AWS Developer Associate Study Plan: 8 Weeks With Labs Every Weekend

Why This Plan Works

Passing the AWS Developer Associate (DVA-C02) exam requires more than watching videos. You need hands-on experience and regular self-assessment. This 8-week plan assumes you have some IT background but aren't deep into AWS. Each week focuses on a specific domain, includes a weekend lab, and ends with a checkpoint test. Stick to the schedule, and you'll walk into the exam confident.

Week 1: AWS Fundamentals and IAM

Study: AWS Global Infrastructure, core services (EC2, S3, VPC basics), and Identity and Access Management (IAM). Focus on IAM users, groups, roles, policies, and best practices. You might also find AWS Solutions Architect Associate in 8 Weeks: A Working Professional Plan helpful.

Hours: 10-12 hours total (2 hours per weekday, 2-3 hours on weekend).

If your weekly availability differs, use the free AWS Certified Developer - Associate study plan to get a schedule that fits your time.

Resources: Start with the official AWS Developer Training page. Watch the free "AWS Fundamentals" videos on AWS Skill Builder. For IAM deep dive, read the IAM sections in the IAM User Guide.

Weekend Lab: Create an IAM user with MFA, assign a policy that only allows S3 read access, and test it. Then create a role and attach it to an EC2 instance to access S3 without keys.

Checkpoint: Score at least 70% on a practice test covering IAM and core services. Use the free practice exam on the AWS Certification page or a question bank like PractiseExam's AWS Developer Associate mock tests.

For a quick gauge of weak topics before you move on, the free AWS Certified Developer - Associate readiness check points to the topic most needing review.

Week 2: EC2 and Elastic Load Balancing

Study: EC2 instance types, pricing models (On-Demand, Reserved, Spot), security groups, key pairs, user data, and ELB (ALB, NLB, CLB). Understand how Auto Scaling works with ELB.

Hours: 10-12 hours.

Resources: The EC2 User Guide and the AWS Skill Builder course "Amazon EC2 Basics." For ELB, watch the official "Elastic Load Balancing" video.

Weekend Lab: Launch an EC2 instance with a web server using user data. Create an ALB and register the instance. Test health checks and access logs.

Checkpoint: Score 75% on a practice test focusing on EC2 and ELB. Review any questions about security groups and load balancer types.

Week 3: S3 and Storage

Study: S3 bucket creation, objects, permissions, versioning, lifecycle policies, static website hosting, and encryption. Also cover EBS and EFS basics.

Hours: 10-12 hours.

Resources: The S3 User Guide is essential. The AWS Skill Builder course "Amazon S3 Deep Dive" is also helpful.

Weekend Lab: Create an S3 bucket with versioning enabled. Upload files, enable static website hosting, and set a lifecycle policy to transition objects to Glacier after 30 days. Test access via a bucket policy.

Checkpoint: Score 75% on S3 and storage questions. Know the differences between storage classes and when to use each. If this interests you, AWS Cloud Practitioner Study Plan: 4 Weeks to Certified goes into more detail.

Week 4: DynamoDB and Databases

Study: DynamoDB tables, items, primary keys, secondary indexes, and query vs. scan. Also cover RDS (Multi-AZ, read replicas) and ElastiCache basics.

Hours: 10-12 hours.

Resources: The DynamoDB Developer Guide and the AWS Skill Builder course "Amazon DynamoDB for Developers."

Weekend Lab: Create a DynamoDB table with a partition key and sort key. Insert sample data, then query and scan. Add a global secondary index and test querying with it.

Checkpoint: Score 75% on database questions. Be able to explain when to use DynamoDB over RDS.

Week 5: Lambda, API Gateway, and Serverless

Study: Lambda functions, triggers, event sources, and serverless architecture. API Gateway REST APIs, resources, methods, and integrations with Lambda.

Hours: 12-14 hours (this is a big week).

Resources: The Lambda Developer Guide and the AWS Skill Builder course "AWS Lambda Fundamentals." For API Gateway, see the API Gateway Developer Guide.

Weekend Lab: Build a simple serverless app: a Lambda function that writes to DynamoDB, triggered by an API Gateway endpoint. Test the full flow with POST and GET requests.

Checkpoint: Score 80% on serverless questions. This is a critical domain for the exam.

Week 6: CI/CD and Code Services

Study: AWS CodeCommit, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, and CodePipeline. Understand how to create a CI/CD pipeline for a sample application.

Hours: 10-12 hours.

Resources: The CodePipeline User Guide and the AWS Skill Builder course "Getting Started with AWS CodePipeline."

Weekend Lab: Use CodeCommit to store a sample app, CodeBuild to build it, and CodePipeline to deploy to an EC2 instance. Automate the entire flow.

Checkpoint: Score 75% on CI/CD questions. Know the difference between CodeDeploy deployment types. For more on this topic, see our guide on AWS Developer Associate Difficulty: Where Developers Without AWS Experience Stumble.

Week 7: Security, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting

Study: AWS Secrets Manager, AWS KMS, CloudWatch (metrics, logs, alarms), and X-Ray. Also cover IAM policies for developers and security best practices.

Hours: 10-12 hours.

Resources: The Secrets Manager User Guide and the AWS Skill Builder course "AWS Security Best Practices." For CloudWatch, see the CloudWatch User Guide.

Weekend Lab: Store a database password in Secrets Manager and rotate it. Set up CloudWatch alarms for a Lambda function's error count. Use X-Ray to trace a request through your serverless app.

Checkpoint: Score 80% on security and monitoring questions.

Week 8: Review, Practice Exams, and Weak Areas

Study: Review all domains, focusing on your weakest areas from checkpoint scores. Take full-length practice exams under timed conditions.

Hours: 15+ hours.

Resources: Use the official AWS practice exam and PractiseExam's full mock tests. Also review the DVA-C02 Exam Guide.

Weekend Lab: Build a complete application that integrates S3, Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, and CI/CD. Deploy it using CloudFormation or SAM.

Checkpoint: Score 85% or higher on a full practice test before moving to the final 3 days.

Final 3 Days Before the Exam

Day -3: Light Review

Review your notes and flashcards. Focus on key services and their limits. Do a quick skim of the exam guide bullet points.

Day -2: Practice Test

Take one full-length practice test (timed) and review every question, especially the ones you got wrong. Understand why the correct answer is right and the others are wrong.

Day -1: Rest and Logistics

Do not study heavy topics. Instead, verify your exam appointment, test the Pearson VUE software, and prepare your ID. Get a good night's sleep.

This plan is intense but realistic. The key is consistency and hands-on practice. Labs every weekend ensure you retain what you learn.

Prove your readiness to yourself — sit AWS Certified Developer - Associate exam simulations and review every rationale.