AWS Developer Associate: cost, exam format and practice questions

What is AWS Developer Associate?

AWS Certified Developer – Associate is the associate-level certification for people who write and ship code on AWS: SDKs, deployment, CI/CD, and the services an application actually talks to. It is the building seat rather than the designing one.

AWS requires no training and no prior certification. The exam is 65 questions in 130 minutes — the same shape as the Solutions Architect Associate exam, which is the one it is most often compared with.

AWS is updating the exam. The last day to take the current version, DVA-C02, is 30 November 2026; registration for the updated version, DVA-C03, opens on 27 October 2026.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate. Checked 10 October 2026.

Where can you find AWS Developer Associate practice questions?

This site holds 1,540 practice questions for the exam. Every question shows all options, which one is correct, and why each of the others is wrong — on a developer exam, the wrong answers are usually the approach that works but costs more calls, more latency or more permissions than it needs.

What you will not find here are dumps. AWS states that it rotates exam questions regularly, so a leaked set ages quickly. These questions are written against AWS’s published exam guide instead.

AWS’s DVA-C02 exam guide gives a minimum passing score of 720 on a scaled score of 100 to 1,000, and 15 of the 65 questions are unscored — so no practice percentage converts into an AWS score.

AWS Developer Associate vs Solutions Architect

AWS Developer Associate vs Solutions Architect is a role split at the same level: one designs the architecture, the other builds and deploys on it. Same 65 questions, same 130 minutes, same 150 USD, same three years of validity.

Neither is a prerequisite for the other, and people who do both usually take the one closest to their current job first.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate. Checked 10 October 2026.

AWS Developer Associate questions people ask

What is AWS Certified Developer – Associate?

AWS’s associate-level certification for building and deploying applications on AWS. The exam is 65 questions in 130 minutes, costs 150 USD, and lasts three years. Source: AWS, checked 24 September 2026.

How much does the exam cost?

150 USD, with local prices following exchange rates, checked 24 September 2026.

What is the passing score?

720 on a scaled score of 100 to 1,000, according to AWS’s DVA-C02 exam guide. 50 of the 65 questions are scored, checked 10 October 2026.

Developer Associate or Solutions Architect Associate?

Same level, different role: one builds and deploys, the other designs. Both are 65 questions in 130 minutes for 150 USD, and neither is a prerequisite for the other, checked 24 September 2026.

How many practice questions does Certsqill have?

1,540 for this exam, each with an explanation for every option.

The exam is changing: DVA-C02 to DVA-C03

The AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) certification exam is being replaced. AWS’s certification page, checked 9 October 2026, says registration for the updated version, DVA-C03, opens on 27 October 2026, and that “the last day to take the current exam (DVA-C02) is November 30, 2026.” AWS has not yet published the DVA-C03 details and says to check back on 27 October.

What does not change is the credential itself: it is still the AWS Certified Developer Associate certification, valid for three years, whichever version you pass. If you are part-way through preparing, the practical choice is between booking DVA-C02 before 30 November and switching your preparation to the new exam guide once AWS releases it.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate. Checked 9 October 2026.

Requirements and who the exam is for

There is no formal requirement to sit the AWS developer exam: AWS requires no prior certification, and its FAQ says training is recommended but “not mandatory for the completion of the certification.” What AWS does recommend is one or more years of hands-on experience developing and maintaining applications with AWS services — the same profile the exam guide describes as its target candidate.

For anyone with no IT work experience, AWS suggests earning AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner first. That makes Developer Associate the natural AWS certification for developer roles once you already write code that runs on AWS.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate. Checked 9 October 2026.

The AWS Certified Developer Associate exam guide is the syllabus

AWS publishes a free exam guide for each version, and it works as the syllabus: it lists the four content domains, the tasks inside each, and the in-scope services. For DVA-C02 the scored content is weighted Development with AWS Services 32%, Security 26%, Deployment 24% and Troubleshooting and Optimization 18%.

The exam guide also explains the scoring that the certification page leaves out. Of the 65 questions, 50 count towards your score and 15 are unscored items AWS is testing for future use; you cannot tell which is which. Results are a scaled score from 100 to 1,000, and the guide gives the minimum passing score as 720.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) exam guide. Checked 9 October 2026.

Official AWS developer training and courses

AWS builds its own AWS Certified Developer Associate training around an Exam Prep Plan on AWS Skill Builder, a four-step plan that combines several official resources:

• Free Official Practice Question Sets — 20-question sets that AWS says “demonstrate the style of our certification exams”.
• Free 2-hour Exam Prep courses that explore the exam’s topic areas; a subscription version adds more practice material such as videos and labs.
• The AWS Certification Official Practice Exam, available with a Skill Builder subscription (from $29 USD per month for individuals).
• Digital courses for filling knowledge gaps, plus hands-on options: AWS Builder Labs, AWS Cloud Quest, AWS Jam and AWS SimuLearn.
• AWS Classroom Training courses with labs and expert instructors, for those who prefer a live AWS developer course.

Source: AWS — Prepare for your AWS Certification exam. Checked 9 October 2026.

Choosing an AWS certified developer associate course or bootcamp

Third-party AWS Certified Developer Associate courses and bootcamp programmes are plentiful, and this page does not rank them. With the exam changing this year, the most useful questions to ask of any AWS Certified Developer Associate course are concrete ones:

• Which exam version does it follow? Material for DVA-C02 is only useful for a sitting on or before 30 November 2026.
• Does it map to the four domains in the exam guide, with Security at 26% treated as more than an afterthought?
• Does it include hands-on work with the services, not only slides?
• Does it include explained practice questions in the exam’s multiple-choice and multiple-response formats?
• Is the exam voucher included in the price, or is the 150 USD exam fee extra?

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) exam guide. Checked 9 October 2026.

Exam vouchers and the 50% discount

AWS sells exam vouchers for teams, bought online and managed through a self-service portal. Its FAQ states that vouchers — either a partial discount or the full exam value — are valid for a single use.

For individuals, the more useful saving is the one AWS gives after a pass: “Once you earn one AWS Certification, you get 50% discount on your next AWS Certification exam.” If you already hold Cloud Practitioner, your AWS certified developer exam costs half.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate. Checked 9 October 2026.

Taking the AWS certified developer test

You can take the exam at a Pearson VUE testing centre or as an online proctored exam. AWS lists it in English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese and Spanish (Latin America).

If you fail, AWS requires a wait of 14 calendar days before a retake, and results — including for beta exams — are available within five business days.

Source: AWS — AWS Certification FAQs. Checked 9 October 2026.

AWS certified developer associate salary: what AWS publishes

AWS publishes no salary figure for this certification, and this page states none. On the certification page AWS says only that “Certified individuals report increased confidence as a result of earning this industry-recognized certification.” Any AWS developer salary number you see elsewhere comes from a survey or job board, not from AWS, and depends heavily on location and role.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Developer – Associate. Checked 9 October 2026.

Is there an AWS AI developer certification?

Yes, at a higher level. AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional is a Professional-category exam of 75 questions in 180 minutes, costing 300 USD. AWS recommends two or more years of experience building production-grade applications on AWS or with open-source technologies, plus one year of hands-on experience implementing generative AI solutions.

So it is not an alternative to Developer Associate for someone starting out — it assumes the kind of application-building experience Developer Associate tests. People who search for an AWS cloud developer certification with an AI focus usually take Developer Associate first.

Source: AWS — AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional. Checked 9 October 2026.

More AWS Developer Associate questions

What is the last date for the DVA-C02 exam?

30 November 2026. Registration for DVA-C03 opens on 27 October 2026. Source: AWS certification page, checked 9 October 2026.

Is AWS developer training required before the exam?

No. AWS says training is recommended but not mandatory. It recommends one or more years of hands-on experience developing applications on AWS. Checked 9 October 2026.

What is the syllabus for the AWS associate developer exam?

AWS’s exam guide: four domains — Development with AWS Services 32%, Security 26%, Deployment 24%, Troubleshooting and Optimization 18% — and the tasks within each, for DVA-C02. Checked 9 October 2026.

What is the best AWS certified developer associate exam preparation?

Work through the exam guide domain by domain, get hands-on with the services, and practise with explained questions in both formats. Certsqill’s expert-developed questions show an explanation for every option and a readiness score per domain.

Does AWS offer free AWS developer associate certification training?

Partly. The Official Practice Question Sets and the 2-hour Exam Prep courses on Skill Builder are free; the Official Practice Exam and extended prep need a subscription. Checked 9 October 2026.

How much is the AWS developer test with the 50% discount?

Half the 150 USD fee, if you already hold another AWS certification. AWS states the 50% discount applies to your next exam after earning one certification. Checked 9 October 2026.

Which AWS developer courses does AWS itself offer?

The Exam Prep Plan on AWS Skill Builder, free 2-hour Exam Prep courses, digital courses for knowledge gaps, hands-on labs and games, and AWS Classroom Training with instructors. Checked 9 October 2026.

How long does AWS certified developer training take?

AWS publishes no total. Its free Exam Prep courses are 2-hour digital courses; how much more you need depends on your hands-on experience with the services in the exam guide.

Is an AWS certified developer course enough to pass?

A course covers the content. Most candidates add hands-on practice and timed, explained practice questions to find their weakest domain before booking.

Does AWS publish an AWS cloud developer salary?

No. AWS’s certification page gives no salary data, and this page states none.

Is the AWS developer certification exam the same as Solutions Architect Associate?

No. Both are Associate level, but Developer Associate tests building and deploying applications, while Solutions Architect Associate tests designing architectures.