AWS Certification Updates You Might Have Missed (September 2026)

Last night at the monthly Austin AWS User Group meetup, I shared a few of the recent updates related to AWS Certification.  It seems I missed a few of the recent changes, so I figured that others might have as well.  One of the misses caused me to miss out on maintaining a cert vs. having to fully renew it before re:Invent. Here's a summary of the recent changes I shared with the group:

Machine Learning Engineer Associate:  If you're preparing for the Machine Learning Engineer Associate, you should know that the current version is available through September 28th.  A beta version of the next version is available starting September 29th, and the new version is expected to go GA on January 14, 2027.  This means that if you're preparing for the exam, you should take it before the 28th, or you will need to pivot to prepare for the new version of the exam.  Either path will work, just wouldn't want it to be a surprise that there's a new version of the exam.

Solutions Architect Professional: If you're preparing for the Solutions Architect Professional, you're in a similar situation to the ML Eng.  The current version is available through November 16th; the new version goes live on November 17th.  I'd recommend pushing through and taking the current version if possible since that's what your prep material is geared towards.

AI Business Strategist: AI Business Strategist is a new exam, focusing on the suitability of AI to solve business problems, so it's not a technical certification.  You can first sit for the beta of this exam on September 29th.  Before you do, keep in mind that while a beta exam is less expensive and allows you to achieve the certification sooner, it is also a longer exam in both number of questions and duration, and the exam is not just evaluating you, it's evaluating the questions as well.  Additionally, there won't be as mature of prep materials available.  This shouldn't dissuade you from trying, just ensure you know what you're getting yourself into.

If you choose to take it, the cost is $50, it has 85 questions, and lasts 170 minutes.  It's available online or in testing centers.  There are prep materials (over 14 hours worth!) on Skill Builder, so check that out.  You can register for the exam through https://aws.amazon.com/certification/   If you have previously passed a certification, you may be able to use your 50% exam discount making it even less spendy.

Advanced Networking Specialty: The Advanced Networking exam was slated to be retired in August, but in response to "customer feedback", the retirement was delayed until December 31st.  Additionally, if you have previously passed this exam and need to renew it before then, it was added to the recently introduced certification "Maintain" program, which is still in beta.  This program allows you to show you're still current on the material through activities in Skill Builder (https://skillbuilder.aws ) and the certification will be extended for 1 year.  If you'd like to fully renew and get 3 years, then you can still re-take the exam, although that will need to be before the retirement date. 

Bonus Tip: If you are a non-native English speaker, you can apply to get an extra 30 minutes through an accommodation.  It'll apply on all AWS certification exams going forward (you must get it before registering for an exam).  The exams, especially the professional ones, can include some tough reading.  Since the exams aren't intended to be reading exams, get the extra time if it applies to you.

Microcredentials: The last thing we checked in on was Microcredentials.  These are free, hands-on, timed evaluations of you demonstrating the ability to complete tasks in a given area.  Available in multiple languages, unlimited attempts, each one takes about 2 hours to complete.  Take advantage of the "Preview Experience" to get familiar with the format and the UI.  The credentials include: Data Visualization, Data Lakehouse, MLOps, Data Streaming, Agentic AI, Incident Response, Application Networking, and Serverless. One person asked if Microcredentials will replace certifications. My take? They'll complement each other, rather than replace, although Microcredentials are more aligned with Associate level certs.

That's the recap of the recap we covered last night.  Hope it helps you, and if you're reading this and will be in the Austin area, our meetup is normally the 3rd Wednesday of the month.  Come and join us!