Is the AWS Data Engineer Associate worth it?

For working data professionals, yes. The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) is AWS's dedicated data engineering credential, and it maps directly to the jobs companies hire for: building ingestion and transformation pipelines, managing data stores, operating data workflows, and securing and governing data on AWS. It signals hands-on ability with services like Glue, Redshift, Athena, Kinesis, Lake Formation, and now Iceberg and Bedrock, which is exactly what data engineering roles ask for. If your work is pipelines and data platforms on AWS, it is a strong, current credential.

How hard is the DEA-C01 exam?

DEA-C01 is a moderately hard associate exam that rewards hands-on experience over memorization. The 65 questions are scenario-based and often ask which AWS service or pattern best fits a described pipeline, cost, or latency constraint, so you need to know the tradeoffs between Glue, EMR, Kinesis, Redshift, Athena, and Lake Formation rather than just their definitions. Candidates with real data engineering experience on AWS generally pass with focused study. Those without hands-on pipeline experience find the service-selection questions the hardest part.

What is the passing score for DEA-C01?

You need a scaled score of 720 out of 1000 to pass the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam. Scoring is compensatory, which means you do not have to pass each domain individually; only your total scaled score matters, so strength in one area can offset a weaker one. Of the 65 questions, 50 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items that do not count, though you cannot tell which is which during the exam.

Do I need experience to take the AWS Data Engineer certification?

There are no formal prerequisites, so anyone can register and sit DEA-C01. AWS recommends 2 to 3 years of data engineering experience plus 1 to 2 years of hands-on AWS experience, along with familiarity with ETL pipelines, data lakes, and language-agnostic programming concepts. You can pass with less if you study deliberately, but the exam leans on practical service selection and pipeline design, so hands-on time with AWS data services matters more than years on paper.

How many questions are on the DEA-C01 exam?

The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam has 65 questions total: 50 scored and 15 unscored. Questions are multiple choice, with one correct answer of four options, or multiple response, with two or more correct answers from five or more options. You have 130 minutes to complete it. The four domains are Data Ingestion and Transformation (34 percent), Data Store Management (26 percent), Data Operations and Support (22 percent), and Data Security and Governance (18 percent).

AWS Data Engineer Associate vs Solutions Architect Associate: which should I take?

It depends on your role. The Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) is for people who build data pipelines and manage data platforms; it goes deep on ingestion, transformation, data stores, and governance. The Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) is broader and infrastructure-focused, covering how to design resilient, cost-effective systems across all of AWS. If your job is data engineering, take DEA-C01. If you design general AWS architectures, take SAA. Many data engineers hold both, since the architecture fundamentals reinforce the data specialty.

AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01)

AWS Data Engineer Associate Practice Exam: DEA-C01 Practice Questions

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The AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam (DEA-C01) is 65 questions in 130 minutes, you need a scaled score of 720 out of 1000 to pass, and it costs US$150. It tests building and running data pipelines on AWS across four domains: Data Ingestion and Transformation, Data Store Management, Data Operations and Support, and Data Security and Governance. There are no formal prerequisites. AWS refreshed the in-scope skills in exam guide Version 1.1 on December 12, 2025, adding generative AI, Apache Iceberg, and vector topics, so use current material.

Last updated July 2026

Study the current skills: the DEA-C01 exam guide was refreshed December 12, 2025

AWS updates its exam guides periodically without changing the exam code, and DEA-C01 got a refresh to exam guide Version 1.1, published December 12, 2025. The four domains and their weights are unchanged, but the in-scope skills were modernized. New topics include integrating large language models for data processing, open table formats like Apache Iceberg, vector indexes and vectorization with Amazon Bedrock knowledge bases, and governance through Amazon SageMaker Catalog and Unified Studio.

Services also moved. Aurora, Amazon Q, Bedrock, Kendra, AWS Data Exchange, and Amazon S3 Tables came into scope, while AWS Cloud9, AWS CodeCommit, and the AWS Schema Conversion Tool were removed. The practical trap is stale prep: a lot of DEA-C01 material published before December 2025 skips the generative AI and Iceberg additions entirely. If your notes predate the refresh, confirm the current skills against the official exam guide before you plan your study, so your practice questions reflect what the exam now tests.

What the DEA-C01 exam tests

DEA-C01 is organized into four domains. Data Ingestion and Transformation alone is 34 percent of the exam, so pipelines are where the majority of your study time should go, but every domain is tested as applied service selection rather than definition recall. Here is what each domain actually asks.

Domain	Weight	What is actually in it
Data Ingestion and Transformation	34%	The heaviest domain. Building batch and streaming ingestion, transforming data with Glue, EMR, and Lambda, orchestrating pipelines, and handling formats. Expect scenario questions on picking Kinesis vs Managed Streaming for Kafka, or Glue vs EMR, for a described workload.
Data Store Management	26%	Choosing and operating data stores: Redshift, S3 and S3 Tables, Athena, DynamoDB, and Aurora. Data lake design, open table formats like Apache Iceberg, partitioning, cataloging with Glue Data Catalog, and lifecycle and cost management.
Data Operations and Support	22%	Running pipelines in production: automation, monitoring with CloudWatch, logging, troubleshooting failures, and analyzing data with SQL and AWS analytics services. Maintaining data quality and keeping pipelines healthy and observable.
Data Security and Governance	18%	Securing data end to end: authentication and authorization with IAM, encryption, masking, and governance with Lake Formation and SageMaker Catalog. Data privacy, auditing, and controlling access across accounts and services.

Because every domain is scenario-based, the fastest way to prepare is to practice choosing the best AWS service and pattern for a described constraint, not memorizing feature lists. Generate practice questions from your own AWS data engineering material across all four domains, and weight Data Ingestion and Transformation, which is a third of the exam.

Exam fee: $150
Format: 65 Q / 130 min
Passing score: 720 / 1000
Level: Associate

Why drill questions for DEA-C01?

Because DEA-C01 is a service-selection exam, and that skill is built by working through scenarios, not rereading service docs. A question rarely asks what Glue is; it describes a workload, a cost or latency constraint, and several AWS services that all technically work, and asks which one fits best. That is a judgment you sharpen by seeing many scenarios and defending your choice. Generating questions from your own notes forces you to apply the tradeoffs instead of recognizing a service name.

Where candidates lose points

Choosing between overlapping services (Glue vs EMR, Kinesis vs MSK, Redshift vs Athena), knowing when a managed option beats a self-managed one, and connecting a governance control back to Lake Formation or IAM. People strong on transformation underestimate security and governance; people strong on theory underestimate the operations domain. Drilling all four covers where the scaled score punishes a gap.

Match the scenario format

Generate questions that read like the exam: a described pipeline, a constraint, and several services where only one is the best fit for that context. That trains you to eliminate the option that works but costs too much or adds needless operational overhead, which is exactly the discrimination DEA-C01 tests. Confirm the current skills on the official exam guide so your practice mirrors the modernized Version 1.1 scope.

A DEA-C01 attempt is US$150 plus real study time, and most candidates are busy working data engineers. Uploading your notes and generating questions across all four domains is efficient insurance that you are ready, rather than practicing only the AWS services your current job happens to use.

DEA-C01 and the AWS associate exams: which fits your role

The Data Engineer Associate sits alongside AWS's other associate exams. They share a tier and a scoring model but test different jobs. Here is how the associate track compares so you pick the right one, or the right next step.

	Data Engineer	Solutions Architect	Developer
Code	DEA-C01	SAA-C03	DVA-C02
Focus	Data pipelines & stores	System architecture	App development
Format	65 Q, 130 min	65 Q, 130 min	65 Q, 130 min
Pass	720 / 1000	720 / 1000	720 / 1000
Best for	Data engineers	Architects	Developers

Designing general AWS systems rather than data pipelines? Compare the AWS Solutions Architect Professional practice exam. Writing application code on AWS? The AWS Developer Associate practice exam maps to that role. New to AWS entirely? Start with the AWS Cloud Practitioner practice exam. All the associate exams share the same format, so once you are in an AWS study rhythm, adding a second is a smaller step.

How to build DEA-C01 practice questions that match the exam

The exam tests applied service selection across four domains. Your questions should drill exactly that.

1 Upload current material: Feed in notes built on the Version 1.1 exam guide, including the generative AI, Iceberg, and vector additions from December 2025, not an older outline. Confirm the current skills against the official exam guide so your questions match the real scope.
2 Practice as scenarios: Generate questions that describe a workload, a constraint, and several AWS services that could work. That trains the elimination skill the exam tests, where more than one service is valid but only one is the best fit for the cost, latency, or operational context.
3 Weight ingestion and stores: Put extra practice on Data Ingestion and Transformation and Data Store Management, which are 60 percent of the exam combined. Practice picking between Glue, EMR, Kinesis, Redshift, and Athena for described pipelines and data lakes.
4 Retake until it clicks: Regenerate fresh sets and retake until the best service for a described pipeline comes back instantly. Aim to clear practice sets comfortably above the 720 scaled bar before you book.

AWS Data Engineer Associate questions, answered

Is the AWS Data Engineer Associate worth it?: For working data professionals, yes. DEA-C01 is AWS's dedicated data engineering credential, and it maps directly to the jobs companies hire for: building ingestion and transformation pipelines, managing data stores, operating data workflows, and securing and governing data on AWS. It signals hands-on ability with services like Glue, Redshift, Athena, Kinesis, Lake Formation, and now Iceberg and Bedrock, which is exactly what data engineering roles ask for. If your work is pipelines and data platforms on AWS, it is a strong, current credential.
How hard is the DEA-C01 exam?: DEA-C01 is a moderately hard associate exam that rewards hands-on experience over memorization. The 65 questions are scenario-based and often ask which AWS service or pattern best fits a described pipeline, cost, or latency constraint, so you need to know the tradeoffs between Glue, EMR, Kinesis, Redshift, Athena, and Lake Formation rather than just their definitions. Candidates with real data engineering experience on AWS generally pass with focused study. Those without hands-on pipeline experience find the service-selection questions the hardest part.
What is the passing score for DEA-C01?: You need a scaled score of 720 out of 1000 to pass the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate exam. Scoring is compensatory, which means you do not have to pass each domain individually; only your total scaled score matters, so strength in one area can offset a weaker one. Of the 65 questions, 50 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items that do not count, though you cannot tell which is which during the exam.
Do I need experience to take the AWS Data Engineer certification?: There are no formal prerequisites, so anyone can register and sit DEA-C01. AWS recommends 2 to 3 years of data engineering experience plus 1 to 2 years of hands-on AWS experience, along with familiarity with ETL pipelines, data lakes, and language-agnostic programming concepts. You can pass with less if you study deliberately, but the exam leans on practical service selection and pipeline design, so hands-on time with AWS data services matters more than years on paper.
How many questions are on the DEA-C01 exam?: The exam has 65 questions total: 50 scored and 15 unscored. Questions are multiple choice, with one correct answer of four options, or multiple response, with two or more correct answers from five or more options. You have 130 minutes to complete it. The four domains are Data Ingestion and Transformation (34 percent), Data Store Management (26 percent), Data Operations and Support (22 percent), and Data Security and Governance (18 percent).
Did the DEA-C01 exam change in 2026?: The exam code and domains stayed the same, but AWS published exam guide Version 1.1 on December 12, 2025, which refreshed the in-scope skills. It added generative AI and modern data topics: integrating large language models into data processing, open table formats like Apache Iceberg, vector indexes and vectorization with Amazon Bedrock knowledge bases, and governance through SageMaker Catalog and Unified Studio. Services such as Aurora, Amazon Q, Bedrock, Kendra, Data Exchange, and S3 Tables came into scope; Cloud9, CodeCommit, and the Schema Conversion Tool were removed. The four domain weights did not change.

PDFQuiz is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon Web Services. AWS and AWS Certified Data Engineer are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. This generator builds practice questions from material you upload and is a study aid, not a substitute for the official AWS exam guide or training. Exam details change, so always confirm current details on the AWS certification page before you book.

Related study tools

Building an AWS path? The AWS Solutions Architect Professional practice exam and AWS Developer Associate practice exam cover architecture and development, while the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Associate practice exam is the natural next step for data engineers moving into ML. New to AWS? Start with the AWS Cloud Practitioner practice exam. Any study source works with the certification exam generator, or start from any PDF with the PDF to practice test generator.

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