Kaplan IT Training Blog

Oracle One-Test Catch-Up Certification Opportunities for OCA and OCP in 12c

Are you one of those individuals who has allowed your Oracle Database Administrator or Oracle Developer Certification to expire because you’ve been too busy to keep up with the required exams – not to mention any potential classroom training? Is your most recent Oracle certification back at release 9i (or even Oracle7), and are you looking for a way to pole-vault to a newer release, such as 11g or 12c?

There’s good news for you folks. Oracle has provided some new certification paths to help you upgrade to 11g or 12c via a single exam (plus any required training).  Here are the specifics on the new upgrade paths.

Oracle Certified Professionals (OCP): 7, 8, 8i, 9i, 10g, 11g to OCP 12c

If you are an existing Oracle Database Administrator Certified Professional (OCP) from Oracle7 or above, you now have a one-exam option to upgrade to the new  Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Professional certification with no required training. Exam 1Z0-060, Upgrade to Oracle Database 12c, is available from Oracle.

Note that while coursework is not mandatory, Oracle does recommend you take the optional training course, Oracle Database 12c: New Features for Administrators.

Oracle DBA Certified Associates (OCA): 9i, 10g, 11g to OCP 12c

If you are an existing Oracle Database Administrator Certified Associate (OCA)  from Oracle9i or above, you now have a one-exam option to upgrade to the new  Oracle Database 12c Administrator Certified Professional certification. Exam 1Z0-067, Upgrade Oracle9i/10g/11g OCA to Oracle Database 12c OCP, is available from Oracle.

Oracle has traditionally required that you take classroom instruction when upgrading from an OCA to an OCP, and it is required that you complete one course before sitting the exam. You can view the list of qualifying courses here.

Oracle Certified Associates (OCA) 12c to OCP 12c

If you’ve already earned your Oracle Database Administrator Certified Associate (OCA) in Database 12c, you can take one required course (listed on the Professional Level Certification tab) plus exam 1Z0-063, Oracle Database 12c: Advanced Administration.

Oracle Certified Associates (OCA): Upgrade 9i or 10g to 11g OCP

If you currently have your 9i or 10g OCA for Database Administration, and you’re not ready to go all the way to Database 12c, then successfully completing exam 1z0-034, Upgrade Oracle 9i/10g OCA to Oracle Database 11g OCP plus one required Oracle class will upgrade your current OCA certification to the 11g Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Professional certification.  You’ll want to review the exam topics for 1z0-034 on the Oracle certification website (choose the tab Exam Topics next to the Exam Preparation tab).

Again, Oracle requires classroom instruction when upgrading from an OCA to an OCP. You can view the list of qualifying courses here.

Oracle Certified Professionals (upgrade to 11g or 10g)

Oracle also retained the earlier one-exam upgrades for the older generations of Oracle.

• Upgrade your 9i OCP to 11g OCP with exam 1Z0-055, Oracle Database 11g: New Features for 9i OCPs
• Upgrade your 10g OCP to 11g OCP with exam 1Z0-050, Oracle Database 11g: New Features for Administrators

Is the one-exam approach right for you?

A single-exam upgrade to jump from Oracle7 or Oracle9i to Oracle Database 12 can be an amazing bargain for the right certification candidate. Some potential drawbacks to this approach, however, would be that the candidate must take a more difficult exam with a much larger question base than the tests in the conventional two-exam upgrade path. Where a conventional two-exam certification might have an 80-count or 90-count question pool, there can be up to three times as many in the all-in-one test. You must be sure to allocate enough study time to cover the volume of material that you’ll be tested on.

Another consideration is whether the candidate with an older generation of Oracle OCA needs certification in 11g. Earning a 12c certification does not automatically add the corresponding 11g credentials to your transcript. You must be separately certified in 11g to add that credential, which may be the one a potential or current employer is looking for.

Transcender has you covered with Oracle test prep products. We have already released Cert-1Z0-034, Cert-1Z0-060, and Cert-1Z0-067. And, for those who wish to move forward with new Database 12c certifications, we have 1Z0-063 in production, with a projected publication date late in the fourth quarter.

Best of luck!

Bob Bungenstock, aka OrclTestGuy