AWS Certification Types and Levels - 2025 Updates You Must Know
- SmileShark Team
- Jan 8
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 23
AWS Certification Types and Levels - Updated for 2025
Written by Hyojung Yoon
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world's leading cloud computing platform, offers certifications that validate your expertise and skills in cloud technology. Whether you're advancing your career or helping your business grow, AWS certifications are a trusted way to showcase your abilities in a rapidly evolving industry.
In this blog, we'll explore the latest updates for 2025, including new certifications, updated question formats, and the AWS Retake2025 promotion. Let's dive in!
Contents
Overview of AWS Certifications
1. What are AWS Certifications?
2. Types of AWS Certifications
3. Certification Validity Period
1. Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)
1. Solutions Architect (SAA-C03)
2. Machine Learning Engineer (MLA-C01)
4. CloudOps Engineer (SOA-C03) *formerly known as SysOps Administrator
1. Solutions Architect (SAP-C02)
Overview of AWS Certifications
1. What are AWS Certifications?
AWS certifications are globally recognized credentials that demonstrate your expertise in using the Amazon Web Services(AWS). They cover various domains, including cloud architecture, development, and operations, and are structured into multiple levels to align with different career paths. Certification exams are offered in multiple languages and are available at testing centers globally.
2. Types of AWS Certifications
AWS offers certifications tailored to different roles and skill levels, categorized into four levels: Foundational > Associate > Professional and Specialty
3. Certification Validity Period
AWS certifications are valid for three years from the date of acquisition. To maintain the validity of your certification, you need to renew it before it expires. For Foundational and Associate level certifications, you can meet the renewal requirements either by passing a higher-level exam or renewing your current certification.
4. Question Types
New Question types have been introduced for the AWS Certified AI Practitioner and AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate exams, in addition to the traditional multiple-choice and multiple-responses formats. These new question types include Ordering, Matching, and Case Study questions, designed to assess practical, real-world skills. These updates do not affect the total number of the exam duration.
Explore question types
Ordering questions
Ordering questions require you to arrange 3-6 steps or responses in the correct logical sequence to complete a specific task.
Use the drop-down menus provided to select the correct order for each step.
Matching questions
Matching questions present 3-6 prompts alongside a list of possible responses. Your task is to match each prompt with its correct response.
Use the drop-down menus to connect the correct responses with each prompt..
Case Study questions
Case Study questions provided a single scenario and require you to answer two or more questions related to that scenario.
The scenario remains the same for all related questions, but each question is evaluated independently.
AWS Certification Levels
Foundational
1. Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)
Target Candidates
Individuals with a basic understanding of the AWS cloud platform
Individuals with no IT or cloud background transitioning to a cloud career
Exam Overview
Topic: Cloud concepts(24%), Security and Compliance(30%), Cloud Technology and Services(34%), Billing, Pricing and Support(12%)
Cost: $100 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 90 minutes
2. AI Practitioner (AIF-C01)
Target Candidates
Individuals who are familiar with, but do not necessarily build, solutions using AI/ML technologies on AWS
Exam Overview
Topic: Fundamentals of AI and ML(20%), Fundamentals of Generative AI(24%), Applications of Foundation Models(28%), Guidelines for Responsible AI(14%), Security, Compliance, and Governance for AI Solutions(14%)
Cost: $100 | Format: 65 quiestions | Duration: 90 minutes
Associate
1. Solutions Architect (SAA-C03)
Target Cadidates
1 + years of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions that use AWS Services
Exam Overview
Topic: Design Secure Architecture(30%), Design Resilient Architectures(26%), Design High-Performing Architectures(24%), Design Cost-Optimized Architectures(20%)
Cost: $150 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 130 minutes
2. Machine Learning Engineer (MLA-C01)
Target Candidates
Individuals with at least 1 year of experience using Amazon SageMaker and other ML engineering AWS Services
Exam Overview
Topic: Data Preparation for Machine Learning(ML)(28%), ML Model Development(26%), Deployment and Orchestration of ML Workflows(22%), ML Solution Monitoring, Maintenance, and Security(24%)
Cost: $150 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 130 minutes
3. Developer (DVA-C02)
Target Candidates
1+ years of hands-on experience in developing and maintaining applications by using AWS servies
Exam Overview
Topic: Deployment with AWS Services(32%), Security(26%), Deployment(24%), Troubleshooting and Optimization(18%)
Cost: $150 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 130 minutes
4. CloudOps Engineer (SOA-C03) *formerly known as SysOps Administrator
Target Candidates
1 year of experience with deployment, management, networking, and security on AWS
Exam Overview
The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate exam currently excludes lab-based tasks until further notice.
Topic: Monitoring, Logging and Remediation(20%), Reliability and Business Continuity(16%), Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation(18%), Security and Compliance(16%), Networking and Content Delivery(18%), Cost and Performance Optimization(12%)
Cost: $150 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 130 minutes
5. Data Engineer (DEA-C01)
Target Candidates
2 + years of experience in data engineering
1 + years of hands-on experience with AWS Services
Exam Overview
Demand for data engineer roles increased by 42% year over year per a Dice tech jobs report (source: AWS website)
Topic: Data Ingestion and Transformation(34%), Data Store Management(26%), Data Operations and Support(22%), Data Security and Governance(18%)
Cost: $150 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 130 minutes
Professional
1. Solutions Architect (SAP-C02)
Target Candidates
2 + years of experience in using AWS Services to design and implement cloud solutions
Exam Overview
Topic: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity(26%), Design for New Solutions(29%), Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions(25%), Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization(20%)
Cost: $300 | Format: 75 questions | Duration: 180 minutes
2. DevOps Engineer (DOP-C02)
Target Candidates
2 + years of experience in provisioning, operating, and managing AWS environments
Experience with software development lifecycle and programming and/or scripting
Exam Overview
Job listings requiring this certification have increased by 52% between Oct 2021 and Sept 2022 (source: Lightcast™ September 2022)
Topic: SDLC Automation(22%), Configuration Management and IaC(17%), Resilient Cloud Solutions(15%), Monitoring and Logging(15%), Incident and Event Response(14%), Security and Compliance(17%)
Cost: $300 | Format: 75 questions | Duration: 180 minutes
Target Candidates
2 + years of experience building production grade applications in AWS or with open-source technologies, general AL/ML or data engineering experience
1 year of hands-on experience implementing generative AI solutions
Exam Overview
Registration for the beta exam opens November 18, 2025
Beta participants receiving a special Early Adopter badge upon passing.
Beta Exam Cost: $150 | Format: 85 questions | Duration: 204 minutes
Specialty
1. Advanced Networking (ANS-C01)
Target Candidates
5 + years of networking experience with 2 + years of cloud and hybrid networking experience
Exam Overview
Topic: Network Design(30%), Network Implementation(26%), Network Management and Operation(20%), Network Security, Compliance, and Governance(24%)
Cost: $300 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 170 minutes
2. Machine Learning (MLS-C01)
Target Candidates
2 + years of experience developing, architecting, and running ML or deep learning workloads in the AWS Cloud
Exam Overview
This certification is being retired. The last day to take this exam is March 31, 2026.
Topic: Data Engineering(20%), Exploratory Data Analysis(24%), Modeling(36%), Machine Learning Implementation and Operations(20%)
Cost: $300 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 180 minutes
3. Security (SCS-C02)
Target Candidates
2 + years of hands-on experience in securing AWS workloads
3 ~ 5 + years of experience in designing and implementing security solutions
Exam Overview
Topic: Threat Detection and Incident Response(14%), Security Logging and Monitoring(18%), Infrastructure Security(20%), Identity and Access Management(16%), Data Protection(18%), Management and Security Governance(14%)
Cost: $300 | Format: 65 questions | Duration: 170 minutes
AWS Certification Paths
*Zoom in on the image to see the AWS Certification Paths.
Above are the top cloud job roles, role responsibilities, and AWS Certification paths aligned with those roles. Select the role(s) you are interested in and get started or continue your AWS Certification journey to achieve your career goals!
*Note: You are not required to follow these paths. These are recommended pathway. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is an optional step for candidates with an It or STEM background. AWS Certified AI Practitioner is recommended for IT and non-IT professionals looking to leverage AI.
※ Which AWS Certification should I start with?
New to IT and Cloud
From a non-IT background, switching to a cloud career?
Start with AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner to validate foundational AWS Cloud knowledge, then earn AWS Certified AI Practitioner to showcase AI knowledge.
Line-of-Business Roles
In sales/marketing or other business roles?
Start with AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner to validate foundational AWS Cloud knowledge, then earn AWS Certified AI Practitioner to showcase AI knowledge.
IT Professionals
Do you have 1-3 years of IT or STEM background?
Start with an Associate-level AWS Certification that aligns with your role. AWS Certified AI Practitioner is recommended to validate conceptual AI knowledge.
Conclusion
The AWS certifications introduced in this blog demonstrate cloud expertise. Earning AWS certifications is an excellent way to enhance your competitiveness in the cloud industry. As AWS remains the global leader in cloud computing, these certifications validate your skills and open doors to new career opportunities in this fast-paced and ever-evolving field.
