Exam format
CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer Exam Format
Everything the official exam blueprint specifies: question count, time limit, scoring and the weight each domain carries. The Cloudera Certified Associate (CCA) Spark and Hadoop Developer exam is a rigorous technical assessment designed to validate the ability to develop, deploy, and manage big data applications within the Cloudera ecosystem. This certification focuses heavily on the practical application of Apache Spark for distributed data processing and the utilization of Hadoop components like HDFS and Hive. Candidates must demonstrate a deep understanding of how to move data from disparate sources, store it efficiently using optimized file formats, and perform complex analytical queries at scale. As data volumes grow, the ability to write performant Spark code and manage resource allocation via YARN becomes critical for modern data engineers. This exam ensures that developers can contribute to production-grade big data pipelines while adhering to industry-standard security and governance practices.
- 10 questions
- 120 min
- 70% to pass
- 6 domains
certilumExam facts at a glance
The published specifications for this certification.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Questions | 10 |
| Time limit | 120 minutes (720s per question) |
| Passing score | 70% — No numeric score published. Official Cloudera FAQ: "A numeric score is not provided. Cloudera determines in its sole discretion whether a person has achieved a passing score." Results are Pass/Fail per exam and per problem. |
| Domains | 6 |
| Level | Associate |
| Question bank here | 10 questions |
| Published format | Not published by the provider — the official CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer detail page (…/cdhhdp-certification/cca-spark.html) now returns 404. Official FAQ states only that the legacy CCA exams were practical: "These are practical exams. During the exam you will be asked to evaluate a scenario and implement a solution… Only the results will be graded." |
| Source | Official exam specification, published by the vendor |
Official domain weights
The percentage of the exam each domain carries. Weight your revision by these numbers, not by what you find hardest.
| Domain | Weight | Topics | Practice Qs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | 5% |
| 1 |
| Data Storage | 20% |
| 2 |
| Data Analysis | 20% |
| 2 |
| Data Ingestion | 15% |
| 1 |
| Data Processing | 30% |
| 3 |
| Cluster Management | 10% |
| 1 |
The heaviest domain is Security at 5%, and that is where lost points cost you the most. Certilum scores you per domain so you can see the difference between a knowledge gap and a formatting problem.
Note from the vendor record: RETIRED / no longer sellable. Official "Program End of Life" page: "Cloudera announced that our CDH and HDP certification exams will be discontinued… The CCP and CCA exams listed below are no longer available"; the official FAQ sets the discontinuation date as October 31, 2021 and says unused eligibility could be exchanged for a CDP exam. Earned CCA credentials "will be valid and recognized for 2 years from achievement date" (CCP 3 years). Successor: the current Cloudera Certification Program is role-based and question-based (Cloudera Data Engineer, Cloudera Data Analyst, Cloudera Generalist, etc.); no direct CCA-175 replacement exam exists. No prerequisites existed for CCA exams; CCA-175 was not renewable — it simply expired after 2 years. Exam price: no current official price — set to null; widely cited third-party figures ($295, 8-12 performance tasks, 120 minutes, 70% pass) are NOT currently published by Cloudera and should be treated as unverified legacy values. PRICE: Retired CCA/CCP program: Cloudera announced that the CDH/HDP exams (CCA-175 included) are discontinued and no longer available; there is no official fee in force (third-party figures are not from the vendor). Official exam page
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