AWS Certification Exams (2026)
Every AWS certification exam compared by level, format and cost — which one to take first — and 500-question practice tests for Cloud Practitioner, AI Practitioner, Solutions Architect and Developer. Start free, no credit card required.
How AWS Certifications Are Structured
AWS remains the largest cloud provider by revenue and market share, with roughly one-third of the global cloud infrastructure market (Synergy Research Group), which is why AWS certifications are among the most widely recognised cloud credentials.
The program has four levels. Foundational exams (Cloud Practitioner, AI Practitioner) test broad understanding with no hands-on requirement. Associate exams (Solutions Architect, Developer, CloudOps Engineer, Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer) test that you can build and run workloads on AWS. Professional exams test advanced design and operations, and Specialty exams go deep on one domain such as security. No exam has a formal prerequisite.
AWS exams are scenario-based: you get a short business problem and choose the combination of services that solves it best — most secure, most cost-effective, or least operational overhead. That format rewards people who understand why one service fits better than another, not people who only memorise service names.
All AWS Certification Exams Compared
Every active AWS certification by level, with exam code, format and fee. Every AWS certification is valid for 3 years. Exams with a CertSharp practice test are linked.
Foundational exams
| Certification | Who it's for | Exam format | Fee | CertSharp practice test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Cloud PractitionerCLF-C02 | Anyone new to AWS, technical or not | 65 Q · 90 min | $100 | 500 questions → |
| AWS AI PractitionerAIF-C01 | Anyone working with AI/ML and generative AI on AWS | 65 Q · 90 min | $100 | 500 questions → |
Associate exams
| Certification | Who it's for | Exam format | Fee | CertSharp practice test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Solutions Architect – AssociateSAA-C03 | Architects, engineers designing on AWS | 65 Q · 130 min | $150 | 500 questions → |
| AWS Developer – AssociateDVA-C02 | Application developers on AWS | 65 Q · 130 min | $150 | 500 questions → |
| AWS CloudOps Engineer – AssociateSOA-C03Replaced SysOps Administrator (SOA-C02) in 2025 | Ops, SysOps and platform engineers | 65 Q · 130 min | $150 | Not yet |
| AWS Data Engineer – AssociateDEA-C01 | Data engineers, ETL practitioners | 65 Q · 130 min | $150 | Not yet |
| AWS Machine Learning Engineer – AssociateMLA-C01 | ML engineers, MLOps | 65 Q · 130 min | $150 | Not yet |
Professional exams
| Certification | Who it's for | Exam format | Fee | CertSharp practice test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Solutions Architect – ProfessionalSAP-C02 | Senior architects | 75 Q · 180 min | $300 | Not yet |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – ProfessionalDOP-C02 | DevOps engineers and SREs | 75 Q · 180 min | $300 | Not yet |
| AWS Generative AI Developer – ProfessionalAIP-C01 | Developers building GenAI apps on AWS | — | $300 | Not yet |
Specialty exams
| Certification | Who it's for | Exam format | Fee | CertSharp practice test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Security – Specialty | Security engineers on AWS | — | $300 | Not yet |
| AWS Advanced Networking – SpecialtyANS-C01AWS has announced retirement on Dec 31, 2026 | Network engineers on AWS | 65 Q · 170 min | $300 | Not yet |
Fees are AWS's USD list prices and can change. AWS periodically releases new exam versions and has also launched a business-level AI certification; always confirm the current exam code and details on the official AWS Certification page before booking.
AWS Certification Practice Tests on CertSharp
500 exam-style questions per certification. Try 30 free questions per session, no credit card needed.
AWS Cloud Practitioner
CLF-C02
500 scenario-based questions mapped to the current CLF-C02 exam guide, each with a detailed explanation.
AWS AI Practitioner
AIF-C01
500 scenario-based questions mapped to the current AIF-C01 exam guide, each with a detailed explanation.
AWS Solutions Architect – Associate
SAA-C03
500 scenario-based questions mapped to the current SAA-C03 exam guide, each with a detailed explanation.
AWS Developer – Associate
DVA-C02
500 scenario-based questions mapped to the current DVA-C02 exam guide, each with a detailed explanation.
Which AWS Certification Should I Take First?
The most common recommended path looks like this:
- Foundational: Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) — or AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) if your work is AI-focused. Optional if you already use AWS daily.
- Associate: Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) for most engineers, or Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) if you mainly write application code.
- Professional or Specialty once you have real AWS project experience — Solutions Architect – Professional, DevOps Engineer – Professional, Generative AI Developer – Professional, or Security – Specialty.
If you are choosing by role:
- No AWS exposure, or a non-technical role → CLF-C02 (Cloud Practitioner). The cheapest, fastest start; covers AWS fundamentals without hands-on requirements.
- Working on AI/ML features or AI strategy → AIF-C01 (AI Practitioner). Covers AI, ML and generative AI concepts on AWS (Bedrock, SageMaker, responsible AI).
- Engineer ready for architecture decisions → SAA-C03 (Solutions Architect – Associate). The broadest Associate exam and the most common first Associate cert.
- Application developer → DVA-C02 (Developer – Associate). Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, SQS/SNS and CI/CD services. See SAA vs DVA.
- Operations, SysOps or SRE role → SOA-C03 (CloudOps Engineer – Associate), the successor to SysOps Administrator.
- Data or ML engineer → DEA-C01 (Data Engineer – Associate) or MLA-C01 (Machine Learning Engineer – Associate).
- Senior engineer with years of AWS experience → go directly to SAP-C02 or DOP-C02; both are much harder than the Associate exams.
A general rule: pair each certification with real AWS work. One certification plus a project you can talk about in an interview is worth more than several certifications earned back to back with no hands-on experience.
How to Register for an AWS Certification Exam
AWS handles registration through your AWS Certification account, with the exam delivered by Pearson VUE. The process is the same for every AWS cert — only the exam code and fee change.
- Create an AWS Certification account. Sign in at the AWS Certification portal (separate from your AWS console account). This is where your exam history and digital badges live.
- Choose online or test center. Sit the exam online with a remote proctor or at a Pearson VUE test center — the fee is the same either way.
- Pay the exam fee. Foundational exams are $100, Associate exams $150, and Professional and Specialty exams $300.
- Prepare your ID and environment. A government-issued photo ID is required. Online testing also needs a quiet, private room, a working webcam, and a clear desk — the proctor checks the room before you start.
If you do not pass, AWS requires a 14-day wait before re-sitting the same exam, and you pay the fee again each attempt. Certifications are valid for three years. Schedule your test date before you start studying — a fixed deadline keeps your study plan on track.
CertSharp vs Official AWS Practice Exams
AWS offers its own practice material through AWS Skill Builder — free official practice question sets, plus full-length practice exams in the paid Skill Builder subscription. They are worth using, and they answer a different question than CertSharp does:
- Question volume. AWS's official practice pools are small. CertSharp gives you 500 original questions per certification, so you learn the material instead of memorising a short pool.
- Difficulty. Official practice questions mirror real-exam difficulty. CertSharp is deliberately calibrated slightly harder, so a steady 80% on CertSharp is a strong readiness signal.
- Explanations. CertSharp explains why every distractor is wrong, not just which answer is right — the part that teaches the service-selection logic AWS exams test.
- Price. Skill Builder's exam-prep content beyond the free sets is a recurring subscription. CertSharp is $11.99 once for lifetime access to a cert's full bank, or $9.99/month Pro for every cert.
The most effective approach uses both: CertSharp for volume and teaching explanations during your study weeks, then an official AWS practice set in the final days to confirm you are calibrated to the real exam's phrasing. The 30 free CertSharp questions per session let you compare before paying for either.
AWS Exam Guides & Study Plans
In-depth guides from the CertSharp team, built from our 500-question practice banks.
AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Exam Guide 2026 — Cost, Format, Passing Score
Everything on the 2026 AWS Cloud Practitioner exam: 65 questions, 90 minutes, $100 cost, 700/1000 passing score, four domain weights, and retake policy.
Read guide →
AWS Cloud Practitioner Study Plan 2026 — 4 Weeks to Pass (Week-by-Week Schedule)
Realistic 4-week study schedule for the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam — ~28 hours total, week-by-week topics weighted to the real domain breakdown.
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15 AWS Cloud Practitioner Practice Questions with Explanations (2026)
15 free AWS Cloud Practitioner practice questions across all four exam domains, with correct answers, full explanations, and trap-distractor breakdowns.
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Is AWS Cloud Practitioner Worth It in 2026? The Honest Case For and Against
A pro/con breakdown of whether AWS Cloud Practitioner is worth your time and $100 in 2026, plus a scoring rubric for your specific situation.
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AIF-C01 Exam Guide 2026 | AWS AI Practitioner Exam Prep
Complete 2026 guide to the AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01): 65 questions, domain weights, trap-question patterns, and a 4-week study plan.
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AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) Exam Guide 2026
SAA-C03 in 2026: 65 questions, 130 minutes, $150, 720/1000 to pass. Domain weights, retake policy, and why the scenarios run so long.
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AWS SAA-C03 Study Plan 2026 — 10 Weeks to Pass
A realistic 10-week SAA-C03 study plan built around hands-on AWS labs, not just reading — week-by-week topics and free-tier projects.
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12 AWS SAA-C03 Practice Questions with Explanations
Twelve original SAA-C03 practice questions across all four exam domains, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each.
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AWS SAA-C03 vs DVA-C02 — Which First? (2026)
SAA-C03 vs DVA-C02: cost, content, difficulty, and a straight answer on which AWS associate certification to take first based on your actual role and goals.
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Is AWS SAA-C03 Worth It in 2026? Pros & Cons
An honest look at whether SAA-C03 is truly worth $150 and 10 weeks of study — salary data, who it helps, and who should wait.
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AWS Shared Responsibility Model Explained — Security "Of" vs "In" the Cloud
Plain-language guide to the AWS shared responsibility model: what AWS secures, what you secure, and how the line shifts across EC2, RDS, and Lambda.
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AWS Well-Architected Framework Explained (2026)
Plain-language guide to the AWS Well-Architected Framework's 6 pillars, and how they map onto nearly every SAA-C03 exam question.
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AWS Certification Exam FAQs
Common questions about AWS certification tests and exams.
Which AWS certification should I take first?
What is the AWS fundamentals exam?
What is an AWS certification exam like?
How long are AWS certifications valid?
Is SAA-C02 still available?
Where can I find free AWS certification practice exams?
Why CertSharp for AWS Prep?
Harder Than the Real Exam
Calibrated slightly above real exam difficulty, so a steady 80% is a strong readiness signal.
Deep Explanations
Not just the answer — understand why each service is right or wrong for the scenario.
Updated for 2026
Current AWS service behavior, exam blueprints, and current best practices — no outdated content.