The AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate is changing version. The last English sitting of MLA-C01 was on 28 September 2026, and the updated MLA-C02 is now running as a beta exam, with the full release due in early 2027. Below is what changes and how to plan your attempt.

What the certification is

This associate-level credential validates that you can build, deploy and operate machine learning workloads in production on AWS, not just train a model in a notebook. AWS aims it at people with at least one year of experience using Amazon SageMaker and other ML engineering services, and lists target roles including backend developer, DevOps engineer, data engineer, MLOps engineer and data scientist. It sits a step beyond the more conceptual AWS Certified AI Practitioner, which is a good starting point if this one feels too deep.

The exam format

For MLA-C01, taken from AWS (use the MLA-C02 exam guide for the new version):

  • 65 questions
  • 130 minutes
  • 150 US dollars
  • Delivered at a Pearson VUE test centre or as an online proctored exam
  • Available in English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese

The exam covers four areas: Data Preparation for Machine Learning, ML Model Development, Deployment and Orchestration of ML Workflows, and ML Solution Monitoring, Maintenance and Security. Download the official exam guide from AWS for the current domain weightings and task statements, and study against those rather than any third-party summary.

The version change, and the dates that matter

AWS has confirmed the transition on the certification page. The key milestones:

  • 1 September 2026: registration opened for the MLA-C02 beta, in English.
  • 28 September 2026: the last day to take MLA-C01 in English.
  • 29 September 2026: MLA-C02 beta delivery began.
  • Early 2027: MLA-C02 becomes generally available.
  • MLA-C01 stays available in Korean, Japanese and Simplified Chinese until MLA-C02 reaches general availability.

AWS says MLA-C02 adds generative AI, agentic AI and foundation model or LLM workloads, expands Amazon Bedrock coverage and updates its responsible AI guidance, without adding new domains.

Version updates like this refresh the services, question style and emphasis to match how AWS expects the work to be done today. Study guides and courses written for MLA-C01 are now out of date for English candidates, so check the version before you buy. For the official MLA-C02 outline, use the exam guide on the AWS certification page.

Should you sit the beta or wait?

If you test in English, MLA-C02 is now the only version, so the choice is timing. The beta suits candidates who are ready now. If you are just starting, prepare against the MLA-C02 exam guide and book once it is generally available in early 2027. If you test in Korean, Japanese or Simplified Chinese, MLA-C01 remains open until then. A pass on either version is a pass, and AWS certifications are valid for three years.

How to prepare either way

Ground your study in the official exam guide and in hands-on SageMaker work, because this exam rewards real pipeline experience over memorised facts. Build, deploy and monitor a small end-to-end model so the deployment and monitoring domains are muscle memory, not theory. If you are still choosing your first cloud credential, our note on the Cloud Digital Leader timing shows how much these deadline windows can matter.

Practise under real exam conditions

The MLA exam is scenario-heavy, and the clock leaves no room to freeze. Full, timed mock exams train the pacing and the question style, not just the content. On CandidatesPrep you can sit complete simulations scored by domain, so you can see whether it is model development or deployment and monitoring that is costing you, and repeat until every area is solid. Trainers moving a cohort through the C01-to-C02 change can track readiness centrally and steer everyone onto the right version.

The bottom line

The AWS Machine Learning Engineer - Associate is mid-transition. In English, MLA-C02 has replaced MLA-C01 and runs as a beta until its full release in early 2027. Study against the current MLA-C02 exam guide, with extra time on generative and agentic AI and Amazon Bedrock, and let your readiness, not the beta window, decide your date.

Want to know if you are exam-ready? Sit a full timed simulation, or book a demo if you train cloud and ML candidates through version changes like this.