About This Domain
Domain 1 — Fundamentals of AI and ML — accounts for 20% of the AIF-C01 certification exam. This domain evaluates your understanding of differences between ai, ml, deep learning, and generative ai, supervised learning: classification and regression, unsupervised learning: clustering and dimensionality reduction, and related concepts. Domain 1 tests your understanding of basic AI and ML concepts, types of learning, the ML development lifecycle, and AWS AI/ML services. To pass this section you need practical knowledge of how these services and patterns work together in real-world architectures.
What You'll Be Tested On
- Differences between AI, ML, deep learning, and generative AI
- Supervised learning: classification and regression
- Unsupervised learning: clustering and dimensionality reduction
- Reinforcement learning: agents, rewards, and policies
- The ML lifecycle: data collection, training, evaluation, deployment, monitoring
- AWS AI services: Rekognition, Comprehend, Textract, Polly, Transcribe, Lex, Personalize
Key AWS Services in This Domain
Study Strategy for Domain 1
While 20% might seem like a smaller portion of the exam, every point counts toward the passing score. Focus on understanding core concepts and common exam scenarios for this domain. Don't neglect it — even a few missed questions here can make the difference between pass and fail.
Exam Tips for Domain 1
Know the difference between AI, ML, deep learning, and generative AI — these are commonly tested.
Understand when to use supervised vs unsupervised vs reinforcement learning.
Memorize which AWS AI service maps to which use case (e.g., Rekognition = images, Comprehend = text).
Understand the complete ML lifecycle from data preparation through deployment and monitoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions on the AIF-C01 exam come from Domain 1?
Domain 1 (Fundamentals of AI and ML) makes up 20% of the AIF-C01 exam. The exam has 65 scored questions, so approximately 13 questions will come from this domain.
What services should I focus on for Domain 1?
The key services for this domain include SageMaker, Rekognition, Comprehend, Textract, Polly & Transcribe, Lex, Personalize, Forecast. Make sure you understand how each service works, its use cases, and how they integrate with one another.
How should I prepare for Fundamentals of AI and ML questions?
Start by reviewing the key topics listed above, then practice with domain-specific questions. Focus on understanding real-world scenarios rather than memorizing facts. Use our practice quizzes to test your knowledge and review explanations for any questions you get wrong.
What's the best order to study the AIF-C01 domains?
Many candidates start with the highest-weighted domains first. For the AIF-C01 exam, the domains in order of weight are: Fundamentals of AI and ML (20%), Fundamentals of Generative AI (24%), Applications of Foundation Models (28%), Guidelines for Responsible AI (14%), Security, Compliance, and Governance for AI Solutions (14%). However, start with whichever domain aligns best with your existing experience.
Practice Domain 1 Questions
Test your knowledge of Fundamentals of AI and ML with practice questions from our AIF-C01 question bank.
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