AssociateMLA-C01

AWS Machine Learning Engineer Associate

Validate your ability to build, operationalize, deploy, and maintain ML solutions and pipelines on AWS. Covers data preparation, model development, deployment orchestration, and ML solution monitoring and security.

65 questions
2h 10m
72% to pass

Practice Mode

Get instant feedback after each question. See explanations and track your progress as you learn.

Exam Mode

Timed session with no feedback until the end. Experience real exam conditions and test your knowledge.

NewDaily Drill

10 questions · pick a topic · 5 minutes · shareable

Free cheat sheet14 pages PDF

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate Cheat Sheet (MLA-C01)

Every in-scope SageMaker feature, MLOps workflow, monitoring and security decision the MLA-C01 exam actually tests — organised by the four exam domains with runbooks and decision tables

About the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C01) Certification

The AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C01) is AWS's certification for practitioners who build, deploy, and maintain ML solutions. Launched in 2024, it focuses on the practical engineering side of ML — data pipelines, model training, deployment, monitoring, and MLOps on AWS.

This exam targets ML engineers, data engineers, and software engineers who build and deploy ML models on AWS. Unlike the AI Practitioner (which is conceptual), this certification requires hands-on experience with SageMaker, data pipelines, and model deployment. It's a solid credential for anyone transitioning into ML engineering from a software or data background.

Exam Format and Details

The MLA-C01 exam has 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored) in multiple-choice and multiple-response format. You get 170 minutes, and the passing score is 720/1000 (approximately 72%). The exam costs $150 USD.

Key Topics Covered

  • Data Preparation for ML (28% of exam)
  • ML Model Development (26% of exam)
  • Deployment and Orchestration of ML Workflows (22% of exam)
  • ML Solution Monitoring, Maintenance, and Security (24% of exam)

Recommended experience: One to two years of experience building, deploying, and maintaining ML models, with hands-on experience using Amazon SageMaker and related AWS data services.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between the ML Engineer Associate and the AI Practitioner?

The AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) is a foundational, conceptual exam — no coding required. The ML Engineer Associate (MLA-C01) requires hands-on engineering skills: building data pipelines, training models with SageMaker, deploying endpoints, and implementing MLOps practices. It's a significant step up in difficulty and depth.

What AWS services should I know for the MLA-C01?

Master Amazon SageMaker (training, endpoints, pipelines, feature store), AWS Glue (ETL), Step Functions (orchestration), S3 (data storage), CloudWatch (monitoring), and IAM (security). Also understand SageMaker built-in algorithms, hyperparameter tuning, and model monitoring for drift detection.

Is the MLA-C01 replacing the old ML Specialty exam?

AWS retired the Machine Learning Specialty (MLS-C01) and replaced it with two exams: the AI Practitioner (foundational) and the ML Engineer Associate (hands-on). If you had the ML Specialty, the MLA-C01 is the closest replacement for proving your practical ML skills.

Studying for more than one certification? All our practice tests are free.

We use cookies to improve your experience. This site uses YouTube embeds and Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Learn more