IMPORTANT: Policy Change
All certification products with a 36-month certification period will change to a 24-month certification period starting for exams taken April 1, 2024, 00:00 UTC.
Please see below for important FAQs.
FAQs
Will individuals with active certifications be affected by this change?
No. Certifications achieved before April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC will remain active for 36 months from the achieved date.
How are individuals who have an exam eligibility, but have not yet scheduled or taken the exam affected?
Anyone who schedules and passes the exam before April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC, will be certified for 36 months. Anyone who schedules and passes the exam on or after April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC will be certified for 24 months.
NOTE: If you attempt the exam before April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC, but do not pass and then retake the exam on or after April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC and successfully pass on the retake, your certification will expire in 24 months.
What should individuals with upcoming expirations do?
If your certification expires in 2024, and you feel prepared to take the exam, we encourage you to schedule and take your exam before April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC, when the new 24-month renewal policy takes effect. Be sure to schedule your first exam attempt to allow enough time to schedule a retake before April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC in the event you do not pass the exam on your first attempt.
Regardless of your current certification expiration date, you can keep your certification valid by retaking and passing the same exam, prior to the expiration date of your certification.
Why is this change taking place?
The Linux Foundation is committed to providing the highest quality learning and skill verification services to our community. Certification holders rely on us to ensure they have the most up-to-date skills and knowledge to advance their careers. Employers rely on us to verify job candidates have the skills and knowledge to succeed in their roles. While we continuously update our exams, the rate of updates has notably increased resulting in an almost completely new exam every 24 months. Therefore, to keep pace with the rate of change as well as ensure the quality and integrity of our certifications, as of April 01, 2024, 00:00 UTC, anyone who is certified will need to be recertified every 24 months.
