The GA4 certification exam itself takes 75 minutes, with 50 multiple-choice and true/false questions. You need to score 80% (40 out of 50) to pass. Most people who've worked in GA4 for a few months finish in 45–60 minutes, though you get the full time if you need it. Preparation time varies more widely. If you're already running GA4 properties and understand events, conversions, and basic reporting, you can pass with 4–6 hours of study using Google's Skillshop materials. If you're new to analytics entirely, budget 15–25 hours spread over a week or two to absorb the concepts properly. The exam is open-book, meaning you can reference materials during the test, but don't rely on this. Searching for every answer eats your time and the questions are written to test understanding, not just recall. At Ottawa SEO, we tell our team to take practice quizzes until they're scoring 85%+ consistently before attempting the real exam. Key topics include: - GA4 interface navigation and report customization - Event-based data model versus Universal Analytics sessions - Conversion tracking and audience building - Attribution models and cross-platform tracking - Privacy controls and data retention settings If you fail, there's no waiting period. You can retake immediately, though the questions rotate from a pool so you won't see identical ones. The certification is valid for 12 months, after which you need to recertify. One practical note: the certification proves you understand GA4's mechanics, but it won't teach you how to extract business insights or set up proper tracking architectures. We've seen certified people deploy GA4 incorrectly because they memorized answers without actually configuring properties hands-on. Spend time in a real GA4 account, ideally tracking a live site, before and after you certify. That's where the actual skill develops.