For most people with some hands-on AWS experience, the best first AWS certification in 2026 is the Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03). If cloud is new to you, start with Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02), or AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) if your work is about AI. Data and ML engineers can go straight to their specialist associate exam.
Last updated October 2026.
AWS groups its certifications into four levels. None has a prerequisite: you can book any exam first. The levels describe depth, not a required order.
| Level | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Foundational | Cloud Practitioner, AI Practitioner |
| Associate | Solutions Architect, Developer, CloudOps Engineer, Data Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer |
| Professional | Solutions Architect Professional and other professional-level exams |
| Specialty | Security; Advanced Networking retires 31 December 2026 |
Lineup from the AWS Certification exams page, checked 27 October 2026. AWS also lists a new AI Business Strategist exam in beta.
| Exam | Fee | Format | Typical prep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) | $100 | 65 questions, 90 min, 700 to pass | 2 to 3 weeks |
| AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) | $100 | 65 questions, 90 min, 700 to pass | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) | $150 | 65 questions, 130 min, 720 to pass | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) | $150 | 65 questions, 130 min, 720 to pass | 6 to 8 weeks |
| ML Engineer Associate (MLA-C02) | $150 | 65 questions, 130 min, 720 to pass | 10 to 12 weeks |
Fees and formats from each exam's official guide and the AWS certification pages. Prep times are our part-time estimates for candidates with some relevant experience, taken from each exam's study-plan post.
Start with Cloud Practitioner. It teaches what the core services do, how pricing works and who is responsible for what. If your projects are about AI rather than infrastructure, AI Practitioner is the better single foundational exam; the Cloud Practitioner vs AI Practitioner comparison covers that choice.
Either take Cloud Practitioner for a quick win and then Solutions Architect Associate, or go straight to SAA-C03 on the longer 10 to 12 week plan. Both work; the first costs more money and the second more patience.
Go straight to Solutions Architect Associate. A foundational exam would mostly confirm what you know. After SAA-C03, Developer or CloudOps Engineer Associate follow your job, and Solutions Architect Professional is the step up.
Take Data Engineer Associate first if pipelines are all you do, or SAA-C03 first if you also own the networking and security around them. The two overlap in IAM, encryption, VPC endpoints and the data lake, so the second exam is quicker.
Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C02) is the target, and it has the longest prep of the five. If AWS infrastructure is new to you, SAA-C03 first makes the deployment and security domains much easier.
Every passed AWS exam gives access to a 50% discount voucher for another exam or a recertification. That makes a sequence cheaper than its sticker price: Cloud Practitioner at $100 followed by SAA-C03 at $75, or SAA-C03 at $150 followed by Data Engineer Associate at $75. Plan the order so each pass pays for part of the next one.
Do you need a foundational exam first? No. AWS has no prerequisites at any level. A foundational exam is worth it for the knowledge and the voucher, not because an associate exam requires it.
Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) is the usual easiest first AWS certification: $100, 65 questions in 90 minutes, and 2 to 3 weeks of study for most people. AI Practitioner is the same tier and price, but goes deeper into AI.
Only if AWS is new to you. AWS has no prerequisites, and candidates with hands-on AWS experience usually go straight to Solutions Architect Associate. Cloud Practitioner first adds a quick credential and a 50% voucher for SAA-C03.
Solutions Architect Associate is the most common first associate exam because it covers the widest range of services. Data engineers and ML engineers can start with Data Engineer Associate or Machine Learning Engineer Associate instead if that matches their job.
Yes. No AWS certification has a prerequisite, so you can book any associate or professional exam first. The foundational exams are useful for people new to cloud, not required.
Foundational exams cost $100 USD, associate exams $150 and the Solutions Architect Professional $300. Each pass gives a 50% voucher for the next exam, so a two-exam path such as Cloud Practitioner then Solutions Architect Associate costs $175.
Certified has courses and practice hubs for AI Practitioner, Solutions Architect Associate, Data Engineer Associate and Machine Learning Engineer Associate, each with a free first unit.
Browse the practice hubs →