AWS published version 1.1 of the AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) exam guide on April 30, 2026, replacing version 1.0 from March 26, 2026. It adds seven objectives, including context engineering, token-based pricing and a dedicated objective on agentic AI concepts such as the Model Context Protocol (MCP). AWS says guide updates are published approximately one month before they are reflected on the exam; it gives no exact switch date for v1.1.
The seven new objectives, from AWS’s revisions page:
- When traditional ML models versus foundation models fit a use case (1.2.6)
- Token-based pricing and its effect on inference cost and performance (2.1.4)
- The role of context engineering in foundation model applications (2.1.5)
- Agentic AI concepts: multi-agent patterns, MCP, memory, tool use and workflow orchestration (2.1.6)
- Prompt versioning with Amazon Bedrock Prompt Management (3.2.5)
- Business alignment metrics such as task completion rate and cost per interaction (3.4.5)
- Hallucination detection and grounding, such as RAG grounding (5.1.5)
Newly in scope: Amazon Aurora, Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, Kiro, Strands Agents, Amazon Q, Amazon SageMaker JumpStart and AWS Transform. Amazon MemoryDB left the in-scope list. The guide still has five domains weighted 20%, 24%, 28%, 14% and 14%.
Who this affects
Anyone studying for AIF-C01 with notes or courses from before May 2026. That includes the older PDF guide on AWS’s download site, last modified in February 2025.
What to do now
- Study from the current guide on docs.aws.amazon.com, not the old PDF.
- Check your notes against the seven objectives above, especially agentic AI and MCP, context engineering and grounding.
- Know what each newly in-scope service is for. The target candidate uses AI on AWS but does not necessarily build it.
- Test yourself with our free AIF-C01 practice questions, then use the AIF-C01 study guide and 3-week study plan.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| March 26, 2026 | Exam guide version 1.0 published |
| April 30, 2026 | Version 1.1 published |
| About one month after publication | AWS’s stated lag before guide changes reach the exam (no exact date published) |
Source
- AIF-C01 exam guide revisions page
- AIF-C01 exam guide
- AIF-C01 in-scope AWS services
- AWS Certified AI Practitioner certification page
Checked against the AIF-C01 exam guide revisions page on docs.aws.amazon.com on October 6, 2026.
Related guides
- AWS Security Specialty Retires 3 Exam Languages Dec 31
- MLA-C01 in English Has Ended: MLA-C02 Beta Is Now Live
- Claude Certification Moves to Pearson VUE, CCAR-F Now $125
Frequently asked questions
What changed in AIF-C01 exam guide version 1.1?
AWS added seven objectives covering context engineering, token-based pricing, agentic AI concepts including MCP, prompt management, business alignment metrics, hallucination detection and grounding, and when to use traditional ML versus foundation models. It also added services such as Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, Kiro and Strands Agents to the in-scope list.
When did the v1.1 changes reach the AIF-C01 exam?
AWS says exam guide updates are published approximately one month before they are reflected on the exam. Version 1.1 was published April 30, 2026, and AWS does not state an exact date for the exam switch.
Did the AIF-C01 domains or exam format change in v1.1?
The current guide keeps five domains weighted 20%, 24%, 28%, 14% and 14%, and the revisions page lists no weighting change. The certification page still shows 65 questions, 90 minutes and 100 USD.
Is the older AIF-C01 PDF exam guide still accurate?
It predates version 1.1, so it misses the new objectives and services. Use the guide on docs.aws.amazon.com, which includes the revisions page.
