IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity • Certification
AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate
Build and operate AWS data pipelines and governance.
Researched and maintained by TestPrepPilot Editorial BoardCloud, IT & cybersecurity certifications desk · Figures last verified August 2026
The short version
What is the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate and is it worth it?
DEA-C01 is a 130-minute associate exam with 65 questions, costing $150 and requiring a 720 score to pass. It is AWS's primary data engineering certification.
- AWS's flagship data engineering cert
- Covers Glue, Athena, Redshift, Kinesis
- Includes governance and quality
- Three-year validity
- Strong for data careers
What is it?
What exactly is the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate?
Build and operate AWS data pipelines and governance.
The AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01) is the current AWS credential for data engineers. It validates the ability to implement data pipelines and monitor, troubleshoot and optimize them for cost and performance using Glue, Athena, Redshift, Kinesis and EMR, including data governance and quality. It replaced the retired Data Analytics Specialty as the default AWS data credential.
The path in brief
- Learn AWS data services and SQL
- Book DEA-C01
- Study ingestion, orchestration, governance
- Pass at 720
- Pair with ML Engineer Associate
Before you book
Who is eligible to sit the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate?
Who it is for: Data engineers and analytics engineers.
The test itself
What is the format of the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate?
The AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate is administered by Remote proctored (Pearson VUE) and runs 130 minutes, contains 65 questions (50 scored + 15 unscored) questions and requires 720 to pass.
| Administered by | Remote proctored (Pearson VUE) |
|---|---|
| Questions | 65 questions (50 scored + 15 unscored) |
| Time limit | 130 minutes |
| Pass mark | 720 |
| Exam fee | $150 |
| Format | Multiple choice and multiple response, online proctored |
Content outline
What topics are on the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate?
The AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate is weighted across 4 domains; the largest are Data Ingestion and Transformation (34%), Data Store Management (26%), Data Operations and Support (22%).
Weightings come from the official exam outline. Study time is best allocated in roughly these proportions rather than evenly across domains.
- Data Ingestion and Transformation 34%
Glue, Kinesis, orchestration
- Data Store Management 26%
S3, Redshift, Athena
- Data Operations and Support 22%
Monitoring, troubleshooting
- Data Security and Governance 18%
KMS, Lake Formation, IAM
Money & time
How much does the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate cost?
For the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate, the exam fee is $150; the all-in cost is typically $150; most candidates spend 8-12 weeks preparing.
Cost breakdown
| Exam fee | $150 |
|---|---|
| Typical total | $150 |
Standard AWS list price.
Timeline
- Study 8-12 weeks
- Exam 130 minutes
Typical prep: 8-12 weeks
The path
How do you register for the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate?
- 1
Create an AWS Certification account5 minutes
Sign in with your AWS Training account or create one at aws.amazon.com/certification; it manages your exam registration, score report and digital badge.
- 2
Choose your exam and level
Pick the credential that matches your role. Most candidates start at Foundational (CLF/AIF) or Associate (SAA, DVA, SOA) and progress to Professional or Specialty.
- Foundational: CLF-C02, AIF-C01
- Associate: SAA-C03, DVA-C02, SOA-C03, DEA-C01, MLA-C01
- Professional: SAP-C02, DOP-C02, AIP-C01
- Specialty: SCS-C03, ANS-C01
- 3
Schedule and pay10 minutes
Book through Pearson VUE at a test centre or online proctored. Foundational and Associate cost $100/$150; Professional and Specialty cost $300.
- 4
Prepare with official resources2-12 weeks
Use the free Exam Guide, AWS Skill Builder Official Practice Questions and Builder labs. Budget 2-12 weeks depending on level.
- 5
Sit the exam
Exams are scored 100-1000 against a fixed pass mark (700 Foundational, 720 Associate, 750 Professional/Specialty). Results appear immediately.
The fine print
What are the retake and renewal rules for the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate?
- Proctoring & delivery
- Delivered by Pearson VUE at a test centre or online with a live proctor. A government photo ID is required and the online environment is scanned before the session.
- Retake policy
- If you do not pass, you must wait 14 days before retaking the same exam. Each attempt is paid; there is no limit on attempts.
- Score reporting
- Exams are scored on a 100-1000 scale. Foundational pass at 700, Associate at 720, Professional and Specialty at 750. A score report shows section-level feedback under a compensatory model (no section minimum).
- Recertification
- All AWS certifications are valid for three years. Recertify by passing the latest version of the same exam, or by earning a higher-level credential that automatically refreshes lower ones (for example, DevOps Pro refreshes CloudOps Associate).
- Refunds & rescheduling
- Cancellation and reschedule rules follow Pearson VUE; refunds are generally not given for no-shows, and reschedules must occur before the cut-off window.
Context
AWS certification levels
| Level | Duration | Fee | Pass score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundational (CLF-C02, AIF-C01) | 90 min | $100 | 700 | |
| Associate (SAA/DVA/SOA/DEA/MLA) | 130 min | $150 | 720 | |
| Professional (SAP/DOP/AIP) | 180 min | $300 | 750 | |
| Specialty (SCS/ANS) | 170 min | $300 | 750 |
What it pays
How much does this credential pay?
$112,590 median for data scientists (BLS, May 2024)
There is no Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation called "AWS Data Engineer" — the certification validates data-engineering skill on AWS, and the wage question belongs to the role you perform with it. The closest official BLS occupation is Data Scientists, SOC 15-2051, which had a May 2024 median wage of $112,590, with the lowest 10 percent under $68,170 and the highest 10 percent above $172,270, with Software Developers (SOC 15-1252, $132,270 median) as the adjacent engineering series. The fit is deliberate: AWS Data Engineer holders work as data engineers, data platform engineers and analytics engineers who build and operate data pipelines on AWS, and the data-engineering role sits between the data-scientist and developer series in the labour market. BLS counted 197,200 data scientist jobs in 2024 and projects a striking 34 percent growth from 2024 to 2034, with about 23,400 openings a year. The limitation to state plainly: the BLS median covers the whole occupation at all levels, credentialed or not, and the certification's value is as a hiring signal for data-engineering roles in AWS shops. Read the number as the market for the occupation the credential serves.
| Measure | Figure | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage, data scientists | $112,590 | BLS OOH, SOC 15-2051, May 2024 |
| Lowest 10 percent | Under $68,170 | BLS OOH, SOC 15-2051, May 2024 |
| Highest 10 percent | Above $172,270 | BLS OOH, SOC 15-2051, May 2024 |
| Median, software developers (adjacent engineering series) | $132,270 | BLS OOH, SOC 15-1252, May 2024 |
Job growth.BLS projects 34 percent growth for data scientists from 2024 to 2034, about 23,400 openings per year.
Your odds
What are the pass rates?
AWS publishes no pass rate — it publishes the passing score: 720 of 1000, with a 65-question, 130-minute exam
AWS does not publish cohort pass rates for its certification exams, and third-party surveys are not official data, so we do not treat them as authoritative. What AWS does publish is the format and the passing standard: the Data Engineer - Associate exam (DEA-C01) has 65 questions with a 130-minute time limit, and a passing score of 720 on the 100-1000 scale. The exam is delivered at Pearson VUE centres or through online proctoring, and the certification is valid for three years. The exam content follows the official exam guide, with domains covering data ingestion and transformation, data store management, data operations, and data security and governance. The absence of a published pass rate is not an absence of standards: the Data Engineer exam is one of AWS's newer and most in-demand associate certifications, and the 720 line on 65 questions rewards hands-on familiarity with the AWS data services — S3, Glue, Athena, Redshift, Kinesis, Lambda and the analytics stack. The practical reading: target 80 percent-plus on practice and use AWS's official exam guide and sample questions, the closest thing to the real item style.
Read this before quoting the number.AWS publishes the passing score and format but no pass rate; any percentage circulating online is a third-party estimate.
Source: AWS - Data Engineer Associate certification (DEA-C01)
Your schedule
How long should I study for it?
100-150 hours over 8-12 weeks of focused study
The DEA-C01 is a 65-question, 130-minute exam with a 720/1000 passing score, built on the official exam guide domains: data ingestion and transformation, data store management, data operations, and data security and governance. The exam rewards hands-on knowledge of the AWS data services — S3, Glue, Athena, Redshift, Kinesis, Lambda, EMR and the analytics stack — and how they fit into pipelines. A defensible plan runs 100 to 150 hours over 8 to 12 weeks. Weeks 1-3: the data services foundation — S3 storage patterns, Glue cataloguing and ETL, Athena querying, and Kinesis ingestion, with hands-on labs in a free-tier project. Weeks 4-6: data store management — Redshift, the data-lake architecture (S3 plus Glue plus Athena), and the database options. Weeks 7-8: data operations — pipeline orchestration with Step Functions and EventBridge, monitoring, and performance. Weeks 9-10: security and governance — IAM for data, encryption, and the data-governance services. Weeks 11-12: scenario drilling and two full timed practice exams at the real format. The plan is hands-on-heavy because the exam rewards real pipeline experience; building a small end-to-end pipeline in a free-tier project is the highest-value preparation.
- Weeks 1-340
Ingestion and transformation
- S3 storage patterns and Glue ETL
- Athena querying and Kinesis ingestion
- Hands-on pipeline labs
- Weeks 4-635
Data stores
- Redshift and the data-lake architecture
- Database options and partitioning
- Glue Data Catalog and table design
- Weeks 7-825
Data operations
- Orchestration: Step Functions and EventBridge
- Pipeline monitoring and performance
- Error handling and retries
- Weeks 9-1020
Security and governance
- IAM for data services
- Encryption and key management
- Data governance and cataloguing
- Weeks 11-1225
Drill and mocks
- Scenario drilling in volume
- Two full timed practice exams
- Review weak domains
Adjusting the pace
Working data engineer.Compress the service foundation; spend the extra time on operations, security and scenario drills.
From general cloud administration.Add 2-3 weeks of data fundamentals and SQL before the service phases.
How to study
How do I prepare most effectively?
The DEA-C01 rewards hands-on pipeline experience, so the dominant strategy is building a real end-to-end pipeline in a free-tier AWS project: ingest with Kinesis or S3, transform with Glue, query with Athena, and load to Redshift — because the exam items test how the services fit together in practice. Second, learn the service boundaries precisely: the exam asks which service fits a described pipeline stage, so purpose-level knowledge of S3, Glue, Athena, Redshift, Kinesis, Lambda and EMR matters more than deep configuration. Third, master the data-store management material — partitioning, the Glue Data Catalog and the data-lake architecture — a distinct domain that candidates new to AWS data often under-prepare. Fourth, use the official exam guide and sample questions, the closest thing to the real item style, and hold yourself to 80 percent-plus on practice because the 720 line leaves little margin. Finally, take at least two full timed practice exams; 65 questions in 130 minutes is exactly 2 minutes per item, and the scenario items are reading-heavy.
Build a real pipeline
Ingest-transform-query-load in a free-tier project covers the exam's core.
Learn the service boundaries
Which service fits which pipeline stage is the exam's central pattern.
Master data-store management
Partitioning, the Glue catalog and the lake architecture are a distinct domain.
Hold to 80%+ on practice
The 720/1000 line leaves little margin.
Run two full simulations
65 questions in 130 minutes; drill the pace.
What to buy
Which study resources are worth paying for?
DEA-C01 prep spans official AWS resources and third-party courses. AWS's own materials — the exam guide (free), sample questions and the AWS Skill Builder data courses and labs — are the authoritative source; a Skill Builder subscription runs roughly $29-$99/month. Third-party providers sell Data Engineer courses and practice exams at $50-$400; the market is growing quickly because the certification is new and in demand. The AWS free tier supports the hands-on pipeline practice the exam rewards. A realistic total budget is $200 to $700 including the $150 exam fee and one to three months of Skill Builder. Prices below are list prices as of mid-2026 and change frequently; we rank nothing by commission.
| Resource | Price | Format | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS exam guide + sample questions | Free | Official PDF + practice items | The authoritative scope; read it first |
| AWS Skill Builder | $29-$99/month | Courses and hands-on labs | The official hands-on path |
| AWS free tier | $0 | Real cloud environment | Building the pipeline the exam rewards |
| Third-party courses | $50-$400 | Video courses and labs | Structured walkthrough of the domains |
| Practice-exam products | $30-$120 | Online simulated exams | Scenario drilling before the exam |
List prices as of mid-2026, subject to change; the DEA-C01 exam fee is $150; no commission or affiliate ranking is implied.
Avoid these
What mistakes do candidates most often make?
The most common DEA-C01 mistake is studying the services in isolation: candidates who learn each AWS data service alone cannot answer the integration items, which ask which combination of services fits a described pipeline. The fix is building and studying pipelines end to end. The second mistake is under-preparing data-store management and governance — the partitioning, cataloguing and security domains that distinguish this exam from a general AWS exam. Third, candidates with no hands-on time meet the scenario items without the practical intuition they reward; use a free-tier project. Fourth, many candidates skip full timed simulations and misjudge the reading-heavy pace. Finally, some candidates rely on a single third-party course without reading the official exam guide, losing the exact scope and weighting.
✕Studying services in isolation
✓Build and study pipelines end to end; the exam tests integration.
✕Under-preparing stores and governance
✓Partitioning, cataloguing, security and governance are distinct domains.
✕Skipping hands-on time
✓A free-tier pipeline builds the intuition the scenarios reward.
✕Never running full simulations
✓65 questions in 130 minutes; run two full timed exams.
✕Relying on one course
✓Audit against the official exam guide for the exact scope.
What you'll face
What question types will I see?
The DEA-C01 is a 65-question multiple-choice and multiple-response exam in 130 minutes. The items are scenario-heavy: a described data pipeline need — ingest streaming data, transform at scale, query a lake, load a warehouse, secure the data — followed by the correct service combination, configuration or operational practice. The exam tests the AWS data services across the exam guide domains. Samples below are editor-written illustrations of the published exam guide, not live exam items; they show the pipeline-integration style of the real items.
The correct service combination for a described data need.
Partitioning, cataloguing, lake and warehouse design.
IAM, encryption, monitoring and orchestration.
Try these
Q1A company must ingest streaming data from thousands of devices and make it available for near-real-time analytics. The most appropriate service combination is:
Answer:A
Kinesis Data Streams is built for streaming ingestion at scale, with consumers for near-real-time processing. Batch uploads, a single instance or manual transfers each fail the streaming and scale requirements.
Q2A data engineer must query structured data directly in S3 without loading it into a database. The most appropriate service is:
Answer:A
Athena is the serverless query service that runs SQL directly on S3 data — the data-lake query pattern. Redshift is a warehouse, DynamoDB is a NoSQL database, and EMR runs big-data frameworks.
Q3To enforce column-level access control for analysts querying a data lake, the most appropriate control is:
Answer:A
AWS Lake Formation provides fine-grained, column-level permissions for lake analytics. Public buckets, shared credentials or encryption without access control each fail the access-governance requirement.
Samples are editor-written illustrations of the published exam guide, not live exam items.
The big day
What should I expect on exam day?
The DEA-C01 is a 65-question, 130-minute computer-based exam at a Pearson VUE centre or through online proctoring. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID matching your registration name and your appointment confirmation; personal items go in the locker. Arrive 30 minutes early; late arrivals forfeit the appointment and the $150 fee. Pace at exactly 2 minutes per item, flag uncertain items for review, and budget extra time for the reading-heavy scenario items. You receive your score on screen immediately, with the official result and score report following; AWS reports your scaled score against the 720 line. If you fail, you may retake after a 14-day waiting period. On a pass, the certification is valid for three years; recertify by passing the current exam or the recertification path. The afterwards matters: record the expiration date and plan the recertification cycle early.
Bring
- Valid government-issued photo ID matching your registration name
- Appointment confirmation
Leave at home
- Phone, smartwatch and all electronics
- Notes and study materials
- Personal bags beyond what the centre allows
How the day runs
Rules in the room
- No personal electronics in the testing room
- 130 minutes for 65 questions; the clock does not pause
- A 14-day wait applies before retaking after a fail
Afterwards.On a pass, your certification is valid for three years; recertify by passing the current exam or the recertification path. On a fail, wait 14 days and retake after additional domain study.
Reference
What are the key facts about the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate?
AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate is a certification credential; awarded by Amazon Web Services; the exam fee is $150; typical preparation is 8-12 weeks; holders typically earn $120,000-$160,000.
| Credential | AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | AWS Data Engineer |
| Type | Certification |
| Profession | IT, Cloud & Cybersecurity |
| Specialty | Amazon Web Services |
| Awarded by | Amazon Web Services |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Typical prep time | 8-12 weeks |
| All-in cost | $150 |
| Typical salary range | $120,000-$160,000 |
| Delivery | Online proctored multiple choice |
| Level | Associate |
| Validity | 3 years |
| Replaces | Data Analytics Specialty (DAS-C01) |
| Scope | National / Multi-state |
| Also known as | DEA-C01 |
Real questions
Frequently asked questions about the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate
Is DEA-C01 the replacement for DAS-C01?
Yes. After the Data Analytics Specialty retired in April 2024, DEA-C01 became AWS's primary data credential, with a stronger pipeline and governance focus.
Which services matter most?
Glue (ETL and catalog), Kinesis (streaming), Athena and Redshift (query), and S3 (lake storage) appear throughout the exam.
Do I need coding skills?
You need SQL and general programming concepts plus Git and IaC awareness, but you are not tested on language-specific syntax.
How long is it valid?
Three years. Recertify by passing the current version or a higher AWS certification.
Which AWS cert should I start with?
Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) for general cloud literacy or AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) for AI/ML context. Role-based candidates often go straight to Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03).
Do AWS certifications expire?
Yes, after three years. You recertify by passing the current version or a higher credential that refreshes it.
Are the exams hands-on?
AWS exams are scenario-based multiple choice and multiple response, not live-terminal. They test applied judgement rather than memorisation.
How are questions scored?
Each exam has 50 scored questions plus 15 unscored items used for future research; the 100-1000 scaled score maps difficulty across forms.
In short
Is the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate worth it?
- AWS data engineer associate exam
- Covers ingestion, storage, operations, governance
- 720 pass, $150, 130 minutes
- Replaces retired Data Analytics Specialty
Same awarding body
What other credentials does Amazon Web Services award?
Worth comparing
How does the AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate compare with similar credentials?
Trust
Where does this information come from?
Everything above is taken from the awarding body's own published material. Fees, question counts and domain weights are revised regularly — check the official page before you pay.
- Amazon Web Services Awarding body
- Official AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate exam page Exam page
Research confidence: high · Last reviewed 2026-08