Exam Overview and Structure

• Total questions: 45

• Time limit: 90 min

• Registration fee: $200

• Question types: Multiple choice

• Delivery method: Online proctored

• Prerequisites: None – but 6+ months of hands-on experience performing the data engineering tasks recommended.

• Validity period: 2 years

• Pass Mark: 32/45

Exam Details:
https://www.databricks.com/learn/certification/data-engineer-associate

Required Knowledge Areas

• Databricks workspace, clusters, notebooks

• Jobs and scheduling

• Delta Lake fundamentals

• Data ingestion and ETL pipelines

• Performance optimization

• Error handling and monitoring

• Unity Catalog and access control

• Version control and CI/CD basics

• Testing and debugging

Reddit Advice:

https://www.reddit.com/r/databricks/comments/1fsrhip/passed_data_engineer_associate_certification_exam/ 

https://www.reddit.com/r/dataengineering/comments/1ewpcss/passed_databricks_data_engineer_associate_exam/

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Official Study Resources

• Official Databricks documentation

• Databricks Academy hands-on labs

• Sample questions and practice tests in the certification portal

• Databricks YouTube channel technical sessions The learning path aligns directly with exam objectives, featuring video lectures, exercises, and knowledge checks.

Resources:
https://customer-academy.databricks.com/learn 

https://www.databricks.com/sites/default/files/2024-06/databricks-certified-data-engineer-associate-exam-guide.pdf https://docs.databricks.com/getting-started/index.html

Hands-on Lab Experience

Use the free Databricks Community Edition to:

• Complete all learning path exercises

• Build sample data pipelines

• Practice query optimization

• Experiment with cluster configurations

• Create end-to-end workflows

Dedicate at least 50% of preparation time to hands-on practice. Focus on recreating real-world scenarios rather than just studying theory.

Resources:
https://www.databricks.com/learn/labs 

https://community.cloud.databricks.com/login.html

Practice Questions Strategy

Official practice questions are available in the Databricks Academy learning path. Supplement these with scenario-based exercises you create. When practicing:

• Time yourself to match exam conditions

• Focus on understanding why answers are correct/incorrect

• Create a log of mistakes to identify knowledge gaps

• Revisit missed questions after a few days

• Use practice tests as diagnostic tools, not just assessments

Databricks Academy Practice Exam: https://files.training.databricks.com/assessments/practice-exams/PracticeExam-DataEngineerAssociate.pdf

Exam Day Tips Time Management

• Read each question twice before answering

• Spend maximum 2 minutes per question

• Mark uncertain questions for review.

Question Strategy:

• Eliminate obviously wrong answers first

• Watch for keywords that change question context

• Don't second-guess marked answers unless you're certain

• Read all code snippets carefully - small details matter Company that runs the home testing. https://www.kryterion.com/

If You Don't Pass

Retake Policy:

• Wait 14 days before retaking

• Same exam cost for retakes

• Review your score report for weak areas

• Focus practice on failed sections

• Join Databricks community forums for help

https://community.databricks.com/t5/certifications/official-certification-exam-retake-policy-announcement/td-p/50296

https://www.databricks.com/learn/certification/faq#certifications

All the best with it. Cheers Shano.