Does Google Ads Certification Expire?

One year. Google's words: "all Skillshop certifications are valid for one year from the date of certification". The clock starts the day you pass, so each certification you hold has its own date. We checked this on 5 November 2026.

Retake the exam and pass. Google calls the window "the recertification eligibility period, which starts 30 days prior to the expiration date". Set a reminder for that day.

Google's exam rules are 75 minutes, a timer you cannot pause and a score of 80% or more. Fail and you can retake it one day later. Skillshop has no cost, so renewing costs you time, not money.

You lose the right to the word. Google says: "After the expiration date, you won't be able to refer to yourself as 'certified' until you pass the assessments again." So take it off your resume and your profiles until you pass again.

At an agency it can matter more. Companies earn Google Partner status, and one requirement is "a minimum of 50% of your account strategists certified in Google Ads". Your own certificate is personal, but it can count toward that share.

This part is our view, not Google's. Renew it if a job or a client asks for it. The exam takes up to 75 minutes and Skillshop has no cost.

Running ads for your own store? Your customers never see the badge. A lapsed certificate does not change what you learned, and an hour on your own account will teach you more than a retake.