Frequently Asked Questions

Google Cloud Certifications

Google’s Certification Program gives customers and partners a way to demonstrate their technical skills in a particular job-role and technology. Individuals are assessed using a variety of rigorously developed industry-standard methods to determine whether they meet Google’s proficiency standards.
Google certifications give you benchmarks for your professional development. They help you gauge your skill set against your peers and demonstrate your value to hiring managers.
The cost of certification exams varies. Please refer to the individual exam pages for cost information.
Unless explicitly stated in the detailed exam descriptions, all Google certifications are valid for 2 years from the date certified. Candidates must recertify in order to maintain their certification status.
If you don't pass an exam, you can take it again after 14 days. If you don't pass a second time, you must wait 60 days before you can take it a third time. If you don't pass the third time, you must wait a year before taking it again. Payment is required each time you take an exam. Circumventing this retake policy by registering under a different name or any other means is a violation of the exam Terms and Conditions and will result in certification being denied or revoked.
Our exams are not designed to be diagnostic. Rather, they are designed to determine whether or not an individual meets a passing standard. For this reason, we only provide pass or fail information. Furthermore, because of the way our tests are designed, numerical scores are not meaningful for the examinee. Someone who gets 76% of the questions correct is not 4% more skilled than someone who gets 72%. The actual passing criteria are based on the judgement of subject matter experts and statistical analysis and may change when content changes. For this reason, we no longer provide numerical scores.
The certification is what an individual candidate earns. It is defined by a list of requirements that must be met. Usually, an exam is included in this list of requirements.
We follow industry-accepted procedures to ensure our exams are valid and accurate. Our exam development process includes the following steps:

  • Job Task Analysis

    A Job Task Analysis (JTA) is a formal study that begins with identifying job role representatives, technology experts, and stakeholders. These experts are surveyed and interviewed in a workshop to elicit information about what people do in a specific job or role and what skills distinguish competence. These skills are described in our exam guides that we publish on the web.

  • Question development

    Our question writers are subject matter experts who are working or have worked in the role being certified. Question writers are trained in the testing standards and conventions that we apply to our exams.

    All questions are reviewed to determine that they adhere to standards and are technically accurate.

  • Beta and Final Exams

    Once the questions have passed all reviews and approvals, they are published in a beta exam.

    The purpose of the beta exam is to gather performance statistics on the exam questions to determine those that are most effective. We review the question statistics and comments and remove questions that do not meet our standards.

  • Passing Score

    The passing score for each exam is confidential. It is determined by a panel of internal and external subject matter experts, following an industry-accepted standard setting process. The passing score is applied equally to all examinees. It is re-evaluated when changes are made to the exam content.
The delivery method for an exam depends on its format. Please refer to the individual exam pages for exam format and delivery information.
Exams vary in length. Please refer to the individual exam pages for exam format and time limits.
Please refer to the individual exam pages for prerequisites.
Real-world, hands-on experience is the best preparation. Our certification exams are designed to identify individuals who demonstrate skills using Google technology to perform critical job tasks. We list these tasks in our exam guides. Please refer to the individual exam pages to review the relevant exam guide and learning resources that we believe can help you build the foundation you need to get started.
No. Certification exams can be taken by anyone who is interested.
Testing accommodations will be taken into consideration on a case-by-case basis and may require supporting documentation. To request an accommodation, please contact google-cloud-certification-support@google.com
If Google discovers that you're in breach of the Exam Terms and Conditions which are presented to you during your exam, your certification(s) will be revoked, you'll be permanently barred from retaking the exam and any other Google exams. Additionally, Google, in its sole discretion, may choose to terminate any applicable business relationship with you and take necessary legal actions.
For some online exams that require third-party proctoring by our certification partner, Kryterion, a proctor will join you via a webcast and be able to talk with you. They may ask to see your identification to verify your identity for fraud prevention purposes. All Exam Information collected during this session is subject to the Google Privacy Policy.
You will receive a dynamic electronic badge so you can share your certification status on your personal professional networks with others, if you choose to do so. Google certification logos can only be used by the individual person who passes the exam. It cannot be used to represent a company. Your use of the Google certification logo is subject to Google's then-current Brand Feature Guidelines.
Acceptable forms of primary identification must be issued by the Government and include your name, photograph, and signature. Examples include:
  • Government-issued Driver’s License
  • U.S. Department of State Driver’s License
  • National/State/Country Identification Card
  • Passport
  • Passport cards
  • Military ID
  • Alien Registration Card (Green Card, Permanent Resident Visa)
Acceptable forms of secondary identification must include your name and signature. Examples include:
  • U.S. Social Security Card
  • Debit/(ATM) Card
  • Credit Card
  • School ID
  • Forms of primary identification
  • If you do not show up for your exam, your exam fee is forfeited and you will not receive a refund.
  • If you cancel your exam less than 72 hours before your exam time, your exam fee is forfeited and you will not receive a refund.
  • If you reschedule your exam within 72 hours of your exam time, you will be charged a rescheduling fee. This is because the test vendor will charge Google twice. The amount of the fee will vary for different exams, but is less than the full price of an exam.
At times, certain circumstances are beyond your control and can impact your ability to meet the terms of registration. Exceptional circumstances may be available for full or partial refund. If the test taker has extenuating circumstance, they may contact google-cloud-certification-support@google.com. Valid supporting documentation is required. Requests are reviewed and full or partial refunds granted at Google's discretion.

What might be covered?

  • A medical emergency for you or a family member.
  • Natural disasters or severe weather incidents impacting the location of testing.
  • Urgent travel restrictions or severe security advisories issued 72 hours before your scheduled exam, by an appropriate national or international authority (such as a government office or department).
When handling the information that we collect and process during participation in the exam, Google follows strict guidelines that can be found in our Data Sharing Policy for Google Certifications and Google’s Privacy Policy .
Beta certification exams are newly developed assessments. We gather performance statistics on the questions and use these statistics to create the certification standards for the final exams.
  • Beta exams cost less than final exams.
  • Beta exams are only available for a short window of time.
  • The beta exam is longer than the final exam. This is because we are evaluating a large number of questions.
  • You won't receive your exam results right away. Beta exams are scored after the beta exam period closes. All beta candidates are notified of their results at the same time.
The beta exam registration fee is USD 120 (discounted from retail price of USD 200).
Yes. If you pass, you are Google Certified.
Beta exams are scored after the beta period ends. Expect to get your score for the Google Certified Professional exams in February of 2017. We will notify all beta participants at once.
You will be able to take the final version of the exam once it is released. Our retake policy will apply.
You will be allocated 4 hours to complete the exam.
No. All individuals are allowed to attempt an exam. For details, please download the Exam Guides on the detailed exam pages.
The beta exams are available globally in English.
Unless explicitly stated in the detailed exam descriptions, all Google certifications are valid for 2 years from the date certified. Candidates must recertify in order to maintain their certification status and certificate number.
Google Cloud technology changes frequently. We require recertification to ensure you're maintaining your skills.
Yes. You'll receive two reminder emails, 60 and 30 days prior to your expiration date. Please ensure your email address is up-to-date in your Webassessor account.
Please ensure that your email information is up-to-date in Webassessor as this is where your reminder emails will be sent. Unfortunately, you will have to retake the certification to reinstate your certification status.
If you want to continue to receive the certification benefits, you will need to take the exam again.
Please submit your inquiry using our contact form.
If you are having difficulties finding one of our Kryterion Testing Network (KTN) centers within a 100-mile radius, and/or a KTN center with available dates and times, please contact the KTN Support Team at 800-403-6199 or 602-281-3591 or send an email to ktnsupport@kryteriononline.com. Support is available between 7:00 AM Monday through 7:00 AM Saturday (Mountain Standard Time).