TL;DR
- AWS is replacing the Solutions Architect Professional exam (SAP-C02) with SAP-C03. Registration for SAP-C03 opens October 27, 2026, the last day to sit SAP-C02 is November 16, 2026, and SAP-C03 becomes generally available on November 17, 2026.
- Format barely moves: 75 questions, 180 minutes, $300, multiple-choice and multiple-response. What moves is the content. SAP-C03 reorganizes the blueprint from 4 domains to 5. It adds roughly 11 new generative AI and agentic AI skills (Amazon Bedrock, Bedrock AgentCore, RAG architectures, Bedrock Guardrails), plus post-quantum cryptography in AWS KMS and a heavier resilience engineering section.
- Three things are not public yet: SAP-C03 domain weightings, its passing score, and the full exam guide with task statements. AWS lists the exam guide for October 27. Anything claiming exact SAP-C03 percentages today is guessing.
- If you already hold an active SAP-C02 certification, nothing happens to it. It stays valid for 3 years from the date you earned it, and you recertify later by passing whichever version is current.
- If you’re mid-study, the decision comes down to the calendar: sit SAP-C02 before November 16 if you’re ready and want the cleaner, fully documented blueprint, or switch to SAP-C03 if your exam date lands after that or you want to be tested on current AWS architecture patterns.
Quick Facts: SAP-C02 vs SAP-C03
| SAP-C02 (current) | SAP-C03 (new) | |
| Questions | 75 (65 scored, 10 unscored) | 75 |
| Duration | 180 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Cost | $300 | $300 |
| Question types | Multiple choice, multiple response | Multiple choice, multiple response |
| Passing score | 750/1000 scaled | Not yet published |
| Domains | 4 | 5 |
| Domain weightings | 26% / 29% / 25% / 20% | Not yet published |
| Last day to test | November 16, 2026 | Registration opens October 27, 2026 |
| General availability | Already live | November 17, 2026 |
| Recommended experience | 2+ years designing and implementing AWS solutions | Not yet published |
| Validity | 3 years | 3 years (per AWS certification page) |
Sources: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional certification page, AWS SAP-C02 exam guide, AWS Training and Certification, September 2026 updates.
The Calendar Is the Decision
Most version-change posts list differences and stop. For this one, the dates matter more than the content diff, because they decide which exam you can realistically sit.
| Date | What happens | What it means for you |
| Now to November 16, 2026 | SAP-C02 is the only exam you can book | Last window for the old blueprint |
| October 27, 2026 | SAP-C03 registration opens | You can book, and AWS releases the full exam guide |
| November 16, 2026 | Last day to take SAP-C02 | Any SAP-C02 booking after this date will not work |
| November 17, 2026 | SAP-C03 generally available | The only version from here on |
There is one more number to know. SAP-C02 and SAP-C03 overlap for only a short stretch: registration for the new exam opens about three weeks before the old one closes. That is a narrow window to compare the two exam guides side by side and still book a test.
Which side of the calendar are you on?
- Exam booked before November 16 and you’re scoring well on practice tests: keep your SAP-C02 date. You are studying against a documented 4-domain blueprint with published weightings, and your result is just as valid for 3 years.
- Still early in your studying, with a realistic exam date in December or later: study for SAP-C03. Learning SAP-C02 content and then retargeting a new exam costs weeks.
- Somewhere in the middle: wait for the October 27 exam guide before deciding. It is the first official look at SAP-C03 task statements and weightings, and it takes minutes to compare against what you’ve already covered.
What Actually Changed in the Blueprint
SAP-C02 organizes around four domains: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity (26%), Design for New Solutions (29%), Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions (25%), and Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization (20%).
SAP-C03 moves to five domains, according to AWS’s announcement and the breakdowns published since:
- Design and implement cloud-native architectures
- Security, compliance, and governance
- Design cost-optimized architectures
- Resilience, migration, and business continuity
- Operational excellence and automation
The new structure reads differently. SAP-C02’s domains were organized around scenarios (organizational complexity, new solutions, existing solutions, migration). SAP-C03’s are organized around architectural concerns (security, cost, resilience, operations). Migration is still in the blueprint, now grouped with resilience and business continuity. Because no official mapping has been published, treat any claim of a clean domain-to-domain conversion as an inference rather than fact.
New content in SAP-C03 (per AWS’s announcement and community breakdowns):
| Area | What’s new |
| Generative and agentic AI | About 11 new skills: Amazon Bedrock, Bedrock AgentCore, RAG architectures, Bedrock Guardrails, human-oversight workflows |
| Cryptography | Post-quantum support in AWS KMS (ML-DSA and ML-KEM) |
| Resilience engineering | AWS Fault Injection Service, Resilience Hub, Application Recovery Controller |
| Cloud-native patterns | Serverless pipelines, Step Functions workflows, VPC Lattice, ECS Service Connect, container security, multi-tenancy |
| DevSecOps and observability | Pipeline vulnerability scanning, multi-account deployments, container monitoring, synthetic and user monitoring |
| Data and analytics | Lakehouse architecture, Lake Formation, Apache Iceberg, AWS Clean Rooms |
AWS’s own framing is that all the new exam versions emphasize generative AI, agentic AI, and modern cloud practices. For a Professional-level architect exam, that means scenario questions where an AI component sits inside a larger architecture, not standalone machine learning questions. Those belong to the machine learning certifications.
What Stayed the Same
Format. 75 questions, 180 minutes, multiple choice and multiple response, delivered through Pearson VUE at a test center or online. The $300 price is unchanged, and the scoring model for SAP-C02 is compensatory (you do not need to pass each section individually), which is the model AWS uses across its exams. AWS has not announced a change to that for SAP-C03, but the SAP-C03 guide is where to confirm it.
The skill the exam rewards also stays the same: choosing the best of several workable options under constraints like cost, compliance, existing infrastructure, and migration risk. If your preparation is built on reading scenario questions closely, that carries over to either version.
Already Certified? Here’s What Happens
AWS states that SAP-C02 and SAP-C03 certifications are valid for 3 years, and recertification is done by passing the latest version of the exam. Holding an SAP-C02 certification does not expire early because a new version launched, and nobody is asked to retake it. When your 3-year window nears its end, you will sit SAP-C03 or whichever version is current by then.
One practical benefit: AWS gives holders of any active AWS certification a 50% discount on their next certification exam. If you are planning to sit another AWS exam, check the order. Passing one certification first can cut the cost of the next.
Career Impact and Salary
ZipRecruiter’s AWS Solution Architect Professional data, dated October 4, 2026, shows an average salary of $145,963, with most roles landing between $126,000 (25th percentile) and $166,000 (75th percentile) and top earners near $183,000.
Two caveats worth stating plainly. First, salary trackers group people by job title and certification, not exam version, so no source can tell you whether an SAP-C03 holder earns more than an SAP-C02 holder. There is no data for it yet, since SAP-C03 does not exist outside beta. Second, these figures reflect roles where the certification appears alongside years of experience. The Professional exam recommends 2 or more years of hands-on AWS design experience, so the salary reflects the person as much as the credential.
What does look likely, though not yet measurable: employers hiring architects over the next two years will increasingly ask about generative AI integration on AWS. A certificate that tests Bedrock and agent architectures maps neatly onto that, which may make SAP-C03 the more relevant signal on a resume. That is a reasonable expectation, not a published figure.
What We Don’t Know Yet
- SAP-C03 domain weightings. Not published. They should appear in the exam guide on October 27.
- SAP-C03 passing score. SAP-C02 uses 750/1000. AWS has not published the SAP-C03 figure in the sources reviewed.
- Recommended experience for SAP-C03. SAP-C02 recommends 2 or more years. Confirm against the new guide.
- Beta versus launch price. One breakdown lists a $75 beta price for SAP-C03. AWS’s announcement lists the general availability price as $300. Plan around $300 unless you are specifically booking a beta slot.
This post will be easier to update than most, because every gap above closes on a known date.
How to Prepare
- Check the date before you check the content. If your exam is after November 16, you are studying for SAP-C03 whether you planned to or not.
- Read the SAP-C03 exam guide the day it appears (October 27). Compare its task statements against your notes. Anything new is your study gap.
- Build a short generative AI foundation regardless of version. Know what Amazon Bedrock does, how RAG is architected, and where guardrails and human oversight sit. The questions will be architecture decisions, so you do not need model-building depth.
- Practice the cost, resilience, and migration trade-offs. These show up in both versions. Fault Injection Service and Resilience Hub are new names for an old question: how does this architecture fail, and how fast does it recover?
- Use the Associate-level foundation you already have. If the core services are shaky, the Professional exam is not the place to find that out. CertEmpire’s SAA-C03 exam guide covers the Associate-level baseline.
Common Mistakes
- Rushing to book SAP-C02 before November 16 without being ready. A failed attempt on the old exam costs the same $300 as a failed attempt on the new one, and the retake window does not extend the deadline.
- Assuming SAP-C03 is just SAP-C02 plus AI. The domain structure itself changed, from scenario-based to concern-based. Study the new organization, not only the new services.
- Quoting SAP-C03 weightings from forums. Until the exam guide is released, any percentage is speculation.
- Believing an existing SAP-C02 certification needs to be redone. It does not. It remains valid for its full 3 years.
- Overlooking the 50% discount. Anyone holding an active AWS certification gets half off their next exam, which can change the order you take them in.
Related Reading on CertEmpire
AWS is refreshing several exams around the same time. For the same pattern on the operations side, see SOA-C02 vs SOA-C03: Key Differences and Updated Exam Guide. If you are weighing AWS against other cloud paths, Best Cloud Computing Certifications in 2026 and AZ-900 vs SAA-C03 cover the wider picture. For the other major vendor’s AI-focused refresh, read AI-103 vs AI-200: Two New Microsoft AI Developer Exams and Microsoft Certifications Retiring in 2026.
FAQS
When does SAP-C03 launch?
Registration opens October 27, 2026, and the exam is generally available November 17, 2026.
When is the last day to take SAP-C02?
November 16, 2026.
Do I need to retake the exam if I already passed SAP-C02?
No. Your certification stays valid for 3 years from the date you earned it. You recertify by passing the latest version when that window ends.
Is SAP-C03 harder than SAP-C02?
It is not possible to say yet. Format, length, and price are the same, but the passing score and weightings have not been published, and the content now includes generative AI and agentic AI architecture. Treat it as broader rather than confirmed harder.
How much does SAP-C03 cost?
$300 at general availability. One source lists a $75 beta price, which applies only to beta registration.
What is the SAP-C03 passing score?
Not published in the sources reviewed. SAP-C02 uses 750 out of 1000.
How many questions are on SAP-C03?
75 questions in 180 minutes, the same as SAP-C02.
What generative AI topics are on SAP-C03?
Amazon Bedrock, Bedrock AgentCore, RAG architectures, Bedrock Guardrails, and human-oversight AI workflows, covered in roughly 11 new skills.
Should I take SAP-C02 now or wait for SAP-C03?
If you are ready and your date is before November 16, SAP-C02 is a sound choice with a fully documented blueprint. If your date is later, or you are early in your studying, prepare for SAP-C03. If undecided, read the October 27 exam guide before committing.
Does SAP-C03 replace the Associate exam?
No. SAP-C03 is the Professional-level exam. The Solutions Architect Associate is a separate certification.
Is there a prerequisite for the Professional exam?
No formal prerequisite. AWS recommends 2 or more years of hands-on experience designing and implementing AWS solutions.
Will an SAP-C03 certification earn more than SAP-C02?
There is no data yet. Salary trackers group by job and certification, not by exam version.
