As you may know, the Oracle9i Database Administrator Associate (OCA) and Professional (OCP) exams and certification paths retire on July 31, 2013.
To complete your Oracle9i Database Administrator certification, you should pass your exams on or before that date. Because of the age of this certification, you may want to consider shifting your focus from 9i to 11g (currently the latest available version of Oracle Database Administrator certification).
Candidates who have already completed a 9i training course in anticipation of obtaining the Oracle9i Database Administrator Certified Professional credential may choose to complete the 9i path and then upgrade to Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Professional by passing a single exam, 1Z0-055 Oracle Database 11g: New Features for 9i OCPs. This way, you will not be required to complete additional training.
Note that your 9i training will not fulfill the training requirement for the Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Professional. Thus if you choose to pursue the 11g certification (instead of opting for 9i certification and then upgrade to 11g), you will be required to complete additional training. However, if you obtain the 9i certification before the retirement date, and then upgrade to 11g via the upgrade exam, you will not be required to complete additional training.
Key Considerations
- Be sure you have a Pearson VUE web account.
- If you took any earlier exams at our previous test vendor, Prometric, you will need to create a web account to register for remaining exams.
- If you took exams previously at Prometric, you will have an Oracle Testing ID (Prometric ID). When you create your Pearson VUE account, it is very important that you enter your ID. If you already have an ID and Pearson VUE still assigns you a new one, you should request to have the two merged immediately.
- Authenticate your CertView account if you have not already.
- You will need the email address and Oracle Testing ID from your Pearson VUE profile.
- Be sure that you can view all prior exams and certifications in your CertView account. If not, it is likely that you have multiple IDs. Please contact Pearson VUE for assistance with getting your IDs merged.
- Remember to submit your course form so that your training can be verified.
- Allow plenty of time to take (and possibly retake) your exam.
- There is a 14-day waiting period to retake any failed exams. Be sure to build that time into your schedule, regardless of how confident you feel about the exam. If you take one of the retiring exams fewer than 14 days before the retirement date and you fail, you will not have the opportunity to retake the exam.
- You should also allow time for any issues at the test center. While test center issues are infrequent, a download or connection issue could require you to reschedule. Build a little extra time into your schedule to allow for this eventuality.
- Be aware of any public holidays that may cause testing centers to be closed close to the retirement date.
- Avoid the last minute rush. Some testing centers have quite limited seating. They may run out of space as the deadline moves closer.
SCENARIOS
- Candidates who take all exams before July 31, 2013 but have not submitted the course form:
- Candidates who have passed all exams by the deadline and have not submitted the course form, may submit the course form after the retirement date and will receive the certification.
- Candidates who take all exams before July 31, 2013, but have not completed training:
- Candidates who have passed all exams by the deadline and have not taken training, may take the training and submit the course form after the deadline and will receive the certification.
- Candidates who complete all requirements by July 31, 2013, but have requirements completed under multiple IDs:
- Candidates who pass all exams, complete training and submit the course form before the retirement date, but whose certification does not show in CertView because steps were submitted under different Oracle Testing IDs, can merge IDs and receive the certification after the retirement date.
You can view more information about CertView and Pearson VUE accounts in our Help Center on the Oracle Certification Website. If you have a scenario that is not covered in our scenarios above, or if you have a question that is not covered in our Help Center, you can post it to the comments here (if it does not require posting personal information). If submission of personal information (such as Oracle Testing ID, email address, etc) is required, please do not post here in the blog comments; instead submit an SR to Oracle Certification Support.
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