How I Passed the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate Exam
Recently, I passed the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate exam, and I want to share my experience to help others prepare. My journey combined structured learning with hands-on practice. If you’ve read some of my earlier blogs, you’ll know I’ve been actively using Databricks at work. For anyone new to Databricks, I highly recommend spending some time experimenting with the platform before attempting the exam.
Why I Took the Exam
Tech certifications offer a clear, systematic way to learn. I prefer understanding topics step-by-step, and the official exam guide is a great resource for that. Beyond learning, the exam serves as a checkpoint to evaluate your knowledge. Whether you pass or fail, you gain either confidence or valuable experience, so either way, it’s a win.
When Did I Know I Was Ready
I realized I was ready the moment I stopped stressing about the exam outcome. The truth is, you’ll probably never feel 100% ready, and that’s perfectly fine. When the time is right, you’ll simply know. Trust yourself and let your instincts guide you through.
Structure of the exam
Number of Questions: 45 (Multiple Choice)
Time Limit: 90 minutes
Cost: USD 200 (plus applicable taxes)
Mode: Online Proctored
Validity: 2 years
Recommended Experience: 6+ months of hands-on use (no formal prerequisites)
Resources I referred to
Official Exam Guide
Like I said, rather than treating the Databricks Exam Guide as just an outline, I used it as my blueprint. Here's how:
I mapped each topic from the guide to resources I had and took my notes.
I treated each bullet point in the guide as a mini goal, “Can I explain this? Have I practiced it?” That method helped eliminate blind spots.
Databricks Learning Platform
Databricks provides a wide range of free courses. These might not be in-depth, but a great starting point.
YouTube content
Naval Yemul’s Series : Highly recommended! He doesn’t just provide answers, he breaks down why each option is right or wrong. That insight really helped reinforce the logic behind the exam format.
Udemy’s Databricks Data Engineer Associate Exam Preparation Course
This course offered the depth I was looking for, especially for architectural concepts and practical examples.
What topics should you mainly focus on before taking the exam?
Spark Architecture: Lazy evaluation, DAGs, narrow vs. wide transformations, shuffle, caching/persistence
How to process batch and streaming data
Understanding when to use different computes
Delta Lake: Schema enforcement vs. evolution,
MERGE INTO, time travel,VACUUM,OPTIMIZE, versioningComplete understanding of Auto Loader
Implementation of data pipelines using DLT
Understanding CDC (Change Data Capture)
Final Thoughts
Yes, passing the exam felt great, but what’s more valuable is the confidence and capability it gave me. I can now talk about compute choices, job orchestration, or streaming pipelines with clarity, and that’s the real win.
If you're preparing:
Focus on why a tool or technique is used, not just how.
Don’t rush. Make time to build and break things.
I am always happy to help. Reach out to me on my LinkedIn
