AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01): The Complete 2026 Study Guide
August 11, 20268 min read
What the AIF-C01 exam covers across its five domains, the format and passing score, and a two-to-four-week study plan - with practice drills for each domain.
Exam format and scoring
AIF-C01 is a foundational-tier exam with 50 scored questions plus 15 unscored questions that do not affect your result, for 65 questions total in 90 minutes. It costs $100 and uses a compensatory scoring model, so you only need to pass the exam overall, not each domain.
Questions come in four formats: multiple choice, multiple response, ordering, and matching. There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question.
- 50 scored + 15 unscored questions (65 total)
- 90 minutes, $100, passing score 700 out of 1000
- No coding required, but you should recognize where each AWS AI service fits
The five domains, decoded
The exam weights the domains unevenly, so spend your time in proportion. Applications of foundation models and the generative-AI fundamentals together make up more than half the exam.
- Fundamentals of AI and ML - 20%: core terms, the ML lifecycle, when to use AI
- Fundamentals of Generative AI - 24%: foundation models, prompting, embeddings
- Applications of Foundation Models - 28%: RAG, fine-tuning, agents, evaluation
- Guidelines for Responsible AI - 14%: bias, fairness, transparency, explainability
- Security, Compliance, and Governance for AI - 14%: data protection, IAM, governance
Which AWS services to know
You are not expected to build anything, but you should know what each core AI service is for. Amazon Bedrock (managed foundation models), Amazon SageMaker (build and train), and the managed AI services for vision, speech, and text come up repeatedly.
A two-to-four-week study plan
Work by domain, weighted by the percentages above. Start with the largest domains, use practice questions to find your weak spots, then read the relevant AWS documentation for the topics you miss.
Finish with full-length practice exams under timed conditions so the format holds no surprises on exam day.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions is the AIF-C01 exam?
- 50 scored plus 15 unscored (65 total), in 90 minutes.
- What score do you need to pass AIF-C01?
- 700 out of 1000.
- How long does it take to study for AIF-C01?
- Most candidates are ready in two to four weeks. Practice with the AIF-C01 subject drills.