AWS Certification: How to Get 30 Extra Minutes on Your Exam (DaZ +30)

As an AWS-certified cloud architect, I get asked the same question by colleagues preparing for their first certification exam: do I really have to take it in English? Yes, you do — AWS doesn't offer its certification exams in German. The good news: there's an official accommodation for that, "DaZ +30", which gives you 30 extra minutes. It takes about five minutes to set up.

What is "DaZ +30"?

AWS certification exams are only offered in a handful of languages, including English, Japanese, Spanish, and Mandarin. German isn't one of them. If German is your native language, you're testing in English no matter which certification you take, and that's exactly what the "DaZ +30" accommodation compensates for.

The name is a bit misleading — "Deutsch als Zweitsprache" translates to "German as a second language," but it doesn't mean you get to test in German (that isn't an option). It means your native language is German and you're still writing a technical exam in English. You only need to request the accommodation once — after that, it automatically applies to every future exam registration, regardless of which testing provider you use.

Full eligibility details are listed on the official AWS exam policy page.

Step-by-step: requesting DaZ +30

1. Sign in at your AWS Certification Account.
2. Select "Go to your account".
3. Select "Request exam accommodations", then "Request Accommodation".
4. In the "Accommodation Type" dropdown, choose "DaZ +30 Minutes".
5. Select "Create".

That's it. The accommodation now sits on your account and is applied automatically the next time you book an exam.

Good to know

• One-time setup, permanent effect: You only configure DaZ +30 once. Every future exam, whether at a test center or proctored online, automatically includes the extra time.
• Not just for German speakers: AWS offers comparable extensions for other native-language groups too, for example "ESL +30" for anyone testing in English who isn't a native English speaker. If your first language is something else, check the exam policy page for the accommodation that applies to you.
• No extra cost: Requesting the accommodation is free and doesn't affect the exam fee.

Not sure which exam is next?

If you're still figuring out which certification makes sense for your career path, my AWS Training Path Recommender asks a few quick questions and suggests a certification path with concrete study materials.

Small step, real impact: 30 extra minutes can be the difference between rushing and actually thinking through the harder questions.