How to Pass the AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) in 2026
The AWS Certified Developer – Associate is designed for developers who build, deploy, and maintain applications on AWS. Unlike Cloud Practitioner, this exam expects hands-on AWS knowledge and familiarity with common development workflows.
If you already have experience with AWS, three to six weeks of focused study is usually enough to pass.
Exam Overview
Exam: DVA-C02
Questions: 65
Time: 130 minutes
Cost: $150 USD
Passing score: 720/1000
Bonus: 50% off your next AWS certification after passing
Exam Domains
Development with AWS Services — 32%
Security — 26%
Deployment — 24%
Troubleshooting & Optimization — 18%
Most questions focus on building and deploying applications using AWS services.
Week 1: Learn the Core Services
Choose one complete course and finish it.
Popular options include:
AWS Skill Builder Developer Learning Path
Stephane Maarek's AWS Developer Associate Course
Adrian Cantrill's AWS Developer Associate Course
Focus on understanding:
Lambda
API Gateway
DynamoDB
S3
IAM
CloudWatch
SNS and SQS
EventBridge
Create resources in your AWS account as you learn. The exam often tests practical knowledge rather than pure theory.
Week 2: Focus on Development Patterns
Spend time learning how AWS services work together.
Key topics include:
Serverless applications
Event-driven architectures
Lambda triggers
API Gateway integrations
DynamoDB access patterns
Application authentication and authorization
Secrets Manager and Parameter Store
AWS SDK usage
Know when to use each service and how developers typically integrate them.
Week 3: Deployment and CI/CD
Deployment questions make up a large portion of the exam.
Learn:
CodePipeline
CodeBuild
CodeDeploy
Elastic Beanstalk
CloudFormation basics
Blue/Green deployments
Canary deployments
Lambda versioning and aliases
You should understand how applications move from development to production on AWS.
Week 4: Practice Exams
At this stage, stop watching videos and start taking practice exams.
For every question:
Review incorrect answers.
Review correct answers you guessed.
Learn why the right answer is correct.
Identify weak services and revisit them.
Aim for 80% or higher on fresh practice exams before scheduling the real exam.
High-Priority Services
These appear frequently on the exam:
AWS Lambda
API Gateway
DynamoDB
IAM
CloudWatch
SQS
SNS
EventBridge
CodePipeline
CodeBuild
CodeDeploy
S3
Secrets Manager
Parameter Store
If you're short on time, focus here first.
Exam Day Tips
Read every question carefully.
Watch for words like MOST secure, MOST scalable, and MOST cost-effective.
Eliminate obviously incorrect answers first.
Use the extra time to review flagged questions.
FAQ
How much AWS experience do I need?
Most successful candidates have several months of AWS development experience or complete a hands-on course before taking the exam.
Is the exam difficult?
It's significantly harder than Cloud Practitioner but easier than Solutions Architect Professional.
Do I need to write code?
No coding is required during the exam, but you should understand how developers use AWS SDKs, Lambda functions, APIs, and deployment pipelines.
How long is the certification valid?
Three years.
Test Yourself
The fastest way to find out if you're ready is to take a full-length practice exam.
Start with the free AWS Developer Associate exams in the Kwizza library. Once you've completed those, Kwizza Pro generates fresh AWS Certified Developer - Associate mock exams tailored to your weak domains, helping you focus on the topics that need the most work before exam day.