AWS AIF-C01: Applications of Foundation Models
The provider lists this domain at 28% of the exam.
In plain English
The largest domain. It is about choosing and shaping a model for a job: prompting it well, adding your own data with retrieval, fine-tuning when needed, and measuring whether the result is any good.
What the provider lists under it
- Design considerations for applications that use foundation models
- Cost tradeoffs of customizing a model
- Effective prompt engineering techniques
- Risks and limitations of prompt engineering
- Training and fine-tuning foundation models
- Evaluating foundation model performance
Terms worth knowing
- Prompt engineering: Writing instructions and context so an AI model gives a more useful answer.
- Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG): Letting a model look up relevant documents first and answer using them.
- Fine-tuning: Training an existing model a little more on your own examples so it behaves in the way you want.
- Embeddings and vector databases: Lists of numbers that capture the meaning of text or images, stored so similar items can be found quickly.
Quick answers
How much of the AWS AIF-C01 exam is Applications of Foundation Models?
The provider lists it at 28% of the exam, according to the AWS exam guide (version 1.2).
What topics are in Applications of Foundation Models?
Design considerations for applications that use foundation models; Cost tradeoffs of customizing a model; Effective prompt engineering techniques; Risks and limitations of prompt engineering; Training and fine-tuning foundation models; Evaluating foundation model performance.
The other AWS AIF-C01 domains
- Fundamentals of AI and ML (20% of the exam)
- Fundamentals of GenAI (24% of the exam)
- Guidelines for Responsible AI (14% of the exam)
- Security, Compliance, and Governance for AI Solutions (14% of the exam)
Test yourself
Full-length AWS AIF-C01 practice tests with an explanation for every answer option.
Browse the AWS AIF-C01 practice testsAll domainsDomain names, weights and topic lists come from the AWS exam guide (version 1.2), checked 2 November 2026. Providers change their outlines, so confirm the current version before you book. The plain-English explanations are ours, not the provider’s. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any certification vendor or exam body. Certification names, exam codes and product names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to identify the exam a practice product prepares for. Our questions are original and are not actual exam questions.