Elastic Certification FAQ

To become an Elastic Certified Professional, you will need to pass any of our hands-on, performance-based exams. Elastic certification exams require completing a series of timed, real-world tasks using the Elastic Stack.

Our exams are available from anywhere at any time. You just need a computer with a webcam, a modern web browser, and a good internet connection. You can purchase an exam attempt as soon as you feel you're fully prepared.

Certification is a great way to show the world your Elastic expertise, enhance your professional visibility, and grow opportunities for your company. Once you become Elastic Certified, you receive a digital badge available for 2 years from the exam date and get access to exclusive groups and opportunities for our Elastic Certified Professional community!

• Elastic Certified Analyst: 8.8
• Elastic Certified Observability Engineer: 8.8
• Elastic Certified Engineer: 8.15

Training attendance is not mandatory, but we highly recommend you attend our instructor-led training courses, available in-person, virtually or on-demand. Each exam has a course specifically designed to cover all exam objectives in detail. Visit elastic.co/training/ to find out more about which course is right for you.

Our exams are performance-based, meaning that you must successfully complete tasks in real time on an Elastic cluster while a proctor watches both you and your screen remotely. This approach to testing makes our certifications meaningful in the industry, since Elastic Certified Professionals have proven their skills in a hands-on environment.

Certification exam attempts vary per test. After you purchase an exam attempt, you have one year to use your exam attempt. 

• Elastic Certified Engineer: $500 USD per attempt
• Elastic Certified Analyst: $400 USD per attempt
• Elastic Certified Observability Engineer: $500 USD per attempt

1. Visit the certification catalog.
2. Select your preferred exam.
3. Click Add to cart next to that offering.
4. Select the number of exams you want to purchase.
5. Click on Continue Shopping if you want to add another exam/s OR select Checkout.
6. Continue through the purchase workflow, and if prompted, log in OR create a new account.
7. Provide customer information (purchaser's details).
8. Add participant/s details, even if you are purchasing on behalf of somebody else. Enter the first name, last name and email address of each exam participant.
9. Click Save All Participants and then click on Continue to Payment to continue through the checkout process.
10. Fill out the Payment Method section with credit card details OR enter coupon code.
11. Provide billing information.
12. Click Confirm Order to complete the checkout process.

Yes, you have 1 year from the purchase date to attempt your exam before it expires. If you have a Standard or Professional Training subscription, your exam attempt(s) will expire at the same time as your subscription.

Please note you must enroll, schedule, and take any certification exam prior to the end date of your subscription. If you need to retake the exam you must wait at least 14 days from your previous exam date in order to reschedule your next attempt.

At this time we are not offering any discounts.

Contact your Sales Representative and ask how you can receive bulk discounts on exam purchases!

No. If you do not pass the exam, you will need to purchase a new exam attempt and wait 14 days before reattempting. To be fully prepared, in addition to watching the webinars listed at the top, we recommend taking the courses specific to the Elastic certification you are planning to attempt. 

Your exam registration may only be rescheduled through the Trueability Candidate Portal no later than 24 hours before the self-scheduled exam. To reschedule, login to Trueability and select a new date and time.

You will be given 30 minutes to show up for your exam, after that the proctor will mark your exam as a "no show".  Failure to cancel, attend, or reschedule within the required timeframe will result in forfeiture of the attempt, with no free retakes or discounts offered.

Your exam purchase is not refundable. However, you have one year from the purchase of your exam or until your Training Subscription expiration date to use your attempt.

To update your email address for exam registration, please contact certification@elastic.co

You will typically receive your exam results within 7-10 business days.

All certification credentials are sent from our third party issuer, Accredible. You will receive an email with information on how to access your credential tool kit once you pass the exam. If you are interested in all the ways Accredible allows you to share, verify, and secure your credentials check out a quick video!

Certainly not! You will be granted access to the Elastic documentation during the exam at https://www.elastic.co/guide/index.html, so make sure you are comfortable with the layout of our docs and how to search. You will not have access to Google, Stack Overflow, or any other websites outside of our doc pages.

TIP: Do not ask the exam proctor if you have access to the documentation. The answer is "yes", but the proctor will not know what you are talking about and will likely answer "no". In a way, they are correct - you can not access the docs using your local web browser. But you can access the docs (and all of elastic.co) from the web browser inside the exam environment's web browser after your exam has started. 

The proctor will connect via the Honorlock Extension which you must install. You also will need a stable broadband internet connection, web browser, webcam, speakers and a microphone. (A live proctor watches you and listens to you during the exam.) Linux Systems are not supported and can not be used to take the exam. 

An on-screen keyboard will be available from the desktop to assist with entering characters such as curly brackets if you have an alternative keyboard layout, or please prepare a US Keyboard to take to the exam.

Yes. You can review the minimum system requirements and run a compatibility check here.

When your exam is ready at your scheduled time, you will be allowed to click the "Start" button to begin. You MUST start your exam no later than 30 minutes after your scheduled start time. If you do not start your exam within 30 minutes of your scheduled start time, the system will automatically mark you as a No-Show and you will not be able to take your exam.

In addition, failing to appear within this time period will result in forfeiture of exam fees, and your exam credit/eligibility will be considered redeemed.

Yes. During the exam you may notify the proctor that you would like to take up to a 10 minute break to get a drink, eat a quick snack, use the restroom, and stretch your legs. Keep in mind your break counts toward your exam time. Cell phone use is NOT permitted during this break.

If you need special accommodations beyond this permitted 10 minute break for any reason or have any questions, please contact us at least 3-5 business days prior to attempting the exam at certification@elastic.co.

When you login to attempt your exam, you will need a non-expired government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's license, passport) that matches your TrueAbility enrollment. If acceptable proof of identification is not provided to the proctor prior to the exam, entry to the exam will be refused. 

The proctor cannot release the exam to you until identification has been successfully verified and you have agreed to the terms and conditions of the exam. No refund or rescheduling is allowed if an exam cannot be started due to failure to provide proper identification.

Your credentials are available for 2 years from the exam date. Consider renewing your certification before your credentials expire.

Prior to your exam expiring, you will need to take and pass any of the Elastic Certification exams available. Once you receive your passing grade, you will receive another 2 years added to your previous Certification credentials and 2 years for the new Certification. 

If you have any questions that haven't been answered, contact us at certification@elastic.co. Congratulations for making it all the way to the end of the FAQ!