MLA-C02 exam format: questions, score and cost
MLA-C02 is currently offered under beta conditions, which changes several published figures. Here is what AWS states, and where the sources differ.
| Exam code | MLA-C02 |
| Certification | AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate |
| Level | Associate |
| Duration | 170 minutes (beta) |
| Questions | 85 (beta) |
| Price | 75 USD (beta pricing) |
| Passing score | 720 on a scaled range of 100–1,000 |
| Scoring | Compensatory — you pass overall, not per domain |
| Validity | 3 years |
| Penalty for guessing | None |
The beta discrepancy, explained
AWS’s certification page lists 85 questions in 170 minutes at 75 USD. The official exam guide describes 50 scored questions plus 15 unscored, which totals 65.
Both are accurate for different forms. Beta exams carry extra questions so AWS can evaluate items for future use, which is also why the price is reduced. The exam guide’s structure describes the standard form the exam settles into once it leaves beta.
Two practical consequences if you sit it during beta:
- You get more questions and more time, at a lower price. 170 minutes for 85 questions is exactly two minutes each.
- Results take longer. AWS handles beta exam results differently from standard exams, and the exam guide carries an explicit note that the pass/fail designation “does not apply to the beta version of the exam”. Check AWS’s beta exam policy before booking so the timeline does not surprise you.
The 75 USD beta price is half the usual associate fee. If you are ready, sitting during beta is the cheapest this certification will be.
Passing score is 720, not 700
Worth noting because it differs from AIF-C01, which passes at 700. MLA-C02 requires 720 on the same 100–1,000 scale. Scores are scaled, so this does not translate to a fixed number of correct answers.
Compensatory scoring
AWS uses a compensatory model: “you do not need to achieve a passing score in each section. You need to pass only the overall exam.”
With four domains at 24–28% each, no single domain can carry you, but a weak one can be offset. AWS also cautions against over-reading section-level feedback in the score report.
Question types
MLA-C02 uses only two formats, which is simpler than AIF-C01:
- Multiple choice — one correct response, three distractors.
- Multiple response — two or more correct out of five or more options. You must select all correct responses; there is no partial credit.
Unanswered questions score as incorrect and there is no penalty for guessing, so never leave anything blank.
Domain weighting
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Data Preparation for ML and AI | 28% |
| ML Model and Foundation Model Development | 24% |
| Deployment and Orchestration of ML and AI Workflows | 24% |
| Operating, Monitoring, and Securing ML and AI Solutions | 24% |
What is out of scope
AWS publishes the job tasks this candidate is not expected to perform:
- Designing and architecting full end-to-end AI and ML solutions
- Setting best practices and guiding ML strategy
- Handling integration with a wide array of services or new tools
- Working deeply in two or more ML domains
Read that as: you are the engineer who builds and runs it, not the architect who designs the whole estate and not the specialist with deep expertise in several ML disciplines.
Booking
Book through AWS Certification, at a Pearson VUE test centre or online proctored. There are no prerequisites, though AWS’s one-year experience expectation is a meaningful one — see prerequisites.