Certification path
AWS certification path
AWS runs four tiers. Almost everybody enters at Cloud Practitioner or goes straight to an Associate exam, spends a year or two on the job, then takes a Professional. The Specialty exams sit off to the side — they are deep rather than senior, and none of them requires a Professional first.
Where to start
If you are new to cloud, start at Cloud Practitioner. If you already administer infrastructure, skip it and sit Solutions Architect – Associate: it is the exam employers recognise and the one the rest of the ladder is built on.
- 01
Foundational
1 examOne exam, no prerequisites. Vocabulary, core services and billing — enough to hold a conversation, not enough to build.
- 02
Associate
4 examsThe tier that changes a CV. AWS suggests about a year of hands-on experience; the exams reward having actually deployed something.
- 03
Professional
2 examsTwo exams, both long and both scenario-heavy. This is the step where question banks stop being optional.
- 04
Specialty
4 examsDepth in one domain. No Professional required first — take one when the job asks for it, not to climb.
Work the whole ladder on one plan
$39.99 a month covers all 11 exams on this page and every other exam on the site — which is the point of a path. Or read 10 questions from any of them first, free.
Common questions
- Where should I start on the AWS certification path?
- If you are new to cloud, start at Cloud Practitioner. If you already administer infrastructure, skip it and sit Solutions Architect – Associate: it is the exam employers recognise and the one the rest of the ladder is built on.
- How many AWS exams are there?
- 11 of them are covered here, arranged into 4 tiers: foundational, associate, professional, specialty. Retired versions still in our catalogue are deliberately left off — the point of this page is what to sit next.
- Do I have to take the AWS exams in order?
- AWS runs four tiers. Almost everybody enters at Cloud Practitioner or goes straight to an Associate exam, spends a year or two on the job, then takes a Professional. The Specialty exams sit off to the side — they are deep rather than senior, and none of them requires a Professional first.
- Can I practise these before paying?
- Yes — 10 free questions on every exam on this page, with no card and no account. Each also has a timed practice test of 65 questions in 130 minutes.
- What does it cost to prepare for the whole path?
- $39.99 a month opens every exam on this page and every other exam on the site, which is the plan that makes sense if you are working through a ladder. A single exam on its own is a one-time $19.99 for 30 days.