TL;DR
- Google's help pages set the Google Ads certification pass mark at 80% or higher, with a 75-minute timer that cannot be paused and a one-day wait before a retake.
- Each certification lasts one year; renewing means retaking and passing the full assessment for that product area on Skillshop.
- Google Partner status is company-level: a 70% optimization score, 10,000 US dollars of 90-day managed spend and at least 50% of account strategists certified.
- Premier Partner adds a top-3%-in-country requirement assessed yearly; neither badge proves return on ad spend for a specific business.
A Google Ads certification is an individual credential that Google awards through its Skillshop learning platform to a person who passes an online assessment for one Google Ads product area, such as Search, Display or Video. It needs a score of 80% or higher, it lasts one year, and it proves that the holder knew the product well enough to pass a timed exam, not that they can run a profitable account.
That last point matters most if you are hiring. Certifications are useful, but they are often confused with Google Partner status, which is a company-level programme with different rules. This guide covers how the certifications and exams work, what they prove and do not prove, and how to check the claims an agency or freelancer makes.
Which Google Ads certifications exist
Google organises its Google Ads certifications by product area. Google's own help page on certifications names five product areas that count towards the Google Partners programme:
- Google Ads Search: keyword-based text ads on Google Search.
- Google Ads Display: image and responsive ads across the Google Display Network.
- Google Ads Video: video campaigns, mainly on YouTube.
- Shopping ads: product listings driven by a Merchant Center feed.
- Google Ads Apps: campaigns that promote mobile app installs and in-app actions.
Skillshop's Google Ads catalogue page currently also lists a Google Ads - Measurement certification, and Skillshop hosts an AI-Powered Performance Ads certification covering Google's AI-driven campaign types. Google's help page notes that certain Google Ads professional certifications do not count towards the Partners badge, so a certificate can be genuine and still not count for an agency's Partner requirements.
The catalogue changes over time. Google renames, merges and retires certifications as its products change, so treat any list, including this one, as a snapshot. The Skillshop catalogue is the place to check what is current before you study for one or ask a candidate about one.
How the Skillshop exams work
Each certification has a learning path on Skillshop, Google's training platform, and ends with an assessment. Skillshop presents its Google Ads training as free. Google's help pages set out the exam rules:
- Pass mark: you need a score of 80% or greater on the certification assessment.
- Time limit: you have 75 minutes. The timer cannot be paused, and if you leave the assessment partway through, it expires.
- Retakes: if you do not pass, you can retake the assessment one day later. The same one-day wait applies if you leave an assessment before finishing.
- Proof: passing gives you a personalised certificate you can print, and Google suggests mentioning it on a CV, business cards and LinkedIn.
Google's help page does not state a fixed number of questions, and unofficial sources disagree, so it is better not to rely on any number you see quoted. The assessment is taken online, at your own pace within the time limit.
What the exams test
The assessments test product knowledge: which campaign type suits which goal, how bidding strategies behave, what settings do, how to read core metrics and where features live in the interface. They follow Google's recommended practice, including its automated bidding and campaign types. Someone who studies the Skillshop material carefully can pass without having managed real spend, and someone with years of hands-on experience can still fail if they have not kept up with product changes.
How long a Google Ads certification lasts
A Google Ads certification stays valid for one year from the date you pass. To renew it, you retake and pass the assessment for that product area. There is no shortened renewal exam described on Google's help page; you sit the assessment again.
The one-year cycle exists because the product changes quickly. Campaign types are introduced and retired, bidding options change and interface paths move. An expired certificate is not proof of anything current, which is why the expiry date on a certificate is worth checking.
What a certification proves, and what it does not
For a buyer comparing agencies or freelancers, the honest answer is that a certification proves a minimum and nothing more. The table below sets out the difference.
| What a Google Ads certification shows | What it does not show |
|---|---|
| The person passed a timed exam on one product area with 80% or more | That they have managed campaigns in your industry or at your budget level |
| Their knowledge was current within the last year, if the certificate has not expired | That their past accounts were profitable or well structured |
| They know Google's recommended settings and terminology | That they will question Google's recommendations when they do not suit your goals |
| They are familiar with the product area named on the certificate | That they are skilled in other areas, such as Shopping feeds or conversion tracking |
Use certification as a filter, not a decision. A practitioner who manages Google Ads for clients and has never bothered to certify in the product areas they sell is a small warning sign. A practitioner whose only evidence is a set of certificates is a bigger one.
Questions that tell you more than a certificate
- How would you set up conversion tracking for our business, and how would you check that it is recording correctly?
- Which bidding strategy would you start with at our budget, and what would make you change it?
- How do you decide which of Google's account recommendations to accept and which to dismiss?
- What would you report to us each month, and which numbers would you tie to our revenue or leads?
- Will we own the Google Ads account, or will it sit under your company?
The answers show judgement and working method, which no multiple-choice exam measures.
Google Partner status vs individual certification
The two are often mixed up, but they apply to different things. A certification belongs to a person. Google Partner status belongs to a company, and certifications are only one of three requirement groups.
Google's Partner requirements, as set out on its help page, are:
- Performance: the company's Google Partners registered manager account needs a minimum optimisation score of 70%.
- Spend: that manager account needs to maintain 90-day ad spend of 10,000 US dollars across the accounts it manages.
- Certification: at least 50% of the company's account strategists, meaning the employees who manage Google Ads campaigns for clients, must be certified in Google Ads. The company also needs at least one certification in each product area where its managed accounts spent 500 US dollars or more in 90 days.
Premier Partner is a further tier. A company must meet the Partner requirements and also be in the top 3% of participating companies in its country, assessed once a year.
Two mechanics are worth knowing. First, a certification only counts towards a company's Partner status once the individual links their Skillshop account to the Google Ads account they use under the company's manager account, and it can take up to 48 hours to show up. Second, Google advises against sharing one Skillshop account between several people, because those certifications may not count. The company sees each user's status, including expiry dates, on a "User certifications" page under Admin, then Partner programs, in its Google Ads manager account.
Notice what the Partner requirements measure: a certified team, a level of spend under management and an optimisation score. Optimisation score reflects how far an account follows Google's own recommendations. It is not a measure of the client's return on ad spend. Partner status is a fair signal of an established practice that works within Google's system, but it does not prove results for a business like yours.
How to verify someone's Google Ads certification
Verification is mostly a matter of asking for the right evidence:
- Ask for the certificate itself. Skillshop issues a personalised certificate. Check that the name matches the person who will work on your account, that the product area matches the work you are buying, and that the expiry date is in the future.
- Match the certificate to the work. A Search certificate says nothing about Shopping or Video. If your budget will go mainly into Google Shopping campaigns, ask about the Shopping ads certification specifically.
- For agencies, separate the company from the person. A Partner badge on a website is a company claim. Ask who will actually manage your account and whether that person holds current certifications.
- Ask the agency to show its Partner status. A Partner can see its status and the certification status of its users in its own manager account. A reasonable agency can show you this on screen during a call.
- Check results separately. Ask for read access to your own account once work starts, and judge performance against the targets you agreed, not against badges.
What this means for Thai businesses hiring a Google Ads agency
The certifications and the Partner programme work the same way in Thailand as elsewhere. Skillshop and its assessments are run by Google globally, and the Premier Partner tier is assessed per country, so a Thai Premier Partner is ranked among Thai participating companies.
For a Thai buyer, a few practical points follow. Ask whether the person managing your account will be certified in the product areas your budget uses, and whether they can work in both Thai and English if your ads and landing pages run in both. Ask about Thai-specific setup, such as keyword lists that cover Thai script, transliterated brand names and English terms Thai searchers commonly type. Finally, insist that the Google Ads account is opened in your company's name, so that your data and history stay with you whatever happens to the agency relationship.
Google Ads certification FAQ
How long is a Google Ads certification valid?
A Google Ads certification is valid for one year from the date you pass the assessment. To keep it, you retake and pass the assessment for that product area again.
What score do you need to pass a Google Ads certification exam?
You need a score of 80% or higher on the certification assessment, which you take on Skillshop within a 75-minute time limit. If you fail, you can retake it one day later.
Is Google Partner status the same as being Google Ads certified?
No, certification is an individual credential, while Google Partner status is awarded to a company. Partner status also requires a minimum optimisation score of 70%, 10,000 US dollars of 90-day spend across managed accounts and at least half of the company's account strategists being certified.
Does a Google Ads certification mean an agency will get good results?
No, a certification shows that a person passed a product knowledge exam within the last year, not that they have produced results in your market. Judge an agency on how it sets up tracking, how it reports against your business goals and whether you keep ownership of your account.
Choosing who runs your Google Ads
A current Google Ads certification is a reasonable entry requirement for anyone managing your spend, and Partner status is a useful signal about a company. Neither replaces a conversation about tracking, strategy and reporting, or a clear agreement about who owns the account.
Relevant Audience's Google Ads management service assigns each client a dedicated, certified account manager who works in Thai and English, and the team holds Google Ads certifications. If you are comparing options, the Relevant Search Google Ads service page explains how the work is set up, and you can ask any of the questions above before you decide.
