AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional (AIP-C01) Study Guide [185 Minute Read]

A First-Principles Approach to Production GenAI on AWS

Welcome to a study guide built around understanding, not memorization. Every section answers three questions: why this topic matters in production, what mental model clarifies the mechanism, and what trap the exam uses to test whether you really understand it. By the end, you won't just know what Amazon Bedrock Knowledge Bases does — you'll know when to use it versus a custom OpenSearch implementation, and why that decision matters.

Official Exam Objectives: aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-generative-ai-developer-professional

Exam format: 75 questions (65 scored + 10 unscored) | 170 minutes | Passing score: 750/1000 | $300 USD
Question types: Multiple choice, multiple response, ordering, matching
Target candidate: 2+ years AWS experience, 1+ year hands-on GenAI development
Beta period: Active through March 31, 2026

Exam Domain Weights

Domain 1 dominates at 31% — but its concepts cascade through every other domain. The retrieval architecture you design in Domain 1 appears as a security consideration in Domain 3, a cost driver in Domain 4, and a quality question in Domain 5. Master Domain 1 and the other domains become easier to reason through.

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