The Databricks Certified Generative AI Engineer Associate exam costs US$200 and is a 45-question, 90-minute, online-proctored test whose items are multiple-choice or multiple-selection, drawn from six sections and 56 objectives. Databricks publishes no passing score, there is no prerequisite, and the credential is valid for two years.
Last updated October 2026.
| Generative AI Engineer Associate | |
|---|---|
| Level | Associate |
| Scored questions | 45 (unscored items may also appear and are not identified) |
| Time limit | 90 minutes, with extra time factored in for unscored items |
| Question types | Multiple-choice and multiple-selection |
| Passing score | Not published by Databricks |
| Cost | US$200 registration fee |
| Delivery | Online proctored |
| Prerequisite | None required; six months of hands-on experience recommended |
| Validity | 2 years, then the full exam again to recertify |
| Code language | Python, with SQL only for Unity Catalog, Delta and ai_query() |
Every fact in the table is from the official Databricks Generative AI Engineer Associate exam guide, the edition covering the live exam as of 18 March 2026. Confirm the price on the registration page before you pay.
The guide names two formats, and the second one changes how you should read every question stem.
One correct answer among the options. The distractors are built from the same scenario, so they are usually a real Databricks feature applied to the wrong problem (a Direct Vector Access index where a Delta Sync index was wanted, a Knowledge Assistant where the requirement was a filled table). The skill is matching the constraint in the scenario (latency, cost, update frequency, who may see what) to the one option that honours it.
Some items ask you to choose two actions. Two of the ten sample questions in the official guide work this way: one asks which two chunking changes reduce the embedding count (raise the chunk size and cut the overlap), and one asks which two MCP server options fit a requirement. Read the stem for the number it wants, judge each option on its own, and do not stop at the first plausible one.
Certified's own practice exams for this course are single-best-answer by design, so the course home states plainly that the live exam adds multiple-selection items. Treat each select-two question as two true-or-false decisions and the format stops being a surprise.
The guide says unscored questions may appear on the form, that they are not identified, and that extra time is already factored in for them. So 45 is the scored count, not necessarily the number you will see. Answer everything as if it counts.
The guide groups the objectives into six sections. It publishes objective counts, not percentage weights, and a percentage split that circulates on third-party study sites does not appear in the current edition.
Because 56 objectives map onto 45 scored questions, the exam samples objectives rather than covering each one, and Sections 3 and 4 together hold half of them. The certification guide covers what each section tests in more depth.
There is no official passing score for this exam, and no per-section weighting. Any cut score you read elsewhere is an estimate. Certified's course uses 70% as its own practice target, labelled as the course's guidance rather than a Databricks figure, and the honest readiness signal is scoring consistently on full-length timed mocks across all six sections, not clearing a number once.
Confirm the fee, the available languages and the current retake policy on the booking page itself, since those are the details most likely to change between guide editions.
Two: multiple-choice, with one correct answer, and multiple-selection, where the stem asks you to choose two actions. Two of the ten sample questions in the official exam guide are select-two items, so expect a few on the live form and read every stem for the number of answers it wants.
Yes, the exam guide says unscored questions may appear and are not identified on the form. Extra time is factored in for them, so 45 is the scored count rather than the total you may see, and you should answer every question as if it counts.
The registration fee is US$200 and the exam is delivered online with a proctor, so you take it from home or a private office. Confirm the fee and any local tax on the booking page before you pay.
Databricks does not publish a passing score for this exam, and it publishes no per-section weights. Any cut score you see quoted elsewhere is an estimate, so aim for consistent results on full-length timed practice exams rather than a specific percentage.
Yes, you should be able to read Python. The code on the exam is Python throughout, with SQL appearing only for Unity Catalog and Delta work and for ai_query() batch inference, so expect to interpret a chain, a pyfunc model or an agent wrapper rather than write one from scratch.
Certified's Generative AI Engineer Associate course has seven timed practice exams, including three full-length 45-question mocks at the real exam's 90-minute pace, across all six sections. Units 1 and 2 are free to start.
Open the practice hub →