Foundational
Level 1 · no prereqsEntry-point exams for newcomers to cloud or AI fundamentals.
AWS Certification Practice Exams
Associate
Level 2 · ~1 year exp.Job-ready credentials spanning architecture, dev, ops, data, and ML.
Professional
Level 3 · 2+ years exp.Advanced multi-service architectures, CI/CD systems, generative-AI builds.
Specialty
Deep expertiseNiche domains: security and advanced networking.
Brand new to cloud
Start with CLF-C02 Cloud Practitioner. Foundational, no prerequisites, $100, 2–4 weeks of prep. Builds AWS vocabulary and a mental map of the core services. Not job-qualifying on its own — signals you're ramping up.
Some IT background, going for your first AWS job
Skip Cloud Practitioner. Go straight to SAA-C03 Solutions Architect — Associate. $150, 130 minutes, 65 questions, 6–8 weeks of prep. The most popular AWS certification and the broadest base for any architect, dev, or ops role. Salary varies by region and experience.
Specialized role you want to validate
Same tier as SAA. Pick the Associate that matches your discipline:
- DVA-C02 Developer — Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, Cognito, CloudFormation.
- SOA-C03 CloudOps Engineer (formerly SysOps Administrator) — monitoring, deployments, ops automation. AWS renamed the title for SOA-C03 holders; the legacy SOA-C02 lab section has been retired.
- DEA-C01 Data Engineer — S3, Glue, Redshift, Kinesis pipelines.
- MLA-C01 ML Engineer (released October 2024) — SageMaker, model deployment, MLOps. Replaces the retired Machine Learning Specialty.
- AIF-C01 AI Practitioner — foundational AI/ML and generative AI on AWS (no prereqs, $100, Foundational tier).
2+ years of AWS experience, going senior
Professional tier — $300, 180 minutes, 75 questions, scenario-heavy, much harder. SAP-C02 and DOP-C02 are AWS's highest-leverage Professional credentials; salary varies significantly by region and experience.
- SAP-C02 Solutions Architect Pro — multi-account, hybrid, advanced architectures.
- DOP-C02 DevOps Engineer Pro — CI/CD, IaC, monitoring at scale.
- AIP-C01 Generative AI Developer Pro — production generative AI with Bedrock + SageMaker.
Niche specialty
Deep technical, $300, 170 minutes, 65 questions. Specialty credentials add vertical depth that closes consulting and contract work.
- SCS-C03 Security — IAM, KMS, GuardDuty, Shield, WAF.
- ANS-C01 Advanced Networking — Direct Connect, Transit Gateway, hybrid routing.
Why AWS skills matter
AWS holds roughly 30% of the public-cloud market — the largest single-vendor share. Architectural patterns (VPCs, load balancing, IAM, observability) transfer directly to Azure and GCP, making AWS depth the fastest on-ramp to multi-cloud. For independent consultants, AWS certifications are the universal trust signal that closes deals — especially Professional and Specialty tiers.
Which AWS certification should I start with?
For beginners, start with AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02). It covers foundational cloud concepts and requires no technical prerequisites. After that, pursue Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) for a technical role.
How long does it take to prepare for AWS certifications?
Cloud Practitioner: 2-4 weeks. Associate level: 6-8 weeks. Professional level: 10-12 weeks. This assumes 1-2 hours of daily study.
Are these practice exams really free?
Yes! Each exam page offers 10 free practice questions with detailed explanations. No credit card required. For access to 16 practice exams with 1,040 questions per certification, consider our premium courses.
Do I need a college degree for AWS certifications?
No! AWS certifications are 100% experience-based with no educational prerequisites. Many successful cloud engineers have certifications without degrees. AWS evaluates your technical knowledge, not your educational background. Hands-on experience and study are what matter.
What's the difference between Associate and Professional certifications?
Associate exams (SAA-C03, DVA-C02, SOA-C03, DEA-C01, MLA-C01) cost $150, have 65 questions, run 130 minutes, and test job-ready implementation skills with ~1 year of AWS experience recommended. Professional exams (SAP-C02, DOP-C02, AIP-C01) cost $300, have 75 questions, run 180 minutes, test advanced multi-service architectures, and recommend 2+ years of hands-on experience. Professional exams are significantly harder with scenario-based questions spanning multiple AWS services. Foundational exams (CLF-C02, AIF-C01) sit below Associate at $100, 65 questions, 90 minutes.
How does AWS recertification work?
All AWS certifications are valid for 3 years from your exam date. AWS offers exam-based recertification only — there is no Skill Builder credits or continuing-education path. Options per tier:
- Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) — retake the exam, pass any Associate or Professional exam, or complete the free AWS Cloud Quest: Recertify Cloud Practitioner game (available within 6 months of expiry, extends 3 years, no exam required — exclusive to CLF).
- AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) — retake the exam, or pass the Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C01).
- Associate — retake the same exam, or pass the matching Professional where AWS publishes a track mapping (SAA-C03 → SAP-C02; DVA-C02 or SOA-C03 → DOP-C02).
- Professional & Specialty — retake the latest version of the same exam.
What's the most expensive AWS certification?
Professional and Specialty exams cost $300 USD each (Solutions Architect Professional, DevOps Engineer Professional, Generative AI Developer Professional, and the Security & Advanced Networking specialties). Associate-level exams cost $150. Foundational exams (Cloud Practitioner, AI Practitioner) cost $100. The higher cost reflects the advanced difficulty, longer exam duration (180 minutes for Professional, 170 for Specialty, vs 130 for Associate), and the deeper expertise these credentials validate.
Can I skip Cloud Practitioner and go straight to Associate?
Yes, there are no prerequisites for Associate exams. However, Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) is recommended if you're new to cloud computing. It builds foundational knowledge for $50 less than an Associate exam. If you already have AWS experience, jump directly to Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03).
Which AWS certification has the highest salary?
Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02) and DevOps Engineer Professional (DOP-C02) consistently rank among AWS's highest-leverage credentials in industry salary surveys, with Security Specialty (SCS-C03) close behind. Exact compensation varies significantly by region, years of experience, and employer — the 2+ years of experience required for Professional and Specialty tiers means certified holders are scarcer and command a premium over Associate-tier roles.