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AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate (MLA-C01)
The AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate (MLA-C01) exam is AWS's Associate-level certification exam validating the ability to build, operationalize, deploy, and maintain machine learning solutions and pipelines by using the AWS Cloud: 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored) in 130 minutes, minimum passing score 720 on a 100–1,000 scaled score, USD 150, delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers or with online proctoring. AWS has announced an updated version: registration for the MLA-C02 beta opened September 1, 2026 (English only), the last day to take MLA-C01 in English is September 28, 2026, and MLA-C01 in Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese remains available until general availability of MLA-C02.
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Questions65 questions: 50 scored and 15 unscored
Testing time130 minutes
ScoringPass/fail; minimum passing score of 720 on a 100–1,000 scaled score (AWS policy sets 720 as the passing standard for Associate-level exams); compensatory scoring model — only the overall exam must be passed, not each section
Exam feeUSD 150
Prep options
Study resources for ML Engineer Associate
Independent prep
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- AWS
- Category
- AI & Machine Learning
- Current version
- MLA-C01 (current version; updated version MLA-C02 announced — beta registration opened September 1, 2026, English last day to test September 28, 2026)
- Where it applies
- Global
- Exam languages
- English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese
- Score scale
- 100–1,000 (scaled score)
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE
- Format
- Computer-based; multiple choice and multiple response
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment while the version is live — registration for MLA-C01 is open in English through September 28, 2026 (the last day to take MLA-C01 in English); the Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese versions remain available until general availability of the successor MLA-C02; registration for the MLA-C02 beta (English only) opened September 1, 2026 with beta delivery beginning September 29, 2026
- Results
- Final results posted to the AWS Certification Account within five business days after the close of the exam
- Credential validity
- The certification is valid for 3 years; before expiration you can recertify by passing the latest version of the exam
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
65 questions in four item formats (multiple choice with one correct of four options; multiple response with two or more correct of five or more; ordering of 3–5 responses; matching of 3–7 prompts), across four scored-content domains: Data Preparation for Machine Learning (28%), ML Model Development (26%), Deployment and Orchestration of ML Workflows (22%), and ML Solution Monitoring, Maintenance, and Security (24%)
Where rules vary
Worldwide vendor certification exam, delivered globally through Pearson VUE testing centers and online proctoring; the credential is a vendor certification with no country-specific variation.
Eligibility
None required; recommended at least 1 year of experience using Amazon SageMaker and other AWS services for ML engineering, in a role such as backend software developer, DevOps developer, data engineer, or data scientist
Retake policy
After a failed attempt, wait 14 calendar days to retake; no limit on attempts but the full registration fee applies each time; after passing, the same exam cannot be retaken for two years (a new version with a new exam guide and series code is treated as a different exam)