By Philip Yiga | August 9, 2018

Today, Oracle is one of the most integrated hardware and software platforms in the business world with up-to 40% of the international database market. In fact, Oracle provides advanced applications for businesses most especially with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) interfaces. However, in-order for oracle to maintain such a large footprint in the business world, it offers training and certification programs that help people become oracle-consultants. Lastly, as an IT-professional you will need to get a certification in oracle so that you can also work as an oracle-consultant. So, below are some of the steps that will help you become a good Oracle-consultant.

 

HOW TO CHOOSE A PREFERRED CERTIFICATION IN ORACLE:

 

1. Select a certification that meets your needs: Oracle actually provides a vast array of software and hardware products. This implies that Oracle will offer a certification for each supported version of a product. So, a certification in any of the oracle-products will allow you to provide technical support for a company that runs a specific Oracle product. All in all, a person’s job or desired job usually determines the oracle-certificate they should receive and the fact is that getting an Oracle certificate may lead you onto a new job, promotion or a raise in salary. Lastly, you should also know that Oracle still maintains and updates its software which implies that you may need to go for certification-upgrades over time.

 

2. Go to the Oracle University website and apply: The training and certification process is actually overseen by Oracle University which implies that you will need to access their website home-page in-order to get information on the certification and training process.

 

3. Checkout all the certifications offered by oracle: After accessing the oracle-website, hover over the “Certification” tab which is located near the top of the page and then select “View All Certifications”. This will bring-up a list of all Oracles’ certifications. On the other hand, you may also select a general product category from the drop down menu.

 

4. Look for the certificate you want to receive: Each Oracle product falls into one of ten general product categories which include: Applications, Cloud, Database, Enterprise-Management, Foundation, Industries, Java and Middleware, Operating-Systems, Systems and Virtualization. So, you will need to scroll down to the general product category that interests you and then locate the software you want to become an expert in and afterwards click on the certification that meets your needs. This will transfer you to a new page that lists information about the certification.

 

5. Click on “Learn More About [insert certification here]”: clicking on this link will help to reveal information about the selected certification. The displayed information usually includes; a description of who should consider obtaining this certification and you will also be able to read about the benefits of receiving that certification.

 

PREPARING FOR YOUR ORACLE-CERTIFICATION EXAM:

 

1. Find the learning path for your selected certification: Each oracle-certification has an accompanying Learning Path with a series of training courses offered through Oracle University. So, go to the oracle website and access a complete list of Oracle University’s Learning Paths of a selected certification.

 

2. Select an oracle course: Your certification’s learning Path may list the required or core courses. So, to access more information on any required course you will have to click directly on the course title and then a webpage containing a course description and purchasing/scheduling options will appear.

 

3. Register for the selected course: After finding the course you want to take, click on “View Schedule” in-order to see the date, time and format of the course that you have selected. Afterwards, click on “Buy Now” to purchase the course but you should know that prices vary greatly by course and format. So, expect to pay between $500.00 and $1,000.00 per day of class. Lastly, Oracle provides traditional classroom instructions, live virtual classes and self-study courses.

 

4. Document your completion of the course if required: After completing a given course, you may be required to fill out a Course Submission Form which helps to document that you have met the specific requirements for your certification. In fact, in-order to receive your certification you must meet and document these requirements.

 

5. Try completing the optional oracle-courses: After taking core-courses, consider going for the suggested specialized or optional courses because they will help you get a chance to learn more about a specific feature or function. So, if a specialized course is directly relevant to your job, then consider taking it. Lastly, optional courses are free of charge and oracle actually encourages its future certified experts to receive as much hands-on training as possible in these courses before taking an exam.

 

6. Use Oracle’s exam prep tools: In-order to help you prepare for your certification exam, Oracle provides you with a variety of resources which include; practice exams and review seminars. So, consider purchasing a 30, 90, 180, or 365 day access to practice exams through Oracle or Kaplan SelfTest but if you prefer a more guided study approach then consider enrolling into an exam preparation seminar.

 

7. Create an account at certview.oracle.com: you will need to create and verify a personal account at certview.oracle.com before sitting for a test because this is where Oracle will send your test results and certificate.

 

8. Buy an exam voucher: Oracle actually offers vouchers for an in-person, proctored exam and an online exam. In fact, these exam-vouchers are valid for 6-months in-order to help you prepare yourself well before sitting for any exam. Additionally, proctored-exam costs around $245 and an online-exam costs about $125.

 

9. Register for an exam: You may actually register for your certification exam in advance of the desired test date or on the day you would like to sit for the test. So, depending on the voucher you purchased and your location, you may register for an: In-person, proctored or non-proctored exam at a Pearson Vue testing center, In-person, proctored exam at an Oracle testing center or an online exam taken at your own location.

 

10. Wait for results after taking an exam: After taking your oracle-exam, you will receive an email from Oracle notifying you that your results are view-able online. So, you will be able to access these results at certview.oracle.com. Lastly, if you have passed the exam then Oracle will give you a certification which can be accessed on certview.oracle.com. To receive a printed version of the certificate, try to follow the instructions provided in the notification email by Oracle.