TL;DR: On August 10, 2026, Oracle University announced the 2026 update to its OCI certification program. Four things changed. First, there is a new Agentic AI track with four exams, starting with a free entry-level one. Second, three multicloud professional certifications now exist for Oracle Database@AWS, Database@Azure and Database@Google Cloud. Third, certification titles and badges no longer carry a calendar year, so “OCI 2026 Architect Associate” becomes “OCI Architect Associate”. Fourth, OCI certifications are now valid for 24 months from the date earned. The OCI Architect Associate course and exam are also now free, while professional-level courses require paid access. Oracle’s post does not name new exam codes, retirement dates for older exams or fees for the professional tier, so this guide separates what Oracle published from what third parties report.
If you hold an OCI certification, plan to earn one, or study from material labeled with an exam code that ends in -24 or -25, the question is what to do with that material now. The ledger below answers it.
Quick Facts
| Item | What we found |
| Announcement | Oracle University blog, August 10, 2026, by Rohit Rahi, VP, OCI Global Delivery |
| New track | Agentic AI: four courses and exams |
| New multicloud professional certifications | Oracle Database@AWS Architect Professional, Database@Azure Architect Professional, Database@Google Cloud Architect Professional |
| Naming | Calendar year removed from titles and logos |
| Validity | 24 months from the date earned |
| Free | Foundations courses and exams, the OCI Architect Associate course and exam, and the Agentic AI Foundations exam |
| Paid | Professional-level courses |
| Planned | Multicloud Foundations (September 2026) and Exadata Database Service, professional level (October 2026) |
| Japanese content | Rolling out in stages from September 2026, per Oracle’s Japanese post |
| Not published | New exam codes for the 2026 release, retirement dates for older exams, professional-tier fees |
Oracle’s own blog posts are the source for every rule in this guide. Exam formats such as question counts, durations and passing scores come from Oracle blog posts about individual exams where one exists, and from third-party study sites where it does not. Those figures are marked “reported”.
The Ledger: What Changed and What Stayed
Most write-ups list the new exams and stop. This ledger sorts every change into three columns, because the useful question for a candidate is what affects the plan they already have.
| Item | Before | After the 2026 update | What it means for you |
| Certification titles | Carried a year, for example “OCI 2026 Architect Associate” | No year: “OCI Architect Associate” | A title no longer tells you which version you hold. Check the exam code or the date earned |
| Validity | Not stated in the Oracle posts we read | 24 months from the date earned | Plan a renewal two years after every pass |
| OCI Architect Associate | Paid exam, reported at US$245 | Course and exam free | Reported fee data is out of date. Do not budget for it |
| Foundations | Free | Free | No change |
| Professional courses | The Database@AWS exam was free during a 2025 promotion | Paid access | Budget for training, not just the exam |
| Agentic AI | No dedicated track in the posts we read | Four-exam track | New path for AI-focused candidates |
| Multicloud | A Multicloud Architect Professional certification launched in January 2025, plus Database@AWS content in October 2025 | Three Database@ professional certifications named | Choose the one that matches your cloud partner |
| Japanese content | Limited | Staged rollout from September 2026 | Relevant if you test in Japanese |
The three things that did not change
Foundations is still free. The role-based pattern (Foundations, Associate, Professional) is still the ladder. And Oracle did not announce a hard cutoff that retires existing credentials in the posts we read, so nothing in this update says an earned certification stops being valid early. Whether the new 24-month rule applies to certifications already held is a separate question, covered in the renewal table below.
The New Agentic AI Track
Oracle lists four exams in the track. Only the first has full public details in the sources we could read.
| Exam | Level | Status in Oracle’s posts |
| Agentic AI Foundations | Entry (Associate) | Live. Free |
| OCI Enterprise AI Professional | Professional | Named. No details found |
| Agentic AI for Oracle AI Database Professional | Professional | Named. No details found |
| Agentic AI for Oracle Data Platform Professional | Professional | Named. No details found |
Agentic AI Foundations (1Z0-1157-26)
Oracle’s June 22, 2026 blog post describes the exam as free, with 40 questions in 60 minutes and a 65% passing score. The post does not state prerequisites for the exam, but it says the course assumes basic LLM concepts, working Python and basic familiarity with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Learners new to AI and machine learning are pointed to the OCI AI Foundations course first. The exam link on the page is labeled “exam-unproctored”, which suggests an unproctored delivery, but the post does not spell out the format, so treat that as an inference.
The exam code ends in -26 even though Oracle says titles no longer carry the year. That is worth noticing. It suggests the year may live on in the code while disappearing from the title, but Oracle has not said so.
The three professional exams
Oracle names them in the August 10 post. We found no format, fee or passing score for any of them in Oracle’s posts, and no official study guide in the sources we read. We are not going to fill that gap with guesses. If you are weighing them, read the exam topics page on Oracle University before you buy training, since professional courses are now paid.
The Multicloud Professional Certifications
Oracle’s August post names three: Database@AWS, Database@Azure and Database@Google Cloud Architect Professional. The one with the most public detail is the AWS version.
| Detail | Database@AWS Architect Professional (1Z0-1146) |
| Questions | 50, multiple choice |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 68% |
| Source | Oracle University blog post of October 3, 2025 |
| Launch pricing | Free until October 31, 2025, through the Race to Certification program. No regular fee stated |
| Prerequisites | Not stated |
The October 2025 post lists these exam objectives and weights:
| Domain | Weight |
| Introduction to Multicloud | 5% |
| Architecture and Onboarding | 20% |
| Networking | 15% |
| Provision and Operate Resources | 20% |
| High Availability and Disaster Recovery | 10% |
| Security | 15% |
| Migration | 15% |
Two cautions apply. These are 2025 figures, and Oracle’s August 2026 post does not restate them, so confirm them on the exam page before you book. And we found no equivalent published breakdown for the Azure and Google Cloud versions.
For context, Oracle’s January 2025 post launched an earlier “OCI 2025 Multicloud Architect Professional” certification (1Z0-1151-25) with the same format: 50 questions, 90 minutes, 68% to pass. Whether that credential continues alongside the three Database@ versions is not stated in the posts we read.
The OCI Architect Associate Is Now Free
This is the change with the biggest effect on budgets. Oracle says the OCI Architect Associate course and certification are now free. A third-party study guide updated in March 2026 reported the 1Z0-1072-25 exam at 60 questions, 90 minutes, a 70% passing score and US$245. We treat those as reported, and we treat the fee as superseded by Oracle’s statement.
| Detail | Reported before the update | Oracle’s August 2026 statement |
| Fee | US$245 | Free |
| Questions | 60 | Not restated |
| Duration | 90 minutes | Not restated |
| Passing score | 70% | Not restated |
| Title | OCI 2026 Architect Associate | OCI Architect Associate |
Third-party listings still show a 1Z0-1072-26 exam code. Oracle did not say whether the code keeps its suffix. If you see practice material labeled -24, -25 or -26, the label alone cannot tell you which blueprint it was written against. The only reliable test is whether the topic list matches the one on Oracle University today.
If you want the background on the associate-level exams, our OCI certification path lays out how the ladder fits together, and the 1Z0-1072-24 exam page shows the practice material we offer for the earlier version.
The Renewal Clock: What 24 Months Means
Oracle’s August post says OCI certifications are valid for 24 months from the date earned. The posts do not say how the rule applies to certifications earned before the announcement, so the table shows the arithmetic under the assumption that the rule counts from the original pass date. That is our calculation, not an Oracle statement.
| If you earned it on | Expires on, at 24 months | Notes |
| October 13, 2026 (today) | October 13, 2028 | Applies cleanly under the new rule |
| April 13, 2026 | April 13, 2028 | Applies cleanly |
| October 13, 2025 | October 13, 2027 | Only if the rule counts from the original pass date |
| October 13, 2024 | October 13, 2026 | Only if the rule counts from the original pass date. Would be due now |
The bottom two rows are the ones to confirm. If you hold a certification earned in 2024 or 2025, check your Oracle certification profile or ask Oracle University before you assume you have two more years. The announcement we read is silent on transition handling.
What renewal looks like
Oracle’s posts do not describe the renewal process. We do not know whether it is a retake, a shorter update exam or a free recertification. That gap matters more now that the Associate exam is free, since a repeat attempt would cost nothing at that level. It matters less at the professional tier, where paid courses are the real expense.
Where This Leaves Each Candidate
| Your situation | Suggested next step |
| New to Oracle Cloud | Start with Foundations (free), then the OCI Architect Associate (free) |
| Holder of an older OCI Associate | Check the date earned and your profile for the new expiration |
| Working with AI services | Take Agentic AI Foundations (free) and read the topic pages for the professional exams |
| Oracle Database administrator moving to the cloud | Read the Database@ professional certifications that match your cloud partner |
| Studying from a -24 or -25 practice set | Compare its topic list to Oracle’s current page before relying on it |
If you are choosing between Oracle tracks, the Oracle career roadmap compares the paths, and best Oracle certifications for beginners covers where to start. For database credentials specifically, our comparison of the Oracle SQL Associate and Database Administration I explains how those two exams differ. If you are deciding whether Oracle is the right cloud to specialize in at all, see OCI vs AWS vs Azure.
Five-Minute Check Before You Book Any OCI Exam
- Open the exam page on Oracle University and copy the exam name and code exactly as shown.
- Compare the topic list to the practice material you plan to use. Match the topics, not the label.
- Check the fee on the registration screen. Associate and Foundations should show no charge, per Oracle’s announcement.
- Note the date you will pass and add 24 months. Put the date in your calendar.
- If you hold an older certification, open your certification profile and read the expiration date it shows.
Five minutes spent here prevents the two most common wasted purchases: training for the wrong blueprint and paying for an exam that no longer has a fee.
Common Mistakes After a Naming Change
- Assuming no year means no version. The title lost its year. The exam still has a blueprint, and Oracle updates it. Check the topic list.
- Paying for something that is now free. A study site still showing a US$245 fee for the Associate exam is quoting an older price. Confirm on Oracle University first.
- Assuming a 2024 pass lasts forever. Oracle now states 24 months. How it applies to older passes is not published.
- Skipping the cost of professional training. The exam may be modest, but professional courses now need paid access.
- Treating the planned releases as live. Multicloud Foundations and Exadata Database Service were planned for September and October. We could not confirm from the sources we read that either has launched.
- Trusting an unreadable source. We could not open Oracle’s main certification page directly, so the details here come from Oracle’s blog posts. Check the live page before booking.
What We Don’t Know Yet
- Exam codes for the 2026 release. Oracle’s August post names none. Third-party sites list -26 codes, which are unconfirmed.
- Retirement dates for older exams. No dates appear in the posts we read.
- How the 24-month rule applies to existing holders. Not stated.
- What renewal requires. Not stated.
- Details for three Agentic AI professional exams. No format, fee or passing score found.
- Whether Multicloud Foundations and Exadata Database Service have launched. They were planned for September and October, and we found no confirmation either way.
- Professional-tier pricing. Oracle says access is paid and does not give figures in the posts we read.
- Salary effects. We did not find a source that isolates salary for holders of these credentials, so we have left salary figures out of this guide.
We will update this guide when Oracle publishes more. If you have seen an Oracle page that answers any of these, tell us and we will check it.
FAQS
What changed in Oracle’s OCI certifications in 2026?
Oracle added an Agentic AI track, three Database@ multicloud professional certifications, removed the year from certification names, set validity to 24 months and made the OCI Architect Associate course and exam free.
When did Oracle announce the changes?
The Oracle University post is dated August 10, 2026.
Is the OCI Architect Associate exam really free now?
Oracle’s post says the OCI Architect Associate course and certification are now free. A study guide from March 2026 reported a fee of US$245, which we treat as out of date. Confirm on Oracle University before you register.
How long is an OCI certification valid now?
Oracle states 24 months from the date earned.
Does the 24-month rule apply to my older certification?
Oracle’s post does not say. If you earned yours in 2024 or 2025, check your Oracle certification profile or ask Oracle University.
What is the Agentic AI Foundations exam?
It is the entry-level exam in the new track, with the code 1Z0-1157-26. Oracle’s June 22, 2026 post describes it as free, with 40 questions, 60 minutes and a 65% passing score.
Do I need prerequisites for Agentic AI Foundations?
The post lists none for the exam. The course assumes basic LLM concepts, working Python and basic familiarity with OCI.
What are the four Agentic AI exams?
Agentic AI Foundations, OCI Enterprise AI Professional, Agentic AI for Oracle AI Database Professional and Agentic AI for Oracle Data Platform Professional.
Which multicloud certification should I pick?
Pick the one that matches the cloud partner your employer uses: Database@AWS, Database@Azure or Database@Google Cloud. The AWS version has the most published detail, at 50 questions, 90 minutes and a 68% passing score as of October 2025.
Are exam codes ending in -24 or -25 still useful for study?
Only if the topic list matches Oracle’s current page. A code alone does not tell you which blueprint the material covers.
Are professional-level exams free?
Oracle says professional-level courses now require paid access. The posts we read do not give professional exam fees.
Have Multicloud Foundations and Exadata Database Service launched?
Oracle planned them for September and October 2026. We could not confirm either launch from the sources we read.
Sources: Oracle University blog, “OCI Certification Learning Paths and Exams: 2026 Updates Now Available” (August 10, 2026); Oracle University blog posts on Agentic AI Foundations (June 22, 2026), the Database@AWS Architect Professional course (October 3, 2025) and the OCI 2025 Multicloud Architect Professional launch (January 9, 2025); Oracle’s Japanese-language update post; a third-party OCI Architect Associate study guide (March 28, 2026). Official post: Oracle University, OCI Certification Learning Paths and Exams 2026 Updates.
For practice material across Oracle exams, see our Oracle exam collection.
