Oracle Certification Program Guidelines

Export Restrictions Policy

In accordance with US trade laws and regulations, the following conditions apply to candidates who are nationals of countries/regions under US restrictions (including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Crimea). Special restrictions also apply to citizens of Venezuela.

  • We cannot directly or indirectly accept payment from nor directly or indirectly deliver exams to candidates who are nationals of export restricted countries, wherever they’re located.
  • If a national of an export restricted country registers for the exam at a test center in an authorized country, with an address in an authorized country, and arrives at the test center with an ID from an export restricted country, the candidate will be turned away and forfeit the exam fee.
  • Case-by-case consideration may be given to permanent residents who are living outside the export restricted country.
    • If a candidate is a national of an export restricted country and has permanent residence outside that country, the candidate may request an exemption by contacting the Oracle Certification Program and providing a copy of a valid ID confirming their new permanent resident status.
    • The candidate must provide two IDs at the test center, neither of which can contain an address in the export restricted country. One must be a government-issued ID from the new country of residence, confirming the candidate's permanent resident status. Both IDs must contain the candidate’s signature.
    • Please note that though there are provisions for permanent residents, export licensing requirements may still apply, so even if the candidate has permanent residence outside of an export restricted country, we may not be able to allow the candidate to take a certification exam or be able to provide the candidate with a certificate.
  • Other exceptions that may apply include
    • Individuals who have approved asylee status in a country outside the embargoed country list.
    • Individuals who have dual citizenship and whose most recent country of citizenship isn’t on the embargoed countries list.
  • All exceptions require complete documentation and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis according to presiding US law.
    • Send all exception requests to the Oracle Certification Program for review.

Exam Retake Policy

  • Candidates may schedule a retake of a failed exam for a date at least five days from the failed exam’s appointment date.
  • Candidates may retake an online non-proctored exam at any time.
  • Candidates may not retake a passed exam at any time.
  • Candidates may take a failed exam only four times in a 12-month period.

Each attempt must be paid for separately via a voucher, credit card, or subscription renewal. Exams that are part of a special promotion will be governed by the terms of that promotion.

The retake policy was put in place to protect the integrity of the Oracle Certification Program exam content and allow the candidate additional time to prepare to retake a failed exam. Please note that violating the retake policy in any way, including, but not limited to, registering for and retaking an exam under a new Oracle Testing ID within the five-day waiting period, is forbidden.

If a candidate creates a new ID to bypass the retake policy, the results of the retaken exam will be invalidated. No refunds or credit will be provided by Oracle or any of its partners. Failure to adhere to this policy is a direct violation of the Oracle Certification Program Candidate Agreement (PDF) that you agreed to at the time you took the exam and could result in additional actions such as (but not limited to) the revocation of credentials that you hold or being banned from the Oracle Certification Program or barred from taking Oracle exams in the future.

Exam Voucher Policy

Oracle University and Oracle University authorized resellers may sell Oracle Certification Program Exam Vouchers. Oracle does not guarantee the authenticity of certification vouchers that are obtained from any individuals or entities other than Oracle or Oracle authorized resellers. Individuals who acquire and use counterfeit certification vouchers and/or certification vouchers obtained from an unauthorized source may be subject to program sanctions at the discretion of Oracle, including a lifetime ban on taking all future exams and the nullification of all previous exam results and certifications. Oracle won’t compensate candidates for counterfeit vouchers or vouchers obtained from an unauthorized source.

Oracle Certification Program Exam Vouchers are purchased in advance as future payment for a specific Oracle Certification Program exam registration. At the time of exam registration, the value of the exam voucher is applied to the exam fee as payment to Oracle’s authorized testing vendor.

Oracle Certification Program Exam Vouchers (1) can be used by one person, one time, for one exam discount/fee only in the country of the exam voucher’s purchase, (2) are not valid after the expiration date, (3) become void if altered or revised in any way, (4) may not be canceled or redeemed for cash, credit, or a refund, and (5) may be used only by the purchaser, except as permitted by a valid Oracle reseller agreement. Neither Oracle authorized testing vendors nor Oracle and its partners are responsible for vouchers that are lost or stolen. Exam registrations paid for with an Oracle Certification Program Exam Voucher must be completed before the voucher expiration date. Expired exam vouchers have no value and cannot be extended.

If you received an Oracle Certification Program Exam Voucher that includes a free retake, your voucher (1) can be used by one person on one attempt plus a retake of the same exam, (2) can be used for a retake only if there’s a failed first attempt on file, and (3) becomes void for both attempts on the voucher expiration date.

Prior to taking your certification exam, you’ll be presented with an online Oracle Certification Program Candidate Agreement. Upon acceptance of the agreement, you’ll be able to proceed with the exam. View a copy of the Oracle Certification Program Candidate Agreement (PDF).

Pricing Policy

When there are differences in the currencies accepted by Oracle University and the test vendor (Pearson VUE) for a particular country, the exam price will be provided in the currency offered by Oracle University. In these cases, candidates can either (1) purchase a voucher through Oracle University in the currency offered (usually local currency) or (2) purchase the exam directly from the test vendor in the currency offered by the test vendor. Candidates will need to check exam prices at pearsonvue.com/oracle to confirm the currency accepted by the vendor for the selected exam. Exam price currency conversions are reviewed and updated annually at Oracle, and due to daily currency rate fluctuations, the USD price may not always exactly map to the stated price in the local currency. Note that we won’t provide refunds or adjustments for fluctuating currencies.

Recertification Policy

Oracle requires candidates to hold an active credential to access certain certification benefits, including, without limitation, use of Oracle Certification logos, e-certificates, score reports, digital badges, and certification verification. To stay current, candidates must recertify themselves by passing the latest version of the exam. Oracle certifications include Oracle Certified Associate, Specialist, and Professional titles. Oracle certifications are updated continuously throughout the year to keep current with major product and service releases and are rereleased on an annual basis with a new title.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) certification

Effective as of November 1, 2022, OCI certification credentials are now valid for two years (instead of only 18 months); OCI certifications allow users to learn and get certified on multiple OCI technologies.

Oracle Database certifications

Certain Oracle credentials require periodic recertification for Oracle to recognize them as “active.” For such credentials, you must upgrade to a current version within 12 months following Oracle’s credential retirement to keep your certification in active status.

Specific upgrade requirements for each credential will vary, and Oracle will notify affected candidates of the applicable upgrade requirements upon credential retirement. Oracle requires candidates to hold an active credential to access certain certification benefits, including, without limitation, use of Oracle Certification logos, e-certificates, score reports, digital badges, and certification verification.

Exam Scoring Policy

Oracle routinely publishes new versions of its Oracle Certification exams. The passing score for each exam version is set independently to maintain a consistent scoring standard across versions. For example, to maintain a consistent standard for success, a new version of an exam that contains more difficult questions than the prior version will be assigned a somewhat lower passing score. For this reason, passing scores may vary between different exams in your certification track and between later and earlier versions of the same exam.

Oracle doesn’t recommend an exam preparation strategy that targets the passing score, as passing scores are subject to change without notice. To maintain the integrity of the exams, Oracle doesn’t share information about the exam questions or correct answers with any third parties or customers.

Reschedule Policy

If you need to reschedule your exam, you must reschedule at least 24 hours before your appointment time.

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel your exam, you must cancel at least 24 hours before your appointment time. If you fail to cancel at least 24 hours before your appointment, you risk forfeiting your exam attempt.

Any expenses incurred beyond the cost of the exam are the candidate's sole responsibility. Oracle won’t be responsible for any of these costs, including but not limited to travel, equipment, and lost wages.

Fraudulent Activity Policy

Oracle Corporation reserves the right to take action against any candidate involved in fraudulent activities, including, but not limited to, the fraudulent use of vouchers and promotional codes, reselling exam discounts and vouchers, cheating on an exam, the alteration of score reports, the alteration of completion certificates, the violation of exam retake policies, and other activities deemed fraudulent by Oracle.

Oracle considers any contributions to, use of, or sharing of materials pertaining to Oracle Certification exams (or "brain dumps") to be a violation of this Fraudulent Activity Policy. It’s the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that all the materials they purchase or use to prepare for exams aren’t violations of this Fraudulent Activity Policy.

If Oracle determines, in its sole discretion, that fraudulent activity has taken place, it reserves the right to take action up to and including, but not limited to, decertification of a candidate's credentials, a temporary, indefinite, or permanent ban of a candidate from Oracle certification programs, notification of a candidate's employer, and notification of law enforcement agencies. Candidates found committing fraudulent activities forfeit all fees previously paid to Oracle, or to Oracle's authorized vendors, and may be required to pay additional fees for services rendered.

If you would like to report fraud, you can send a detailed email to ocpcompliance_ww@oracle.com.

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