We've compiled our frequently asked questions regarding Training, Certification, and Recertification. Please see below for more information.
For information regarding exam delivery amidst the COVID-19 situation, please see here. For information regarding our online proctored exams, please see here.
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With course offerings ranging from novice to expert and instructors teaching online (and live!) classes all over the world, Splunk Education is here for you, wherever you are. For course completion certificates, please fill out this form. Please review our Student Handbook and the questions below prior to contacting us here for one-on-one assistance.
It all starts here.
You'll notice that our curriculum is organized under different Learning Paths (courses only) and Certification Tracks (courses + exams) based on different Splunk roles or personas. Use the sidebar navigation to select the path or track that best corresponds to the Splunk role in which you are interested.
Many of the foundational classes repeat across different pathways. You do not need to repeat classes – once you complete a course, you have met that prerequisite for all the paths to which it applies.
Found the perfect course? Simply click View Topics & Register to view the course description (which you can download), then click View Schedule.
Splunk Education accepts two forms of payment: credit card payment or existing Education credits. If you need to identify your existing credits, please contact your Splunk account manager. If you do not know your account manager, please contact us directly here.
Complete the check-out steps. You will then receive a confirmation email with instructions to access the course. That's it! You're now registered.
Please note: our introductory courses are offered via self-paced eLearning/Instructor-on-demand (IOD) and instructor-led (Virtual) delivery. For these courses, select whichever format you prefer. Note that Virtual courses are offered across different time zones. Pick the best time zone offering for you, click Add to Cart, and proceed to checkout.
As a reminder, there are mandatory prerequisites courses for advanced training. These prerequisites are critical for your success in learning Splunk – the shortcuts and tricks we show you in earlier courses are necessary to understand our advanced concepts. Without these shortcuts, you will not get full value from the advanced training.
First and foremost, look for the confirmation email sent to the email address you used to create your Education account.
When you're ready:
Reminder: Virtual (instructor-led) courses may have extensive connectivity requirements – see your confirmation email for full details. We strongly recommend verifying compatibility prior to the start date of your course.
You can launch an eLearning/IOD course from the confirmation email or directly from your Splunk Education account.
Remember: eLearning/IOD classes have a 30-day time limit. This clock starts as soon as you start the course.
Before launching a course, we suggest you use the test link at https://splk.it/2TKvg6K to verify that it will work with your system or network.
You must send an email to Splunk Education at least 5 business days before the scheduled start time of your class in order to avoid any penalties for late cancellation.
We close registration for many of our courses before the start date, so a late cancellation means we will not be able to fill that seat. This means that any cancellation (or no-show) within the 5-day window will not be reimbursed (via credits or other form of payment).
To reschedule or cancel a registration, simply contact us with your request.
Certification FAQ
Looking for a comprehensive resource with program policies, procedures, and offerings? We created the Splunk Certification Candidate Handbook just for you!
From registration assistance to study material, Splunk Certification is here to help! See below for the latest information from testing partner Pearson VUE.
Certification
Splunk Certification is excited to be working with industry leader Pearson VUE on exam delivery and Credly on digital badging.
Please review the FAQ below for all the details. Many of these questions are also covered in our Splunk Certification Candidate Handbook.
Ready to take your exam? Check out our Exam Registration Tutorial for step-by-step instructions.
Looking for an overview of the process? Our candidate journey video is the perfect place to start (popcorn not included).
Please note: exam registration costs $125 USD (or five registrations for $500 USD). This cost applies to each exam attempt.
Generally speaking, there are three ways to purchase a Pearson VUE registration voucher:
The certification exams include standard multiple choice and multiselect ("select all that apply") questions.
We've put together a handy study guide (including links to the test blueprints and a few sample questions!) to help you prepare for the exam(s).
Remember, your best study materials are the downloadable PDFs you received when you completed the prerequisite courses through Splunk Education.
Great question! We are working closely with testing partner Pearson VUE to ensure a safe, secure testing environment for all candidates in accordance with local recommendations and requirements.
For the latest information regarding testing center availability near you, please visit the Pearson VUE COVID-19 Update page.
If your local testing center is not available and you want information on testing from home, please see our Online Proctored Exam Delivery Overview.
As a reminder, testing accommodations are not available for online proctored exams.
For a comprehensive program guide, please refer to our Splunk Certification Candidate Handbook.
If you're looking for a specific policy, please refer to the links below:
A beta exam is a soft-launch of an all-new certification exam. All eligible candidates can register for beta exams for free (the registration fee is waived during the beta phase) for a single attempt only.
Beta exams are typically longer than our standard certification exams (ranging from 90-120 minutes total seat time) and candidates do not receive results upon exam completion.
The length of the beta phase is typically 3+ months (meaning candidates will not receive results for this amount of time), but is predicated on a sufficient number of beta participants (meaning it can be extended, if needed).
Performance data from beta candidates is analyzed by a third-party psychometrician to determine the passing score and, ultimately, the content of the final form of the exam. Once this analysis is complete, Splunk Certification distributes results to the beta candidates and publishes the final form of the certification exam.
For more information on our rigorous exam development process, please see here.
Please contact us here so we can manually update your Pearson VUE account information.
First things first: congratulations!
The general timeline after passing the new certification exams is as follows:
Yes. The Pearson VUE platform requires that candidates have a unique account for each certification program in which they'd like to participate.
No! You can manage and share all of the badges that are issued to you through Credly within one Credly account.
First and foremost, please double-check your spam and quarantined email folders for emails from admin@credly.com.
As a best practice, we recommend whitelisting this email address ahead of time (or working with your IT department to make this happen).
If you still cannot locate your email from Credly, you can simply create an account on Credly, using the email address to which your badge was issued.
To create an account and claim your badge, follow the steps below:
Credly will send you a confirmation email (from admin@credly.com). You must click the link in that email to confirm your account. Once you've created and confirmed your account, any badges issued to that email address will be available for you to accept and share.
For general questions about Credly, including account troubleshooting and general information on sharing your digital badge(s), please visit the Credly Support Site.
A digital badge is a representation of a credential or accomplishment that can be shared across the web. Digital badges contain metadata that allows a third party to verify your accomplishments including the criteria required to earn the badge and the period for which a badge is valid.
In short: Splunk digital badges are your proof of certification.
Representing your credential(s) with a digital badge gives you the ability to broadcast your skills and tell your professional story online. It also allows you to securely represent your certification across a growing number of social media outlets and forums.
Employers, potential employers, and anyone else with whom you wish to share your certification have single-click access to validated credential information without ever contacting Splunk Certification for assistance.
We do! If you have a handicapping condition or medical condition that necessitates a testing accommodation, please review our policy and details found here.
Please note: your request must be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to your initial exam attempt so the need for accommodations can be verified and the specific accommodations requested can be met.
Accommodations cannot be applied to existing exam appointments or to retake attempts (unless approved for initial attempt).
Accommodations are not available for online-proctored exam appointments.
Please email us here to submit your request.
Recertification
Whether you have a legacy certification or a shiny new digital badge, our Splunk Recertification Policy gives you all the information you need to get (and stay) current in our program.
Please double check your certification records before asking for help. Click here for instructions to access your certifications (scroll down for Splunk Partners).
We cannot offer any extensions or exceptions to the January 31, 2021 deadline.
For full details of next steps based on your current program standing, please refer to ourSplunk Core Certified Consultant FAQ.
Inactive cert-holders will not be required to repeat previously completed coursework, but the exams must be completed in the following order:
No exceptions or extensions will be granted to the recertification policy.
Once a candidate passes a lower level exam, the next-level exam authorization will be automatically issued within 24 hours.
This does not apply to the Architect exam authorization, which will be issued within 7-10 business days of passing the deployment practical lab.
Candidates who have not received their next-level exam authorization should contact us here for assistance.
For additional information and next-steps, please see here.
As of October 1, 2019, all V6.x (and older) certifications are considered out of date. As such, these records have been marked "Inactive".
If you wish to earn a current certification, please see here for your next steps.
Staying current with your certifications proves to your employer, your peers, and prospective employers that you are committed to staying relevent in an ever-changing technical landscape and that your knowledge and skills are sharper than ever.
That being said - you don't have to recertify. Here's what that looks like:
If you have not completed recertification requirements (as outlined in our Splunk Recertification Policy) by your badge expiration date, your certification(s) will be considered out of date and your badges will be marked inactive.
Candidates who let their certifications lapse will be required to restart the program at the Splunk Core Certified Power User exam level.
If you believe you have noted an error on an exam or believe that a specific question you saw on a Splunk Certification exam is invalid, you may submit the Certification Exam Challenge Form found here.
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