Blog 3

Register Now: Updated Exam and New Name for Cloud Operations Certification

Author: Lauren Ebbin — July 15, 2025 Categories: Announcements, AWS Training and Certification, DevOps Permalink | Share

Edited on September 9, 2025, to announce that registration is now open and new exam preparation resources are available on AWS Skill Builder.

Registration is now open for the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate exam (previously known as the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate) to align with the latest skills and knowledge in monitoring and maintaining Amazon Web Services (AWS) workloads. The last day to take the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) exam will be September 29, 2025.

From SysOps to CloudOps

We are renaming this certification to AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate to reflect the evolving nature of cloud operations and the change in industry terminology. This change aims to enhance the relevance and credibility of individuals who earn this certification, highlighting their knowledge and skills in deploying, operating, and maintaining workloads on AWS.

From SOA-C02 to SOA-C03

We have updated the exam with the help of subject matter experts (SMEs) and will release a new exam guide on September 9, 2025. A key difference between AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) and AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03) is that containers are now in scope for SOA-C03.

We have included more modern services and features, increased emphasis on multi-account, multi-Region architectures, and more on automation and infrastructure as code. No task statements were removed between exam versions, but the new content outline is more detailed with some reorganization of the task statements.

Certification maintenance and badges

The name change to AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate will only apply to those who pass the SOA-C03 exam. The name will not be retroactively changed for current holders of the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification. Here is what you need to know about certification validity, recertification, and maintaining certified status:

  • Individuals who earned the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification are not required to earn the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate certification.
  • They can continue to display their certification badge, which will remain active until its expiration date.
  • Individuals who earned the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification and subsequently earn the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate certification will have a separate badge for each.
  • Their AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certification will remain active until its expiration date.
  • In the future, these individuals can choose to:
    • Continue to recertify the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate certification by passing the latest version of the exam.
    • Recertify both certifications by upgrading to the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional certification before the certifications’ expiration date.
  • Individuals with active AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional and AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate certifications can continue to recertify both by passing the latest version of the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional exam.

Get ready with AWS Skill Builder

The Exam Prep Plan: AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03) is now available on AWS Skill Builder.

The Exam Prep Plan includes:

  • practice assessments with exam-style questions
  • hands-on practice through AWS SimuLearn
  • review courses of each exam domain

The Plan also references role-based training to refresh your AWS knowledge and skills.

Resources

  • AWS Training and Certification
  • Get Trained
  • Get Certified
  • Develop Your Team
  • AWS Partner Training
  • AWS Educate