Program profile · official sources
AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C02, beta)
MLA-C02 is the beta of the updated AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate exam. It covers building, deploying, operating and securing ML and AI solutions on AWS, now including foundation models, Amazon Bedrock, RAG and agentic workflows, across four domains weighted 28%, 24%, 24% and 24%. Beta registration opened September 1, 2026 and beta delivery began September 29, 2026; general availability dates are TBD. The beta is English only, with 85 questions in 170 minutes and results typically within 5 business days. The certification is valid 3 years. As shown in the United States on 4 October 2026, the beta exam costs USD 75 (beta pricing). This record is separate from MLA-C01.
Facts checked 4 Oct 2026
- Price
- USD 75 (As shown in the United States on 4 October 2026, the AWS certification page lists the MLA-C02 beta exam at $75 USD, labelled beta pricing. The price for general availability is not stated; general availability registration and delivery dates are TBD. Tax treatment is not stated on the captured beta page; optional preparation is separate from the exam fee.)
- Time
- Beta exam: 170 minutes for 85 questions; not preparation time
- Level
- Associate
- Credential
- industry certification
Valid 3 years. Before it expires, you can recertify by passing the latest version of this exam (certification page FAQ).
- Prerequisites
- No prerequisite certification is stated on the captured pages. The exam guide recommends at least 1 year of experience using Amazon SageMaker AI, Amazon Bedrock and other AWS services for ML engineering, plus at least 1 year in a related role, with experience in both traditional ML and generative AI.
- Format
- Proctored certification exam, beta version (Pearson VUE testing center or online proctored)
Commercial status: no commercial relationship is documented for this page. The verification link goes directly to the official provider source.
Sources ↗
- Price : https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate/
- Duration : https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate/
- Official program page : https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-certification/latest/machine-learning-engineer-associate-02/machine-learning-engineer-associate-02.html
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See the full registry price landscape. Prices retain their stated payment scope; they are not comparable completion costs.
What’s covered
- Content Domain 1: Data Preparation for ML and AI
- Content Domain 2: ML Model and Foundation Model (FM) Development
- Content Domain 3: Deployment and Orchestration of ML and AI Workflows
- Content Domain 4: Operating, Monitoring, and Securing ML and AI Solutions
Prerequisites: No prerequisite certification is stated on the captured pages. The exam guide recommends at least 1 year of experience using Amazon SageMaker AI, Amazon Bedrock and other AWS services for ML engineering, plus at least 1 year in a related role, with experience in both traditional ML and generative AI.
What you actually do
- Content Domain 1: Data Preparation for ML and AI : Exam domain, 28% of scored content / not a course module · Source
- Content Domain 2: ML Model and Foundation Model (FM) Development : Exam domain, 24% of scored content / not a course module · Source
- Content Domain 3: Deployment and Orchestration of ML and AI Workflows : Exam domain, 24% of scored content / not a course module · Source
- Content Domain 4: Operating, Monitoring, and Securing ML and AI Solutions : Exam domain, 24% of scored content / not a course module · Source
What the credential is
- Credential type
- industry certification · aws.amazon.com / certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate
- Credential
- AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate · aws.amazon.com / certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate docs.aws.amazon.com / machine-learning-engineer-associate-02.html
- Issuer
- Amazon Web Services · aws.amazon.com / certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate docs.aws.amazon.com / machine-learning-engineer-associate-02.html
- Sharing
- Not stated on the captured pages. · aws.amazon.com / certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate docs.aws.amazon.com / machine-learning-engineer-associate-02.html
- Expiry and renewal
- Valid 3 years. Before it expires, you can recertify by passing the latest version of this exam (certification page FAQ). · aws.amazon.com / certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate
- Exam requirement
- Pass the exam. The exam guide gives a scaled score of 100 to 1,000 with a minimum passing score of 720 and a pass or fail designation that, per its note, does not apply to the beta version; beta results are typically available within 5 business days. · docs.aws.amazon.com / machine-learning-engineer-associate-02.html aws.amazon.com / certified-machine-learning-engineer-associate
Total cost to finish
Estimate for the stated payment scope: USD 75 × 1 = USD 75.
- One MLA-C02 beta exam attempt: USD 75 × 1 = USD 75. One beta exam registration as listed (beta pricing). Not a guarantee of passing or complete preparation cost. · Source
Scope: Beta exam fee only; the general availability fee is not stated on the captured pages. · Source
Who should skip it
- Out of scope per the exam guide: designing and architecting full end-to-end AI and ML solutions. · Official source · 2026-10-04
- Out of scope per the exam guide: setting up best practices and guiding ML strategies. · Official source · 2026-10-04
- Out of scope per the exam guide: working deeply in two or more ML domains. · Official source · 2026-10-04
Alternatives in the registry
Related by topic or level.
- NVIDIA-Certified Associate: Generative AI Multimodal (NCA-GENM) : USD 125 (USD 125 for the stated exam registration, normalized from $125 on the official US page; optional preparation and repeat attempts are separate.); 60 minutes for the exam assessment; not preparation time.
- AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate : USD 150 (USD 150 for one MLA-C01 attempt. The last English test day was September 28, 2026; Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese continue until MLA-C02 general availability. Preparation is separate.); 130 minutes for the exam assessment; not preparation time.
- Databricks Certified Machine Learning Associate : USD 200 (As shown in the United States on 25 September 2026, the guide lists a $200 registration fee for one exam attempt. Our editorial rule reads a dollar sign on a US official page as USD, so this is shown as USD 200; the PDF does not print an ISO currency code. Preparation, repeat attempts and tax are not established as included.); 90 minutes for the exam assessment; not preparation time.
Change log
- : Initial record of the MLA-C02 beta from the official exam guide and certification page captured from the United States on 4 October 2026. · Source