What does it cost?
The Context Engineer Associate exam costs $200.
Exam fee
$200
Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
Databricks exam
Context Engineer Associate Exam facts
- Questions
- 45
- Minutes
- 90
- Exam fee
- $200
Independent: not affiliated with Databricks. These exam facts are free; the study bundle adds a study guide and two practice exams.
Short answer
Databricks Certified Context Engineer Associate is the exam for engineers who design and govern what an AI agent receives at inference time. The exam has 45 questions in 90 minutes and costs $200.
Sources: exam page, exam guide (PDF)
Published Databricks facts for the Context Engineer Associate exam on one page. Last updated
Study bundle
Prepare for the exam
$19
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Your receipt has a license key. Enter it at overqual.com/download for the three PDFs, stamped with your email and order number. They are yours to keep.
Try 5 free sample questions first See 3 pages inside
- A 63-page study guide: every exam domain, weighted like the exam
- Two practice exams: 110 original questions, every answer explained
- Every bundle includes 6 months of access: download the PDFs, and any new editions, until 6 months after your purchase date.
Edition 1.0, October 2026
How many questions and how long?
The Context Engineer Associate exam has 45 questions in 90 minutes. Question types: Multiple choice and multiple selection.
Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
The exam
- Questions
- 45
- Time
- 90 minutes
- Languages
- English
What score do you need to pass?
Databricks does not publish a passing score for Context Engineer Associate.
Source: Databricks page
What does the exam cover?
The Context Engineer Associate exam covers seven sections, weighted 16% / 9% / 20% / 18% / 13% / 11% / 13%.
Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
S116%
Foundations of Context Engineering
S29%
System Prompt and Instruction Design
S320%
Knowledge Retrieval and Genie Configuration
S418%
Memory Architecture with Lakebase and MLflow
S513%
Tool Design, MCP, and Agent Context
S611%
Context Compression and Compaction
S713%
Multi-Agent and Long-Horizon Task Design
Foundations of Context Engineering
Section 1 on Databricks (PDF)System Prompt and Instruction Design
Section 2 on Databricks (PDF)Knowledge Retrieval and Genie Configuration
Section 3 on Databricks (PDF)Memory Architecture with Lakebase and MLflow
Section 4 on Databricks (PDF)Tool Design, MCP, and Agent Context
Section 5 on Databricks (PDF)Context Compression and Compaction
Section 6 on Databricks (PDF)Multi-Agent and Long-Horizon Task Design
Section 7 on Databricks (PDF)Inside the study bundle
Study guide chapters
Twelve chapters. Chapters 3 to 9 cover the seven exam sections, weighted like the exam.
- 01 What the exam is p. 3
- 02 The context-engineering landscape on Databricks p. 7
- 03 Foundations of Context Engineering p. 12
- 04 System Prompt and Instruction Design p. 18
- 05 Knowledge Retrieval and Genie Configuration p. 23
- 06 Memory Architecture with Lakebase and MLflow p. 32
- 07 Tool Design, MCP, and Agent Context p. 39
- 08 Context Compression and Compaction p. 45
- 09 Multi-Agent and Long-Horizon Task Design p. 50
- 10 Final review p. 55
- 11 Sources p. 61
- 12 Edition and updates p. 63
Look inside the study guide
Three pages of the Edition 1.0 study guide: the contents and the first two pages of a chapter.
What is free here, and what is in the bundle?
The exam facts and 5 sample questions are free on this site. The study guide chapters and the two practice exams are in the bundle.
| Item | Free on this site | In the bundle |
|---|---|---|
| Exam facts and change log | Yes, with links to the Databricks sources | Chapter 1 of the study guide sums up the exam's format and scoring. |
| 5 sample questions | Yes | No. None of the 5 appear in the practice exams. |
| Section chapters and final review | No | Yes, in the study guide |
| Two practice exams with answer keys | No | Yes, 110 questions with an explanation for every answer |
Questions before you buy
Is this official?
No, the Context Engineer Associate bundle is not official. Overqual is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Databricks.
Does it include real exam questions?
No, the Context Engineer Associate bundle contains no exam questions, and every practice question is original.
How is the Context Engineer Associate bundle different from Databricks's free materials?
Databricks's free pages set out what the Context Engineer Associate exam covers. The Context Engineer Associate bundle adds a 63-page study guide that covers every exam domain, and two practice exams with 110 original questions, every answer explained. When Databricks revises the exam, a new edition follows if the changes warrant it, included while your access lasts.
How do I get updates?
Updates to the Context Engineer Associate bundle arrive as new editions. Every bundle includes 6 months of access: download the PDFs, and any new editions, until 6 months after your purchase date. Download each new edition at overqual.com/download with the license key from your receipt email. The change log on the exam facts page says what changed.
Can I get a refund?
No. Sales of the Context Engineer Associate bundle are final, because downloaded PDFs cannot be returned. Read the free exam facts and try the 5 free sample questions first. If a download fails or you paid twice by mistake, contact Overqual to have the download fixed or the second payment refunded.
How does the Context Engineer Associate differ from the Generative AI Engineer Associate?
The Databricks Certified Context Engineer Associate tests what goes into an agent's context window and why: context failure modes, system prompts, AI Search and Genie configuration, memory with Lakebase and MLflow, MCP tools, compaction and multi-agent context. The Generative AI Engineer Associate tests designing, building and deploying generative AI solutions. Databricks lists both on its certification index with no status marker and no retirement; the Generative AI exam is not required first, since the Context Engineer exam guide (PDF) lists no prerequisite. The announcement presents the new exam as following the adoption of the Generative AI Engineer Associate.
Does the Context Engineer Associate exam include hands-on labs?
The Databricks Certified Context Engineer Associate exam guide lists only one kind of item, 45 scored multiple-choice and multiple-selection questions plus up to 10 unscored items, and names no lab or coding task (exam guide (PDF)). Code shown in questions is Python, and SQL may appear for data manipulation, per the certification page. No test aids are allowed. Databricks does recommend hands-on practice before the exam, and the guide points to Databricks Free Edition for it.
Was there a beta, and does it still matter?
The Databricks Certified Context Engineer Associate ran as a beta onsite at Data + AI Summit on Jun 16-18, 2026, with approximately 90 items in 120 minutes and one free attempt for attendees, per the beta exam guide (PDF). Since Jul 29, 2026 the standard exam has 45 scored questions in 90 minutes for $200, per the exam guide (PDF). The seven sections and their weights are the same in both versions; the beta guide used the older name Vector Search where the current guide says Databricks AI Search.
Ready for the exam?
Three PDFs, 115 pages: the study guide and two practice exams.
Which parts of Databricks does the exam name?
The Context Engineer Associate exam guide names these products in its objectives and recommended preparation. The guide's objectives ask you to choose between these products and to pick configuration changes; none asks you to write code.
Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
Retrieval and structured data
- Databricks AI Search (the beta guide called it Vector Search)
- Genie spaces (now Genie Agents) with instructions, sample questions and trusted SQL assets
- Unity Catalog managed tables, views, parameterized queries and SQL functions
- Delta tables for just-in-time queries and Delta-backed state objects
Memory and evaluation
- Lakebase for agent sessions, memory and durable state
- MLflow 3 experiments, traces and evaluation logs
Tools and agents
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and tool descriptions
- Tools registered in Unity Catalog with names, descriptions and parameter schemas
- Agent Skills
- Agent Bricks
Governance
- Unity Catalog metadata, permissions, PII handling and policy enforcement
- Governance of authoritative versus derived data assets before deployment
How is it delivered?
The Context Engineer Associate exam is online proctored or at a test center.
- Delivery
- Online proctored or at a test center
- Languages
- English
- Prerequisites
- None; Databricks recommends related training
- Validity
- 2 years
- Retakes
- Wait 14 days between attempts; each attempt at the full fee; no retake vouchers
- Test aids
- Not allowed
Source: Databricks exam page
What are the key dates?
The dates Databricks has published for Context Engineer Associate.
- Jul 29, 2026
- General availability
Source: Databricks exam page
Fact sheet
Show the 23 factsHide the facts
- Questions
- 45 Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Time
- 90 minutes Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Fee
- $200 Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Question types
- Multiple choice and multiple selection Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Languages
- English Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Delivery
- Online proctored or at a test center Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Validity
- 2 years Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Prerequisites
- None; Databricks recommends related training Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Retakes
- Wait 14 days between attempts; each attempt at the full fee; no retake vouchers Source: Databricks page
- Test aids
- Not allowed Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- General availability
- Jul 29, 2026 Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Section weights
- S1 16% / S2 9% / S3 20% / S4 18% / S5 13% / S6 11% / S7 13% Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Unscored items
- Up to 10 Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Exam sections and weights
- 7 sections: Foundations of Context Engineering 16%; System Prompt and Instruction Design 9%; Knowledge Retrieval and Genie Configuration 20%; Memory Architecture with Lakebase and MLflow 18%; Tool Design, MCP, and Agent Context 13%; Context Compression and Compaction 11%; Multi-Agent and Long-Horizon Task Design 13% Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Code in questions
- Python; SQL may appear Source: Databricks exam page
- Recommended experience
- Six months of hands-on experience Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Sample questions in the exam guide
- 10 Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Results
- Unofficial result at the end of the exam; official result and badge after proctor review Source: Databricks page
- Official practice exams
- None Source: Databricks page
- Taxes
- Plus applicable taxes as required per local law Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Rescheduling
- More than 24 hours before an online proctored exam; more than 72 hours before a test-center exam Source: Databricks page
- Recommended training
- Databricks Academy self-paced courses: Building RAG Agents with Agent Bricks; Building Agentic Applications on Databricks; Agent Evaluation on Databricks; Deploying and Monitoring Agent Applications on Databricks; Building Reliable Conversational Agents with Genie; Get Started with Databricks for Data Engineering; Get Started with Data Governance on Databricks; Data Governance at Scale Source: Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- Beta exam
- Jun 16-18, 2026 at Data + AI Summit: approximately 90 items, 120 minutes, live proctored, $200 with one free attempt onsite, results approximately six weeks later Source: Databricks page (PDF)
What has changed, and when?
Changes to the exam and to the products it covers, newest first.
- Databricks published the standard exam, 45 scored questions in 90 minutes for $200, and its exam guide. Databricks exam guide (PDF)
- The beta ran onsite at Data + AI Summit, Jun 16-18: about 90 items, 120 minutes, one free attempt per attendee. Databricks page (PDF)
- Databricks announced the Databricks Certified Context Engineer Associate certification and the free beta at Data + AI Summit. Databricks page
To watch Databricks directly, check the exam page.