DVA-C03 renewal, validity and retake rules
The Developer – Associate certification is valid for three years. To extend it, AWS lists three options: pass the latest Developer – Associate exam, pass the DevOps Engineer – Professional exam, or maintain the certification on Skill Builder for one extra year. A failed attempt means a 14-calendar-day wait and a new full fee, with no cap on attempts. Both sets of rules are on AWS’s recertification page and after-testing policy, read on 16 October 2026.
Ways to extend it
| Route | Action | Added validity |
|---|---|---|
| Latest exam | Pass the current Developer – Associate exam | 3 years |
| Step up | Pass DevOps Engineer – Professional | 3 years |
| Skill Builder | Complete maintenance with a paid subscription | 1 year |
The two exam routes can use the 50% voucher shown in the AWS Certification account. Maintenance requires an active certification within 90 days of expiry and a monthly, annual or team subscription. In every case the certification must still be active, and the new term starts on the day the action is finished, so doing it early gives no extra time. No grace period is mentioned, so the expiry date in your account is the deadline.
DVA-C02 holders and the version change
AWS says a DVA-C02 credential taken by 30 November 2026 stays active until its original expiry. DVA-C03 is the update; the exam guide lists it as in use beginning 1 December 2026 (AWS’s blog post of 27 October 2026 says registration is open, while the guide’s note says December 1, 2026). A future exam-based renewal means “the latest version”, which will be DVA-C03 or its successor, and when AWS issues a new guide and series code the new version can be taken even by someone who passed the old one recently. The content differences are in DVA-C03 vs DVA-C02.
After a failed attempt
| Point | Rule |
|---|---|
| Wait before retrying | 14 calendar days |
| Number of attempts | Unlimited |
| Fee | Full price each time; no retake discount in the policy |
| After a pass | Same exam blocked for two years, apart from the new-guide exception above |
| Beta exams | One attempt, then wait for general availability; AWS has not called DVA-C03 a beta |
The dates have one practical effect that AWS does not state itself: a DVA-C02 failure in late November cannot be retaken before DVA-C02 closes on 30 November, because the wait runs past it.
Scores and support
Results reach your account within five business days, sometimes later if reviewed. The pass mark is 720 on a 100 to 1,000 scale, and section-level feedback in the report should be read cautiously because scoring covers the exam as a whole; see the exam format. Accommodations for documented disabilities must be requested before each booking, and non-native English speakers can ask for 30 more minutes through their account.
Planning
Check the expiry date, choose between exam, step-up and maintenance, and leave room for the retake wait. Use current material for preparation (study resources). Booking logistics are in exam day, announcements in exam changes, and the DevOps step-up is covered on the career page.