AWS Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 to SAP-C03: What’s Changing and Which Exam to Take
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional is moving from SAP-C02 to SAP-C03. According to the AWS Training and Certification September 2026 update, registration for SAP-C03 opens on 27 October 2026, SAP-C02’s last testing day is 16 November 2026, and SAP-C03 general availability begins 17 November 2026.
If you are mid-study for the Professional architect exam – or deciding whether to sit C02 before the cutoff – here is what AWS has published so far, what is still missing (domain weights for C03), and how to choose.
Key dates you need
- 27 October 2026 – SAP-C03 registration opens (all languages currently supported); AWS says the full exam guide with detailed task statements will be available then
- 16 November 2026 – Last day to take SAP-C02
- 17 November 2026 – SAP-C03 GA delivery begins
The same timeline is echoed on the official AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional page: check back on 27 October for more SAP-C03 exam and prep resources. There is no separate beta window announced for SAP-C03 in the September blog (unlike MLA-C02).
Exam format: what stays the same
For SAP-C03 GA delivery, AWS lists:
- Duration: 180 minutes
- Number of questions: 75
- Price: $300 USD
- Delivery: Pearson VUE (test center or online proctoring)
- Languages: all languages currently supported at launch
Those headline numbers match the current Professional exam overview on the certification page (180 minutes, 75 questions, $300 USD). The SAP-C02 exam guide clarifies that the present exam includes 65 scored and 10 unscored questions (75 total), with a minimum passing score of 750 on a 100–1,000 scale. AWS has not published a separate passing score figure for SAP-C03 in the September announcement – treat 750 as confirmed for C02 only until the C03 exam guide appears.
Domains: C02 weights vs C03 structure
SAP-C02 uses four content domains with published weightings (share of scored content):
| SAP-C02 domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Design for New Solutions | 29% |
| Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity | 26% |
| Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions | 25% |
| Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization | 20% |
SAP-C03 reorganises into five domains. AWS has named them but has not published percentage weights yet:
- Cloud-native architecture design and implementation
- Security, compliance, and governance
- Cost-optimized architecture design
- Resilience, migration, and business continuity
- Operational excellence and automation
Until the exam guide lands on 27 October 2026, do not invent or copy unofficial C03 percentages. Plan around the named themes and the skill additions AWS already described.
What’s new in SAP-C03 (published themes)
AWS frames the update around how the solutions architect role has expanded – Well-Architected design remains central, with stronger emphasis on modern cloud-native and AI-integrated patterns. Highlights from the September blog include:
- GenAI and agentic AI (11 new skills): Amazon Bedrock integrations, AgentCore, RAG architectures, Guardrails, and human-oversight workflows
- Resilience engineering: AWS Fault Injection Service, Resilience Hub, Application Recovery Controller, and Systems Manager automation
- Cloud-native patterns (7 new skills): serverless data pipelines, Step Functions durable workflows, VPC Lattice / ECS Service Connect, container image security, multi-tenant and real-time data architectures
- DevSecOps and observability (6 new skills): pipeline scanning, multi-account deployments, container and AI/ML metrics monitoring, synthetic/real-user monitoring
- Data and analytics (3 new skills): lakehouse patterns (Lake Formation, Apache Iceberg), analytics pipelines, Clean Rooms cross-account sharing
- Post-quantum cryptography: AWS KMS with ML-DSA and ML-KEM
Recommended experience for C03 remains in the same ballpark as today: two or more years designing and implementing AWS solutions, plus ability to evaluate requirements and guide teams on modern cloud-native, serverless, and AI-integrated architectures.
Should you take SAP-C02 or wait for SAP-C03?
AWS’s own guidance is straightforward:
- Take SAP-C02 by 16 November 2026 if you are already prepared and want the credential now. Your certification remains active through its original expiration date.
- Wait for SAP-C03 (register from 27 October; sit from 17 November) if you want the credential to reflect cloud-native, GenAI/agentic AI, and modern resilience skills alongside classic architecture topics.
Practical rule of thumb: if your mock scores are already strong on C02 materials and you can book a slot before mid-November, finish C02. If you are still early in study – or you specifically care about Bedrock, agentic patterns, and the new resilience tooling – shift your plan to C03 once the exam guide is out.
How to prepare during the transition
- Pick a version and stick to its guide. Use the current SAP-C02 exam guide until 16 November if you are sitting C02. Download the SAP-C03 guide as soon as it appears on 27 October if you are waiting.
- Weight your study to C02 domains while those percentages still apply – especially Design for New Solutions (29%) and Organizational Complexity (26%).
- For a C03 path, start mapping labs around the published themes (Bedrock, resilience services, multi-account DevSecOps, lakehouse) without guessing domain percentages.
- Practice under timed conditions (180 minutes / 75 questions style) and review Well-Architected trade-offs across multi-account designs.
Coming from the Associate level? Our AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) preparation guide covers the foundation many Professional candidates build on.
When you are ready to pressure-test Professional-level scenarios, use the AWS Solutions Architect Professional practice exam on Testimea, or start with the Professional practice exam trial.
Bottom line
SAP-C03 registration opens 27 October 2026; SAP-C02 ends 16 November 2026; C03 delivery starts 17 November 2026. Format stays 180 minutes, 75 questions, and $300 at GA. C02 domain weights are public; C03 domain weights are not published yet – only the five domain names and skill themes. Choose C02 if you can finish soon; choose C03 if you want the updated blueprint. Confirm every date and weight on AWS’s certification pages before you book.
Ready to practise? Try the SAP practice trial or the full Solutions Architect Professional practice exam.
