AWS Certification Path 2026: Which Certification Should You Get First?

Start with Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02, USD 100) if you are new to cloud. If you already work in IT, go straight to an associate exam, most often Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03, USD 150). From there, choose the professional or specialty exam that matches your role.

AWS’s exam guide index lists 13 current exams across Foundational, Associate, Professional, Specialty and Business levels. Several codes change in late 2026: DVA-C03, SAP-C03 and MLA-C02 arrive, and DVA-C02, SAP-C02 and MLA-C01 end. Exam facts are from the AWS pages under Sources, checked October 15, 2026.

The AWS certification hub lists every AWS exam guide and practice app.

What are the AWS certification levels?

Foundational (Entry Level)

AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)

• Who it is for: Anyone new to cloud computing. Non-technical roles, students, career changers.
• Prerequisites: None. No AWS experience required.
• Study time: 3-4 weeks at 1-2 hours per day
• Exam cost: USD 100

The Cloud Practitioner is the usual starting point if you have zero cloud experience. It teaches you the vocabulary, core services, and fundamental concepts you will build on for every other certification. Read our full CLF-C02 study guide for detailed preparation advice.

AWS AI Practitioner (AIF-C01)

• Who it is for: Anyone wanting to understand AI and ML on AWS at a foundational level.
• Prerequisites: None.
• Study time: 2-3 weeks
• Exam cost: USD 100

This is a newer certification that reflects the growing importance of AI literacy. It covers foundational AI/ML concepts and how AWS services like SageMaker, Bedrock, and Rekognition fit into the picture.

Associate (Intermediate)

The associate level is where most professionals start seeing real career impact. There are five associate certifications — Solutions Architect (SAA-C03), Developer (DVA-C02, DVA-C03 from December 1, 2026), CloudOps Engineer (SOA-C03), Data Engineer (DEA-C01) and Machine Learning Engineer (MLA-C02 in the guide index) — and you do not need the Cloud Practitioner first. Each associate exam costs USD 150.

Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03)

• Who it is for: Cloud architects, infrastructure engineers, DevOps engineers, and anyone designing systems on AWS.
• Why it matters: One of the most widely recognized AWS certifications. It is often a requirement or strong preference in job postings.
• Study time: 6-8 weeks with AWS experience, 10-12 weeks without

This is the certification we recommend for most people. Even if your role is not “Solutions Architect,” the knowledge it validates is universally useful. See our complete SAA-C03 study guide.

Developer Associate (DVA-C02)

• Who it is for: Software developers building applications on AWS.
• Why it matters: Focuses on AWS SDKs, CI/CD, serverless development, and application integration.
• Study time: 6-8 weeks

Choose this if your primary role is writing application code that runs on AWS rather than designing infrastructure. Note: DVA-C02’s last day is November 30, 2026; DVA-C03 is available from December 1, 2026.

CloudOps Engineer Associate (SOA-C03)

• Who it is for: System administrators, operations engineers, and support engineers managing AWS workloads.
• Why it matters: Covers monitoring, logging, automation, containers, infrastructure as code, and troubleshooting.
• Study time: 6-8 weeks

AWS renamed this certification from “SysOps Administrator Associate” (SOA-C02) to “CloudOps Engineer Associate” (SOA-C03) in September 2025 and removed the hands-on lab component — see our updated SOA-C03 guide for the current exam format.

Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01)

• Who it is for: Data engineers building pipelines, data lakes and analytics on AWS.
• Study time: 6-8 weeks

Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C01)

• Who it is for: ML engineers building, deploying and operating ML workloads with SageMaker.
• Study time: 8-12 weeks

MLA-C01 English delivery ended September 28, 2026; MLA-C01 retires in all languages on January 14, 2027. AWS’s exam page lists MLA-C02 general availability as TBD; AWS’s September 2026 announcement gives January 14, 2027 for MLA-C02 general availability. See our MLA-C01 guide.

Professional (Advanced)

Professional certifications need deep, hands-on experience: the AWS exam guide index lists two or more years of experience for DOP-C02 and SAP-C02. Each costs USD 300.

Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02)

• Who it is for: Senior architects designing complex, multi-account, enterprise-scale AWS environments.
• Study time: 8-12 weeks (with associate-level knowledge)
• Difficulty: One of the hardest AWS exams. Long, complex scenario questions.
• Exam change: SAP-C02’s last day is November 16, 2026; SAP-C03 is available from November 17, 2026.

DevOps Engineer Professional (DOP-C02)

• Who it is for: DevOps engineers implementing CI/CD pipelines, automation, and operational processes on AWS.
• Study time: 8-12 weeks

Generative AI Developer Professional (AIP-C01)

• Who it is for: Developers building generative AI applications on AWS (Amazon Bedrock, RAG, agents, AI safety and governance).
• Study time: 6-10 weeks
• See our AIP-C01 guide.

Specialty

Specialty certifications cover one domain in depth. Each costs USD 300.

Current specialties (AWS exam guide index, October 2026):

• Advanced Networking (ANS-C01) — network architects designing complex hybrid and multi-Region networks
• Security (SCS-C03) — security engineers implementing security controls and incident response. SCS-C03 replaced SCS-C02 on December 2, 2025.

The Machine Learning Specialty (MLS-C01) was retired on March 31, 2026; its successor for engineers is the Machine Learning Engineer Associate.

Which AWS path fits your role?

Path 1: Cloud Architect

1. Cloud Practitioner (optional if you have IT experience)
2. Solutions Architect Associate — start here
3. Solutions Architect Professional
4. Security Specialty or Advanced Networking Specialty

Path 2: Cloud Developer

1. Cloud Practitioner (optional)
2. Developer Associate — start here
3. Solutions Architect Associate (broadens your perspective)
4. DevOps Engineer Professional

Path 3: Cloud Operations / DevOps

1. Cloud Practitioner (optional)
2. CloudOps Engineer Associate — start here
3. Developer Associate
4. DevOps Engineer Professional

Path 4: Career Changer / Non-Technical

1. Cloud Practitioner — start here (mandatory for this path)
2. Solutions Architect Associate
3. Choose based on your developing interests

Path 5: Data and AI

1. Cloud Practitioner or AI Practitioner
2. Solutions Architect Associate (for foundation)
3. Data Engineer Associate, Machine Learning Engineer Associate or Generative AI Developer Professional

Which AWS certification should you get first?

If you are still unsure where to start, answer these questions:

Do you have any cloud experience?

• No: Start with Cloud Practitioner
• Yes: Go directly to an Associate certification

What is your primary role?

• Designing systems: Solutions Architect Associate
• Writing code: Developer Associate
• Managing infrastructure: CloudOps Engineer Associate
• Not sure / management: Solutions Architect Associate (it is the most versatile)

What is your goal?

• Get hired in cloud: Solutions Architect Associate is the most common ask in job ads
• Advance to senior roles: Professional certifications
• Specialize: Get an Associate first, then pursue a Specialty

How much do AWS certifications cost?

The direct cost of an AWS certification is modest compared with most professional training:

• Study materials: our estimate, USD 50-200 (courses and practice questions)
• Exam fee: USD 100 (Foundational), 150 (Associate), 300 (Professional and Specialty); JPY 15,000 / 20,000 / 40,000 in Japan

The salary effect depends on your role, experience and market; a certification alone rarely changes pay.

For a detailed analysis of certification salary data, see our Cloud Certification Salary Guide 2026.

What should you do this week to start an AWS certification?

Pick one exam, read its official guide, build a study plan and set a target date.

StudyKits has iOS and Android apps for eight AWS exams (CLF-C02, SAA-C03, DVA-C02, SOA-C03, DOP-C02, Security Specialty, MLA-C01, AIP-C01) with explanations, offline access and domain tracking. The Security Specialty app follows SCS-C02, not SCS-C03. The CloudOps app’s questions follow the previous exam outline; update in progress. The ML Engineer app covers MLA-C01 (English delivery ended September 28, 2026).

Download StudyKits and choose your certification

Frequently asked questions

Which AWS certification should I get first?

Cloud Practitioner if you are new to cloud; Solutions Architect - Associate if you already work in IT.

Do I need Cloud Practitioner before an associate exam?

No. AWS does not require it.

How much do AWS exams cost?

USD 100 for Foundational, 150 for Associate, 300 for Professional and Specialty. AWS publishes local prices for JPY, INR, EUR and a few other currencies.

How long are AWS certifications valid?

3 years.

Which AWS exams change in late 2026?

SAP-C02 ends November 16 (SAP-C03 from November 17). DVA-C02 ends November 30 (DVA-C03 from December 1). MLA-C02 general availability is announced for January 14, 2027 (the exam page lists TBD).

Sources

Checked October 15, 2026:

• AWS certification exam guides index
• AWS: before testing (prices)
• AWS Training and Certification blog, September 2026 new offerings
• AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty (retirement)