GA4 Certification Free: Skillshop Steps to Your Badge

The GA4 certification is a Google Analytics credential you earn by taking the free courses in Google's Skillshop Analytics Academy and scoring 80% or higher on the certification assessment. As of October 4, 2026, Analytics Academy offers 4 free e-learning courses and 1 certification, and Skillshop is free to use. Below you will find the steps, the exam conditions, where to check your result, and the points where people often get stuck.

The GA4 certification is Google's Analytics credential, issued on Skillshop

The Google Analytics certification is issued by Skillshop, the learning site that Google runs itself. Analytics Academy is the collection of Google Analytics courses on that site. It is built to teach setup, using reports, measurement features that show marketing impact, and connections to other products.

Here, Google Analytics means GA4. The previous generation, standard Universal Analytics properties, stopped processing data on July 1, 2023, so what you study and are tested on today is GA4. If you have never used GA4, signing up and installing it comes before the exam.

The GA4 certification path runs from the courses to passing the assessment

The path has two main steps: take the courses, then take the assessment. Skillshop's guide describes the same flow. You prepare through the course activities, take the certification assessment, and the certification is issued when you pass.

1. Log in to Skillshop (skillshop.withgoogle.com) and open a course in Analytics Academy.
2. Work through the course activities to the end and learn GA4 setup, using reports, and measurement features.
3. Start the certification assessment. Use the guidance on the exam start screen for the number of questions and the time limit.
4. If your result is 80% or higher, the certification is issued. The conditions are in the table below.

Google Analytics certification exam conditions cover cost, passing score, retakes and validity

The exam conditions come from Google's general Skillshop guidance. They are not rules that apply only to the GA4 assessment.

Item	Details	Source
Cost	Skillshop is free to use.	Skillshop FAQ
Passing score	You need 80% or higher, depending on the assessment.	Skillshop FAQ
Retakes	If you fail, you must wait 24 hours. There is no limit on attempts.	Skillshop FAQ
Validity	One year from the certification date unless stated otherwise. When it expires, the digital badge also shows as expired.	Digital badge guide

The passing score comes with the phrase "depending on the assessment," which means the standard can differ between assessments. Read the passing criteria on the start screen once more before you begin. Validity also comes with the condition "unless stated otherwise," so treat the expiry date shown on your issued certification as the one that counts.

After you pass, check your certification and digital badge in My Activities

After you pass, you can view and download the certification on the My Activities page in the user menu, under the Courses tab. When you download the file and add it to a resume or profile, check the expiry date as well.

Once you earn the certification, instructions for getting the digital badge arrive by email.

Common mistakes when preparing for the GA4 certification

• Skipping the courses and going straight to the exam. You can retake after 24 hours, so it is tempting to just try. But the courses make up the exam scope, so the right order is to read the setup and report concepts in the courses first.
• Never using GA4 hands-on. The courses cover setup and using reports. If you create an account, a property, a data stream and a realtime report yourself once, you can match the same terms to what you see on screen. Just follow Google's official guide to creating an account and setting up a property.
• Assuming the passing score is the same for every assessment. The 80% figure is the standard that Skillshop's guidance gives "depending on the assessment." The guidance on the start screen takes priority.
• Ignoring the expiry date. The certification expires after 1 year, and the badge changes to expired too. Check whether the date you put on your resume has passed.

GA4 certification FAQ

How do I make my GA4 certification digital badge public?

The badge is private by default. If you change it to public in your profile's visibility settings, other people can see it.

Where do I see my GA4 certification expiry date?

Skillshop shows a list of the certifications you have completed or passed, along with their expiry dates. When one expires, the matching badge also shows as expired.

Today, log in to Skillshop, open the first course in Analytics Academy, and read the passing criteria and question guidance on the certification assessment start screen.