ANS-C01 exam at a glance
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty · Specialty level
Status: This exam is being retired. The last day to take it is 25 August 2026. Certifications earned before retirement will remain active for the standard three-year period, but AWS will not issue new AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty certifications after retirement.
| Exam code | ANS-C01 |
|---|---|
| Certification | AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty |
| Level | Specialty |
| Number of questions | 65 questions: 50 scored and 15 unscored |
| Duration | 170 minutes |
| Passing score | 700 on a scale of 100–1,000 |
| Question formats | Multiple response and matching |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE testing center or online proctored exam |
| Exam cost | 300 USD; foreign exchange rates may apply |
| Languages | English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese |
| Certification validity | 3 years from the date earned |
| Retake policy | After a failed attempt, candidates must wait 14 calendar days. There is no attempt limit, and the full registration fee applies to each attempt. After passing, the same exam cannot be retaken for two years. |
The exam is intended for individuals who perform an AWS networking specialist role. AWS describes the target candidate as having 5 or more years of networking experience, including 2 or more years of cloud and hybrid networking experience.
Skills measured and their weighting
| Skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Network Design | 30% |
| Network Implementation | 26% |
| Network Management and Operation | 20% |
| Network Security, Compliance, and Governance | 24% |
Source: aws.amazon.com — official ANS-C01 exam page. Figures were checked against AWS official documentation. Confirm current details there before booking.
The full bank covers every domain, with timed mode and per-domain scoring.
ANS-C01 Practice Questions By Domains
4 domains covered1. Network Design
78 free questions available
2. Network Implementation
37 free questions available
3. Network Management and Operation
18 free questions available
4. Network Security, Compliance, and Governance
17 free questions available
Practice the full exam, not a sample
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Preparing for the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam requires more than remembering networking terms. An effective ANS-C01 practice test should help you design, implement, monitor, troubleshoot, and secure AWS and hybrid networks in realistic situations. Before beginning, View all certification exams to compare your available preparation options and make sure ANS-C01 is still the right target for your schedule.
There is an important deadline for every current candidate: AWS is retiring the ANS-C01 exam on August 25, 2026. AWS states that this is the final day to take the exam. Certifications earned before retirement will remain active for the standard three-year period, but AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty credentials will not be issued through this exam after the deadline. Because the date is close, candidates should confirm appointment availability before purchasing study materials or beginning an intensive plan. Read the official AWS retirement notice and exam overview.
This guide provides clear, current information for experienced networking professionals who plan to test before retirement. It explains the exam format, four domains, practice-test method, scoring, registration, online delivery, a focused study schedule, and exam-day preparation. It also explains what the retirement means so students can make an informed decision instead of following an outdated exam page.
ANS-C01 Retirement: What Candidates Need to Know
The last day to sit for ANS-C01 is August 25, 2026. Booking an appointment and taking the exam are not the same thing, so schedule the actual exam on or before that date. Available time slots can fill, especially near a retirement deadline.
Keep these points in mind:
- ANS-C01 remains an active exam only through August 25, 2026.
- A certification earned before retirement remains active for three years.
- AWS says it will not issue new AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty certifications after the exam retires.
- AWS’s normal retake rule requires a 14-calendar-day wait after a failed attempt.
- A late first attempt might leave no time for a retake before retirement.
- Candidates should confirm availability and all deadlines in their AWS Certification Account before paying.
If you already have advanced AWS networking experience and have completed most of your preparation, a focused final review may be realistic. If you are new to BGP, Direct Connect, Transit Gateway, hybrid DNS, and multi-account routing, rushing only to meet the deadline is unlikely to build the depth expected by the exam. You can still use the topics as a networking learning path, but the certification deadline should not force an unsuitable attempt.
What Is the AWS ANS-C01 Exam?
ANS-C01 is the exam code for AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty. It is intended for professionals who perform an AWS networking specialist role. The exam validates the ability to design, implement, manage, operate, and secure AWS and hybrid network architectures at scale.
The test covers more than basic Amazon VPC configuration. Questions can combine traditional networking knowledge with AWS services and business requirements. A scenario may involve redundant hybrid connectivity, route selection, domain name resolution, overlapping IP ranges, multi-account governance, inspection appliances, logging, or performance troubleshooting.
AWS says the target candidate should have five or more years of networking experience, including two or more years of cloud and hybrid networking experience. AWS also recommends knowledge of AWS networking behavior, AWS security best practices, and the relationship between networking, compute, and storage services. Review the official ANS-C01 exam guide.
Who Should Take ANS-C01 Before It Retires?
ANS-C01 is most suitable for candidates who already work with advanced networks and need focused exam practice rather than months of foundational study. Appropriate roles may include:
- Senior network engineers working with AWS infrastructure
- Cloud network architects designing multi-account or multi-Region connectivity
- Hybrid-cloud engineers connecting data centers to AWS
- Security engineers responsible for network segmentation and traffic inspection
- Solutions architects who frequently make AWS routing, DNS, and connectivity decisions
- Consultants who design or troubleshoot enterprise AWS networks
No AWS certification is a formal prerequisite. AWS explains that its certifications can be earned without completing another certification first. However, the ANS-C01 page says candidates may benefit from earning an AWS Associate or Professional certification before attempting a Specialty exam.
You are more likely to be ready if you can already explain:
- How route tables decide where traffic goes
- How BGP attributes influence hybrid routing
- When to use VPC peering, Transit Gateway, or AWS PrivateLink
- How Direct Connect differs from Site-to-Site VPN
- How Route 53 Resolver supports hybrid DNS
- How security groups, network ACLs, AWS Network Firewall, AWS WAF, and AWS Shield solve different problems
- How to use VPC Flow Logs, CloudWatch, Reachability Analyzer, and Traffic Mirroring during troubleshooting
If these are unfamiliar, first build the networking foundation. Practice questions are useful for checking understanding, but they cannot replace the hands-on experience AWS expects for a Specialty-level role.
What Should an ANS-C01 Practice Test Help You Do?
A useful practice test should measure decision-making, not only service recall. It should place services inside a business or technical scenario and require you to select the design that meets all stated requirements.
Practice questions can help you develop five key abilities:
- Find the real requirement. Long scenarios may include details about availability, bandwidth, latency, encryption, operations, and cost. Identify which conditions are mandatory.
- Select the correct connectivity pattern. Compare peering, Transit Gateway, PrivateLink, VPN, and Direct Connect based on scale and purpose.
- Follow the traffic path. Trace traffic through subnets, route tables, gateways, security controls, DNS, and load balancers.
- Diagnose network failures. Determine whether the problem comes from routing, name resolution, filtering, packet size, service quotas, or asymmetric paths.
- Compare trade-offs. Choose the solution that meets the requirements without adding unnecessary complexity or cost.
Candidates preparing for more than one AWS credential can Browse all AWS exams and keep separate practice results for each active blueprint.
Do not judge preparation only by the number of questions completed. Review every incorrect response and every correct response that involved guessing. The explanation should help you state why the correct design works, why the other options fail, and which requirement controls the decision.
ANS-C01 Exam Domains and Weightings
Network Design is the largest domain, but the other three together make up 70% of the scored content. Build a balanced plan instead of studying only one strong area. AWS uses a compensatory scoring model, which means candidates pass based on overall performance and do not need a separate passing result in each domain.
Domain 1: Network Design — 30%
Domain 1 measures your ability to choose a network architecture before it is built. It covers edge networking, DNS, load balancing, visibility, hybrid connectivity, and routing across accounts, VPCs, and Regions.
Important topics include:
- Amazon CloudFront and AWS Global Accelerator for global traffic and performance
- Public and private Route 53 hosted zones, routing policies, health checks, DNSSEC, and Resolver endpoints
- Application, Network, and Gateway Load Balancer use cases
- CloudWatch, flow logs, access logs, Traffic Mirroring, and Reachability Analyzer
- Direct Connect, Site-to-Site VPN, BGP, IPsec, redundancy, and SD-WAN connectivity
- VPC peering, Transit Gateway, PrivateLink, VPC sharing, and overlapping CIDR ranges
Scenario clue: when a question mentions many VPCs or many AWS accounts, compare the scalability and management of Transit Gateway with one-to-one VPC peering. When it asks for private access to a service without full network connectivity, consider PrivateLink.
Domain 2: Network Implementation — 26%
Domain 2 moves from architecture choice to configuration. It tests whether you can implement hybrid connectivity, multi-account routing, complex DNS, and network automation.
Study these areas:
- Physical and logical requirements for Direct Connect
- Static and dynamic routing, VPN configuration, and BGP behavior
- Hub-and-spoke designs using Transit Gateway
- Sharing network resources with AWS Organizations and AWS Resource Access Manager
- PrivateLink, VPC peering, security boundaries, and third-party network appliances
- Route 53 delegation, conditional forwarding, Resolver endpoints, DNSSEC, and multi-account DNS
- AWS CloudFormation, AWS CDK, AWS CLI, SDKs, APIs, and event-driven network automation
Practice questions may describe a correct design but include one missing implementation detail. Read carefully for route propagation, virtual interface type, association, propagation, attachment, DNS forwarding direction, and permissions in another account.
Domain 3: Network Management and Operation — 20%
Domain 3 focuses on maintaining, monitoring, troubleshooting, and improving a running network. You need to understand both network behavior and the AWS tools that reveal it.
Review:
- BGP over Direct Connect and VPN
- Virtual interfaces, Direct Connect gateways, Transit Gateway, and route tables
- Service limits, route limits, bandwidth, and IP address availability
- CloudWatch metrics and logs, VPC Flow Logs, Traffic Mirroring, and Reachability Analyzer
- Packet loss, MTU and jumbo-frame problems, routing errors, and unexpected filtering
- Route 53 availability features, load balancing, and traffic distribution
- Choosing network interfaces and connectivity options for performance and cost
A good troubleshooting process starts with the expected path, checks name resolution, validates routing in both directions, evaluates stateful and stateless filtering, and then reviews logs and metrics. Avoid choosing a monitoring service before identifying what evidence is required.
Domain 4: Network Security, Compliance, and Governance — 24%
This domain measures whether you can secure traffic, validate controls, collect useful evidence, and protect data in transit.
Key areas include:
- AWS WAF, AWS Shield, AWS Network Firewall, proxy patterns, and Gateway Load Balancer
- Security groups, network ACLs, and VPC endpoint policies
- Inbound, outbound, and inter-VPC traffic inspection
- Network threat models and compliance-focused architecture
- VPC Flow Logs, CloudTrail, load-balancer logs, CloudFront logs, and Traffic Mirroring
- AWS Firewall Manager, CloudWatch alarms, and centralized audit strategies
- IPsec, TLS, VPN over Direct Connect, DNSSEC, and certificate management with ACM or AWS Private CA
Remember that these controls work at different layers and solve different problems. For example, a security group is not a replacement for AWS WAF, and WAF is not a replacement for network routing or a stateful network firewall.
AWS Services to Prioritize for ANS-C01
The official in-scope list is broader than networking alone, but students can organize preparation around several service groups:
| Study group | Important services and features |
| VPC networking | Amazon VPC, subnets, route tables, NAT, endpoints, peering, flow logs |
| Enterprise connectivity | AWS Direct Connect, Site-to-Site VPN, Client VPN, Transit Gateway |
| Private services | AWS PrivateLink and VPC endpoints |
| DNS and traffic | Route 53, Route 53 Resolver, CloudFront, Global Accelerator |
| Load balancing | Application, Network, and Gateway Load Balancers |
| Security | Network Firewall, WAF, Shield, Firewall Manager, IAM, AWS RAM |
| Monitoring | CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Reachability Analyzer, Traffic Mirroring, Network Manager |
| Automation and governance | CloudFormation, CLI, AWS Config, Control Tower, Organizations |
Do not memorize this as an isolated list. For every service, learn its purpose, supported traffic flow, routing effect, security boundary, logging options, scalability, and common alternatives. AWS notes that the official in-scope service list is non-exhaustive and can change.
Can the ANS-C01 Exam Be Taken Online?
Yes. Before the retirement deadline, ANS-C01 can be taken at a Pearson VUE test center or through Pearson VUE online proctoring, subject to appointment availability.
For an online exam, prepare:
- A compatible computer with a working webcam and microphone
- A stable internet connection
- A private, quiet, well-lit room
- A clear desk without notes, phones, extra screens, or prohibited items
- Identification that meets the requirements in your confirmation email
Run the Pearson VUE system test on the same device and network you plan to use. A work-managed computer may block required software, so verify compatibility early. During the session, a proctor monitors you through the webcam and screen-sharing application. Communication with the proctor is required.
AWS says online proctoring is available for its certification exams, but available proctor languages and times can differ. Review the official AWS before-testing information before scheduling.
How to Register for ANS-C01 Before Retirement
- Sign in to your AWS Certification Account.
- Select the option to schedule a new exam.
- Find AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01).
- Continue to Pearson VUE.
- Choose a test center or online proctored delivery.
- Select an available appointment no later than August 25, 2026.
- Check your name, identification requirements, time zone, fee, and appointment details.
- Complete payment and save the confirmation email.
AWS normally allows candidates to reschedule up to 24 hours before the appointment, with a maximum of two reschedules per appointment. However, the retirement date remains the final testing deadline. Do not assume that a late canceled or moved appointment will have another available slot.
Focused ANS-C01 Study Plan Before August 25, 2026
Because the exam is close to retirement, a long general study plan is no longer suitable for most current candidates. The following 10-day review is intended for experienced professionals who already know the material.
Day 1: Take a diagnostic test
Complete a mixed, untimed set. Record weaknesses by domain and by skill: design, implementation, troubleshooting, or security. Do not use the result as an official score prediction.
Days 2–3: Review Network Design
Focus on hybrid connectivity, BGP, Direct Connect, VPN, multi-account routing, Transit Gateway, VPC peering, PrivateLink, DNS, and load balancing. Draw traffic paths rather than only reading service summaries.
Days 4–5: Review Network Implementation
Practice configuration logic for Direct Connect, VPN, Transit Gateway route tables, shared resources, Resolver endpoints, DNS delegation, and infrastructure as code.
Day 6: Review Management and Operations
Work through troubleshooting scenarios. Use VPC Flow Logs, CloudWatch, Reachability Analyzer, Traffic Mirroring, route tables, and DNS evidence to locate faults.
Day 7: Review Security and Governance
Compare WAF, Shield, Network Firewall, Gateway Load Balancer, security groups, network ACLs, Firewall Manager, encryption, DNSSEC, and certificate management.
Day 8: Complete a timed mixed test
Use Exam Practice Tests in closed-book conditions. Practice reading long scenarios, marking uncertain items, and maintaining a steady pace.
Day 9: Repair weak areas
Review every mistake from the timed test. Read the relevant official documentation and write one clear rule for each missed concept.
Day 10: Light final review
Review diagrams, comparison notes, and the official domain list. Confirm the appointment, system check, ID, and time zone. Avoid learning large new topics at the last minute.
How to Answer ANS-C01 Scenario Questions
Use a repeatable method:
- Read the final request. Determine whether the question asks for a design, implementation, cause, fix, or security control.
- Mark the non-negotiable requirements. Look for scale, encryption, bandwidth, availability, cost, central management, and operational effort.
- Draw the traffic path mentally. Identify the source, destination, DNS lookup, routes, gateways, inspection point, and return route.
- Check both directions. Hybrid and multi-VPC failures often come from missing or asymmetric return paths.
- Remove partial solutions. A choice may solve routing but fail security, or solve connectivity but ignore DNS.
- Prefer the complete fit. Choose the option that satisfies every stated requirement with reasonable management effort.
Build an error log with four fields: topic, why the answer was wrong, correct design principle, and next review date. Common mistake categories include confusing routing with security, overlooking route propagation, selecting the wrong Direct Connect virtual interface, forgetting DNS forwarding direction, and using a many-to-many network pattern where a service-specific private connection is required.
ANS-C01 Exam-Day Checklist
For online testing
- Complete the system test in advance.
- Use the same computer and network tested earlier.
- Prepare the required identification.
- Clear the desk and remove extra devices.
- Make sure nobody enters the room.
- Join early for check-in and room verification.
For test-center delivery
- Confirm the address, date, and local appointment time.
- Review all ID requirements in the confirmation message.
- Arrive early enough to complete check-in.
- Store personal items as instructed.
During the exam
- Maintain a steady pace across 170 minutes.
- Flag difficult questions instead of spending too long on one scenario.
- Answer every item because there is no penalty for guessing.
- Recheck multiple-response and matching questions carefully.
- Use remaining time to review questions with uncertain routing or DNS details.
AWS says final results are normally posted to the AWS Certification Account within five business days, unless a result is being reviewed for security or technical reasons.
ANS-C01 Frequently Asked Questions
When does ANS-C01 retire?
AWS says August 25, 2026 is the final day to take the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam.
Will an ANS-C01 certification remain valid after retirement?
Yes. AWS states that certifications earned before the exam retires remain active for the standard three-year period.
How many questions are on ANS-C01?
There are 65 questions in total. The current exam guide says 50 affect the score and 15 are unscored.
How long is the ANS-C01 exam?
The exam duration is 170 minutes.
How much does ANS-C01 cost?
AWS lists the exam fee as USD $300. Taxes, exchange rates, and local pricing can affect the amount shown at checkout.
What is the ANS-C01 passing score?
The current exam-specific guide lists 700 on a scale from 100 to 1,000, while AWS’s general scoring policy lists 750 for Specialty exams. Confirm the live ANS-C01 standard with AWS before testing. Neither scaled score should be treated as a raw percentage.
Can I take ANS-C01 online?
Yes, subject to availability before retirement. AWS offers Pearson VUE online proctoring and Pearson VUE test-center delivery for ANS-C01.
Is another AWS certification required first?
No certification is a formal prerequisite. However, AWS says candidates may benefit from first earning an Associate or Professional certification, and the target experience is five or more years in networking with at least two years in cloud and hybrid networking.
What happens if I fail ANS-C01?
AWS’s normal policy requires a 14-calendar-day wait before a retake and payment of the full fee for each attempt. Because ANS-C01 retires on August 25, 2026, a late failed attempt may leave no opportunity to test again.
Are practice tests enough to pass ANS-C01?
Practice tests help reveal weak areas, improve timing, and develop scenario-solving skills. They work best when combined with the official exam guide, AWS documentation, network diagrams, hands-on configuration, and real troubleshooting experience.
Should a beginner rush to take ANS-C01 before retirement?
Usually not. The exam targets experienced networking specialists. A short deadline is suitable for final review, not for replacing years of networking and cloud experience.
Top 15 Most Challenging ANS-C01 Questions
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