AWS retires SysOps Administrator — the cert is now CloudOps Engineer
AWS retired the SysOps Administrator – Associate exam (SOA-C02) on September 29, 2025. Its replacement, CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03), adds containers to the syllabus.
By MyCertPath Editorial
The short version
- ✓SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) retired September 29, 2025
- ✓Replacement: CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03)
- ✓Containers are now an examined topic
- ✓Solutions Architect and Developer associate exams are unchanged
AWS has renamed and refreshed one of its core associate certifications. The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate is now the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate.
The last day to sit the old SOA-C02 exam was September 29, 2025. Registration for the new SOA-C03 exam opened on September 9, 2025, and the new exam became bookable on September 30, 2025.
The CloudOps update aligns the credential with how operations work is actually done on AWS today — monitoring, maintaining, and operating workloads — and notably brings containers in-scope as an examined topic for the first time.
If your goal is the AWS operations track, study for SOA-C03 directly. The associate-level Solutions Architect and Developer certifications are unaffected by this change.