AWS Certified Developer - Associate

The AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Released June 2018) exam is intended for individuals who perform a Developer role. 

It validates an examinee’s ability to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of core AWS services, uses, and basic AWS architecture best practices.
• Demonstrate proficiency in developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications using AWS.

• One or more years of hands-on experience developing and maintaining an AWS based application

• In-depth knowledge of at least one high-level programming language

• Understanding of core AWS services, uses, and basic AWS architecture best practices

• Proficiency in developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications using AWS

• Ability to use the AWS service APIs, AWS CLI, and SDKs to write applications

• Ability to identify key features of AWS services

• Understanding of the AWS shared responsibility model

• Understanding of application lifecycle management

• Ability to use a CI/CD pipeline to deploy applications on AWS

• Ability to use or interact with AWS services

• Ability to apply a basic understanding of cloud-native applications to write code

• Ability to write code using AWS security best practices (e.g., not using secret and access keys in the code, instead using IAM roles)

• Ability to author, maintain, and debug code modules on AWS

• Proficiency writing code for serverless applications

• Understanding of the use of containers in the development process
  

AWS Training

• Developing on AWS: A 3-day classroom training course
  
• AWS Digital Training: Application Services, Developer Tools, and other services covered on the exam

AWS Whitepapers

• AWS Security Best Practices whitepaper, August 2016
• AWS Well-Architected Framework whitepaper, November 2017
• Architecting for the Cloud AWS Best Practices whitepaper, February, 2016
• Practicing Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery on AWS Accelerating Software Delivery with DevOps whitepaper, June 2017
• Microservices on AWS whitepaper, September 2017
• Serverless Architectures with AWS Lambda whitepaper, November 2017
• Optimizing Enterprise Economics with Serverless Architectures whitepaper, October 2017
• Running Containerized Microservices on AWS whitepaper, November 2017
• Blue/Green Deployments on AWS whitepaper, August 2016

AWS Documentation
AWS Documentation for services, including, but not limited to, the compute, database, application services, and messaging web pages including service guides and references

The AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam validates technical expertise in developing and maintaining applications on the AWS platform. Exam concepts you should understand for this exam include:

• Picking the right AWS services for the application
• Leveraging AWS SDKs to interact with AWS services from your application
• Writing code that optimizes performance of AWS services used by your application
• Code-level application security (IAM roles, credentials, encryption, etc.)

Eligible candidates for this exam have:

• One or more years of hands-on experience designing and maintaining an AWS-based application
• In-depth knowledge of at least one high-level programming language
• Understanding of core AWS services, uses, and basic architecture best practices
• Proficiency in designing, developing, and deploying cloud-based solutions using AWS
• Experience with developing and maintaining applications written for Amazon Simple Storage Service, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Simple Queue Service, Amazon Simple Notification Service, Amazon Simple Workflow Service, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and AWS CloudFormation

Q: How long will the original version of the exam be available?
The original version of the exam will be available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese until November 19, 2018.  

Q: How is the new version, the AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam (Released June 2018), different from the original version?
The AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Released June 2018) exam is based on a new exam guide that reflects changes in the Developer role since the original exam was launched. The new exam has been updated to reflect the latest services and best practices related to the developer role. The previous version of the exam covers 4 domains, including: AWS Fundamentals, Designing & Developing, Deployment & Security, and Debugging. The updated version of the exam has been restructured and now covers 5 domains, including: Deployment, Security, Development with AWS Services, Refactoring, and Monitoring & Troubleshooting.  

Q: Which version of the AWS Certified Developer - Associate exam should I take?
Candidates should choose the appropriate exam based on when and how they began their preparation. Note that each exam has its own exam guide and practice exam to aid preparation. Individuals who have already begun preparing for the exam using the previous version of the exam guide may choose to continue their preparation and take the AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam prior to November 19, 2018. We recommend that individuals who have recently or not yet begun their preparation study for the AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Released June 2018) exam using the new exam guide.

Q: Why did AWS update the exam?
Material from the original exam becomes outdated with time, platform changes, and advances. To keep the certification relevant to job tasks, revisions of the exam must be released.

Q: Does the version of the exam I take affect my recertification status?
No. If you are certified based on either version, your certification is good for two years from the date it was attained.

Q: If I take the old exam, will I still be certified when the exam is updated?
Yes, the older version still qualifies you for certification. The older exam certification will provide a certification lasting the same length as the new exam: two years. Individuals who pass either exam will receive the same benefits and badging to showcase their accomplishment.

Q: I am scheduled to take the exam in July 2018. Which version of the exam will I be taking?
The exam’s title in PSI will determine which exam you are taking. To register for the newest version, choose “AWS Certified Deveoper – Associate (Released June 2018).”

Q: I am scheduled to take the exam in December 2018. Which version of the exam will I be taking?
The older version of the AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam will be retired November 19, 2018. After that time, only the new exam (released June 2018) will be available.

Q: I am scheduled to take the exam with Kryterion/Webassessor. Which version of the exam will I be taking?
Kryterion/Webassessor does not accept new registrations for AWS exams. Any exam scheduled at Kryterion will be the older version.

Q: Does the exam released in June 2018 cover all the latest services and features?
We routinely make updates to our exams to keep them up to date. It typically takes six months from when a new service is released for it to show up in an exam.