Databricks Data Analyst Associate Exam – Any Tips or Insights?

[Sadie_james]

Hi Guys,

Has anyone sat the Databricks Certified Data Analyst Associate exam so far? I’m planning to take this exam next month and would really appreciate it if you could share your experience.
How was the difficulty level overall? Were the questions more hands-on with SQL and Databricks notebooks, or more conceptual?

Any tips on key topics to focus on, useful study resources, or last-minute preparation advice would be super helpful for people like me who are currently preparing.

Thanks in advance

[anuj_lathi]

Hi @Sadie_james , 

• Most questions are conceptual but apply hands-on scenarios: you’ll be asked how to use Databricks SQL, manage data with Unity Catalog, and build dashboards, but you won’t have access to a live environment. Instead, questions test your reasoning around practical workflows and best practices within Databricks notebooks and SQL editor.
• Sample questions from the official exam guide cover real-life situations, like choosing correct aggregate SQL functions, configuring alerts on visualizations, using Databricks Assistant for query debugging, and understanding differences between streaming tables and materialized views.

Key subtopics include:

1. SQL querying and aggregate operations
2. Data management & cleaning in Unity Catalog
3. Importing datasets using various Databricks features
4. Configuring and interpreting dashboards, visualizations, and alerts
5. Understanding Databricks AI/BI features
6. Basic data modeling in Databricks SQL
7. Data security practices

[Hubert-Dudek]

It is good to do some exercises with SQL queries like WINDOW, ROLL UP, GROUPING SETS, and CUBE before taking the exam.

[Sumit_7]

Hi @Sadie_james,

I have cleared the DA Ass. Exam a month ago. Would suggest the only guide you need is already provided by Databricks - https://www.databricks.com/learn/certification/data-analyst-associate
Do take the related Data Analysis with Databricks training for hands-on experience to cover the exam topics.
You may take the LEARNING PATHWAY 3: DATA ANALYSTS in the upcoming Learning Festival to avail 50% off coupons - https://community.databricks.com/t5/events/self-paced-learning-festival-09-january-30-january-2026/e...

Gambare👍