Can I still take PL-400?

Only if you registered on or before 16 October 2026. Registration closed that day and the exam retires on 30 October 2026 at 11:59 PM Central Time. Everyone else books AB-400, which leads to the same Power Platform Developer Associate certification. CertGrid removed the PL-400 practice exam from its catalog on 24 October 2026 for the same reason.

Is AB-400 a new certification?

No. AB-400 is the replacement exam for the existing Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate certification. The exam outline is new: four domains instead of six, with code apps, Foundry agents, MCP servers and Copilot Studio added and the Implement Power Apps improvements band removed.

When can I see the SAP-C03 and DVA-C03 exam guides?

AWS opens registration for both on 27 October 2026 and publishes the exam guides with it. SAP-C02 can be taken until 16 November 2026 and DVA-C02 until 30 November 2026.

Does a retired exam affect a certification I already earned?

No. Retirement ends new attempts at that exam. A certification you hold keeps its own expiry and renewal rules, which the vendor states separately.

Is AWS SysOps Administrator Associate gone?

The name is. AWS renamed it CloudOps Engineer - Associate with the SOA-C03 exam, and the SOA-C02 SysOps exam is retired. The role focus on operations and monitoring is unchanged.

How often is this tracker updated?

Whenever one of the vendors we cover publishes or changes a retirement or version notice. The Last checked date at the top is the day every entry was re-verified against its official page.

Exam Retirements and Replacements Tracker

Vendors retire and re-version certification exams on their own calendars, usually with a few months of notice and sometimes with a registration cut-off well before the last testing day. A study plan built on an exam that is about to be withdrawn is wasted effort, and a practice bank that still sells the old version is worse. This page is our tracker: every retirement and replacement below was checked against the vendor's own notice on the date shown, and we update it when a notice changes. It covers exam availability, not the expiry of certifications people already hold.

Last checked: 24 October 2026. Each entry names the official page we read; the Official sources list at the end links to them. If you are booking in the next few weeks, confirm the date on the vendor page the day you register.

Retiring in the next 90 days

Microsoft PL-400: Power Platform Developer, retires 30 October 2026

Microsoft retires PL-400 on 30 October 2026 at 11:59 PM Central Time. Registration for PL-400 closed on 16 October 2026; only candidates who registered on or before that date can still schedule and sit it. The replacement is AB-400: Extending Microsoft Power Platform Solutions with Code and AI, which has been available since 16 October 2026 and leads to the same Power Platform Developer Associate certification. The outline changes from six domains to four: Build Microsoft Power Platform solutions (15 to 20 percent), Extend the user experience (25 to 30 percent), Extend Microsoft Power Platform (35 to 40 percent) and Develop integrations (10 to 15 percent). New content includes Power Apps code apps, generative pages, MCP servers, Microsoft Foundry agents, Copilot Studio workflows, the Dataverse SDK for Python and managed identity for plug-ins; the old Implement Power Apps improvements band is gone. If you have not registered for PL-400, book AB-400. Because registration has closed, CertGrid removed the PL-400 practice exam from its catalog on 24 October 2026 (existing pass holders keep their access and history); an AB-400 practice bank is being built against the new outline and will be listed when it passes review.

AWS SAP-C02: Solutions Architect - Professional, last day 16 November 2026

AWS is updating the Solutions Architect - Professional exam. The last day to take SAP-C02 is 16 November 2026, and registration for the updated SAP-C03 opens on 27 October 2026. The certification keeps its name; only the exam version changes, so a test date after 16 November means you are sitting SAP-C03. AWS publishes the SAP-C03 exam guide with the registration opening, so an objective-by-objective comparison is not possible before 27 October and we will not guess at one. Our SAP-C02 practice bank shows the transition notice and will be updated to SAP-C03 once the guide is out.

AWS DVA-C02: Developer - Associate, last day 30 November 2026

The same pattern applies to Developer - Associate: the last day to take DVA-C02 is 30 November 2026, registration for DVA-C03 opens on 27 October 2026, and the certification name does not change. Candidates with a December test date should prepare for DVA-C03 from its exam guide when it appears. Our DVA-C02 practice bank carries the notice and follows the same update path as SAP-C02.

Microsoft MS-102: Microsoft 365 Administrator, retires 30 November 2026

Microsoft lists MS-102 for retirement on 30 November 2026. It remains live and schedulable until then. Check the official exam page for Microsoft's recommended path before booking a replacement; our MS-102 practice bank displays the retirement date.

AWS ANS-C01: Advanced Networking - Specialty, retires 31 December 2026

AWS is retiring Advanced Networking - Specialty; the last day to take ANS-C01 is 31 December 2026. The notice names no successor certification. If you want the credential, sit it before the end of the year; if you are choosing a specialty for 2027, Security - Specialty is the one AWS continues to offer. Our ANS-C01 practice bank shows the date.

Version changes already in effect

AWS SysOps Administrator - Associate (SOA-C02) is retired. The exam was renamed AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer - Associate with the SOA-C03 version; it still targets operations, monitoring and troubleshooting work. Practice: CloudOps Engineer Associate (SOA-C03).
AWS Security - Specialty moved from SCS-C02 to SCS-C03. Practice: Security Specialty (SCS-C03).
AWS Machine Learning Engineer - Associate: MLA-C01 remains the current exam, with the updated MLA-C02 in beta from 29 September 2026 (English only) and 28 September 2026 listed as the last day for MLA-C01 in English. Check which version your booking shows.
AWS Machine Learning - Specialty (MLS-C01) no longer appears in the AWS certification lineup; Machine Learning Engineer - Associate is the current ML credential.
Microsoft AZ-800 and AZ-801 were retired on 30 September 2026 and consolidated into AZ-802: Administering Windows Server. Our AZ-802 transition article covers what carried over.
Microsoft AZ-204 (31 July 2026), AZ-500 (31 August 2026, replaced by SC-500), AI-102 (30 June 2026, replaced by AI-103) and DP-100 (1 June 2026) are retired. Their old CertGrid pages redirect to the current exam or to the library.

Claims we checked and did not confirm

A review we received listed Cisco ENWLSI 300-430 as retired on 18 March 2026 with 300-120 WLSI as its replacement. On 24 October 2026 Cisco's own exam page still presents Implementing Cisco Enterprise Wireless Networks (300-430 ENWLSI) v1.1 as a current exam with a scheduling link and names no retirement date, so we have not changed its status. We list it here so readers know it was checked; if Cisco publishes a notice, this entry changes.

Outline changes that are not retirements

ISACA CISM: a new exam outline takes effect on 3 November 2026. The exam continues; the syllabus changes.
PMI PMP: an updated exam launched on 9 July 2026. Candidates should prepare from the current examination content outline.
Microsoft DP-420 was renamed Azure Cosmos DB AI Developer Associate on 6 October 2026 with AI-focused objectives; the exam code is unchanged.
Python Institute PCAP: PCAP-31-04 is scheduled from 31 October 2026. Check the Python Institute page for the last date of PCAP-31-03 before booking.
Snowflake SnowPro Core now advertises COF-C03; confirm the version your booking shows.
Oracle has announced its 2026 OCI certification portfolio; the 2025 exam codes for Architect Associate, Foundations Associate and Generative AI Professional should be confirmed on Oracle's pages before registering.

Items in the two lists above are flagged for review, not confirmed retirements. We verify them against the vendor page and update the matching CertGrid exam when a change is confirmed; until then the practice bank for each stays aligned to the outline it names.

How to use this tracker

Before you register, find your exam above. If it has a last testing date, decide whether you can be ready before it; if not, prepare for the replacement from its official guide.
If a registration cut-off has passed, as with PL-400, do not plan around the old exam at all.
When only the version changes, as with SAP-C03 and DVA-C03, your existing preparation mostly carries over, but wait for the official exam guide before assuming which topics moved.
Treat a practice bank as current only when its page names the version you are sitting. CertGrid exam pages show a notice whenever a retirement or version date is set, and this tracker says which banks are still being updated.

Browse current practice exams

Certification Exam Retirements and Replacements: A Maintained Tracker