- What Is DVA-C02, Exactly?
- How the Exam Is Structured and Delivered
- The Four DVA-C02 Domains Explained
- Who Takes the DVA-C02 and Why
- Registration, Fees, and Retakes
- Scoring and What "Passing" Really Means
- A DVA-C02-Specific Prep Approach
- Validity, Renewal, and What Comes After
- Frequently Asked Questions
- DVA-C02 is AWS's Associate-level exam for developers, governed directly by Amazon Web Services, Inc.
- The exam has 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored) in 130 minutes, passing at a scaled score of 720/1000.
- Development with AWS Services is the largest domain at 32%, centered on Lambda, DynamoDB, and API Gateway.
- The fee is a flat $150 USD, delivered via Pearson VUE test centers or online proctoring.
What Is DVA-C02, Exactly?
DVA-C02 is the exam code for the current version of the AWS Certified Developer - Associate credential, governed directly by Amazon Web Services, Inc. It's the successor to the retired DVA-C01 version, and it validates a candidate's ability to develop, deploy, debug, and maintain applications on AWS using core compute, storage, database, and messaging services. Unlike foundational-level AWS certifications that test broad awareness, DVA-C02 assumes you've actually written code against AWS services and can reason about how those services behave under real application workloads.
If you're comparing this credential to others in the AWS catalog, it sits squarely in the Associate tier - one step above Cloud Practitioner, and a common stepping stone toward Professional-level certifications like DevOps Engineer. For a deeper breakdown of what the credential represents and how it's positioned, see our companion piece on the DVA-C02 Certification overview.
How the Exam Is Structured and Delivered
DVA-C02 is delivered through Pearson VUE - either at a physical test center or via online proctoring from your own location. There is no formal split between "member" and "non-member" pricing; the fee is a flat $150 USD regardless of how or where you sit for it.
The exam itself consists of 65 questions total: 50 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items used by AWS to evaluate future exam content. You won't know which questions are scored and which aren't, so every question deserves full attention. You get 130 minutes to complete the exam, and question formats are limited to two types:
- Multiple choice - one correct answer among several distractors.
- Multiple response - two or more correct answers out of a longer list.
A detail that trips up first-time candidates: unanswered questions count as incorrect, and there is no separate penalty for guessing. That means it is always mathematically better to select an answer than to leave a question blank, even if you're not fully confident in it.
AWS also notes that the current version's exam guide includes emerging AI-assisted development and AI security topics, which may appear as unscored pretest questions. You may encounter a question referencing an AI-assisted coding tool or generative AI security consideration without knowing whether it counts toward your score - treat it like any other question and move on.
Non-native English speakers who need more time can request a 30-minute exam extension when the exam isn't available in their preferred language. No hands-on labs are part of this exam format - everything is scenario-based multiple choice or multiple response, delivered on-screen.
Key Takeaway
Because unscored questions aren't labeled, treat all 65 questions as if they count - pacing roughly two minutes per question across the full 130-minute window keeps you on track.
The Four DVA-C02 Domains Explained
AWS organizes the exam content into four official domains, each carrying a different weight toward your final score. Understanding this weighting is the single most useful thing you can do before you start studying, because it tells you where to spend your limited prep time. For a full domain-by-domain walkthrough, see the DVA-C02 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas.
Domain 1: Development with AWS Services (32%)
This is the largest domain by a meaningful margin, and it's the practical core of the exam. It centers on writing applications that use AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, and the AWS SDKs and CLI, along with event-driven design patterns and choosing the right data store for a given application need.
- Lambda function configuration, triggers, and concurrency behavior
- DynamoDB data modeling, indexes, and capacity modes
- API Gateway integration types and request/response transformations
- Event-driven architecture using SQS, SNS, and EventBridge
Our DVA-C02 Domain 1: Development with AWS Services (32%) - Complete Study Guide 2026 covers this domain in full depth.
Domain 2: Security (26%)
Security is the second-largest domain, reflecting how central IAM, encryption, and credential management are to real-world AWS development. Expect scenario questions about least-privilege policies, temporary credentials, and securing application secrets.
- IAM roles, policies, and resource-based permissions
- Encryption in transit and at rest using KMS
- Secrets management with Secrets Manager and Parameter Store
See the DVA-C02 Domain 2: Security (26%) - Complete Study Guide 2026 for detailed coverage.
Domain 3: Deployment (24%)
This domain tests your familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment strategies on AWS, including CodeDeploy, CodePipeline, and container or serverless deployment models.
- Deployment strategies: blue/green, canary, rolling
- CI/CD pipeline construction with CodePipeline and CodeBuild
- Packaging and deploying serverless applications with SAM
Full detail lives in the DVA-C02 Domain 3: Deployment (24%) - Complete Study Guide 2026.
Domain 4: Troubleshooting and Optimization (18%)
The smallest domain by weight, but it's where debugging skill and monitoring tool familiarity get tested - CloudWatch logs, X-Ray tracing, and performance tuning scenarios.
- Reading CloudWatch Logs and metrics to diagnose failures
- Using X-Ray to trace distributed application requests
- Identifying and resolving Lambda cold-start and throttling issues
Review the DVA-C02 Domain 4: Troubleshooting and Optimization (18%) - Complete Study Guide 2026 for scenario examples.
Who Takes the DVA-C02 and Why
DVA-C02 is designed for software developers who build and maintain applications on AWS - not infrastructure engineers, and not people with only theoretical cloud exposure. AWS explicitly recommends candidates have at least one year of hands-on experience developing and maintaining applications on AWS, proficiency in at least one high-level programming language, familiarity with the application lifecycle, hands-on experience with the AWS CLI, SDKs, and APIs, exposure to CI/CD practices, and a working understanding of application security concepts. There are no formal prerequisites enforced at registration, but candidates without this background typically struggle with the scenario depth of the questions.
In practice, this certification tends to attract:
- Backend and full-stack developers moving workloads to serverless architectures
- DevOps-adjacent engineers who write deployment automation and need to validate cloud-native coding skills
- Developers targeting roles that explicitly list AWS Certified Developer - Associate as a preferred qualification
To see how employers actually use this credential in hiring and what kinds of roles reference it, check out DVA-C02 Jobs. If you're trying to decide whether the investment pays off relative to your career goals, the Is the DVA-C02 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and DVA-C02 Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis articles go deeper into that calculus.
Registration, Fees, and Retakes
Registering for DVA-C02 happens through your AWS Certification account, where you schedule a seat with Pearson VUE - either at a physical test center or through online proctoring from home or office. The exam fee is a flat $150 USD; AWS does not publish a separate member or non-member pricing tier for this exam, so the price is the same for everyone regardless of prior certifications held.
One practical benefit: if you already hold an active AWS certification, you're eligible for a 50% discount voucher toward your next exam, which can meaningfully reduce the cost of pursuing DVA-C02 as part of a broader certification path. For the full breakdown of what you'll actually pay - including retake costs and any regional considerations - see DVA-C02 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Scoring and What "Passing" Really Means
DVA-C02 uses a scaled scoring system that ranges from 100 to 1000, and the passing score is set at 720. AWS uses compensatory scoring, meaning you don't need to pass each domain individually - a strong performance in Development with AWS Services can offset a weaker showing in Troubleshooting and Optimization, as long as your overall scaled score clears 720.
AWS does not publicly disclose pass rates for DVA-C02, so any specific percentage you see cited elsewhere online should be treated skeptically. What we can say concretely: the scoring model rewards broad competence across all four domains rather than mastery of just one, because the scaled score is calculated across the entire 50-question scored set. If you want a realistic sense of what test-takers report about difficulty and outcomes, our DVA-C02 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and How Hard Is the DVA-C02 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 articles unpack this without relying on invented numbers.
| Exam Attribute | DVA-C02 Detail |
|---|---|
| Total Questions | 65 (50 scored, 15 unscored) |
| Time Allowed | 130 minutes |
| Passing Score | 720 on a 100-1000 scale |
| Format | Multiple choice and multiple response |
| Fee | $150 USD flat rate |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test center or online proctoring |
| Validity | 3 years |
A DVA-C02-Specific Prep Approach
Because Development with AWS Services carries 32% of the exam weight - nearly a third of your score - it deserves the largest share of your study calendar, followed by Security at 26%, Deployment at 24%, and Troubleshooting and Optimization at 18%. A simple way to sequence this without falling into generic study advice is to map your weeks directly to domain weight.
Development with AWS Services
- Build small Lambda functions triggered by API Gateway and SQS
- Practice DynamoDB table design with partition/sort keys and GSIs
Security
- Write IAM policies for least-privilege Lambda execution roles
- Rotate secrets using Secrets Manager in a sample app
Deployment
- Deploy a SAM application through CodePipeline
- Compare blue/green vs. canary deployment configs
Troubleshooting and Optimization + Full Reviews
- Trace a multi-service request using X-Ray
- Run timed full-length practice exams on our practice test engine
This weighting-based schedule is just one option; for a more exhaustive week-by-week plan tied to specific AWS services and sample question types, see the DVA-C02 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And if you're evaluating structured courses versus self-study, the DVA-C02 Training guide compares your options.
Key Takeaway
Don't split study time evenly across domains - allocate roughly proportional to the official weighting, with Development with AWS Services and Security together consuming more than half your prep hours.
Validity, Renewal, and What Comes After
Once earned, DVA-C02 stays valid for 3 years. Renewal happens by passing the latest version of the Developer - Associate exam again, or by passing the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional exam, which effectively recertifies your Associate-level credential at a higher tier. This makes DVA-C02 a reasonable stepping stone if your long-term goal is a Professional-level AWS certification rather than a terminal credential on its own.
Active AWS certification holders also unlock ongoing benefits, including that 50% exam discount voucher mentioned earlier - useful if you're planning to stack additional AWS certifications rather than stopping at one.
If you landed here searching for related terminology, you may also find our companion explainer pieces useful: DVA-C02 Meaning, What Does DVA-C02 Stand For?, What Is A DVA-C02?, What Does DVA-C02 Mean?, and What Is DVA-C02 Certification? all address closely related angles on this same credential.
Frequently Asked Questions
The core structure - 65 questions, 130 minutes, 720 passing score - is unchanged from the prior version, but DVA-C02 updates the content to reflect current AWS services and adds emerging AI-assisted development topics that may appear as unscored pretest questions.
Of the 65 total questions, 50 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest questions used by AWS for future exam development. You won't be told which is which, so treat every question as if it counts.
AWS recommends proficiency in at least one high-level programming language along with about a year of hands-on AWS development experience. There's no formal prerequisite check at registration, but the scenario-based questions assume real coding background.
Unanswered questions are counted as incorrect. There is no additional penalty for guessing, so it is always better to select an answer, even an educated guess, than to leave a question unanswered.
Development with AWS Services carries the highest weight at 32%, making it the single most valuable domain to prioritize, followed by Security at 26% and Deployment at 24%.