14 October 2024

Google Analytics Certification – How to Pass Google's Exam

Guide to the Google Analytics Certification exam

A question that often pops up when I’m training people is “What does it take to become Google Analytics certified?” It’s a great question, so let’s jump in!

Google has an exam that you can take to become certified in Google Analytics. It was previously called the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam (or GAIQ), but it’s now simply called ‘Google Analytics Certification’. Once you’ve passed the exam you’ll be qualified in Google Analytics. Sounds easy right?!? Well, it is and it isn’t. I’ll explain as we go and for anybody looking to pass the exam I’m going to give you tips on how you can study and prepare yourself.

Get the Google Analytics Certification Resources

In a hurry? You can also download the resources included in my post (plus some sample exam questions). Get my Google Analytics Certification Resources PDF.

Download the Certification Resources

The Google Analytics exam is free to take. It’s made up of 50 questions (which are randomly drawn from a larger library of questions) and you have 1 hour and 15 minutes to sit the exam. You need to answer at least 40 of the questions correctly in order to pass and once you’ve passed you’ll know if you’re qualified or not. In order to retain your certification, you’ll need to resit the exam within 12 months.

Here’s a quick summary of the exam:

Free to take
1 hour 15 minutes
50 questions
80% correct to pass
Valid for 12 months

If you would prefer to follow along, here’s my video covering Google Analytics certification:

What happens if I fail the Google Analytics exam?

It happens. If you do fail the exam, then you'll have to wait one day before you can retake the exam. After waiting, you'll be able to head back and take the exam again. And there is no penalty for failing the exam (other than having to wait for your next attempt).

How to study for the exam

Google provides a number of resources to study for the exam. First, there is Google’s learning modules in Skillshop which is home to lessons you can take in your own time. You can complete the following modules before taking the exam:

You can join my Google Analytics Complete course which will give you the knowledge you need to pass Google’s exam, plus practical skills to get the most out of your data.

I also recommend that if you are going to take the exam for the first time that you have spent some time having a play within Google Analytics. Being familiar with the interface and getting to know the reports will make things easier. If you don’t have access to a real Google Analytics account, then make sure you have access to the Google Analytics demo account.

What are the exam questions like?

All of the questions are multiple-choice, so you simply select the best possible answer from the available options. The questions cover a fairly broad range of topics from basic principles, what’s contained in particular reports through to slightly more technical questions about how Google Analytics works and particular features.

Here are some practice questions to give you a feel for what you might find in the exam. They’re similar to the actual exam questions, but they’re not the actual questions. You'll be asked 5 questions, but you can retake my practice quiz to be given another random selection of questions.

Google Analytics Exam Practice Quiz:

Cheating in the exam

Yes, you do have the option of cheating. It’s easy to do, just try searching Google for ‘google analytics exam answers’. Done. But before you head to Google and start checking out all of the questions in the exam I’m going to get you to answer the following question for me;

Why do you want to cheat on the exam?

What’s cheating on the exam going to prove? I can tell you from experience cheating on the exam just to get a certificate isn’t going to make you stand out from the crowd. In fact it could come back to bite you if you ever run into someone who really did study for the exam. This leads on to our next topic.

Google Analytics exam answers

Okay, while I’ve just talked about cheating in the exam, there’s something glaringly obvious that you might encounter when sitting the exam. As I’m updating this article (on 15 October 2024), I’ve taken the exam a couple of times to ensure all of my information is current and updated. Each time I’ve taken the exam, the correct answer was the first option listed as the multiple-choice selection. So clicking the first answer for each question gave me a score of 100%.

I’m assuming this is a mistake with the platform used to deliver the exam. Maybe someone at Google didn’t select the option to randomize the answers. I don’t know. However, it’s super obvious after you’ve answered the first three or four questions, so I have to mention it. Hopefully this gets fixed because it really devalues the exam, but until then, I recommend checking to see if the first option for answer the question is correct.

What are the benefits of being a Google Analytics qualified individual?

You get a pretty certificate that you can print and hang on your wall, you can say that you’re qualified in Google Analytics on your CV and add it as a certification to your LinkedIn profile. You even have the option to share a link so that people can verify you’ve passed the exam.

That’s it.

But the real benefit of being a Google Analytics qualified individual is sharing your passion for this amazing tool. In the end being a Google Analytics pro isn’t about an exam it’s about actually getting your hands dirty and using the tool. Definitely take the exam to show you’re awesome, but also make sure you know how to use it and hone your skills.

How to sit the exam

First you’ll need to head to Google Skillshop. Once you’ve signed in you will be able to take the certification exam.

Once you’re inside Google Skillshop, search for and select ‘Google Analytics Certification’, then click ‘Start Exam’ under ‘Google Analytics Certification’ to take the exam.

Good luck!

Problems finding your certificate?

It can be a bit difficult to find your certificate in Google Skillshop. This generally comes down to two reasons. First, you won’t actually find your certificates under the ‘Certification Hub’ in the menu, instead you need to select ‘My Activities’ and then ‘Certifications’.

Secondly, if it the first time you’ve taken the exam, I’ve found it can take around 3 hours for the certification to appear under ‘Certifications’. It’s quite frustrating, but you will just need to wait and keep clicking ‘Refresh’ until it appears.

That’s it!

Get the Google Analytics Certification Resources

In a hurry? You can also download the resources included in my post (plus some sample exam questions). Get my Google Analytics Certification Resources PDF.

Download the Certification Resources