AWS 認證要花多少錢？考試費、重考及備考費用（2026）

If you are thinking about an AWS certification, the first question is usually "how much will this actually cost me?" The answer is more than the sticker price of the exam, so here is a clear breakdown based on what AWS publishes.

Exam fees by level

AWS prices exams by level, not by individual certification:

Taxes such as VAT may apply, and AWS also lists local-currency prices in some regions, so check the price shown at checkout.

The part people forget: retakes

If you fail, you wait 14 calendar days and pay the full fee again. There is no limit on attempts, but there is also no discount by default. At Specialty level, a failed attempt means another 300 USD.

Passing has a rule too: you cannot retake the same exam for two years, unless it gets a new exam version.

That makes one thing clear. The cheapest exam is the one you only take once.

What AWS gives you for free

On AWS Skill Builder, some preparation is free:

• Official Practice Question Sets: 20 questions each, written by AWS, with feedback on every answer.
• Exam Prep courses: about 2 hours, reviewing the topic areas and sample questions per domain.

Other resources need a subscription: full-length Official Practice Exams, labs and the longer Enhanced Exam Prep courses. The Individual plan starts at 29 USD per month.

Hands-on experience matters more than any course

AWS says the best preparation is practical experience: from six months to two years, depending on the level. Reading helps, but building something in a free-tier account helps more. Even a small project (a bucket with a policy, a Lambda behind an API, an IAM role with a permissions boundary) teaches what the questions are actually testing.

A realistic plan to avoid paying twice

1. Pick the exam that matches your experience. AWS describes Cloud Practitioner as a starting point for people with no IT or cloud background, and Solutions Architect – Associate as ideal for people with AWS or strong on-premises experience.
2. Read the official exam guide first. It lists the domains and their weights, so you know where to spend your time.
3. Do the free AWS practice question sets to learn the question style.
4. Build something small for each domain you feel weak in.
5. Take a timed, full-length practice test a few days before the real exam. Treat a low score as information, not as a failure.
6. Book the exam only when your practice scores are consistently comfortable.

Renewal: it is not one and done

Certifications are valid for three years. To recertify you usually pass the latest version of the exam. When you recertify or upgrade, AWS gives you a 50% discount voucher for another exam, which you can find in the Benefits section of your AWS Certification Account.

Sources

Every number above comes from AWS's own pages: the certification FAQs, the exam prep page and the recertification page. Prices change, so always check them before you book.

I keep longer guides on exam costs, retake rules, renewal and study plans, with the official AWS page linked next to each fact, at awscloudcertify.com. They are free and independent of AWS. I run that site, so take my recommendation with that in mind.

What was your biggest surprise about AWS exam costs? I would like to read your experience in the comments.