AWS Certified Data Engineer Exam Topics, Tips & Free Practice Exams

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AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate Exam Topics

Exam Basics

Format: 50 scored questions and 15 unscored questions
Question types: multiple choice and multiple response
Scoring: scaled 100–1000; passing score 720
Model: compensatory — section scores don’t need to pass individually
Target candidate: 2–3 years data engineering; 1–2 years hands-on with AWS

Domain 1: Data Ingestion & Transformation (34%)

Ingest streaming and batch data with Kinesis/MSK/DynamoDB Streams, S3, Glue, EMR, Redshift, DMS, AppFlow
Schedule and trigger jobs via EventBridge, MWAA (Airflow), Glue workflows; handle replayability, fan-in/out, throttling
Build ETL/ELT with EMR, Glue, Lambda, Redshift; connect via JDBC/ODBC; integrate multiple sources
Transform formats (e.g., CSV to Parquet), optimize containerized processing (EKS/ECS), and expose data via APIs

Domain 2: Data Store Management (26%)

Select and configure stores for access patterns and performance: Redshift, RDS, DynamoDB, EMR/Lake Formation, Kinesis/MSK
Use Redshift Spectrum, federated queries, materialized views; integrate Transfer Family
Catalog and discover data with Glue Data Catalog and crawlers; manage schemas, partitions, and metadata
Manage lifecycles: S3 Lifecycle tiers and expiration, S3 versioning, DynamoDB TTL; hot vs cold storage choices
Design schemas and evolve them; apply indexing/partitioning/compression; perform schema conversion with AWS SCT/DMS

Domain 3: Data Operations & Support (22%)

Automate pipelines with MWAA, Step Functions, Glue/EMR/Redshift features, Lambda, EventBridge
Analyze with Athena/QuickSight; cleanse and profile data using DataBrew, Wrangler, notebooks
Log and monitor with CloudWatch/CloudTrail/Macie; analyze logs via Athena, OpenSearch, Logs Insights
Ensure data quality: define rules, sample data, detect skew, validate completeness/consistency/integrity

Domain 4: Data Security & Governance (18%)

Apply AuthN/AuthZ with IAM roles/policies, SGs, PrivateLink, S3 Access Points; manage creds with Secrets Manager/Parameter Store
Encrypt at rest and in transit; use KMS; implement masking/anonymization and cross-account encryption
Centralize and audit logs with CloudTrail, CloudWatch Logs, CloudTrail Lake; analyze with Athena/OpenSearch
Enforce privacy/governance: protect PII (Macie + Lake Formation), control data sharing (Redshift), manage regional restrictions and config drift (Config)

Out of Scope for the Exam

Performing AI/ML tasks
Language-specific syntax expertise
Drawing business conclusions from data

How to Prepare

Study the official exam guide and domain task statements
Build pipelines end-to-end with Kinesis/MSK, Glue/EMR/Spark, Redshift, and Step Functions/MWAA
Practice cataloging and lifecycle policies with Glue Data Catalog and S3 Lifecycle
Drill security/governance: IAM policies/roles, KMS encryption, Macie, Lake Formation, CloudTrail/CloudWatch
Use Athena/QuickSight for analysis; validate data quality with DataBrew and queries

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