Linux foundation certification program

Certification FAQ

How can I renew my certification and keep it active?

Candidates may keep Certification valid by completing one of the renewal requirement options below. Renewal requirements must be completed prior to the expiration of the Certification.

• Retake the exam. Candidates have the option to retake and pass the same exam to keep their Certification valid. The Certification will become valid for 3 years starting on the date the exam is retaken and passed.
• Achieve a higher-level Certification. On the date that a Candidate with an active LFCS Certification achieves LFCE Certification, their LFCS Certification will be renewed for 3 years so that both their LFCE and LFCS Certifications expire on the same date. For example, a Candidate holds an active LFCS Certification expiring on August 20, 2019. The Candidate achieves LFCE Certification on March 1, 2019. Their lower-level LFCS Certification will be extended for 3 years effective March 1, 2019 and both their newly achieved LFCE and renewed LFCS Certifications will have the same expiration date of March 1, 2022.

Is there a waiting period before I can re-take my exam?

The deadline to complete the free retake is 12 months from the original purchase date. There is no enforced wait period for retakes currently. However, the following factors affect how quickly you can get and schedule a retake: — A free retake can only be issued if the first attempt has been graded as a No Pass, and exams are scored 24 hours from the time an exam is completed. (That means it’s at least 1 days before eligibility for a free retake can be determined.) — There is a 24-hour lead time needed for exam reservations, meaning the earliest possible reservation would be 24 hours ahead. If you are wanting to ensure you have enough time to fit a retake in before the retake deadline, then we recommend that you schedule your first attempt at least 2 weeks before the expiration date of your exam.

How do I change my exam platform?

Please review the Platform Selection information published in our candidate handbook, for details of the platform(s) available for our exams, and how to choose a platform (if that option is available).

How do I change my name for the exam?

If you are looking to confirm or to make a change to the name that will be used for the exam, please login to the portal (trainingportal.linuxfoundation.org) and click the Start/Resume button for your certification. This will open a page with your Exam Checklist. Please use the Verify Name step in that checklist to confirm or make changes to the name listed for your exam. You’ll want to make sure it matches the name on your government photo ID. Please also note that if you make a change to your name in the Verify Name field, the change submission will be logged right away on the back-end, but the exam checklist interface takes up to 15 minutes to show the recorded change. Verify Name is a required step that all candidates must complete before taking the exam. During the check-in process for the exam, the proctor will ask you to present your gov’t photo ID to them via the webcam so that they may confirm your identity against the name on your Exam Checklist. Your name will need to match what’s listed on the ID that you present. The ID you present must be government-issued and bear your name and photo. It must not be expired.

Will my ID be acceptable for the exam?

Please review the «Candidate Identification and Authentication» section in the Candidate Handbook and make sure that you satisfy the ID requirements listed there. Failure to meet requirements may mean the proctor will not be able to allow you to test and may cause you to forfeit the exam attempt. The name on your Primary ID must exactly match the verified name on your exam checklist. If you need to update the name associated to your exam so that it matches the ID that you will be presenting for the exam, login to the portal (portal.linuxfoundation.org/portal) and look for the Verify Name step in the Exam Prep Checklist. The «Verify Name» step allows you to verify if the name listed on your account matches the name on your government photo ID. This is a required step that all candidates must complete before taking the exam. If you need to make changes to the name on your account so that it matches your gov’t photo ID, use the «click here to change it» link.

My gov’t ID does not have my name in Latin characters; will I be able to test?

Please review the «Candidate Identification and Authentication» section in the Candidate Handbook. Failure to meet requirements may mean the proctor will not be able to allow you to test and may cause you to forfeit the exam attempt.

Where do I go and what do I need to take an exam?

Exams are delivered online and can be taken from anywhere in the world. Candidates need to make sure they meet system and identification requirements. Please review the Candidate Handbook for full details.

I have an ID with name listed in non-Latin characters and a credit card with name written in Latin. Is it possible to take the exam with this?

Candidates are required to provide a non-expired Primary ID that contains Candidate’s photograph, signature and full name (see acceptable forms of ID below). The name on your Primary ID must exactly match the verified name on your exam checklist. Please review our Identification and Authentication policy, published in our Candidate Handbook.

What are the system requirements? How can I test my machine?

Candidates are expected to provide:

1. Front-end hardware (e.g. laptop or desktop) with Chrome or Chromium browser installed*
2. Stable and high-speed internet access
3. A webcam and microphone.

*Please note that you will need to enable 3rd-party cookies when you take the Exam. These cookies can be disabled as soon as the Exam is completed. To test the system you plan on taking the exam from, use the compatibility check tool provided by the Exam Proctoring Partner to check if your system and testing environment meet the minimum requirements. Select “Linux Foundation” as the Exam Sponsor and “LFCS” or “LFCE” as the Exam. If you already registered for an Exam, you can also login to My Portal and click on the Check System Requirements step to be directed to the compatibility check tool.

Where do I upload or provide my ID for the exam?

The certification exams are proctored remotely via webcam and desktop streaming. During the check-in process for the exam, the proctor will ask you to present your ID in order to confirm your identity. Please review our Identification and Authentication policy, published in our Candidate Handbook

What are the identification requirements?

Exams are proctored remotely and include a check-in process with the proctor prior to an exam being launched. Watch this video to learn about the proctoring process. Please review the Candidate Identification and Authentication Policy, published in our candidate handbook. The name on your Primary ID must exactly match the verified name on your exam checklist

What if I have internet issues during the exam? How do I reconnect?

It is ultimately the responsibility of the candidate to ensure they have an internet connection that is of high-enough bandwidth, as well as stable and reliable enough to sustain a connection to the exam for the duration of the exam. (It’s the only way we’re able to deliver online, remotely-proctored exams that can be taken anytime, anywhere.) If your network or internet is experiencing issues during an exam session and causes you to lose your connection to the exam temporarily, you can contact PSI support to find out how to reconnect to the exam. (You can contact PSI Support via the online chat or the Support menu item on http://www.examslocal.com/linuxfoundation.) You may also be able to ask the proctor for added time in cases where your internet connection is interrupted. However, please note that it’s ultimately the proctor’s discretion as to whether to honor such request and it will be based on what they observe during the exam. For this reason, we recommend that candidates test from the most robust network possible.

What is the format for the exam?

The Linux Foundation Certification exams are performance-based** and require all work to be done on the command-line. A server is provisioned for the candidate’s use during the exam, the candidate does not need to setup their own server. The server will be made available to the candidate within a web-based exam console. This exam console can be accessed from either a Chrome or Chromium web browser (please review the system requirements). For exam security, candidates are monitored by a proctor during the exam session via streaming audio, video, and screensharing feeds. The screensharing feed allows proctors to view candidates’ desktops (including all monitors). The audio, video, and screensharing feeds will be stored for a limited period of time in the event that there is a subsequent need for review. Please review the information published in our Candidate Handbook for more detail. **NOTE: The LFCA Exam is a Multiple Choice exam containing 60 questions.

Can I attach an external monitor to my computer or laptop for the exam?

Only 1 monitor/display may be used during your exam. The monitor/display can be an external monitor connected to a laptop computer, however, you must choose which display to use for the exam; you cannot use both. You can check the system requirements for the display by clicking the Check System Requirements step in the Exam Prep Checklist in the portal. Please also keep in mind that the proctor will ask you to pan your physical surroundings with your webcam, so if your webcam is built-in on your laptop, you may want to test whether you can do this successfully while hooked up to an external monitor. Most candidates seem to be able to do this without issue, but if for any reason this presents an issue for your setup (i.e. too short of cables or maybe laptop is quite large), you may need to consider an external webcam that you can move independently.

Which platform will my exam be provisioned on, and can I choose a platform for my exam?

Please review the Platform Selection information published in our candidate handbook, for details of the platform(s) available for our exams, and how to choose a platform (if that option is available).

Can I use an internal or built-in webcam for the exam?

You are welcome to use a webcam that is built-in to your laptop/computer. Just remember that you will be asked to do a full pan of your room and physical surroundings with your webcam (sometimes, this can include panning the area beneath your desk). While many candidates are able to satisfy this request with their laptop’s built-in webcam, if you believe this could present an issue for the webcam that is built-in to your computer, then you may need to look into getting an external webcam for use during the exam.

How do I schedule, reschedule, or cancel exam reservations?

Once you purchase an exam registration, you will have 12 months to take the exam. That means you may schedule a reservation date to occur within 12 months of purchase only. After 12 months, your exam registration expires and you will no longer have eligibility to schedule or sit for the exam.

• To schedule an exam, just login to My Portal and click on Start Certification/Resume for the exam you purchased, to load the Exam Preparation Checklist. Complete the first 3 checklist items for the «Schedule» button to become active.
• Clicking «Schedule» will take you to the Exam Proctoring Partner’s scheduling site where you can select a preferred date/time for your exam.
• You may cancel or reschedule an existing exam reservation when there are more than 24 hours before the scheduled start time of a reservation. At 24 hours or less, no changes will be allowed and you must either take the exam or forfeit the exam.

Additional notes on scheduling:

• Timeslots are subject to availability. We recommend going through the scheduling process at least 3 weeks before a desired Exam date.
• Exam reservations require a 24-hour lead time and the earliest date you will be able to select for your Exam reservation will be the next day.
• The latest possible date in the scheduling calendar is sixty (60) days out. If a later reservation is desired, you will need to wait to schedule until your desired date is within 60 days.

Can I use my browser bookmarks during my exam?

Resources allowed for all Linux Foundation Certification Programs are published here: https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification/certification-resources-allowed If your bookmark is used to access any of our allowed resources, you will be permitted to use it during your exam session. No other sites may be navigated to. It is the responsibility of the candidate not to click on any links that cause them to navigate to a domain that is not allowed.

Are there any exam pre-requisites?

There are no prerequisites to take our certification exams with the exception of our Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) exam. Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) candidates must have taken and passed the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam prior to attempting the CKS exam.

For the LFCS or LFCE exams, do I need to take the exam from a Linux machine?

Candidates must provide their own computer with a c urrent version of Chrome or Chromium browser.

You don’t need to install a virtual machine, use a client machine, or anything beyond a Chrome or Chromium browser

Please review the System Requirements published in our Candidate handbook If you already purchased the exam, please run the compatibility check tool provided by the Exam Proctoring Partner to verify that their hardware meets the minimum requirements. The tool is located at https://www.examslocal.com/ScheduleExam/Home/CompatibilityCheck .

What resources or tools are allowed or forbidden during the exam?

The following resources are allowed during the exam as long as they are used by Candidate to work independently on exam objectives (i.e. not used for 3rd party assistance or research) and are accessed from within the exam console on which the exam is delivered (resources that cannot be accessed from within the console are not allowed):

• Man pages
• Documents installed by the distribution (i.e. /usr/share/doc/)
• Packages that are part of the distribution. (May also be installed by Candidate if not available by default.)

As long as it fits the above description of allowable resources, Candidates may choose to install and use any tool to complete an objective. The following resources are forbidden during the exam:

• External web pages
• Text-based email clients
• Browsing the Internet using installed tools such as Vim and Emacs
• Communications with other Candidates or outside resources
• Use of devices other than the exam desktop
• Notes
• Documentation
• Notepads
• Course manuals
• Devices external to computer on which they are taking the exam, including but not limited to: mobile phones, PDAs, wearable computers, smart glasses, smart watches

How soon should I expect my exam results?

A score report is sent to the candidate, via email, 24 hours from the time the exam is completed. Results are also made available on the Portal.

If more than 24 hours have passed since you completed your exam and you have not yet received your score report and you have checked your spam/promotions folder of your email, please login to trainingsupport.linuxfoundation.org for assistance.

How are exams scored and how soon will I get my results?

Exam scores will be made available via email and My Portal within 24 hours of the Exam being completed. Do note that it’s 24 hours from time the exam was completed, not started. Exams are scored automatically and are graded for results. There may be more than one way to perform an objective on an Exam and unless otherwise specified, the Candidate can pick any available path to perform the objective as long as it produces the correct result. Exam items have different point-values. For example, some questions may be multi-part and so tend to be worth more in points. Additionally, some questions will involve tasks or skills that are considered more difficult and/or more time-intensive; such questions will be weighted more than a question that is simpler and/or involves basic skills only to complete.

What score is needed to pass the exam?

For the LFCS Exam, a score of 66% or above must be earned to pass. For the LFCE Exam, a score of 57% or above must be earned to pass. Please review the FAQ section of all other programs, to determine the score required to pass. https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/tc-docs/certification

What data/information is made available about my Certification? Can you verify if someone has active Certification?

The Linux Foundation provides a verification tool on its website that allows individuals with active Certification(s) to market their Certified status to potential employers or clients. To submit a query on this verification tool, a user must enter the Certificate ID number and the corresponding Last Name as listed on the Certificate of a successfully Certified individual. (The Last Name must be entered exactly as listed on the Certificate, including any special characters.) The results for a successfully submitted query will include the full name of Candidate, Certification title, status of Certification, and the date that the Certification was achieved.

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