What Does it Cost to Get Oracle Certified?
July 9, 2019 | 8 minute readYou're ready to get Oracle Certified. Now what?
You prepare for your exam by reviewing certification requirements, checking out exam topics and making your study plan. But how do you plan for how much you will spend on certification?
What does Oracle Certification cost?
This is a fair question.
Unfortunately, the answer is not as straightforward as the question, but I can give you the tools to plan for your financial investment as you are planning your investment of time and effort.
- One of the first considerations is the certification you wish to earn. Some certifications require passing one exam to earn certification, some require two, and three are required in a few cases. A handful of certifications also require training.
- The next consideration is how prepared you are already. How much training will you need to prepare yourself for the exam? Do you need A-Z training on the product or job role, or have you been working with the product for some time and just need modular training?
- How do you learn? Do you prefer consecutive days of instructor-led training in a classroom environment, or online as a live virtual class. Or do you learn better at your own pace, with modularized content that you can stop, repeat, or skip as needed, similar to the training model provided in Oracle University's learning subscriptions?
- Finally, do you feel the need for additional preparation - practice exams, guided review? For select exams, there are practice exams available from our vendor Kaplan IT Training. There are also Exam Prep Seminar and packages available to help you finalize your preparation.
These considerations may have you more confused than ever, so we will continue on to lay out some actual numbers and scenarios. By the end of this post, you will be able to better estimate what it will cost you to earn an Oracle Certification.
Related: Top Oracle Certifications and How to Earn Them
Exam Cost
Most Oracle Certification exams cost USD $245. Junior associate exams, aimed at students and a more entry-level audience are considerably less at USD $95. Oracle Certified Master exams, which are day-long, often multi-day, performance-based exams cost considerably more. Master exams only represent a handful of Oracle Certification exams. The USD $245 price point is where most test-takers will be.
Training Cost
Oracle University training typically varies by the length of the training course.
- Classroom training is approximately USD $814/day, so a 5-day course would typically cost USD $4070.
- A live virtual class is approximately USD $772/day, so a 5-day course would typically cost USD $3860.
- Training On Demand, which is 90 days unlimited access to a video course that can be taken anytime and from anywhere and features classroom content delivered by expert instructors, is also priced based on the number of days a classroom course would run. Training On Demand courses are approximately USD $680/day, so a 5-day course would typically cost USD $3400.
Alternatively, candidates can opt for the self-paced training delivered in a learning subscription. These subscriptions offer 24/7 access to continually updated training for 12 months and integrate hands-on labs as well as certification. These subscriptions usually range in cost from approximately USD $1695 to USD $6995 depending on the amount of content and number of exams included in the subscription. The benefit of a learning subscription is that purchasing this training does will not incur extra cost for exams.
Additional Preparation Cost
Oracle offers three additional preparation products for our core Java and Database certifications.
- Kaplan IT Training Practice Exams - Practice exams use realistic exam simulations to help you prepare and give you a sneak preview of what to expect on the actual exam. These are available as a 30-day option for USD $88 or a 180-day option for USD $129.
- Exam Prep Seminars - These seminars offer a focused and fast-paced review of exam material, available on demand. They provide a structured study plan as well as self-pacing and thorough topic review. Exam Prep Seminars cost USD $245.
- Exam Prep Seminar Packages - These packages contain the exam prep seminar, as well as a practice exam, an exam voucher, and a free retake should you fail the exam on the first attempt. The cost of these packages is USD $617, but keep in mind that you do not incur an additional cost for the exam, and you have a free retake available should you fail the exam on your first attempt.
Related: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Kaplan IT Training's Exam Prep Packages
Real-World Scenarios of Oracle Certification Cost
Now that you know the considerations, the training and preparation options, and the costs of the components, let's put it all together and map out some real-world scenarios that will give you a clear picture of what you can expect to invest in your Oracle Certification path.
Let's take a look at three popular certification paths - Java Developer, Oracle Database Developer, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Architect.
It should be noted before we begin, that all costs are provided in USD. Exam and training costs may vary based on country. You will need to visit the Oracle University website to get a true picture of cost in your country, in your local currency.
Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 11 Developer (Java SE 11 OCP)
Let's take a look at Juan, Priya, and Lauren who all want to earn the Java SE 11 OCP certification. This certification requires passing two exams in order to earn the certification.
Related: It's Here! NEW Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 11 Developer Certification!
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Juan has been a Java Developer for two decades and invests time into exploring and learning each new version of Java as it is released. Juan is a busy developer, who has never taken the time to get certified. He does not feel that he needs formal training to pass the exams. Juan will only take the certification exams required to earn Java SE 11 OCP.
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Priya is fresh out of university and has been exposed to Java coding throughout her youth and university career, but has no real-world experience. In a tough job market, she feels that Java Certification will give her an advantage over her peers. Priya wants to take full advantage of the educational and exam prep opportunities Oracle offers. She will take instructor-led classroom training, and then take the two certification exams required to earn Java SE 11 OCP.
*Note: course cost does not follow typical metric. To get the cost of each component in your certification path, in your local currency, check the Oracle University website. |
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Lauren is a single mom who moved up the ranks at her company as a self-taught Java Developer with no formal training. Lauren has just been laid off from her job and wants to earn the certification to help get a better job with higher salary. The learning subscription appeals to Lauren because of the freedom it offers her to train on her own schedule.
*This learning subscription includes one attempt of each required exam at no additional cost, and Lauren has 12 months to complete the training and take the exams. Additionally, Lauren has access to hands-on labs and any new content that is added in the 12 months as well as any other exams included in the subscription. |
Oracle Database PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (PL/SQL Developer OCP)
In this scenario, Juan, Priya, and Lauren are pursuing the Database Developer certification, which also requires two exams in order to earn the certification. There are two options for the first exam requirement. Candidates can pass either exam Oracle Database SQL | 1Z0-071 or Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL | 1Z0-144 to fulfill the first exam requirement. In these scenarios, we will assume that each candidate chooses to take exam Oracle Database SQL | 1Z0-071 because they will earn the Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate certification by passing this exam and end up with two certifications rather than one.
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Again, Juan is a very experienced Database Developer who wishes to earn the certification without pursuing formal training. He does not feel that he needs formal training to pass the exams. Juan will only take the certification exams required to earn the PL/SQL Developer OCP.
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Priya wants to launch her career as a new university graduate, but has no real-world experience. In a tough job market, she feels that Oracle certification will give her an advantage over her peers. Priya wants to take full advantage of the educational and exam prep opportunities Oracle offers. She will take instructor-led classroom training, and then prepare for the exams with the exam prep seminar packages, after which she will take the two certification exams required to earn PL/SQL Developer OCP.
*Remember that with this package, Priya gets an exam voucher plus one free retake of the exam should she fail. She will not incur any additional cost for this exam **There are 2 courses recommended, the 11g and 12c versions of Advanced PL/SQL. Priya chose to take only the 12c version. |
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Lauren is a single mom who has some self-taught PL/SQL Developer skills with no formal training. Lauren has just been laid off from her job and wants to earn the certification to help get a better job with higher salary. The learning subscription appeals to Lauren because of the freedom it offers her to train on her own schedule.
*This learning subscription includes one attempt of each required exam at no additional cost, and Lauren has 12 months to complete the training and take the exams. Additionally, Lauren has access to hands on labs and any new content that is added in the 12 months as well as any other exams included in the subscription. |
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2018 Certified Architect Associate (OCI OCA)
This scenario looks at our friends as they pursue the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2018 Certified Architect Associate certification (2019 coming soon!). This certification only requires one exam and has an easy path to certification. The recommended training is the learning subscription, so we will only look at two scenarios for this certification.
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Juan is very experienced and does not feel the need to complete formal training before taking this exam.
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Lauren wants the training, but needs training that will fit her busy, single-mom schedule. She will purchase the learning subscription.
*This learning subscription includes one attempt of the required exam at no additional cost, and Lauren has 12 months to complete the training and take the exam. Additionally, Lauren has access to any new content that is added in the 12 months, and any other exams included in the subscription. |
Summary
To summarize, there is no standard when it comes to what it costs to earn a certification. You have to consider several factors. The best way to figure your cost to earn a certification is to:
- Determine your required path.
- Go to the All Certifications page.
- Select the View All button at the bottom of the page.
- Select Show All.
- Click on the certification you will pursue. You will see the required certification steps on this page along with recommended training.
- Click on the exam link to go to the exam page where you can see the exam cost as well as any additional preparation tools that are available.
- Make a list of the components you are going to purchase (exam, training course, learning subscription, practice exam, etc).
- Go to the All Certifications page.
- If you are going to complete training determine which training you are going to complete and find the training on the Oracle University website.
- Type of training: Full class, learning subscription.
- Training format if you choose to take a full class: Instructor-led in-class, Live Virtual Class, Training On Demand.
- Country: Training may vary slightly by country. Check the Oracle University website to see specific training costs for your course, in your country, in your local currency.
- Determine if you need additional preparation.
- Check cost of the exam(s) and add to the preparation cost.
- Country: Training may vary slightly by country. Check the Oracle University website to see specific training costs for your course, in your country, in your local currency.
Brandye Barrington
Sr. Program Manager
Brandye is a Senior Program Manager with Oracle Certification. An experienced leader in the field of IT Certification, Brandye has been in the certification industry for nearly 20 years, helping to build, grow and adapt Oracle's world class certification program.
Brandye's expertise spans the operational intricacies of building and managing a global certification program; providing engaging dialog and building enduring relationships with customers and industry leaders; maintaining content and communications on an ever-evolving website, support structure and social media network; and keeping the Oracle Certification audience informed on new policies and procedures as well as new certifications, exams and products that enhance their careers and provide maximum ROI on their certification investment.
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