AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty (ANS-C01) has a last testing day of December 31, 2026. If you plan to take it, match your study to the current guide and allow time for preparation and booking. This article covers the tested domains, an original route-priority exercise, and what retirement means for existing holders.
When does ANS-C01 retire?
December 31, 2026 is the last day to take ANS-C01. Existing certifications remain active for three years from the date earned.
The exam remains available before that deadline. December 31 is the last testing day, not merely a booking deadline for a later appointment. Check availability and your actual appointment date before committing to a study schedule.
Existing holders do not lose the remaining validity of their certification because the exam retires. Retaking this exam is no longer a renewal option after its final testing day. For further learning or another credential, consult AWS’s current offerings; do not assume an automatic successor or badge conversion.
What background is recommended?
The guide targets candidates with at least five years of networking experience, including two years of cloud and hybrid networking.
This is recommended experience, not a mandatory prior-certification requirement. AWS recommends training and relevant experience but does not require an AWS training course or an Associate or Professional credential before the Specialty exam.
Use the current tasks to assess your gaps in AWS and hybrid networking, security, and the relevant compute and storage concepts.
Sources: AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Certification | AWS Certification — Certification page, retrieved September 14, 2026; AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Exam Guide (ANS-C01) — Official exam guide PDF, copyright 2026; AWS Certification FAQs — AWS Training and Certification FAQ page
What to expect on the exam
The exam has 65 questions in 170 minutes. Fifty questions are scored, and 15 unscored questions are not identified.
AWS’s certification overview describes multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. The current detailed ANS-C01 guide specifically describes multiple-response and matching questions. Include matching practice rather than relying only on the overview’s shorthand.
For multiple-response questions, the guide requires all correct responses among five or more options. Matching questions have 3–7 prompts, and all pairs must be correct for credit. The differing descriptions are not a basis for claiming single-answer questions cannot appear.
The current ANS-C01 exam guide specifies a minimum passing score of 700 on a scale of 100–1,000. It is a scaled score, not a raw requirement to answer 70% correctly. You pass on the overall result, without a separate passing requirement for every domain.
Unanswered questions count as incorrect, and there is no penalty for guessing. Most AWS exams do not show a pass or fail result immediately; detailed results are available in your AWS Certification Account within five business days.
Sources: AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Certification | AWS Certification — Certification page, retrieved September 14, 2026; AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Exam Guide (ANS-C01) — Official exam guide PDF, copyright 2026; AWS Certification FAQs — AWS Training and Certification FAQ page
What to study in the four domains
Cover network design, implementation, management and operation, and security. Use the weights and your knowledge gaps together to plan your practice.
The percentages describe scored content, not exact question counts. The official guide provides detailed tasks and supporting knowledge and skills; its content and service lists are not exhaustive. The activities below are study suggestions tied to those tasks.
| Domain | Weight | Topics and suggested practice |
|---|---|---|
| Network Design | 30% | Edge services, DNS, load balancing, logging, and hybrid and multi-account routing. Draw the communication requirements for a sample network and identify missing design information. |
| Network Implementation | 26% | Hybrid connections, routing, DNS, and network automation. Review a proposed configuration and explain how you would check it against the requirements. |
| Network Management and Operation | 20% | Routing maintenance, troubleshooting, and performance, reliability, and cost. Inspect sample routes and logs and list what they establish and what remains unknown. |
| Network Security, Compliance, and Governance | 24% | Inbound, outbound, and inter-VPC flows, auditing, and encryption in transit. Identify the protection requirements and the evidence needed to assess the proposed controls. |
Sources: AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Exam Guide (ANS-C01) — Official exam guide PDF, copyright 2026; AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Certification | AWS Certification — Certification page, retrieved September 14, 2026
Practice: choose the matching VPC route
AWS VPC routing uses the most specific matching destination. For identical destinations, a static route takes priority over a propagated route.
A /24 prefix is more specific than a matching /16 prefix. Apply that comparison before the static-versus-propagated tie rule. The exercise supplies all routes and assumes the targets and routes are active.
This is a route-selection exercise. Its answer alone does not establish that an application has working end-to-end connectivity.
Practice exercise
A subnet route table has three routes: 10.40.0.0/16 to local; a static 10.80.0.0/16 route to a transit gateway; and a propagated 10.80.2.0/24 route to a virtual private gateway. All routes and targets are valid and active. An instance sends traffic to 10.80.2.15. Which target does the route table select, and why? In a separate equal-destination case, if both a static and a propagated route target 10.80.2.0/24, which route takes priority?
Show answer
The original table selects the virtual private gateway through the propagated 10.80.2.0/24 route. In the separate case with identical destinations, the static route takes priority.
The destination 10.80.2.15 matches 10.80.0.0/16 and 10.80.2.0/24. The /24 is the more specific match, so it wins even though it is propagated and the /16 is static. The local 10.40.0.0/16 route does not match. Static-over-propagated priority decides the separate case because those two destinations are identical. Selecting this forward route does not by itself prove that all other connectivity requirements are satisfied.
Sources: How route priority works - Amazon Virtual Private Cloud — Amazon VPC User Guide
Your preparation checklist
Use this suggested sequence to connect the syllabus with design and troubleshooting practice.
AWS’s preparation resources include exam-style questions and digital training. Adapt your plan to your starting point and the final testing deadline. Domain familiarity alone does not establish readiness.
- Confirm ANS-C01, your exam language, and a testing date no later than December 31, 2026.
- Review every domain task and mark the areas where you need more explanation or practice.
- Use official exam-style questions to learn the response formats, including matching as described in the detailed guide.
- Work through the route exercise and explain both longest-prefix selection and the equal-destination tie rule.
- For other practice cases, record the required traffic paths, configuration assumptions, observed evidence, and unanswered questions.
- Consult service documentation for the specific network behavior you rely on, then revisit incorrect or guessed practice answers.
- Check appointment instructions and the change deadline. If you may need a retake, account for the waiting period and final testing date.
Sources: AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Certification | AWS Certification — Certification page, retrieved September 14, 2026; AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Exam Guide (ANS-C01) — Official exam guide PDF, copyright 2026; How route priority works - Amazon Virtual Private Cloud — Amazon VPC User Guide; AWS Certification FAQs — AWS Training and Certification FAQ page
Fees, appointments, and retakes
The listed fee is USD 300, with taxes and local-currency pricing where applicable.
AWS lists English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese, with Pearson VUE test-center or online-proctored appointments. Confirm current availability before booking.
The standard policy permits cancellation or rescheduling up to 24 hours before the appointment. Review the full policy for exceptions. After a failed attempt, the waiting period is 14 calendar days and each attempt requires the full registration fee.
Although the general AWS policy has no attempt limit, ANS-C01’s final testing date still limits when a retake can occur. Do not plan a retake after December 31, 2026.
Sources: AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty Certification | AWS Certification — Certification page, retrieved September 14, 2026; AWS Certification FAQs — AWS Training and Certification FAQ page
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