ANS-C01 study guide · 2026

The 4 ANS-C01 domains, explained

4 domains and 16 official task statements. Network Design carries the most weight at 30%. Each guide explains what the domain covers, how its questions are framed and where candidates lose marks.

Start with Domain 1 See all domains
Questions
65 (50 scored, 15 unscored)
Time
170 minutes
Passing score
750 / 1000
Outline
ANS-C01 exam guide (current; exam retiring, last test date December 31, 2026)

Exam blueprint

Bar widths follow the official weights. Weight ranges are drawn at their midpoint.

  1. 1 30%
  2. 2 26%
  3. 3 20%
  4. 4 24%
  1. 1 Network Design
  2. 2 Network Implementation
  3. 3 Network Management and Operation
  4. 4 Network Security, Compliance, and Governance

All 4 domains

16 official task statements 78–107 hrs suggested study

  1. Domain 01 30%

    Network Design

    Domain 1 tests whether you can design AWS networks at scale: edge delivery with CloudFront and Global Accelerator, Route 53 DNS, load balancer selection, monitoring requirements, hybrid routing with BGP and multi-account VPC connectivity.

    Inside this domain

    • Design a solution that incorporates edge network services to optimize user performance and traffic management for global architectures
    • Design DNS solutions that meet public, private, and hybrid requirements
    • Design solutions that integrate load balancing to meet high availability, scalability, and security requirements
    • Define logging and monitoring requirements across AWS and hybrid networks
    • and 2 more task statements

    Watch for Fast Regional failover

    Task statements
    6
    Questions est.
    ~15
    Study time est.
    25–35 hrs
  2. Domain 02 26%

    Network Implementation

    Domain 2 moves from design to configuration: building Direct Connect and VPN links, wiring transit gateways across accounts and Regions, setting up hybrid DNS and automating network resources with infrastructure as code.

    Inside this domain

    • Implement routing and connectivity between on-premises networks and the AWS Cloud
    • Implement routing and connectivity across multiple AWS accounts, Regions, and VPCs to support different connectivity patterns
    • Implement complex hybrid and multi-account DNS architectures
    • Automate and configure network infrastructure

    Watch for VPC-to-VPC via DX gateway

    Task statements
    4
    Questions est.
    ~13
    Study time est.
    20–28 hrs
  3. Domain 03 20%

    Network Management and Operation

    Domain 3 covers running AWS networks after launch: maintaining BGP and route tables within quotas, troubleshooting with Flow Logs and Reachability Analyzer, fixing MTU problems and tuning for throughput, availability and cost.

    Inside this domain

    • Maintain routing and connectivity on AWS and hybrid networks
    • Monitor and analyze network traffic to troubleshoot and optimize connectivity patterns
    • Optimize AWS networks for performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness

    Watch for BGP session goes idle

    Task statements
    3
    Questions est.
    ~10
    Study time est.
    15–20 hrs
  4. Domain 04 24%

    Network Security, Compliance, and Governance

    Domain 4 covers protecting AWS networks: filtering inbound, outbound and inter-VPC traffic, auditing controls with logs and Firewall Manager, and keeping data confidential with TLS, IPsec, MACsec and managed certificates.

    Inside this domain

    • Implement and maintain network features to meet security and compliance needs and requirements
    • Validate and audit security by using network monitoring and logging services
    • Implement and maintain confidentiality of data and communications of the network

    Watch for Encrypt Direct Connect

    Task statements
    3
    Questions est.
    ~12
    Study time est.
    18–24 hrs

Study the heaviest domains first

Marks follow weight. This order puts the most marks behind you first, across about 78–107 hrs of study.

  1. 1 Network Design 30% · 25–35 hrs
  2. 2 Network Implementation 26% · 20–28 hrs
  3. 4 Network Security, Compliance, and Governance 24% · 18–24 hrs
  4. 3 Network Management and Operation 20% · 15–20 hrs

Try one

Practice questionDomain 1: Network Design

A media company streams live sports to viewers worldwide over a custom UDP protocol. Partners must allow list fixed IP addresses, and if one Region fails, traffic must move to another Region within seconds. Which design meets these requirements?

One trap from every domain

The answer that looks right, and the clue that gives it away.

  • Domain 1

    Fast Regional failover

    Clue Static IPs or sub-minute failover are required.

  • Domain 2

    VPC-to-VPC via DX gateway

    Clue Two VPCs on the same DX gateway cannot reach each other.

  • Domain 3

    BGP session goes idle

    Clue Problem began after on-premises routes were added.

  • Domain 4

    Encrypt Direct Connect

    Clue Regulations require all traffic in transit to be encrypted.

Other Networking certifications

Study guides for exams that overlap with ANS-C01.

Practise what you read

ANS-C01 domains: common questions

How many domains are in the ANS-C01 exam?

ANS-C01 has 4 domains with 16 official task statements between them: Network Design, Network Implementation, Network Management and Operation and Network Security, Compliance, and Governance.

Which ANS-C01 domain carries the most weight?

Network Design is the heaviest at 30%, followed by Network Implementation (26%). The lightest is Network Management and Operation (20%). Weights come from Amazon Web Services's official outline.

What is the ANS-C01 exam format?

Questions: 65 (50 scored, 15 unscored). Time allowed: 170 minutes. Passing score: 750 / 1000.

How long should I study for ANS-C01?

Our planning estimate is 78–107 hrs across all domains, split by weight. It is an editorial estimate, not an official figure, so adjust it to your experience and to how you score on practice questions.

Where should I start?

Start with Network Design, because it carries the most marks, then work down by weight. Use the checklist on each domain page to confirm you can do what the domain asks before moving on.

Which outline is this guide based on?

This guide follows ANS-C01 exam guide (current; exam retiring, last test date December 31, 2026), published by Amazon Web Services. It was last reviewed in October 2026.

Domain names, weights and task statements come from Amazon Web Services's official outline (ANS-C01 exam guide (current; exam retiring, last test date December 31, 2026)). Question counts and study hours are editorial planning estimates, not official figures. Last reviewed October 2026.