How I Passed the AWS Certified Developer Associate - DVA-C02 in Just 2 Months!

Earning the AWS Certified Developer – Associate certification was a rewarding journey, one that helped me deepen my understanding of AWS services, cloud-native application development, and best practices. In just two months, I went from preparation to passing the exam, and I’m excited to share my experience, strategies, and key learnings to help others achieve the same goal.

Why I Pursued This Certification?

With cloud computing rapidly evolving, I wanted to validate my AWS expertise and stay competitive in the industry. The AWS Certified Developer – Associate certification stood out as it focuses on real-world application development, debugging, and deployment strategies. This certification aligns perfectly with my role and future aspirations in cloud development.

• My AWS CDVA Badge Link

How would you decide which certification suits you best & which one to choose?

I often see people getting confused on which certification should they choose? How to decide which certification to go for depending on their level of experience or if they don't have any prior experience? Well in our academics everything follows a hierarchy and we have to step up one by one. Here you go with the hierarchy:

1. Foundational Level (Beginner)

?? Ideal for beginners and non-technical professionals (Basically Freshers)

• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) Covers fundamental AWS concepts, pricing, security, and cloud basics.

2. Associate Level (Intermediate)

?? Ideal for professionals with some AWS experience (1+ year recommended)

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) Focuses on designing scalable and reliable AWS architectures.
• AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) Covers AWS services, SDKs, and application development in the cloud.
• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) Focuses on deploying, managing, and operating workloads on AWS.

3. Professional Level (Advanced)

?? Ideal for experienced AWS professionals (2+ years recommended)

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) Covers advanced architecture, cost optimization, and complex solutions.
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02) Focuses on automation, CI/CD, monitoring, and infrastructure as code.

4. Specialty Certifications (Expert-Level)

?? For deep expertise in specific AWS domains

• AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01) Covers complex networking topics like hybrid cloud and security.
• AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C02) Focuses on AWS security, encryption, IAM, and compliance.
• AWS Certified Database – Specialty (DBS-C01) Covers AWS database services like RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora, etc.
• AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty (MLS-C01) Focuses on AWS AI/ML services like SageMaker, training models, etc.
• AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty (DAS-C01) Covers data lakes, analytics, Redshift, Kinesis, etc.
• AWS Certified SAP on AWS – Specialty (PAS-C01) Focuses on running SAP workloads on AWS.

"Assess your requirements, level of experience & domain and choose the certification accordingly from above"

Looping back to AWS DVA-C02 Exam Details

Now that you know which certification to go for the next step is to know about the exam details which in my case is AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02)

• Certification: AWS Certified Developer – Associate
• Exam code: DVA-C02
• Number of questions: 65 (Scoring Que 50 & Non-Scoring Que 15)
• Number of Non Scoring questions: 15 (but you wouldn't know which one is scoring or non-scoring. These questions are there to assess your knowledge and understanding on the AWS services by the conductors)
• Passing score: 720/1000
• Time Limit: 2 hours 10 minutes (130 minutes) If "English is not your First Language" on this basis you can take extra 30 minutes that gives you 160-170 minutes for entire exam
• Format: Scenario-based, Multiple choice/Multiple response
• Certification Validity: 3 years
• No Negative Markings

Domain Bifurcation DVA- C02

The image below shows how the exam has been changed domain-wise from DVA-C01 to DVA-C02. You have to refer below to the domains listed in DVA-C02. This shows the % of questions that will appear in certification from those domains.

Refactoring domain focuses on optimizing applications for performance, maintainability, and cost-efficiency in AWS and trust me this hasn't been removed but will come as underlaying part of other domains. I opted many questions on performance and optimization in actual certification exam.

My Preparation Strategy

I followed a structured plan that helped me stay focused and cover all the important topics effectively:

?? Study Resources That I Used and Some Useful Tips & Tricks for You

• I completed Stephane Mareek’s course: https://shorturl.at/eHSvf [MUST DO]
• I completed Faye Ellis course from pluralsight: https://www.pluralsight.com/paths/aws-certified-developer-associate-dva-c01 : Highly recommended for detailed understanding and gaining expertise in AWS services, explained in very simple terms and follows a modular approach of smaller videos per topic
• Took some practice tests from here (by Stephane Mareek): https://shorturl.at/33sBH
• Purchased exam dumps from dumpsgate.com & solved all the 337 questions: https://shorturl.at/Yb23d : I have got few direct ditto questions from these dumps in the certification exam. My tip 1 is to go through either this or examtopics dumps entirely once or twice before exams & the tip 2 is while adding this course to your cart provide a random invalid zip code, you will save on the taxes :P [MUST DO]
• Took some practice tests from Examtopics mostly all the free once: https://shorturl.at/3MAoO
• NOTE: I've purchased exam-dumps from dumpsgate because it was way cheaper than examtopics but if money is not a constraint I would highly recommend examtopics dumps for sure because A. It has more ques around 557 - Superset of dumpsgate in nutshell and B. It has an exam engine that you can set-up locally and get the exam know-how & practice.
• Also, Don't fully rely on the answers provided in the dumps, cross-check it with ChatGPT or in AWS documentation because while learning I've observed few of them were wrongly answered & watch out for duplicates question as well there were many in the downloaded dumps.
• Try to understand the wrong options in the practice questions as well and learn about them
• And finally, before the exam, revise/revisit everything that you had gone through once.
• The cheat sheet I followed: https://shorturl.at/HPCoc
• In my experience, learn more about Secret Manager, AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store,AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) and encryption in transit & at rest, ElasticCache Redis/Memcache there were many questions around it in the exam
• AWS Whitepapers & Documentation – Essential for understanding best practices.
• AWS Free Tier Hands-On Labs – Practical experience with key AWS services like Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, IAM, and S3
• Practice Exams (Whizlabs, Examtopics & Tutorials Dojo) OPTIONAL – Helped me get comfortable with exam-style questions.

?? Key Approaches That Worked for Me

• Setting a structured study plan – A well-defined roadmap kept me on track from start to finish.
• Choosing the right video course - Trust me the video course links shared above will clear all your concepts around various AWS services & will also give you a good heads up for the exam
• Taking concise and relevant notes – Writing down key concepts reinforced learning and made revision easier.
• Referring to official AWS documentation – This step is very important. Cross-referencing AWS whitepapers and taking help of CHATGPT with my course notes improved my understanding.
• Engaging in hands-on practice – Completing labs and workshops ensured I could apply theoretical knowledge.
• Using mock exams effectively – Simulating real exam conditions helped identify weak areas and build confidence.
• Exploring additional AWS learning resources – Leveraging AWS Skill Builder, Ramp-Up Guides, and free learning material provided extra insights. Attached below.

Challenges & How I Overcame Them

Every learning journey comes with its own set of challenges. Here’s what I faced and how I tackled them:

• Understanding IAM Policies & Roles → Solved by reading AWS documentation and practicing policies using IAM.
• Lambda & API Gateway Configurations, ECS, ECR → Strengthened by hands-on exercises in AWS Free Tier.
• Time Management Between Exam Preparation & Work → Created a strict study schedule and followed it diligently along with managing the office work along side.

Key Takeaways & Lessons Learned

• Mock exams highlight weak areas – Taking timed practice tests helped improve my speed and accuracy.
• Hands-on practice is crucial – Simply watching videos isn’t enough; experimenting in the AWS Console made concepts stick.
• AWS Documentation is gold – It contains in-depth explanations straight from AWS, making it an excellent learning resource.

What’s Next for me?

Now that I’ve earned this certification, I plan to:

• Apply my AWS knowledge in real-world projects.
• Explore AWS DevOps and container services (ECS, EKS, Fargate).
• Work towards AWS Solutions Architect – Associate as my next goal.

Useful Links For Your Reference

• AWS Exam Guide
• My Cheat-Sheet
• Exam Prep Official Practice Question Set: AWS Certified Developer - Associate (DVA-C02 - English)
• Get Started with AWS: Creating a Free Tier Account
• How to Create an AWS Free Tier Account | Access AWS services for free | Youtube
• Read here about the Free trial account limits carefully otherwise you would burn your pocket big time
• Schedule your AWS Certified Developer – Associate DVA-C02 Exam here
• Exam Pricing
• AWS Workshops
• https://aws-dojo.com/
• https://skillbuilder.aws/exam-prep/developer-associate
• Free Cloud Courses | Cloudthat
• You can find Exam prep videos solving questions and explaining answers on youtube as well: Providing reference to what I've gone through Dumps - 200 Ques explained by Peace of Code on Youtube

Final Thoughts, Achievements & Call to Action

If you’re preparing for the AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam, I highly recommend staying consistent with your study plan and solve all the questions of the exam-dumps.

Have questions or need guidance? Feel free to connect with me—I’d love to share insights and resources to help you succeed!

#AWS #AWSCertified #CloudComputing #AWSDeveloper #CareerGrowth