What a Databricks certification costs in 2026
Every Databricks certification exam costs $200 USD, excluding tax. Associate and Professional exams are the same price. Retakes cost the full $200 again after a 14-day wait, and every certification expires after two years.
Prices come from Databricks' own exam pages and certification FAQ , re-checked by our daily pipeline. We are an independent community project, not Databricks, and we sell nothing here.
Every paid exam, with its price
| Exam | Level | Price | Format | Valid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Engineer Associate | Associate | $200 | 45 scored questions · 90 min | 2 yr |
| Data Engineer Professional | Professional | $200 | 59 scored questions · 120 min | 2 yr |
| Data Analyst Associate | Associate | $200 | 45 scored questions · 90 min | 2 yr |
| ML Engineer Associate | Associate | $200 | 48 scored questions · 90 min | 2 yr |
| ML Engineer Professional | Professional | $200 | 59 scored questions · 120 min | 2 yr |
| Generative AI Engineer Associate | Associate | $200 | 45 scored questions · 90 min | 2 yr |
| Context Engineer Associate | Associate | $200 | 45 scored questions · 90 min | 2 yr |
| Apache Spark Developer Associate | Associate | $200 | 45 scored questions · 90 min | 2 yr |
The cost of failing
A retake is the full fee again, and Databricks does not issue free retake vouchers. You wait 14 days between attempts, with no cap on how many you take.
The cost of keeping it
Certifications expire two years after they are awarded. Staying certified means paying the fee again every two years, which is the number most budgets miss.
Tax
The published fee excludes tax. What you are charged at checkout depends on your country, so budget slightly above the list price.
Ways to pay less
There is no public discount code. Discounts come from specific programmes, and they open and close on a schedule, which is why we track them here rather than writing them down once.
Open now
- Partner Academy — discounted certificationsFree
Employees of active Databricks partner firms (e.g. DXC, Deloitte, Accenture) get discounted exam vouchers via the Partner Academy portal, plus access to partner-exclusive accreditations (Lakehouse Platform Architect, Solutions Architect Champion). Discount details vary by partner tier — ask your alliance lead.
Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Full detail on every voucher programme, including who qualifies, is on the certifications hub.
What costs nothing
8 accreditations are free. They are short courses with an assessment, not proctored exams, but they carry a shareable badge and cost nothing to attempt.
Questions people actually ask
- How much does a Databricks certification cost?
- Every Databricks certification exam costs $200 USD, excluding tax. Associate and Professional exams are the same price.
- Do Databricks Professional exams cost more than Associate exams?
- No. Both cost the same. Professional exams are longer and harder, but the registration fee is identical.
- How much does a Databricks certification retake cost?
- Full price again. Databricks states that each attempt is charged at the same price as the original exam and that it does not issue free retake vouchers. You must also wait 14 days between attempts, though there is no limit on the number of attempts.
- Is there a Databricks certification discount code?
- There is no public discount code. Discounted vouchers come from specific programmes: Databricks events, beta exams, partner organisations, and the periodic Learning Festival, where completing a learning pathway earns a percentage-off voucher. Any site offering a general-purpose coupon is not selling something Databricks recognises.
- How long does a Databricks certification last?
- Two years from the date it is awarded. Renewing means sitting the exam again at the same price, so the real cost of holding a credential is the fee every two years.
- Are there free Databricks credentials?
- Yes. 8 accreditations are free: short courses with an assessment at the end. They are not proctored certifications, but they cost nothing and carry a shareable badge.
Before you pay
The fee is the same whether you pass or not, so the cheapest certification is the one you only sit once. Our free practice questions cover six of these exams, with the code questions executed on a real Spark engine before publication.
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