AWS prep dashboard
AWS Certification Practice Exams & Ethical Mock Tests for 2026
Compare current AWS AI, machine learning, architecture, security, data, and DevOps certification paths. Choose independent, scenario-based practice questions—not leaked exam dumps—and open the course or free-coupon route that fits your goal.
Preparation Standards
Nine dedicated course pages aligned to current public AWS exam guides; independent ethical practice only.
Editorial review: Routinely verified against current public AWS exam guides by the CertShield Editorial Team.
Catalog snapshot
- AI and ML: Generative AI Developer Professional, AI Practitioner, MLA-C01.
- Architecture and DevOps: SAA-C03, SAP-C02, DOP-C02.
- Security, networking, and data: SCS-C03, ANS-C01, DEA-C01.
Start with the right AWS exam family
Beginners usually start with AIF-C01 or SAA-C03, while role-focused learners can move directly into MLA-C01, SCS-C03, or DEA-C01.
Focused AWS exam pages
Jump through the AWS hub
Choose the right AWS practice-test track
New to AWS AI
Start with AIF-C01 AI Practitioner for foundational AI, ML, generative AI, responsible AI, security, and governance concepts.
Building production AI
Choose MLA-C01 for ML engineering or AIP-C01 for professional-level generative AI development, integration, safety, governance, and operations.
Security and governance
Choose SCS-C03 for AWS cloud security. For vendor-neutral AI governance certification prep, compare the IAPP AIGP practice exam.
Popular AWS certifications and current exam codes
Use this finder to compare common AWS certification searches by level and job goal. An official-guide link does not imply that CertShield sells a course for that exam.
| Certification | Level | Best aligned role or goal | Preparation route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) | Foundational | AWS and cloud fundamentals, including pricing and shared responsibility | Official CLF-C02 guide |
| AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) | Foundational | AI, generative AI, responsible AI, security and governance concepts | AIF-C01: 5 free questions + course |
| Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03) | Associate | Secure, resilient, high-performing and cost-optimized AWS architectures | SAA-C03 practice exams |
| Developer - Associate (DVA-C02) | Associate | Developing, deploying, securing and troubleshooting AWS applications | Official DVA-C02 guide |
| CloudOps Engineer - Associate (SOA-C03) | Associate | Operations, monitoring, reliability, automation and incident remediation | Official SOA-C03 guide |
| Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01) | Associate | Data ingestion, transformation, storage, operations and governance | DEA-C01 practice exams |
| Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01) | Associate | Building, deploying and operating production ML workloads | MLA-C01: 4 free questions + transition notice |
| Solutions Architect - Professional (SAP-C02) | Professional | Complex organizations, migrations and advanced architecture design | SAP-C02 practice exams |
| DevOps Engineer - Professional (DOP-C02) | Professional | SDLC automation, configuration, monitoring, incident response and security | DOP-C02 practice exams |
| Generative AI Developer - Professional (AIP-C01) | Professional | Production generative AI, agentic systems, safety, governance and operations | AIP-C01: 5 free questions + course |
| Security - Specialty (SCS-C03) | Specialty | Detection, incident response, infrastructure, IAM and data protection | SCS-C03: 6 free questions + course |
| Advanced Networking - Specialty (ANS-C01) | Specialty | Complex AWS and hybrid network design, implementation and operations | ANS-C01 practice exams |
AWS certification path, cost and difficulty
Which AWS certification should I take first?
Choose CLF-C02 for general cloud fundamentals or AIF-C01 for an AI-focused, non-role-specific starting point. Candidates with relevant IT or cloud experience often start directly with an Associate certification aligned to their job.
Which AWS certification is best for cloud architects?
SAA-C03 is the common Associate route for architecture fundamentals. SAP-C02 targets advanced design across complex organizations, migrations and continuously improving AWS solutions.
How much do AWS certification exams cost?
AWS currently lists Foundational exams at USD 100, Associate exams at USD 150, and Professional or Specialty exams at USD 300, before applicable taxes. Confirm local pricing on the official exam page.
Are AWS certification exams difficult?
Difficulty depends on role experience and exam level. Practice questions help diagnose gaps, but hands-on AWS work, the official exam guide and official AWS preparation resources should remain central to your study plan.
AI & Machine Learning Certifications
These certifications validate your expertise in AWS generative AI and machine learning services, model development, MLOps workflows, and AI-driven solutions using Amazon SageMaker and AWS AI tools.
Cloud Architecture & DevOps Certifications
These certifications measure your ability to design scalable systems on AWS, implement CI/CD pipelines, build automation workflows, and maintain resilient cloud architectures.
Security, Networking & Data Engineering Certifications
These certifications validate hands-on skills in AWS security controls, network architectures, encryption, threat detection, routing, data processing, and data engineering on AWS.
AWS exam dumps vs. ethical practice tests
“AWS exam dumps” may refer to copied or recalled live exam content. CertShield does not provide leaked questions, braindumps, or pass guarantees. These independent mock exams are original learning tools designed to help you apply AWS concepts, identify knowledge gaps, and review explanations alongside official AWS documentation.
Official-source check: Review the current AIP-C01 exam guide, MLA-C01 exam guide, and SCS-C03 exam guide before scheduling. AWS has announced MLA-C02 beta registration for September 1, 2026; the current MLA-C01 English exam remains available through September 28, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are CertShield AWS practice tests updated for 2026?
Pages are reviewed against the linked official AWS exam guides. Always confirm the guide and exam version before scheduling because AWS can revise blueprints and availability.
2. Do these tests match the difficulty of real AWS exams?
They use original, scenario-based questions intended to exercise similar decision-making skills. They are not copied live-exam questions and cannot predict the exact difficulty of your exam form.
3. Which AWS certification should beginners start with?
Most beginners begin with Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) or the AI Practitioner (AIF-C01).
4. Is AWS Security Specialty covered for the current SCS-C03 exam?
Yes. CertShield includes a dedicated AWS Certified Security - Specialty (SCS-C03) practice exam page focused on detection, incident response, IAM, data protection, and governance topics.