ANS-C01 · Free study guideRetiring Dec 31, 2026

AWS Certified Advanced Networking · Specialty

Complex networking on AWS: hybrid connectivity, multi-account and multi-Region routing, DNS and network security. AWS retires this exam after December 31, 2026.

Questions: 65 (50 scored)
Time: 170 minutes
Passing score: 750 / 1000
Level: Specialty

What the exam covers

Domains and key topics

Domain 130% of the exam

Network Design

Edge services for global performance: CloudFront, Global Accelerator
DNS design for public, private and hybrid needs
Load balancing for availability, scale and security
Hybrid routing: Direct Connect, VPN, BGP
Multi-account and multi-Region connectivity patterns

Official domain details ↗

Domain 226% of the exam

Network Implementation

Implementing hybrid connectivity and routing
Transit Gateway, VPC peering and AWS Cloud WAN
Route 53 Resolver endpoints and rules for hybrid DNS
Automating network infrastructure with infrastructure as code

Official domain details ↗

Domain 320% of the exam

Network Management and Operation

Maintaining routing and connectivity
Analyzing traffic: VPC Flow Logs, Traffic Mirroring, Reachability Analyzer
Optimizing for performance, reliability and cost

Official domain details ↗

Domain 424% of the exam

Network Security, Compliance, and Governance

Network security controls: security groups, network ACLs, Network Firewall, WAF
Monitoring and auditing network activity
Encrypting data in transit: MACsec, IPsec, TLS

Official domain details ↗

Know these well

Key AWS services

Amazon VPC

Subnets, routing, endpoints and IP addressing.

AWS Transit Gateway

Connect many VPCs and networks.

AWS Direct Connect

Dedicated links to AWS.

AWS Site-to-Site VPN

Encrypted tunnels over the internet.

Amazon Route 53 & Resolver

Public, private and hybrid DNS.

AWS Cloud WAN

Global network management.

AWS PrivateLink

Private access to services.

Elastic Load Balancing

Application, Network and Gateway Load Balancers.

CloudFront & Global Accelerator

Global performance at the edge.

AWS Network Firewall

Managed network protection in the VPC.

How to prepare

A simple study plan

1Read the official exam guide and plan to sit before December 31, 2026.
2Review routing and BGP basics before the AWS services.
3Spend the most time on domain 1 (30%): network design.
4Draw hybrid and multi-account diagrams until each connection type is clear.
5Take a timed practice exam and review every explanation, right and wrong.

Always check the official ANS-C01 exam guide ↗ for the current version of the exam.

Preparing for more than one exam?

Every AWS certification has a free study guide here, from Foundational to Specialty.

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