AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty (ANS-C01) Practice Test

This certification is designed for experienced networking professionals who hold or are pursuing a role as an AWS networking specialist. Ideal candidates have five or more years of hands-on networking experience and at least two years of cloud and hybrid networking experience. They are typically employed in roles such as Network Engineer, Cloud Network Architect, Infrastructure Architect, or Senior Solutions Architect, and are responsible for designing and managing large-scale, enterprise-grade network environments.

Candidates who benefit most from this certification are those already working with complex AWS environments and seeking to formalize their expertise, or those transitioning from traditional network engineering roles into cloud-focused positions. AWS recommends holding an Associate- or Professional-level AWS certification before attempting this Specialty exam, as familiarity with core AWS services is assumed throughout.

There are no mandatory formal prerequisites to register for the ANS-C01 exam, but AWS strongly recommends that candidates have five or more years of professional networking experience and at least two to five years of AWS Cloud exposure. Candidates should be comfortable with AWS security best practices, AWS compute and storage services and their networking implications, and AWS service integration patterns before sitting the exam.

Recommended technical knowledge includes advanced proficiency with routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), IP subnetting (IPv4 and IPv6), virtual private network technologies, DNS design, and network automation scripting. Candidates should also have working knowledge of AWS-specific services such as Amazon VPC (including VPC peering, PrivateLink, and Transit Gateway), AWS Direct Connect, AWS Site-to-Site VPN, Amazon Route 53, AWS Network Firewall, and AWS Global Accelerator. Earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate credential first is a practical preparation step.

The ANS-C01 exam consists of 65 total questions: 50 scored questions and 15 unscored questions that are used for statistical evaluation purposes and are not identified during the exam. Question types include multiple choice (one correct answer from four options) and multiple response (two or more correct answers from five or more options); some versions of the exam guide also include matching questions where candidates pair 3–7 prompts with the correct responses. The exam must be completed within 170 minutes and costs $300 USD.

The exam is delivered through Pearson VUE, either at an authorized testing center or via online proctoring. It is available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. Results are reported as a scaled score ranging from 100 to 1,000, with a minimum passing score of 750. The scoring model is compensatory, meaning candidates do not need to pass any individual domain — only the overall scaled score matters. There is no penalty for guessing; unanswered questions are counted as incorrect.

• 1.Domain 1: Network Design (30%) — Designing hybrid and cloud-based networking solutions at scale, including AWS Transit Gateway topologies, AWS Direct Connect architectures, Site-to-Site VPN configurations, inter-VPC connectivity patterns, DNS strategies with Route 53, and IP addressing schemes for large environments.
• 2.Domain 2: Network Implementation (26%) — Implementing core AWS networking services following best practices, including VPC creation and configuration, Direct Connect and VPN provisioning, routing policy implementation, BGP configuration, network automation using AWS CloudFormation and CLI, and deploying load balancers and CDN configurations.
• 3.Domain 3: Network Management and Operation (20%) — Operating and maintaining hybrid and cloud network architectures, including monitoring with Amazon CloudWatch and VPC Flow Logs, troubleshooting connectivity issues, optimizing network performance, managing IP address space, and automating routine network operations using AWS tools and scripts.
• 4.Domain 4: Network Security, Compliance, and Governance (24%) — Implementing secure AWS networks using native constructs, including AWS Network Firewall, AWS WAF, AWS Shield, security groups, network ACLs, VPC endpoint policies, centralized egress and inspection architectures, encryption in transit, and compliance logging and auditing requirements.

• Download and thoroughly study the official ANS-C01 Exam Guide from AWS (available on the official exam page and as a PDF from awsstatic.com) — it lists all task statements per domain and the in-scope and out-of-scope AWS services, which directly maps to what will be tested.
• Complete the official 'Exam Prep Enhanced Course: AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty' on AWS Skill Builder, which includes practice question sets, flashcards, and hands-on labs specifically aligned to ANS-C01 domains.
• Get hands-on experience with AWS Direct Connect, Transit Gateway, and complex VPC routing scenarios in a live AWS environment; many exam questions are scenario-based and require practical troubleshooting knowledge rather than memorized facts.
• Practice BGP routing, path selection, and AS-PATH manipulation in the context of AWS Direct Connect and VPN failover — these are heavily tested topics that require both conceptual understanding and lab practice to master.
• Work through the official ANS-C01 sample questions published by AWS and supplement with timed full-length practice exams from reputable providers (Tutorials Dojo, Whizlabs) to build comfort with the 170-minute time constraint and multiple-response question format.
• Review the AWS Well-Architected Framework's Reliability and Security pillars, focusing on network-specific guidance, and study AWS reference architectures for hub-and-spoke networking, centralized inspection with Network Firewall, and hybrid DNS resolution.
• Study the AWS networking service limits, quotas, and behavioral differences between services (e.g., Direct Connect vs. VPN failover behavior, Route 53 resolver rules vs. conditional forwarding) as these operational details frequently appear in management and troubleshooting questions.

The AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty is consistently ranked among the highest-paying IT certifications globally. According to global IT Skills and Salary survey data, certified professionals earn an average of approximately $151,000 per year, with compensation ranging from roughly $60,000 to over $191,000 depending on role, seniority, and location. Common job titles held by certified professionals include Cloud Network Architect, Senior Network Engineer, Infrastructure Architect, and Cloud Solutions Architect — roles that are in strong demand as enterprises accelerate hybrid cloud adoption and multi-account AWS deployments.

As a Specialty-level credential, the ANS-C01 differentiates candidates from the large pool of Associate-certified professionals and signals deep domain expertise to employers and clients. It is particularly valued in industries with complex compliance and connectivity requirements, such as financial services, healthcare, and government contracting. Unlike broader AWS Professional certifications, this credential demonstrates focused mastery of network design and security, making it a strong complement to the AWS Certified Security – Specialty or AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional for professionals building comprehensive cloud expertise.