AWS · DVA-C02
AWS Certified Developer – Associate practice exams
AWS's certification for hands-on developers — writing, deploying, and debugging applications on AWS services, not just designing architecture on a whiteboard.
Or read 15 sample questions with answers.
Try a real DVA-C02 question
A developer calls UpdateItem with the update expression SET Status = :s. The call fails with a ValidationException saying the expression uses a reserved keyword. Which change lets the update succeed while still writing to the existing Status attribute?
About the DVA-C02 exam
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.
It's a hands-on exam in spirit even though it's still multiple choice — the questions read like real debugging and design decisions a developer actually faces (why is this Lambda timing out, why did this deployment fail, which service fits this integration), not abstract service trivia. That makes prior, real experience building on AWS the best preparation, with a practice bank filling the gaps between what you've personally touched and what AWS expects you to know.
The real exam
Public information published by AWS. A CertRidge practice exam matches this format — it is not a copy of the exam's contents.
- 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.
Practice by exam domain
CertRidge practice exams draw questions in these same proportions, from a bank of 584 DVA-C02 questions. Open a domain for what it covers and free questions with answers.
Who it's 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 prepare
- 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.
See the free DVA-C02 cheat sheet for a one-page domain summary, the DVA-C02 study guide for how to plan your preparation, and the content policy for how these questions are written.
Free DVA-C02 practice resources
- 15 free DVA-C02 practice questionsSpread across every domain, each with the answer and an explanation for every option.
- Free 10-question diagnosticA quick, scored check of where you stand, with no account needed.
- DVA-C02 cheat sheetThe domains and the facts that come up most, on one page.
- DVA-C02 study guideHow to plan your preparation, week by week.
DVA-C02 questions, answered
- How much does the DVA-C02 exam cost?
- Approximately 150 USD, before regional pricing and taxes.
- What is the DVA-C02 passing score?
- Scored on a scaled 100–1000 range; 720 is the passing mark. AWS does not publish the exact question-to-scale conversion.
- How many questions are on the DVA-C02 exam?
- 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored and unidentified) in 130 minutes. Delivered at a Pearson VUE test centre or online with a proctor.
- How long is the DVA-C02 certification valid?
- Valid for 3 years, then renewed by recertifying or by earning a higher-level AWS certification.
- Where can I practise DVA-C02 questions for free?
- CertRidge has a free 10-question DVA-C02 diagnostic with every answer explained, no account needed, and 15 free sample questions with answers at certridge.com/certifications/aws-dva-c02/practice-questions. All questions are original, written to the published exam objectives.