AWS certification path by level, Foundational to Specialty: exam times, validity and the order to take the exams by role. Free sample questions.
AWS certifications are organized into 4 levels: Foundational, Associate, Professional and Specialty. This page walks through the AWS certification path level by level, with exam times and validity periods, so you can choose where to start and what to take next.
CloudMasterIT has practice exams for 11 AWS certifications. Each one below links to its exam domains, free sample questions with explanations, and study guides.
Entry-level certification covering core AWS cloud concepts, services, and pricing. The ideal starting point for any cloud career.
Foundational AI certification covering AWS AI/ML services and generative AI concepts. No technical background required.
Validates skills in designing scalable, highly available architectures on AWS. The most popular AWS certification.
Validates proficiency in developing, deploying, and debugging AWS-based applications. Covers CI/CD and serverless architectures.
Validates skills in building data pipelines, ETL operations, and data lake design on AWS.
Validates skills in AWS cloud operations, monitoring, deployment automation, and networking. Ideal for CloudOps and DevOps engineers.
Validates skills in building, deploying, and operating ML workloads on AWS. Covers SageMaker and MLOps pipelines.
Advanced certification validating skills in designing complex enterprise architectures and migration strategies on AWS.
Validates advanced DevOps skills including continuous delivery, automation, and security governance on AWS.
Advanced certification validating skills in designing, developing, and deploying generative AI applications on AWS. Covers Bedrock, RAG, and prompt engineering.
Specialist security certification validating AWS security architecture, data protection, and compliance expertise.
Validates advanced AWS hybrid networking architecture design and implementation. Covers VPC, Direct Connect, and Transit Gateway.
Practice exam not available yet
A common order to take the exams for each role.
Most people start at the Foundational level with AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) and AWS AI Practitioner (AIF-C01). The usual next step is the Associate level, for example AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03).
CLF-C02 and AIF-C01: 90 minutes. SAA-C03, DVA-C02, DEA-C01, SOA-C03 and MLA-C01: 130 minutes. SAP-C02, DOP-C02 and AIP-C01: 180 minutes. SCS-C03: 170 minutes.
Every AWS certification on this page is valid for 3 years after you pass.
Yes. CloudMasterIT has practice exams for 11 AWS certifications: CLF-C02, AIF-C01, SAA-C03, DVA-C02, DEA-C01, SOA-C03, MLA-C01, SAP-C02, DOP-C02, AIP-C01 and SCS-C03. Each has a free sample set with an explanation for every answer; the full question bank is available with a subscription.