AWS Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01) — Practice Questions and Mock Exam

The AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate validates the ability to design and implement data pipelines, manage data stores, and ensure data quality and governance on AWS. It covers data ingestion and transformation using services like Glue and Kinesis, data store management with Redshift and S3, operational support, and data security best practices.

This certification is designed for data engineers with at least one to two years of hands-on experience building and managing data solutions on AWS. It replaced the retired AWS Data Analytics Specialty and demonstrates proficiency in designing cost-effective, scalable data architectures using AWS-native services.

The exam consists of 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored), featuring multiple-choice and multiple-response question types over 130 minutes. Questions are scenario-based, focusing on data pipeline design, ETL workflows, data lake architecture, and query optimization. Expect questions about Glue, Kinesis, Redshift, Athena, Lake Formation, and S3 storage classes. Budget roughly 2 minutes per question.

This exam tests practical data engineering skills. Candidates who understand analytics concepts but lack hands-on experience building ETL pipelines and configuring data governance with AWS services struggle with implementation questions.

Delivered via Pearson VUE online or at testing centers. Available in English; additional languages may be added over time. The certification is valid for 3 years with renewal through recertification exams.