end-to-end
- Monitoring skills using CloudWatch metrics
- Publishing skills and skill certification
Review the exam guide to ensure you’re familiar with all knowledge areas that may be covered in the exam, including newer features like proactive events and Alexa Presentation Language (APL).
Maintaining Your Certification
Your AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder certification is valid for three years. To renew your certification, you must either retake and pass the exam again or achieve a higher-level AWS certification like Solutions Architect Professional.
Staying current with new Alexa features and best practices is key to maintaining your skills as a certified Alexa skill builder. Make sure to:
- Review Alexa and AWS release notes for new features
- Build skills using the latest ASK capabilities
- Attend re:Invent and other AWS training events
- Learn about new AWS services that can extend Alexa skills
Pursuing a higher-level AWS certification is a great way to validate your continued expertise as an Alexa developer. Consider training for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate or Professional certifications.
Career Opportunities and Salary Potential
Earning the AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty certification validates your expertise as an Alexa developer and can boost your career opportunities and earning potential.
According to PayScale, an AWS certified professional earns an average of $125,591 annually. Alexa skill builders specifically can expect to earn an average salary of $122,000.
Here are some of the top career paths and roles open to certified Alexa skill builders:
- Voice App Developer – Build custom skills using ASK and AWS services
- Conversational AI Developer – Develop natural language interfaces for voice assistants
- Voice Designer – Design voice user experiences and skill interactions
- Alexa Technical Evangelist – Promote Alexa capabilities to developers and businesses
- Alexa Solutions Architect – Design voice-first solutions on the AWS cloud
- Alexa DevOps Engineer – Maintain and deploy Alexa skills at scale
Overall, the AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty certification validates your expertise to employers and demonstrates your cloud-based voice app development skills. Investing in this certification can help fast-track your career in this exciting field.
Recertification and Higher Certifications
To maintain your certification, you must recertify every three years by retaking and passing the exam again. Alternatively, you can pursue a higher-level AWS certification like:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate – Prove expertise in designing AWS architectures
- AWS Certified Developer Associate – Demonstrate proficiency building apps on AWS
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional – Validate advanced skills to design complex cloud solutions
Achieving one of these associate or professional certifications will automatically renew your Alexa Skill Builder certification without needing to retake the specialty exam.
Pursuing a higher certification shows your expanded AWS cloud expertise and can further boost your career opportunities. The Solutions Architect and Developer Associate certs are popular next steps for Alexa skill builders looking to broaden their AWS skills.
Conclusion
The AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder Specialty certification is the premier way to validate your Alexa development skills and advance your voice app building career.
This guide provided an overview of the certification including the exam objectives, recommended experience, preparation tips, and career benefits. To earn the certification:
- Gain at least 6 months of hands-on Alexa skill building experience
- Study ASK documentation, AWS services, and voice design best practices
- Take exam readiness training and practice tests
- Pass the 65 question AXS-C01 specialty exam
With diligent preparation and real-world skill building practice, you can demonstrate your expertise by attaining this valuable certification.
