Spark Developer Associate
Databricks Apache Spark Developer Associate
Everything you need for the Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark exam: format, the seven sections and free sample questions.
- Questions
- 45 scored
- Duration
- 90 min
- Fee
- $200
- Language
- Python
The Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark exam assesses your understanding of Spark itself — its architecture, the DataFrame API, Spark SQL, and how to troubleshoot and tune applications.
It is the most technology-focused certification in the Databricks range. Where the other associate exams test platform features, this one tests Spark: how it distributes work, how the API behaves, and why a query is slow.
All code on the exam is Python. Databricks recommends 6+ months of hands-on practice; there are no prerequisites.
What the exam covers
| Section | Weight |
|---|---|
| Developing Apache Spark DataFrame/DataSet API Applications | 30% |
| Apache Spark Architecture and Components | 20% |
| Using Spark SQL | 20% |
| Troubleshooting and Tuning DataFrame API Applications | 10% |
| Structured Streaming | 10% |
| Using Spark Connect to deploy applications | 5% |
| Using Pandas API on Apache Spark | 5% |
Seven sections. The DataFrame API is the largest at 30%, and together with Spark SQL (20%) that is half the exam spent on writing and reading transformations.
Architecture at 20% is unusually high for an associate exam and distinguishes this certification: you are expected to understand jobs, stages, tasks, partitions and shuffles rather than just call the API.
The two 5% sections — Spark Connect and the Pandas API — are about two questions each. Know what they are for; do not spend a weekend on them.
Format at a glance
45 scored questions in 90 minutes, multiple choice, online or at a test centre. Unscored items may be included. The fee is $200 and the credential is valid for two years.
Offered in English only.
Where to start
Read the exam format, then the study plan. If you are choosing between this and the platform-focused certifications, the comparison sets out the difference.
Spark Developer Associate guides
- Spark Developer Associate exam formatThe Databricks Spark Developer Associate format: 45 scored questions, 90 minutes, $200, Python only, and all seven section weights.
- Spark Developer vs Databricks Data EngineerThe Spark Developer Associate tests Spark itself; the Data Engineer Associate tests the Databricks platform. Which one fits your work.
- Spark Developer Associate study planA five-week study plan for the Databricks Spark Developer Associate exam, with half the time on the DataFrame API and Spark SQL.
- Free Spark Developer Associate sample questionsFive free Databricks Spark Developer Associate practice questions across the seven sections, each with an explained answer.
- Spark Developer: architecture and componentsThe Spark Developer Associate architecture section explained: driver and executors, jobs and stages, partitions, shuffles and lazy evaluation.
- Spark Developer: the DataFrame APIThe largest Spark Developer Associate section explained: core operations, joins, window functions, complex types and why UDFs are usually wrong.
- Spark Developer: SQL, tuning and streamingFour Spark Developer sections explained: Spark SQL, troubleshooting and tuning, Structured Streaming, Spark Connect and the Pandas API.
- Spark Developer Associate prerequisitesNo formal prerequisites for the Spark Developer Associate exam, but Python, PySpark fluency and six months of hands-on practice are assumed.
- Is the Spark Developer Associate exam hard?How hard the Databricks Spark Developer Associate exam really is, why architecture decides it, and the mistakes that cost marks.
- Is the Spark Developer Associate worth it?Is the Databricks Spark Developer Associate worth taking? Who benefits, why its knowledge is portable, and when a platform exam fits better.