AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) validates the ability to actually build applications on AWS: developing and deploying on Lambda, working with DynamoDB and other AWS-managed data stores, integrating services with SQS/SNS/EventBridge/Step Functions, and using CI/CD tooling like CodeDeploy and CodePipeline to ship changes safely.
Exam format at a glance
| Format | 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored and unidentified) in 130 minutes. Delivered at a Pearson VUE test centre or online with a proctor. |
| Cost | Approximately 150 USD, before regional pricing and taxes. |
| Scoring | Scored on a scaled 100–1000 range; 720 is the passing mark. AWS does not publish the exact question-to-scale conversion. |
| Validity | Valid for 3 years, then renewed by recertifying or by earning a higher-level AWS certification. |
Who this exam is for
- Developers who write and deploy application code against AWS services day to day, and want a credential that reflects that
- Engineers moving from AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or Solutions Architect – Associate toward a more implementation-focused credential
- Teams standardizing on serverless (Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB) who want their developers fluent in the platform's actual failure modes, not just its happy path
How to actually study for it
- Weight your study time like the real exam does — Development with AWS Services is the largest domain at 32%, Security close behind at 26%, then Deployment at 24% and Troubleshooting at 18%.
- Know Lambda's actual operational details cold: cold starts vs. provisioned concurrency, the 29-second API Gateway integration timeout, environment variable encryption, destinations vs. dead-letter queues, and event source mapping batch behavior for SQS/Kinesis.
- Be able to pick the right integration service for a scenario, not just define each one — SQS vs. SNS vs. EventBridge vs. Step Functions questions are usually about which fits a specific decoupling or orchestration need, not their individual feature lists in isolation.
- Use the free 10-question diagnostic first to find your weakest domain, then work through that domain's free practice page and Review Mode before taking a full timed attempt — this exam rewards knowing the operational gotchas, which repetition surfaces fast.
Where to go next
Start with the free 10-question diagnostic to see where you actually stand, read 15 sample questions with answers, or go straight to the one-page DVA-C02 cheat sheet. The full DVA-C02 practice exam covers every domain at the real exam's weighting, with every answer explained.