Are Oracle's cloud certifications free of charge?

The Foundations certifications are, as a standing policy restated in Oracle's 2026 release announcement with no end date. The OCI Architect Associate became free in the same release. Professional-level courses now require paid access.

Are Oracle's online exams proctored?

Yes. Oracle's exam pages require a webcam, a monitoring add-on in the browser and official identification whose name agrees with the candidate's account.

How long do Oracle cloud certifications last?

Two years from the day of passing, per the vendor's 2026 release notes.

All certifications

Oracle certifications

Oracle is the only large cloud provider that gives its entry certifications away. Every Foundations exam, and since the 2026 release the Architect Associate as well, costs nothing to learn for and nothing to sit. Oracle's cloud is named far less often in job advertisements than its two largest rivals, so the question is less whether to take these exams than how much weight to put on them.

Exam delivery: Online on Oracle MyLearn with remote proctoring (webcam, Proctorio browser extension, government ID); results in Oracle CertView

How Oracle delivers its exams

Oracle University runs its certifications through MyLearn, where each learning path ends in an online exam. The exams are proctored remotely: a browser extension, your webcam and a government ID checked against your profile. Results go into Oracle's certification system, CertView. The two Foundations exams below, OCI Foundations Associate and OCI AI Foundations Associate, each come with a free path of six to seven hours including a hands-on lab, and each exam lasts sixty minutes.

What changed in the 2026 release

Free goes further. Foundations stays free, and the OCI Architect Associate course and certification are now free as well. Professional-level courses moved to paid access.
The year left the title. Certificates are no longer named after a calendar year, although exam codes still end in the edition year, such as 1Z0-1085-26.
Two years of validity. Oracle states that OCI certifications last 24 months from the date they are earned.
New tracks. An agentic AI track and a multicloud track covering Oracle databases on the three largest other clouds joined the lineup, with a multicloud foundations exam announced for September 2026.

Reading the offer

Read as a funnel, the offer is plain: learn Oracle's platform for free up to the associate architect level, then pay for the specialist courses. For anyone whose employer runs Oracle databases or applications, that is a generous way in. For anyone choosing a first cloud certificate for the open market, the sensible course is to take a larger provider's entry exam for recognition and Oracle's alongside it, since it costs only a morning.

Foundational

Frequently asked

Are Oracle's cloud certifications free of charge?: The Foundations certifications are, as a standing policy restated in Oracle's 2026 release announcement with no end date. The OCI Architect Associate became free in the same release. Professional-level courses now require paid access.
Are Oracle's online exams proctored?: Yes. Oracle's exam pages require a webcam, a monitoring add-on in the browser and official identification whose name agrees with the candidate's account.
How long do Oracle cloud certifications last?: Two years from the day of passing, per the vendor's 2026 release notes.

Official certification portal: mylearn.oracle.com

Last reviewed 26 September 2026 · Getting Digital