Easiest AWS Certification to Get in 2026 (Ranked by Difficulty)

Not all AWS certifications are created equal. Some you can pass in two weeks. Others take months of dedicated study. If you want the smoothest path into the AWS ecosystem, here's an honest ranking.

The Easiest AWS Certifications (Ranked)

1. AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) — Easiest

Difficulty: 2/10

This is the entry point. No prerequisites, no hands-on component, no deep technical knowledge required.

What makes it easy:

• Tests breadth, not depth — you need to know what services do, not how to configure them
• Multiple choice only — no labs, no hands-on
• 30% of the exam is billing, pricing, and support plans — memorizable content
• Generous time limit — 90 minutes for 65 questions is plenty

Who finds it easy:

• Anyone with basic IT knowledge
• People who've used any cloud service (even personal accounts)
• Professionals who've sat through a single AWS overview presentation

Who might struggle:

• Complete non-technical beginners (but it's still doable in 4-6 weeks)

2. AWS AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) — Very Easy

Difficulty: 2.5/10

The newer foundational cert focused on AI/ML concepts.

What makes it easy:

• Foundational level — same tier as Cloud Practitioner
• Mostly conceptual — what is AI, what is ML, when to use each
• No coding or model building required
• Heavily tests AWS AI services (Bedrock, SageMaker) at a high level

Caveat: If you have zero AI/ML background, you'll need to learn the terminology. But it's all conceptual, not technical.

3. AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) — Moderate

Difficulty: 5/10

The most popular AWS certification and the sweet spot for effort vs. career impact.

What makes it accessible:

• Well-documented exam with massive community resources
• Predictable question patterns
• Scenario-based but not deeply technical
• No hands-on lab component

What makes it harder than CCP:

• Requires understanding architecture trade-offs (not just "what is this service")
• VPC networking trips up a lot of people
• 30% security domain requires real depth
• Need to differentiate between similar services (RDS vs Aurora vs DynamoDB)

4. AWS Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) — Moderate

Difficulty: 5/10

What makes it accessible:

• If you have data engineering experience, many concepts transfer directly
• Covers familiar tools (SQL, ETL concepts)
• Well-scoped — clear domain boundaries

What makes it harder:

• Requires knowledge of AWS-specific data services (Glue, Athena, Kinesis, Redshift)
• Data pipeline architecture scenarios
• Less community material than SAA

5. AWS Developer Associate (DVA-C02) — Moderate-Hard

Difficulty: 5.5/10

What makes it harder:

• Requires actual coding knowledge (SDKs, APIs, Lambda functions)
• Deep DynamoDB knowledge (partition keys, indexes, capacity modes)
• CI/CD pipeline questions (CodePipeline, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy)
• Debugging scenarios (X-Ray, CloudWatch)

Who finds it easy: Developers already building on AWS.

6. AWS Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C01) — Moderate-Hard

Difficulty: 6/10

Requires understanding ML workflows, model training, SageMaker, and data preprocessing.

7. AWS SysOps Administrator (SOA-C02) — Hard

Difficulty: 6.5/10

The hardest Associate exam because it includes hands-on labs. You perform actual tasks in a real AWS console during the exam. CloudWatch, Auto Scaling, VPC configuration — you need to actually do them, not just answer questions about them.

8. AWS Security Specialty — Hard

Difficulty: 7/10

Deep security knowledge across IAM, KMS, VPC security, compliance, and incident response.

9. AWS Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02) — Very Hard

Difficulty: 8/10

Complex multi-account, multi-region, hybrid architecture scenarios. Questions are long and nuanced. Widely considered one of the hardest IT certifications.

10. AWS DevOps Engineer Professional (DOP-C02) — Very Hard

Difficulty: 8.5/10

Combines deep knowledge of both SA Associate and Developer Associate, plus advanced automation, CI/CD, and incident management.

What Actually Makes an Exam "Easy"?

Difficulty is relative. An exam feels easy when:

1. You already know the content. A sysadmin will find SysOps easier than a developer would.
2. There are good study resources. CCP and SAA have the most material available.
3. The questions are predictable. Foundational exams have simpler question patterns.
4. There's no hands-on component. Labs add a layer of difficulty (looking at you, SysOps).
5. The time limit is generous. CCP gives 83 seconds per question. Professional exams give 144 seconds but questions are 3-4x longer.

The "Easy Win" Strategy

If you want the quickest path to a certification:

Week 1: Take a free practice exam

See where you stand. You might already know enough to pass CCP without much study.

Week 2-3: Study your gaps

Don't study everything. Focus on what you got wrong.

Week 4: Take the exam

CCP is achievable in 2-4 weeks for most people.

Then: Use your 50% voucher

Every AWS exam pass gives you a 50% discount on the next one. Start easy, save money on the harder ones.

Don't Confuse "Easy" with "Worthless"

Cloud Practitioner is the easiest, but it's not useless:

• It's a valid, industry-recognized credential
• It provides the 50% voucher for your next exam
• It builds foundational knowledge that makes every other cert easier
• It demonstrates initiative to employers
• It's increasingly listed as a requirement for non-technical cloud roles

The best certification is the one you'll actually pass and build on. Starting easy and building momentum beats aiming too high and burning out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest AWS certification to get?

AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) is the fastest. Most people can study and pass within 2-4 weeks. People with existing IT knowledge can pass in as little as 1-2 weeks.

Can I pass an AWS certification in one week?

Yes, specifically Cloud Practitioner. If you have IT experience or cloud familiarity, focused study for 5-7 days is achievable. For any Associate-level certification, 1 week is unrealistic for most people.

Which AWS certification has the highest pass rate?

Cloud Practitioner has the highest estimated pass rate at 70-80%. Solutions Architect Associate is estimated at 55-65%. Professional-level exams have the lowest pass rates.

Is AWS Cloud Practitioner too easy to be useful?

No. It's a legitimate AWS credential that carries weight, especially for non-technical roles and career changers. It also provides tangible benefits like the 50% exam voucher and free practice exam for your next certification.