General Policies

AWS is committed to providing equal opportunities in all certification programs. We make decisions impartially, without regard to age, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected category.

The AWS Certification Program Agreement (CPA) governs your participation in the AWS Certification Program. Here’s what you need to know:

General

When you register for an AWS Certification exam, you enter into a contractual agreement with AWS to follow the terms of the CPA.

Data Forensics

We use data forensics to identify statistically abnormal exam results. Learn more on our Data Forensics Policy page.

Non-compliance

If you violated the CPA terms or if we detect statistically abnormal exam results, we may:

• Invalidate your exam results
• Revoke your AWS Certification(s)
• Require you to retake exams
• Restrict the time, location, or modality of future exams
• Suspend your AWS Certification Program participation

Before starting your exam, you'll review the Candidate Code of Conduct. This reinforces the behavioral standards you accepted during registration. If you don’t agree to follow these standards, your exam session will be terminated without a refund.

If we investigate potential CPA violations or testing irregularities, you must:

• Cooperate fully with the investigation
• Provide all requested documents, materials, and information
• Answer all questions truthfully and completely, whether asked by email, phone, or in person

Keep in mind:

• Failing to cooperate or providing false information violates the CPA and can lead to additional sanctions
• If a proctor identifies violations during your exam, they may end your session
• We’ll notify you by email about any violations and sanctions discovered after your exam
• Your email notification will include instructions for appeals

Make sure to keep your AWS Certification Account email current. It must be able to receive email related to the AWS Certification Program. Check it regularly – this is how we’ll communicate important updates about your certification status.

• Issue a warning
• End your exam session
• Invalidate your exam results
• Require exam retakes under specific conditions
• Restrict Online Test Delivery access
• Revoke specific or all AWS Certifications
• Suspend your AWS Certification Program participation temporarily or indefinitely

We may apply other sanctions if we determine it is appropriate.

Appeals of Exam Delivery Issues

If you experience problems during your exam:

• Submit a ticket to the AWS Training and Certification Customer Service team within 14 calendar days of the exam
• Describe the issue and its impact on your exam
• Note that late tickets may not be reviewed

Appeals of Non-Suspension Sanctions

If you receive sanctions but are not suspended:

• You must submit an appeal to the AWS Training and Certification Customer Service team within 14 calendar days of the exam or sanction date, whichever is later
• We, or our Certification Exam Provider, will review whether testing policies were applied correctly
• Late appeals may not be reviewed
• All decisions are final, with arbitration as your only recourse per the AWS Customer Agreement

Appeals of Suspended AWS Certification Program Participation

If we suspend you from the AWS Certification Program:

• You must submit your appeal within 14 calendar days from the notification date
• Follow the appeal instructions provided in the suspension notice exactly
• You must submit a comprehensive written statement that:
  • Explains the basis of your appeal
  • Answers all of our questions
  • Explains why we should grant your appeal
  • Includes all supporting evidence

Important:  Provide detailed responses to all of our questions and requests and submit all evidence with your initial written statement. We won’t consider incomplete or later submissions unless we specifically request additional information.

• A new reviewer will evaluate your case and may:
  • Uphold the original sanctions
  • Reduce sanctions
  • Overturn sanctions
  • Increase sanctions
• If sanctions increase, we’ll:
  • Explain our findings
  • Provide steps to dispute new findings

The appeal decision is final. As specified in the AWS Customer Agreement, arbitration is your only recourse to challenge the decision.

Candidates ages 13-17 are permitted to take AWS Certification exams with the consent of their parent or legal guardian. Candidates must be at least 13 years old at the time of scheduling an exam. This special process is outlined below:

1. Create an AWS Certification Account: The parent or legal guardian must create an AWS Certification Account for their teenage candidate, and the account must be in their teenage candidate’s name. After creating the account, note the Candidate ID found in the top right corner of the page. This will be needed in step 2 below.

2. Open a customer service case: The parent or legal guardian must next open a customer service case with AWS Training and Certification. In order to avoid delays in processing requests for their teenager(s) to take the test, the parent or legal guardian must enter the following information into the case form’s fields:

• First Name: Enter the parent/legal guardian’s first name
• Last Name: Enter the parent/legal guardian’s last name
• Company Name: Enter the teenage candidate’s first and last name
• Email Address: Enter the parent/legal guardian’s email address
• Country/Region: Select your applicable country/region
• Telephone: Enter the parent/legal guardian’s telephone number
• Inquiry Type: Select “Certification”
• Additional Details: Select “Scheduling/Accommodations”
• How can we help you?: Enter the phrase “Teenage Candidate” immediately followed by the login ID from the teenage candidate’s AWS Certification Account

Please note: If a teenage candidate files the initial ticket, they will need to have their parent or legal guardian submit a new ticket completed properly to initiate the process.

3. Complete a consent form: AWS Customer Service will respond to your customer service case with further instructions. Reply to the customer support email and attach the completed customer support form (available below). The parental/legal guardian consent form must be completed by both the teenage candidate and the parent/legal guardian who will accompany the teenage candidate to their scheduled appointment.

4. After consent form approval, assist in scheduling the exam: Approximately five to seven business days after receipt of the consent form, AWS Customer Service will either notify the parent/legal guardian if any further information is needed, or if the consent form is approved. Upon receiving that copy of the approved form, the parent/legal guardian may then assist their teenage candidate in scheduling an AWS Certification exam. They may do so by signing in to their AWS Certification Account and selecting “Pearson VUE” as the test delivery provider for the appropriate exam.

5. Follow proper identification (ID) steps on the day of the exam appointment:

• The teenage candidate must present one form of photo ID. School IDs are acceptable.
• The parent/legal guardian who is identified on the consent form must accompany the teen candidate to the test center and provide a valid, government-issued ID that matches the name listed on the consent form, as well as a copy of the consent form.
• The parent/legal guardian must sign the log sheet next to the candidate’s signature in order to verify the candidate’s identity.
• The parent/legal guardian is not permitted to wait in the test center after the admission process is completed.

Because certification exam policies often change, the scheduling process above must be repeated, and a new consent form completed and submitted, for each AWS Certification exam taken by a teenage candidate.

AWS Certification digital badges are a way to visually portray your AWS Certification achievement. We provide digital badges as a benefit of earning an AWS Certification to showcase certification status. AWS Certification digital badges are provided via Credly’s Acclaim platform and can be accessed, along with all your AWS Certified benefits, from your AWS Certification Account. You can use the sharing features within Credly’s Acclaim platform to post your badge on your social media newsfeeds and add your digital badge to your professional profile.

AWS Certification badges should be featured in an unaltered state, on white or very light backgrounds that are devoid of distracting patterns or imagery, with the appropriate taglines place below the logo. Do not take any of the following actions:

• Distorting the badge
• Altering the badge
• Altering the colors
• Overlaying graphics or text
• Placing the badge on a patterned background
• Placing the badge over busy imagery
• Placing the badge on a background with low contrast

AWS authorizes the use of the AWS Certification Mark in accordance with the rules set forth below:

• AWS Certification requires meeting specific certification requirements, including passing an AWS Certification exam. Only individuals who have been certified by an official AWS test provider are allowed to use the AWS Certification Mark.
• The AWS Certification Mark may only be used in connection with you presenting yourself as an AWS Certified individual. This AWS Certification Mark is non-transferable.
• The AWS Certification Mark may only be reproduced from approved artwork and may not be recreated by any other means, in any other form, or altered in any way, including the use of unapproved taglines, abbreviations, or translations.
• The AWS Certification Mark must never be used to portray AWS products and/or services in a negative way.
• The AWS Certification Mark may not be combined with any other symbols, including words, other logos, icons, graphics, photos, slogans, numbers, or any other design elements.
• The AWS Certification Mark may not be used to imply or suggest that:
  • You have achieved a level of certification that you have not achieved or do not currently have;
  • Any partnership, joint venture, or other relationship exists between you and AWS; or that
    
  • AWS recommends or endorses your services.
• You shall make any revisions respecting the AWS Certification Mark in such materials that AWS may request.

Your acceptance of the AWS Certification Mark indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions of these guidelines and reconfirms your acceptance of the AWS Certification Program Agreement. AWS reserves the right to change these guidelines and the nature of this program at its own discretion.

For details on specific testing-related policies, please select the links for the appropriate pages below:

• Before Testing: testing accommodations, English as a Second Language (ESL), sanctioned countries
  
• During Testing (Test Day): ID requirements, test center policies, sanctioned and embargoed countries
• After Testing: scoring and reporting, retake policy