ANS-C01 Retirement December 2026: Last Chance Guide

The last day to take the AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty exam (ANS-C01) is December 31, 2026. After that, AWS will not issue new certifications for it. If you have the networking background and want this credential, book your exam in the next few weeks.

AWS states on the exam page that certifications earned before retirement stay active for the standard three-year period. AWS names no replacement exam. It points learners to digital training on AWS Skill Builder.

Exam facts and price at a glance

Here are the facts from the AWS page, checked on 5 November 2026.

Our ANS-C01 voucher costs $279.99, below the 300 USD list price. AWS may adjust list prices for foreign exchange, so check its exam pricing page before you pay.

AWS links the exam guide from the exam page. Review it before you plan your study hours.

Who should still take ANS-C01

AWS describes this exam as validating expertise in complex networking tasks. It lists five years of hands-on experience architecting AWS network solutions. The FAQ is a bit softer: five or more years of networking experience, with two or more years in cloud and hybrid networking. AWS also says candidates benefit from first earning an Associate or Professional certification.

The topics AWS names include:

• IP VPN and MPLS

• Routing protocols

• Multi-region solutions

• Automation tools

• Network security features such as AWS WAF, IDS/IPS and DDoS protection

Use this table to decide.

How to book before the cutoff

The voucher code arrives by email within 12 hours of payment. It also appears in your account. Build that delay into your plan.

1. Create or sign in to your AWS Certification account.

2. Pick your date first. Testing centers and online slots can be limited near a deadline, so aim for early to mid December.

3. Buy the voucher at least three days before you want to schedule.

4. Redeem the code when you schedule the exam on the AWS site.

5. Choose Pearson VUE center or online proctoring. Online testing needs a quiet room and a working webcam, so run the system test early.

A worked timeline

Say you decide today, November 6.

• Nov 9: buy the voucher and confirm the code in your account.

• Nov 10: schedule the exam for Dec 18, leaving about two weeks of buffer before the cutoff.

• Nov 10 – Dec 14: follow the study plan below.

• Dec 15 – 17: review weak topics only.

• If you fail on Dec 18: AWS retake rules may not leave room for a second attempt before December 31. Test earlier if you want a real buffer, and check the retake rules on AWS first.

If you pass on Dec 18, 2026, your certification runs for the standard three years, so roughly to December 2029.

A six-week study plan with weekly hours

This plan assumes you already work with AWS networking. Plan 8–10 hours per week, about 50–60 hours total. If you are rusty on routing, add a week.

AWS recommends Builder Labs, Cloud Quest, Jam and SimuLearn on Skill Builder for hands-on work. Do the labs. This exam is scenario-based, and reading alone rarely builds the troubleshooting instinct you need.

These read-only AWS CLI commands help you inspect a lab account while you study:

aws ec2 describe-transit-gateways
aws ec2 describe-transit-gateway-route-tables
aws ec2 describe-vpn-connections
aws ec2 describe-route-tables --filters Name=vpc-id,Values=vpc-0123456789abcdef0

For each one, ask what traffic path the output creates and what would break it.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for a replacement. AWS has named none, so do not build your plan around one.

• Booking on the last day. One reschedule or technical problem can push you past December 31.

• Skipping hybrid routing. Candidates often underweight BGP and route propagation, then lose time on long scenario questions.

• Memorizing service names. Questions ask you to choose between designs under cost, performance and security limits.

• Ignoring pacing. You have 170 minutes for 65 questions, so flag long scenarios and return to them.

• Testing online without a check. Run the proctoring system test days ahead, not an hour before.

What to do instead, and what happens after you pass

AWS has not named a successor, so choose based on your goal. Two practical alternatives are the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, which covers broad architecture including networking, and the AWS Certified Security - Specialty, which fits if your networking work leans toward protection and traffic inspection. Check each exam's page on AWS for current details.

If you do not have the experience for ANS-C01 yet, browse our Networking certifications or Cloud Computing pages. Retirements happen across vendors. Our write-up of the MS-102 retirement shows how to plan around a hard deadline.

After you pass:

• Your certification stays active for the standard three-year period.

• AWS says one earned certification gives you a 50% discount on your next AWS exam. Find it in your AWS Certification account.

• AWS says you recertify by passing the latest version of the exam, and that no new ANS-C01 certifications will be issued after retirement. The renewal path for this credential is therefore unclear, so check AWS's recertification options before your term ends.

Refunds and delivery for our voucher

We email the code within 12 hours of payment and show it in your account. You can cancel an order for a full refund before delivery. A delivered code is non-refundable unless the test provider rejects it as invalid, already used or expired on first use. In that case, contact support within 14 days with your order number and a screenshot, and we replace or refund the code. Full terms are on our refund and delivery pages.

If you are ready to test, you can get the ANS-C01 voucher and schedule your date.

Sources

• AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty (AWS)