Frequently Asked Questions

Google Cloud's certification program gives Google Cloud users, customers and partners a way to demonstrate their technical skills in a particular job role or technology. Individuals are assessed using a variety of rigorously developed industry standard methods to determine whether they meet Google Cloud's proficiency standards.
Google Cloud 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 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.
Unless explicitly stated in the detailed exam descriptions, all Google Cloud certifications are valid for two years from the date certified. Candidates must recertify in order to maintain their certification status.
Yes, test-takers who reside in the EU must be older than 16 years of age in order to qualify to take our certification exams. All other test-takers must be older than 13 years of age.
No. Certification exams can be taken by anyone who is interested.
The cost of certification exams varies. Please refer to the individual exam pages for cost information.
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. You may attempt the exam in multiple languages, but each attempt regardless of language counts toward the total permissible attempts and the waiting period between attempts still applies. 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 a denied or revoked certification.
Our exams are designed to determine only whether or not an individual meets a minimum passing standard. They are not designed to be diagnostic or spread people out on a scale of ability. For this reason, numerical scores are not meaningful for the examinee and can be misinterpreted.
We recognize that some other exam providers provide section feedback on their exams. We do not because it is not meaningful and could be misleading. Our exams are not designed to diagnose strengths and weaknesses. Our exam sections are very broad topic categories, and the range of specific questions you may receive for each section in a single exam sitting is extremely narrow by comparison. Based on such a small amount of data, there is no meaningful feedback at the section level that we can responsibly provide.
No. At any given time, a small number of questions on our exams may be unscored. These are newly developed questions that are being evaluated for their effectiveness. This is a standard practice in the testing industry.
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 have worked in the certified role. 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.
Exam content can be updated at any time.
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. Per our exam terms and conditions, the exam must be taken independently and without collaboration with other people. If you are caught cheating or working with another person during your exam, your results will be voided and you will be banned from taking another Google Cloud certification exam for a year.
Google complies with the U.S. government's list of restricted countries maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. For online exams, you must present approved identification showing residence in a non-embargoed country.
No, these are not open-book exams. You cannot use any notes or any other unauthorized items while taking any of our exams. Your work area should be clear of all items except for your computer. If you are caught using any unauthorized items, this will be flagged for misconduct and you may risk having your results voided and being barred from taking any Google Cloud certification exams.
Yes, there may be technical system requirements you need to meet before you can begin your remotely proctored exam. Please refer to the individual exam pages for more details.
Testing accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis and may require supporting documentation. Depending on the accommodation requested, it can take 30+ days prior to test date to arrange the accommodation with our partners and third-party services. To request an accommodation, please contact us before scheduling an exam.
Some online exams require third-party proctoring by our certification partner, ProctorU. All exam information collected is subject to Google's Privacy Policy and ProctorU's Privacy Policy, as applicable.
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
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • All beta exams will be discounted at 40%. No other discounts can be combined with this offer. Please refer to the individual exam pages for exam-specific beta registration cost details.
    Yes. If you pass, you are Google Cloud Certified.
    Beta exams are offered only when new exams are being developed. If you don't pass, you must wait for the final version of the exam to try again. Failing a beta exam does not count toward the total allowable attempts of the final exam.
    You will be allocated 3-4 hours to complete the exam.
    No. All individuals meeting the specific requirements for an exam are allowed to attempt the exam. For more details, please refer to the exam guide webpages for each certification.
    The beta exams are available globally in English. They are not currently available in other languages.
    Unless explicitly stated in the detailed exam descriptions, all Google cloud certifications are valid for two years from the date certified. Candidates must recertify in order to maintain their certification status and certificate number.
    Google technology changes frequently. We require recertification to ensure you're maintaining your skills.
    Yes. You should receive two reminder emails, 60 and 30 days prior to your expiration date. Reminder emails will be sent to the email address used during exam registration.
    Once your certification has expired, you will have to retake the certification to reinstate your certification status. Please contact us if you have any changes to your email address for notification purposes.
    If you want to continue to receive the certification benefits, you will need to take the exam again.
    Pilot exams are offered when a large amount of new exam content has been developed for an existing exam. Pilot participation is often by invitation only. If you are already certified and participate in a pilot exam, passing the pilot counts as recertification and you may not take take the exam or a subsequent version of the exam again until you need to recertify. Benefits of participating in pilot exams can vary and may include an extension of the certification period.
    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 Cloud exams. Additionally, Google, in its sole discretion, may choose to terminate any applicable business relationship with you and take necessary legal actions.
    No, suspension from the program for violating the terms and conditions applies to all exams we offer.
    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 circumstances, you may contact us. Valid supporting documentation is required. Requests are reviewed and full or partial refunds are granted at Google's discretion.
  • 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.
    • 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 Cloud Certifications and Google's Privacy Policy. In addition, please note Proctor U's privacy policies as applicable.
    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 Cloud 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 Cloud certification logo is subject to Google's then-current Brand Feature Guidelines.