The DEA-C01 is built around four content domains. Data Ingestion and Transformation carries the most weight at 34%; Data Security and Governance the least at 18%. Knowing the proportions before you start studying tells you exactly where to invest your prep time.
Last updated July 2026.
| DEA-C01 | |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 65 (50 scored, 15 unscored) |
| Time limit | 130 minutes |
| Passing score | 720 (on a 100 to 1,000 scale) |
| Cost | $150 USD |
| Question types | Multiple choice, multiple response |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE testing center or online proctored |
All figures from the official AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01) exam guide.
The 50 scored questions are distributed across four domains. The exam uses a compensatory scoring model: you need to pass the exam overall, not each domain individually. Section-level feedback is provided in your score report but is for guidance only.
The largest domain covers the full pipeline lifecycle from source to transformed output. Streaming ingestion draws from Kinesis Data Streams and Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka (Amazon MSK). Batch ingestion sources include S3, AWS Glue, EMR, DMS, Redshift, Lambda, and AppFlow. Transformation services covered include Glue, EMR, Lambda, and Redshift. Pipeline orchestration with Step Functions, Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA), and EventBridge also appears here, alongside programming concepts: infrastructure as code, CI/CD for data pipelines, and Lambda concurrency tuning.
The second-largest domain covers selecting and configuring storage services for a given use case: Redshift for columnar analytics, DynamoDB for key-value and document workloads, RDS for relational patterns, and Lake Formation for governed data lakes. Data cataloging via the AWS Glue Data Catalog and crawlers is tested, as is lifecycle management with S3 Lifecycle policies, DynamoDB TTL, and versioning. Schema evolution and conversion using AWS DMS Schema Conversion rounds out the domain. Open table formats, specifically Apache Iceberg, appear here as well.
This domain covers running and observing pipelines once they are built. Orchestration with MWAA and Step Functions overlaps with Domain 1, so time spent on those services benefits both. The coverage that is distinct to this domain: monitoring and auditing with CloudWatch Logs and CloudTrail, analyzing logs with Athena and Amazon OpenSearch Service, querying with Athena and Redshift, and verifying data quality with AWS Glue DataBrew. Data skew and sampling techniques for quality checks also appear here.
The smallest domain covers a distinct skill set. IAM authentication and authorization, Lake Formation permissions for Redshift, EMR, Athena, and S3, KMS encryption, data masking and PII detection using Amazon Macie, and audit logging via CloudTrail and CloudTrail Lake are all in scope. Eighteen percent is roughly nine of every 50 scored questions. It is contained enough to cover in a dedicated study block but too significant to skip.
Domain 1 is first priority. Every hour you spend on ingestion patterns, transformation services, and pipeline orchestration is the highest-leverage study time on this exam. Domains 2 and 3 together account for nearly half the exam, so storage selection and pipeline operations need substantial time as well. Domain 4 tests a narrower set of IAM and Lake Formation patterns; a focused block of study typically covers the core of what the exam tests.
The official exam guide lists specific task statements and in-scope AWS services for each domain. Reading through those task statements is one of the most efficient ways to close blind spots, because exam questions draw directly from them. The guide is free and is updated when the exam changes.
The exam has 65 questions in total: 50 scored and 15 unscored. Unscored questions are not identified during the exam and do not affect your score.
The minimum passing score is 720 on a 100 to 1,000 scaled scoring range. The exam uses a compensatory scoring model, so you do not need to pass each domain separately.
The exam costs $150 USD. It is available at Pearson VUE testing centers or as an online proctored exam.
Domain 1 (Data Ingestion and Transformation) carries 34% of scored content, making it the largest domain on the exam.
The full DEA-C01 exam guide lists every task statement, in-scope service, and sample question format. It is the primary prep document and it is free.
Open the AWS exam guide →