What the AWS DVA-C02 is and who it is for
The AWS Certified Developer, Associate, exam code DVA-C02, certifies people who build, deploy and debug applications on AWS. It is not an overview exam. It expects you to know how Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway and the AWS developer toolchain behave in real use, and it covers serverless design, storage, security and CI/CD from the point of view of someone writing and shipping code.
There are no formal prerequisites, but AWS recommends at least one year of hands on development experience before you sit it. That recommendation is honest. The questions assume you have already hit a throttled table, a misconfigured IAM policy or a deployment that rolled back, and they ask what you would change. If you write code against AWS regularly, the DVA-C02 is the natural associate exam for you.
One date matters more than anything else in this guide: AWS is replacing this exam. Registration for the DVA-C03 opens on 27 October 2026 and the last day you can take the DVA-C02 is 1 December 2026. If you have been preparing against the current blueprint, book a slot before that date.
AWS DVA-C02 at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam code | DVA-C02 |
| Questions | 65 |
| Time allowed | 130 minutes |
| Passing score | 720 out of 1000 |
| Exam fee | US$150 |
| Where you sit it | Pearson VUE testing centres or online proctored |
| Certification valid for | 3 years |
What is on the exam
Development with AWS services (32%). The largest domain and the heart of the exam. It covers writing code for serverless and container based applications: Lambda configuration and event sources, DynamoDB data modelling and partition key design, API Gateway integrations, and choosing between SQS, SNS and EventBridge for messaging.
Security (26%). This domain tests how you authenticate and authorise users and services from inside application code. Cognito user pools and identity pools, IAM roles and policies as a developer uses them, encrypting data with AWS managed keys, and handling secrets and configuration safely all appear here. Many questions give you a policy that almost works and ask you to spot the gap.
Deployment (24%). Here you are tested on packaging and releasing applications: CI/CD with CodePipeline and the related build and deploy services, infrastructure as code for serverless applications, gradual deployment strategies for Lambda, and environment configuration. The exam wants you to know which deployment option limits blast radius for a given situation.
Troubleshooting and optimization (18%). The smallest domain, covering observability and performance. X-Ray tracing, CloudWatch logs and metrics, diagnosing failing functions and throttled resources, and tuning for cost and latency. Questions typically describe a symptom and ask for the most likely cause or the most direct fix.
Why people fail it
The DVA-C02 assumes you write code against AWS every day and it tests like it. It does not ask whether you know what Lambda is. It hands you a failing function, a throttled DynamoDB table or an IAM policy that almost works and asks what a developer would actually change. Candidates who have studied service descriptions rather than service behaviour find that the questions look familiar but the options do not separate cleanly.
The serverless heavy style catches people too. Lambda event sources, DynamoDB partition key design, API Gateway integration types, the differences between SQS, SNS and EventBridge, Cognito authentication flows and X-Ray tracing come up again and again, and each has details that only stick once you have seen them asked several ways.
Finally, the exam is long. Sixty five scenario questions in 130 minutes rewards people who can read a paragraph, discard two distractors quickly and commit. Candidates who have not rehearsed at that length tire in the last third and start second guessing answers they had right.
A study plan that fits the exam
Six weeks suits most working developers, with the time weighted towards development and security. Given the 1 December 2026 retirement, book your exam date first and work back from it.
- Week 1: development with AWS services, part one. Lambda in depth: handlers, configuration, concurrency, event sources and error handling. Try the free DVA-C02 practice questions early so you know the scenario length you are aiming at.
- Week 2: development with AWS services, part two. DynamoDB data modelling, API Gateway integrations, and messaging with SQS, SNS and EventBridge. Build a small serverless API if you can, since the questions reward having seen the console and the SDK calls.
- Week 3: security. Cognito user pools and identity pools, IAM as a developer uses it, encryption and secrets handling. Practise reading IAM policies line by line.
- Week 4: security wrap up, then deployment. Finish any security gaps, then move to CodePipeline, infrastructure as code for serverless, and Lambda deployment strategies.
- Week 5: deployment wrap up, then troubleshooting and optimization. Complete the deployment material, then cover X-Ray, CloudWatch and the common failure patterns for functions and tables.
- Week 6: timed runs. Sit full length practice sessions of 65 questions in 130 minutes using the questions only copy from the DVA-C02 practice question pack, then work through every explanation for the ones you missed. Repeat until you are steadily clear of 720.
On exam day
The DVA-C02 is delivered at Pearson VUE testing centres and online with a proctor. If you sit it online, run the system check the day before and clear your desk. At a centre, bring the identification listed in your booking confirmation and arrive with time to spare.
You have 130 minutes for 65 questions, which works out at two minutes each. Most questions are scenarios, so read the last sentence first to find out what is actually being asked, then read the scenario for the details that matter. Eliminate the options that are technically true but do not solve the stated problem, which is where most of the difficulty lives.
Flag questions you are unsure of and keep moving. Leave nothing blank. The score is scaled to 1000 and you need 720.
Frequently asked questions
Is the practice question pack enough on its own?
No, and it is not meant to be. It is practice, not a course. The 557 questions and their explanations teach you how the exam frames Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway and IAM problems, and they expose the distractor patterns you will see on the day. You still need the underlying knowledge, ideally from building and deploying something real on AWS. Use the pack to find your weak domains and to rehearse at exam length.
What happens if I fail the DVA-C02?
You can retake it, subject to the waiting period AWS sets between attempts and a fresh US$150 fee, so check the current retake policy on the AWS certification site. Be aware of the calendar: the DVA-C02 cannot be taken after 1 December 2026, so a failed attempt late in the year may mean sitting the DVA-C03 instead. That is a strong argument for timed practice runs before your first attempt.
Should I wait for the DVA-C03 instead?
If you have already prepared against the DVA-C02 domains, sit the DVA-C02 before 1 December 2026 rather than starting over. Registration for the DVA-C03 opens on 27 October 2026, so if your preparation is just beginning and would not finish in time, plan for the new version instead.
How long is the certification valid?
Three years. Check the AWS certification site for current recertification options before the credential expires.
Try 10 free questions, then get all 557 DVA-C02 practice questions with full explanations for US$39, pass or your money back: get the DVA-C02 pack.