What the AWS Data Engineer Certification Tests

The AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate exam tests whether you can build and maintain data pipelines on Amazon Web Services. You will answer 65 multiple-choice questions in 130 minutes, and you need a score of 720 out of 1000 to pass. The exam covers four main areas: data ingestion and transformation, data storage, data processing, and data analysis and visualization.

This is not a beginner certification. AWS assumes you already know basic cloud concepts and have worked with at least one AWS service. If you have never used AWS before, spend two to three weeks learning the fundamentals — EC2, S3, and IAM — before you start studying for the data engineer exam specifically.

The exam launched in 2023, so study materials are newer than for older AWS certifications. This means fewer third-party practice tests exist, and you will rely more heavily on official AWS resources and hands-on lab work.

Key Takeaways

  • The exam covers data pipelines, storage systems, processing frameworks, and analytics tools across AWS services like Glue, Lambda, RDS, and Redshift.
  • Hands-on experience in the AWS console matters more than memorizing facts — you should have built at least one complete pipeline before test day.
  • Official AWS training and practice exams are the most reliable sources because the exam is new and third-party materials often miss recent service changes.
  • Budget four to six months of study if you have cloud experience, or six to nine months if you are new to AWS.
  • The exam costs $150 and you can retake it if you fail, but spacing retakes two weeks apart gives you time to fill knowledge gaps.

Build Hands-On Experience in the AWS Console

Reading about AWS Glue or Lambda will not prepare you for the exam. You need to log into the AWS console and actually build data pipelines. Create a free AWS account if you do not have one — AWS gives you 12 months of free tier access to most services, which is enough for exam prep.

Start with a simple project: ingest a CSV file from S3, transform it with AWS Glue, and load it into Amazon RDS or Redshift. This single project will teach you how services connect, where you configure permissions, and what error messages look like when something breaks. Do this project twice — once following a tutorial step-by-step, and once from memory using only the AWS documentation.

After that, build a second pipeline that uses a different ingestion method, such as AWS Lambda or Amazon Kinesis. The exam tests whether you know when to use each tool, and that knowledge comes from trying them and seeing how they behave differently. Spend at least 40 hours in the console before you take the exam.

Use Official AWS Training Materials

AWS publishes an official exam guide that lists every topic the exam covers. Download it from the AWS Certification website — it is free. Read through it once to see what you do not know, then use it as a checklist as you study.

AWS also offers a paid course called "Exam Readiness: AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate" through AWS Skill Builder. This course is about four hours long and walks through each exam domain with video explanations. It is not a complete study plan on its own, but it fills gaps that hands-on work alone will not cover, such as the specific terminology AWS uses in questions.

The official AWS practice exam is worth the cost. It contains 20 questions and costs $20. The questions are written in the same style as the real exam, and the explanations tell you why each answer is correct. Take this practice exam twice — once halfway through your study to see what you need to focus on, and once a week before your test date.

Study the Services You Will See Most Often

The exam does not test all AWS services equally. Focus your study time on the services that appear in the most questions: AWS Glue, Amazon S3, AWS Lambda, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, and Amazon Kinesis. You should understand what each service does, when to use it instead of alternatives, and how to configure it for common scenarios.

For AWS Glue, know the difference between Glue Jobs and Glue Crawlers, how to write Glue scripts, and how Glue handles schema detection. For S3, understand bucket policies, encryption options, and lifecycle rules. For Lambda, know how to trigger it from other services and how to manage permissions with IAM roles.

For the databases, understand when to use RDS (relational databases you manage) versus Redshift (a data warehouse for analytics). Know the basics of how each scales and what backup options exist. For Kinesis, understand the difference between Kinesis Data Streams and Kinesis Data Firehose, because the exam tests this distinction frequently.

Take Practice Tests and Review Wrong Answers

Beyond the official AWS practice exam, use A Cloud Guru or Linux Academy if you have a subscription — both publish practice tests for the data engineer exam. Each practice test should take about two hours. Take one every two weeks during your study period.

When you finish a practice test, do not just look at your score. Read the explanation for every question you got wrong, and also read the explanations for questions you got right but were unsure about. Write down the concept you missed and add it to your study notes. If you see the same concept appear wrong on a second practice test, spend an extra hour on that topic in the AWS console.

Track which domains you score lowest on. If you consistently score below 70 percent on questions about data processing, spend the next week building Lambda functions and Glue jobs. The exam will test your weakest areas, so targeting them directly raises your overall score faster than reviewing material you already know.

Create a Study Schedule and Stick to It

Plan to study for four to six months if you already work with AWS, or six to nine months if you are new to the platform. Break your study time into three phases: foundation, depth, and review.

In the foundation phase (weeks one through four), read the exam guide, take the official AWS course, and build your first pipeline. Spend about five hours per week on this phase. In the depth phase (weeks five through sixteen), build additional pipelines, study each service in detail, and take practice tests every two weeks. Spend about eight hours per week here. In the review phase (weeks seventeen through twenty-four), retake practice tests, review your weak areas, and do one final hands-on project from scratch. Spend about five hours per week on review.

Schedule your exam date before you start studying — having a fixed date makes it easier to stay on track. Book your test at least two weeks in advance through the Pearson Vue website, which administers AWS exams. You can test at a Pearson Vue center or at home with a proctor.

Know What to Expect on Test Day

The exam is 130 minutes long, which gives you about two minutes per question. You can flag questions and come back to them, so do not spend more than three minutes on any single question the first time through. Answer all the easy questions first, then go back to the ones you flagged.

The questions are scenario-based. Instead of "What does AWS Glue do?", you will see "A company needs to ingest data from 50 different sources daily and transform it before loading into Redshift. Which approach requires the least operational overhead?" Read the scenario carefully — the exam often includes extra details to distract you from the core question.

You cannot bring notes, calculators, or reference materials into the testing center. You can use the whiteboard and marker provided to work through scenarios. The exam does not penalize guessing, so if you are unsure, make your best guess and move on rather than leaving a question blank.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need AWS Solutions Architect or Developer certification before taking the Data Engineer exam?

No. The Data Engineer exam is independent and does not require any other AWS certification. However, if you have never used AWS before, you should learn basic concepts like EC2, S3, and IAM first — this usually takes two to three weeks of self-study.

What happens if I fail the exam?

You can retake it. AWS allows you to schedule a retake immediately, but waiting two weeks gives you time to study the topics you missed. Review your exam report, which shows your score in each domain, and focus your second study period on the lowest-scoring areas.

Is the exam harder than the practice tests?

The official AWS practice exam is representative of the real exam's difficulty. Third-party practice tests vary — some are easier, some are harder. If you score above 80 percent on the official practice exam, you are likely ready. If you score between 70 and 80 percent, review your weak domains for another week.

How much does the exam cost and how long is the certification valid?

The exam costs $150. Your certification is valid for three years from the date you pass. After three years, you can retake the exam to renew it, or let it expire and recertify later if needed.

Should I memorize all the AWS service limits and pricing?

No. The exam does not test specific pricing or hard limits like "RDS supports up to 40 TB storage." It tests whether you know the general scaling characteristics — for example, that Redshift is better than RDS for analytics workloads. Focus on concepts and trade-offs, not memorization.