AI Course Check

Amazon Web Services

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01): what it costs and who can take it

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01) costs $150; $75 (beta); AUD 224, has 65 questions in 130 minutes and is valid for 3 years. Who can take it: no requirement listed.

Price as shown
$150; $75 (beta); AUD 224
Valid for
3 years
Format
Exam, online proctoring offered
Go to Amazon Web Services' exam page
Curated by Jake BolandChecked against Amazon Web Services on Oct 26, 2026How I verify

Before you book MLA-C01

Status
Transitioning; retires January 14, 2027 as of Oct 26, 2026.
Amazon Web Services' prep
Exam Prep Plan: AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C02 - English): Free to learn. Some parts paid, 16 hours; AWS ML Engineer Associate Learning Plan (includes labs): Price not stated by provider, 25.4 hours
Renewal
Before your certification expires, you can recertify by passing the latest version of this exam.

Should you take it?

  • Suits machine learning engineers whose team builds on AWS, with a year or more in the job and a year of hands-on AWS work.
  • Not for engineers whose ML work happens mostly outside SageMaker, as AWS aims the exam at people with a year of hands-on SageMaker use.
  • The catch: AWS is replacing MLA-C01 with MLA-C02 and retiring it on January 14, 2027, so check which version your study materials cover.

Who can take MLA-C01?

Who can take it, in Amazon Web Services' words: "Individuals with at least 1 year of experience using Amazon SageMaker and other ML engineering AWS services" Amazon Web Services lists what to know before it.

In Amazon Web Services' words

The ideal candidate for this exam has at least 1 year of experience in machine learning engineering or a related field and 1 year of hands-on experience with AWS services.

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01): the facts

Issuer
Amazon Web Services
Program
AWS Certification
Exam code
MLA-C01
Type
Exam
Proctoring
Online proctoring offered
Level
Associate
Status
Transitioning; retires January 14, 2027
Who can take it
Individuals with at least 1 year of experience using Amazon SageMaker and other ML engineering AWS services
Prerequisites
In Amazon Web Services' words

The ideal candidate for this exam has at least 1 year of experience in machine learning engineering or a related field and 1 year of hands-on experience with AWS services.

Price as shown
$150; $75 (beta); AUD 224
Delivery
Pearson VUE testing center or online proctored exam
Length
130 minutes
Questions
65
Languages
English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese
Valid for
3 years
Renewal
Before your certification expires, you can recertify by passing the latest version of this exam.
Go to Amazon Web Services' exam page

Checked against Amazon Web Services on Oct 26, 2026. Last changed on Oct 15, 2026. Amazon Web Services doesn't publish the passing score.

Should you take MLA-C01 or something else?

It depends on your platform, your level and what Amazon Web Services lets you book. Each line compares stated levels or prices only.

How does MLA-C01 compare with other associate certifications?

Computed by us from the stated values of the live certifications we track at the same level. The issuers don't publish these comparisons.
Price among associate exams (computed)the lowest or joint lowest, from stated US prices
Exam length against the median (computed)130 minutes against a median of 120 minutes across 14 associate exams

How do you prepare?

How we chose these

What has changed?

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01)

· Update

Delivery of the MLA-C02 beta exam began on September 29, 2026.

"September 29, 2026: Beta delivery begins" Amazon Web Services

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01)

· Languages

The last day to take MLA-C01 in English was September 28, 2026.

"September 28, 2026: Last day to take MLA-C01 in English" Amazon Web Services

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01)

· Update

AWS opened beta registration for the updated MLA-C02 exam in English on September 1, 2026.

"September 1, 2026: Beta registration open (English only)" Amazon Web Services

Questions people ask

How much does MLA-C01 cost?

Amazon Web Services shows $150; $75 (beta); AUD 224. Prices are as the issuer shows them, never converted.

How long is MLA-C01 valid?

3 years, according to Amazon Web Services.

Is MLA-C01 free?

No. Amazon Web Services shows $150; $75 (beta); AUD 224.

What is the MLA-C01 exam format?

65 questions, 130 minutes, online proctoring offered, as Amazon Web Services states it.

How do you renew MLA-C01?

In Amazon Web Services' words: "Before your certification expires, you can recertify by passing the latest version of this exam."

How we chose

  • How to prepare: courses that name this certification, as each provider describes them, Amazon Web Services' own first.

Sources

  1. Amazon Web Services: AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C01), aws.amazon.com, accessed Oct 26, 2026
  2. Amazon Web Services: aws.amazon.com, certified machine learning engineer associate, accessed Oct 26, 2026
  3. Amazon Web Services: aws.amazon.com, before testing, accessed Oct 26, 2026
Go to Amazon Web Services' exam page