AWS · DVA-C02
AWS Certified Developer - Associate (DVA-C02) Practice Tests
Validates ability to develop, test, deploy, and debug AWS Cloud-based applications using AWS services.
Exam Details
Practice Questions
536
≈ 8 practice exams
Duration
130 minutes
Passing Score
720/1000
Difficulty
AssociateLast Updated
Jan 2026
Topics Covered
Development with AWS ServicesSecurityDeploymentTroubleshooting and Optimization
AWS Certified Developer - Associate (DVA-C02) Practice Exam Preparation
Use this DVA-C02 practice exam to prepare for AWS Certified Developer - Associate (DVA-C02) with realistic questions, detailed explanations, and focused study modes. The practice bank includes 536 questions for AWS DVA-C02, so you can review the exam steadily instead of relying on one long cram session.
As you practice, pay extra attention to recurring topics such as Development with AWS Services, Security, Deployment, and Troubleshooting and Optimization. Start with short sessions to identify weak areas, then move into timed quizzes once your accuracy is consistent.
The explanations are especially useful when you want to connect exam wording to the responsibilities and scenarios described in the official certification guidance. Use the free preview first, then unlock the full question bank when you are ready to build a complete study routine.
Exam Domain Breakdown
Development with AWS Services32%
Security26%
Deployment24%
Troubleshooting and Optimization18%
Exam Overview
The AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) is an intermediate-level certification from Amazon Web Services that validates a candidate's proficiency in developing, testing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications on the AWS platform. It demonstrates hands-on competency with core AWS developer services including AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon S3, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodeDeploy, and the AWS SDKs and CLI. The exam was updated in December 2024 (Version 2.1) to include 18 new skills, incorporating topics such as Amazon Q Developer, event-driven architecture patterns with Amazon EventBridge, and resilience patterns like retry logic and circuit breakers.
The certification covers four weighted domains: developing applications with AWS services (32%), implementing security controls (26%), automating deployment workflows (24%), and troubleshooting and optimizing applications (18%). It is recognized globally as a benchmark for cloud developers and is valid for three years, after which holders can recertify by retaking the current exam version or by earning the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional credential.
Who Should Take This Exam
This certification is designed for software developers and cloud engineers who spend at least a portion of their role building and maintaining applications on AWS. Relevant job titles include Cloud Developer, Backend Developer, Full-Stack Developer, DevOps Engineer, and Solutions Developer. Candidates typically have one or more years of hands-on experience writing application code using AWS services, familiarity with at least one high-level programming language (such as Python, Java, JavaScript, or Go), and practical knowledge of cloud-native development patterns.
Developers who are new to cloud but hold strong general programming backgrounds will also find this exam accessible, though AWS recommends that individuals with no prior IT experience first earn the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner to build foundational knowledge before attempting this associate-level exam.
Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites required to register for the DVA-C02 exam. However, AWS recommends that candidates have one or more years of practical experience developing and maintaining applications using AWS services before sitting the exam. Candidates should be comfortable with at least one high-level programming language and have working knowledge of AWS core services such as IAM, S3, DynamoDB, Lambda, API Gateway, SQS, and SNS.
Familiarity with CI/CD concepts and hands-on experience with AWS developer tools (CodeCommit, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, CodePipeline) is also strongly advised. Candidates should understand RESTful API design, serverless architectures, and basic cloud security principles including authentication via Amazon Cognito and secrets management via AWS Secrets Manager and AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store.
Exam Format
The DVA-C02 exam consists of 65 total questions: 50 scored questions and 15 unscored pretest questions that do not affect the final score (unscored questions are not identified during the exam). Question types are either multiple choice (one correct answer from four options) or multiple response (two or more correct answers from five or more options). The time limit is 130 minutes, and the exam is proctored via Pearson VUE either at an authorized testing center or through an online proctored session. The exam is available in English, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America).
Scores are reported on a scaled score of 100–1,000, with a minimum passing score of 720. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect; there is no penalty for guessing. The exam fee is $150 USD, and AWS provides certified holders with a 50% discount voucher for their next certification exam.
Skills Measured
- 1.Domain 1 – Development with AWS Services (32%): Writing and optimizing application code hosted on AWS; developing and deploying AWS Lambda functions including event source mappings, layers, and environment variables; using AWS data stores in application development (DynamoDB, ElastiCache, RDS, S3, Amazon Kinesis); integrating applications using Amazon API Gateway, SQS, SNS, EventBridge, and Step Functions; applying event-driven architecture patterns and resilience patterns such as retry logic and exponential backoff.
- 2.Domain 2 – Security (26%): Implementing authentication and authorization using Amazon Cognito user pools and identity pools; managing API access with IAM policies, resource-based policies, and Lambda authorizers; encrypting data at rest and in transit using AWS KMS and ACM; handling sensitive application credentials securely using AWS Secrets Manager and SSM Parameter Store; applying the principle of least privilege to Lambda execution roles and application IAM roles.
- 3.Domain 3 – Deployment (24%): Preparing and packaging application artifacts for deployment to AWS (ZIP packages, container images, SAM templates, CloudFormation); configuring and using AWS CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, and CodePipeline for CI/CD workflows; deploying serverless applications using AWS SAM and the AWS CDK; using deployment strategies including canary, linear, and all-at-once via CodeDeploy; testing applications in development environments using AWS services and local emulation tools.
- 4.Domain 4 – Troubleshooting and Optimization (18%): Using Amazon CloudWatch Logs, CloudWatch Metrics, and AWS X-Ray to instrument and trace applications; performing root cause analysis on application errors including Lambda timeouts, throttling, and cold starts; optimizing Lambda performance through memory allocation, provisioned concurrency, and code profiling; using Amazon Q Developer for code suggestions and debugging assistance; optimizing DynamoDB access patterns and S3 performance configurations.
Study Tips
- Start with the official AWS Exam Prep Standard Course on AWS Skill Builder, which follows the four-step exam prep plan and maps directly to DVA-C02 domains. Complete the official practice question set (20 questions) to calibrate your readiness before purchasing the full practice exam.
- Download and study Version 2.1 of the official DVA-C02 Exam Guide from aws.amazon.com. Review the in-scope and out-of-scope task statements carefully — architectural design and VPC networking design are explicitly out of scope, so avoid over-indexing on those areas.
- Build hands-on experience with Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, SQS/SNS, and Cognito. The exam heavily tests code-level integration knowledge — understand how to configure event source mappings, DynamoDB Streams, SQS triggers for Lambda, and how retry behavior works for each invocation type (synchronous vs. asynchronous).
- Focus significant study time on the Security domain (26% weighting). Understand the difference between Cognito user pools and identity pools, when to use AWS Secrets Manager vs. SSM Parameter Store, how KMS envelope encryption works, and how to scope IAM policies for Lambda execution roles.
- Study the AWS CI/CD toolchain (CodeCommit, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, CodePipeline) end-to-end. Know the deployment configuration options in CodeDeploy (canary, linear, all-at-once), how buildspec.yml is structured in CodeBuild, and how appspec.yml works for Lambda and EC2 deployments.
- Practice with AWS X-Ray to understand how to instrument Lambda functions and trace requests across distributed services. The Troubleshooting domain (18%) tests your ability to identify bottlenecks and errors using CloudWatch Logs Insights, X-Ray service maps, and CloudWatch Metrics.
- Review the December 2024 exam updates if using older study materials. Version 2.1 added Amazon Q Developer usage, EventBridge event patterns, and resilience patterns (circuit breakers, exponential backoff) — topics not covered in pre-2024 resources.
Career Benefits
The AWS Certified Developer – Associate is one of the highest-compensating associate-level cloud certifications available. AWS-certified developers in the United States report average salaries of approximately $130,000–$133,000 per year, with senior roles exceeding $150,000. According to industry salary surveys, AWS-certified IT professionals earn on average 27.5% more than non-certified counterparts, and 19% of certification holders report a direct salary increase following certification. The credential is recognized globally and is frequently listed as a required or preferred qualification in cloud developer job postings across financial services, healthcare, technology, and e-commerce sectors.
Beyond compensation, 63% of certified AWS professionals report receiving or expecting a promotion after certification, and 41% report increased workplace engagement. The DVA-C02 serves as a natural step toward higher-level credentials including the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional. Compared to vendor-neutral developer certifications, the AWS Developer Associate carries stronger market specificity, particularly for organizations running workloads on AWS — which represents the majority of enterprise cloud deployments.
Sample Questions
5 sample questions with answers and explanations. The full bank has 536 questions, enough for 8 full-length practice exams.
Preview — answers shown1. A company has a configuration parameter that changes frequently. They are using the advanced tier of Parameter Store. How can they set up a notification to be sent to an SNS topic every time this specific parameter is changed?
AThis is not possible with Parameter Store.
BConfigure a CloudWatch Alarm on the parameter.
CAssign a Parameter Policy to the parameter that specifies an SNS topic.
DCreate an EventBridge rule that matches on 'Parameter Store Change' events for the specific parameter ARN.
Explanation
Parameter Store integrates with EventBridge to emit events whenever a parameter is changed, enabling event-driven responses. Why it's correct: When a parameter is updated, Parameter Store emits an event to the default EventBridge bus. You can create a rule that matches on this event type (Parameter Store Change) and filters for the specific ARN of the parameter you care about. The target of this rule can be an SNS topic, a Lambda function, or any other supported EventBridge target. This is the standard, event-driven way to react to configuration changes. Why others are incorrect: A CloudWatch Alarm is for metric thresholds, not discrete change events. Parameter Policies (an advanced tier feature) are for setting expiration or change notifications, but EventBridge is more flexible for custom actions. It is a supported feature.
2. A development team wants to update their AWS Elastic Beanstalk environment with a new application version. They cannot tolerate any reduction in application capacity during the deployment, but they also want to avoid the cost of provisioning a completely new set of instances. Which deployment policy meets these specific requirements?
AAll at once
BRolling
CRolling with an additional batch
DImmutable
Explanation
Elastic Beanstalk offers several deployment policies with different trade-offs between speed, safety, cost, and downtime. Why it's correct: 'Rolling with an additional batch' is designed for this exact scenario. First, it launches a new batch of instances to bring the environment's capacity above 100%. Then, it performs a standard rolling update on the old instances, one batch at a time. This ensures that the total capacity never drops below 100% during the deployment, while still re-using the original instances and avoiding the cost of a full duplicate environment (like in an Immutable or Blue/Green deployment). Why others are incorrect: 'All at once' causes full downtime. 'Rolling' temporarily reduces capacity. 'Immutable' creates a full set of new instances, which violates the cost constraint.
3. A new developer joins a team. According to AWS best practices, what is the most secure way to grant them access to the necessary AWS resources?
AShare the AWS root account credentials with the new developer.
BCreate a new IAM user for the developer and give them an access key and secret key.
CCreate a new IAM user for the developer, add them to an existing group with appropriate permissions, and have them set up their own password and MFA.
DCreate one shared IAM user for the entire development team to use.
Explanation
This question tests fundamental IAM best practices. Why it's correct: Creating a unique IAM user ensures individual accountability. Placing that user in a group allows for easy and scalable permission management (assigning policies to the group, not individual users). Requiring the user to set their own password and MFA upon first login is a crucial security step. Why others are incorrect: The root account should never be used for daily tasks. Giving out access keys directly is for programmatic access, not console access. A shared IAM user is a major security anti-pattern as it removes all individual accountability.
4. A B2B company, 'PartnerConnect', provides a premium data API. They need to track each partner's usage, assign them different monthly request quotas, and throttle their request rates. Which combination of API Gateway features should they use?
AStage Variables and Custom Domains
BCORS configuration and Resource Policies
CAPI Keys and Usage Plans
DLambda Authorizers and IAM Policies
Explanation
Usage Plans and API Keys are the features explicitly designed for managing, metering, and monetizing APIs on a per-client basis. API Keys and Usage Plans are the correct features. You would create a Usage Plan for each tier (e.g., 'Gold', 'Silver'), defining the rate limits and quotas. Then, you generate a unique API Key for each partner and associate them with the appropriate plan. Partners must include their API key in requests for their calls to be accepted and metered. Other options are incorrect because: Stage Variables and Custom Domains are for configuration and branding. CORS and Resource Policies are for browser security and broad access control. Lambda Authorizers are for authentication, but Usage Plans provide the throttling and quota capabilities.
5. An architect is designing a microservices-based application where different services handle different parts of an API request. For example, api.myapp.com/users should go to the user service, and api.myapp.com/orders should go to the order service. Which type of Elastic Load Balancer should be used to achieve this path-based routing?
ANetwork Load Balancer (NLB)
BGateway Load Balancer (GWLB)
CApplication Load Balancer (ALB)
DClassic Load Balancer (CLB)
Explanation
Different ELB types operate at different layers of the OSI model and have different routing capabilities. Why it's correct: An Application Load Balancer (ALB) operates at Layer 7 (the application layer). This means it understands HTTP/HTTPS traffic and can inspect things like the URL path, host header, or query strings. It is specifically designed to route traffic to different target groups based on these application-level rules, making it ideal for microservices and container-based applications. Why others are incorrect: NLB operates at Layer 4 (transport layer) and routes based on TCP/UDP ports, not URL paths. GWLB is for inline virtual appliances. CLB is a legacy service with less flexible routing.
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