Cohort 4Register
PySpark Certification

PySpark Certification (2026): The Databricks Spark Exam, What It Covers, What It Costs, and Whether It Is Free

No exam is called a PySpark certification. The credential employers recognise for PySpark is the Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark, and all its code is in Python. Here is what Databricks lists for it today: the questions, the time, the fee, the outline and the training it recommends, with the honest answer on free routes.

By Durgesh Yadav — Senior Data Engineer @ 7-Eleven · Updated 15 Oct 2026. Preparation guidance, not a hiring guarantee.

Is there an official PySpark certification?

No exam is called a PySpark certification. The one employers recognise is the Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark, and Databricks says all code on it is in Python. Its page lists 45 scored multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, proctored online or at a test centre, a $200 registration fee and two years of validity. A course-completion certificate is not the same thing.

Databricks Interview Questions Practise PySpark on Coding Practice

Guide

What To Learn And How To Practice

What do people mean by a PySpark certification?

They almost always mean the Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark. PySpark is the Python API of Apache Spark, an open-source project that publishes documentation and no exam. Databricks runs the Spark Developer exam and says all code in it is in Python, which makes it the PySpark credential a recruiter will recognise. Databricks says the exam checks Spark's architecture and the DataFrame API for basic data work: changing columns, filtering, sorting and aggregating rows, handling missing data, reading and writing DataFrames with schemas, and UDFs and Spark SQL functions. It also covers lazy evaluation, shuffles, broadcasting, Structured Streaming, Spark Connect and basic tuning.

Not the same as: a course-completion certificate, or the Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate, which tests the Databricks platform

What does Databricks list for the exam today?

Databricks' certification page lists the details below, and the exam guide behind it covers the version live as of 30 October 2025. Databricks asks candidates to check the guide again two weeks before their exam. Prices and details change, so read the page on the day you book.

Databricks Certified Associate Developer for Apache Spark, as Databricks listed it on 15 October 2026
DetailWhat Databricks lists
Questions45 scored multiple-choice questions; unscored questions may be added, unmarked, with extra time for them
Time limit90 minutes
DeliveryProctored, online or at a test centre
LanguageEnglish; all code snippets in Python
Registration fee$200, as listed on the page
Test aidsNone, including the API documentation
PrerequisitesNone required; related training and 6+ months of hands-on Spark work recommended
Validity2 years; recertify by taking the current version of the exam

Which topics carry the most marks?

The DataFrame API carries the most. Databricks weights the outline at 30% for developing DataFrame and Dataset API applications, 20% for Spark architecture and components, 20% for Spark SQL, 10% for troubleshooting and tuning, 10% for Structured Streaming, 5% for Spark Connect and 5% for the Pandas API on Spark.

DataFrame API: joins including broadcast joins, unions, deduplication, dates, UDFs
Architecture: driver and executors, partitioning, caching and storage levels, lazy evaluation
Spark SQL: reading and writing files and JDBC sources, save modes, temporary views
Tuning: repartition and coalesce, data skew, adaptive query execution, executor logs

A sample question from Databricks' exam guide

Write a DataFrame df to Parquet, partitioned by country, overwriting existing data. The guide's answer: df.write.mode("overwrite").partitionBy("country").parquet("/data/output"). Each wrong option lacks either the overwrite mode or the partitionBy.

Which should you take: the Spark Developer exam or the Data Engineer Associate?

Take the Spark Developer exam if your target postings say PySpark or Spark, and the Data Engineer Associate if they say Databricks. The Spark exam tests the engine and the DataFrame API, the same on any Spark platform. The Data Engineer Associate tests the Databricks platform around them: ingestion, Lakeflow Jobs, CI/CD and governance, with ETL in PySpark as one part. Azure teams have a third option, Microsoft's Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate (exam DP-750).

Two Databricks exams, as each page listed them on 15 October 2026
DimensionAssociate Developer for Apache SparkData Engineer Associate
What it testsSpark architecture, the DataFrame API, Spark SQL, streaming and tuningDatabricks platform work: ingestion, transformation, jobs, CI/CD, governance
Largest outline areaDataFrame and Dataset API applications, 30%Data transformation and modelling, 22%
Scored questions and time45 in 90 minutes45 in 90 minutes
Registration fee as listed$200$200
Exam languagesEnglishEnglish, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean
Validity2 years2 years
Best fitPostings that ask for PySpark or SparkPostings that ask for Databricks

Can you get the PySpark certification for free?

Not the exam: Databricks lists a $200 registration fee and shows no free option. The preparation is free. Databricks' Free Edition page says Free Edition costs nothing and that self-paced training in Databricks Academy is free, and the exam guide names four self-paced Spark courses there: Introduction to Apache Spark, Developing Applications with Apache Spark, Stream Processing and Analysis with Apache Spark, and Monitoring and Optimizing Apache Spark Workloads on Databricks. The instructor-led Apache Spark Programming with Databricks is paid. Databricks' training page also labels some on-demand courses FREE, such as Databricks Fundamentals. Databricks has run discount events too. Its Learning Festival, 16 March to 3 April 2026, gave a 50% discount on any Databricks certification to people who completed a self-paced pathway, Apache Spark Developer among them. It has ended; watch the Databricks Community events page, and distrust anyone else selling a free voucher.

Free: Databricks Free Edition, the self-paced Academy courses, the Spark docs and the exam guide's sample questions
Free: graded PySpark practice on PrepNPlaced's Coding Practice
Paid: the exam itself, and Databricks' instructor-led Spark course

How do you prepare for the Databricks Spark exam?

Prepare in the order the outline is weighted: DataFrame code first, then architecture and Spark SQL, then the smaller areas.

  1. Download the exam guide from Databricks' certification page and read every objective.
  2. Take the four self-paced Spark courses in Databricks Academy.
  3. Write DataFrame code daily in Databricks Free Edition or on PrepNPlaced's Coding Practice.
  4. Practise without documentation, because the exam allows no test aids.
  5. Read the Spark tuning guide on adaptive query execution, shuffle partitions and broadcast joins.
  6. Answer the guide's sample questions and say why each wrong option is wrong.
  7. Book through the registration link on Databricks' page.

Related Guides

Keep Preparing

Move between roadmaps, interview questions, and tools without losing your preparation thread.

Databricks Interview Questions

Delta Lake, cluster tuning and the lakehouse round.

Read guide

PySpark Interview Questions

The DataFrame questions the exam outline overlaps with.

Read guide

Spark Interview Questions

Architecture, shuffles and lazy evaluation.

Read guide

Coding Practice

Graded PySpark questions on a live Spark sandbox.

Read guide

PySpark Projects for Beginners

Six builds to pair with the certificate.

Read guide

Best PySpark Courses

Free and paid ways to learn PySpark.

Read guide

Databricks vs Microsoft Fabric

Which platform to learn first.

Read guide

India Tech Hiring Report 2026

The 1,470 data-engineer postings behind the Spark and Databricks shares.

Read guide

PySpark Roadmap 2026

What to learn in PySpark, in order, and how interviews test it.

Read guide

Data Careers Hub

Return to the parent resource hub for the full preparation path.

Open hub

FAQ

Common Questions

How much does the Databricks Spark certification cost in India?

Databricks lists the registration fee as $200 and shows no rupee price or tax line, so the rupee amount depends on the conversion your card or bank applies; check the final figure at checkout. Recertifying means taking the current exam again. Prices change, so read the page before you book.

Is the Databricks Spark exam in Python or Scala?

Python. Databricks' page says all code in the exam is in Python and does not mention Scala. The exam itself is in English. If you learned Spark in Scala, practise the Python syntax first.

Can I use the PySpark documentation during the exam?

No. The exam guide says no test aids are provided, including the API documentation, so know calls such as F.dense_rank().over(...) from memory. Spend your last week writing code with no docs open.

How long is the Databricks Spark certification valid?

Two years. Databricks says recertification is required every two years, by taking the full exam that is live at the time, not a shorter renewal test.

Is a course-completion certificate the same as a PySpark certification?

No. A course certificate says you finished a course; the Databricks exam is proctored and scored against a published outline. On a resume, list the exam under Certifications and course certificates under training.

Is the Databricks Spark certification worth it for jobs in India?

It can help a resume through keyword screens; it does not replace a project. In PrepNPlaced's India Tech Hiring Report, Databricks was named in 19.1% of 1,470 data-engineer postings and Spark in 17.2% of 1,470 (23 August to 27 September 2026), while SQL (48.6%) and Python (42.7%) were named more often. Pair the certificate with a project you can explain.

Is there a Microsoft certification for Azure Databricks?

Yes: Microsoft Certified: Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate, exam DP-750. Microsoft's page asks for SQL and Python, lists 120 minutes for a proctored exam priced by country, and says the English version will be updated on 19 October 2026. It suits Azure employers.

Next Step

Turn The Guide Into Practice

Use PrepNPlaced tools to turn this learning path into resume proof, targeted practice, and interview-ready explanations.

Databricks Interview Questions