I’ve earned many of the certifications that Google gives, together with the L1 and L2 instructor certification.
Years in the past I turned a “Google Licensed Administrator,” however that program was discontinued a very long time in the past.
I used to be excited to listen to Google announce a brand new certification for IT admins who handle Chromebooks.
Sounds good for somebody like me!
So, I made a decision to check my expertise by taking the ChromeOS administrator examination. I suppose we’ll learn the way a lot I really learn about Chromebooks!
Examination Guidelines & Necessities
The ChromeOS administrator examination geared toward IT professionals with at the least 1 12 months of Chromebook administration expertise. You have to be conversant in the Google admin console, system, and consumer settings earlier than trying this examination.
My expertise with Chromebook administration is solely in Okay-12 college environments. There have been just a few questions / sections of the examination that had been extra business-focused and never as acquainted to me.
This examination is suitable for each enterprise and schooling IT admins, simply be ready for some ideas that may not be widespread in your IT surroundings.
Listed here are the important thing particulars that it is best to know in regards to the ChromeOS directors examination
- Value: $200 (FREE by means of January 2024!)
- Format: a number of alternative & lab (two seperate sections)
- Examination Time: 3 hours (90 minutes for every part)
- Passing Rating: 80% (you both go or fail; you gained’t know your particular rating)
- Language Help: English (Japanese supporting coming in 2023)
- Restrictions: it is a closed e book examination. Exterior materials (digital or printed) shouldn’t be allowed. Remotely proctored by way of net cam eye monitoring.
- Size of Certification: 3 years (should re-test to keep up your credential)
You’ll be able to retake the examination as much as 3 times in a single 12 months by re-registering and paying the examination price. There’s a ready interval between every try which is outlined right here. (Hopefully I gained’t have to take this take a look at greater than as soon as!)
Be aware: the a number of alternative and lab portion of the examination thought-about separate exams. If you happen to go one part, however not the opposite, you solely have to retake the part you didn’t go.
Registration course of
Registering for the Chromebook examination examination was a bit difficult, however that is almost certainly attributable to the truth that the examination continues to be in beta.
Registration and take a look at administration is dealt with by Kryterion, Google’s testing associate. As a result of this examination is in beta, you could create a NEW Kryterion account to entry and register. When you’ve got taken different skilled certifications from Google / Kryterion, you possibly can NOT use your previous account.
Upon getting created a brand new account, you will note the ChromeOS administrator examination and may have the chance to register for gratis by means of January 2024. The examination price is often $200.
You should schedule a time to sit down for this examination. Similar day examinations are NOT out there, so be sure to register prematurely.
Chromebook Academy
Wish to go your ChromeOS admin examination the primary time? The Chromebook Academy is a LIVE digital coaching for IT directors that can evaluation the whole lot that’s examined on this examination.
Registration for my winter cohort will open in early 2023. Be a part of the waitlist under to register!
Examination restrictions
The ChromeOS administrator examination is a closed-book examination. Referencing exterior notes or use of a secondary system or browser tabs is NOT allowed.
There’s a lengthy checklist of prohibited exercise and habits outlined on the examination coverage web page.
I’ve taken practically the entire exams that Google gives. This one had the tightest safety, with out query. A lot tighter than the L1 and L2 Google Educator exams and the previous Google Licensed Administrator examination that’s not provided.
The examination is remotely proctored by means of your net cam utilizing eye-tracking software program. If you happen to look off-camera, you’ll obtain a warning to not entry exterior notes or secondary units. Repeated warnings may end up in being kicked out of the examination.
This occurred to me a number of instances. The excellent news is that you just don’t simply get kicked off; so there’s no have to panic about wanting off-camera for a second and voiding your examination outcomes.
After submitting your examination, your responses might be reviewed by Google / Kryterion for compliance with the acknowledged examination guidelines. Your examination outcomes might be voided whether it is decided that you just didn’t adjust to the examination insurance policies.
Examination prep
Sadly, Google doesn’t present any assets that will help you put together for the examination. There’s a (very) minimal define of subjects you ought to be conversant in, however you might be by yourself to apply.
When you’ve got been managing Chromebooks for a number of years, you’ll most likely just do high quality. However in case you are new to the Admin Console, it might be finest to get some coaching and expertise earlier than you try the examination.
If you’re occupied with coaching on the admin console, I’ve two programs that might be good for you:
- Google Admin Bootcamp – this LIVE digital course critiques the important thing components of managing Google Workspace for Schooling utilizing the admin console. That is NOT Chromebook course, however provides you with useful background on navigating the console.
- Chromebook Academy – this LIVE digital course is particularly alligned with the ChromeOS admin examination. We’ll cowl the whole lot you’ll want to know to handle a fleet of Chromebooks AND go the examination.
I supply each of those programs a number of instances all year long. Head over to gEducator.com to study extra and enroll!
Part 1: A number of alternative (not simple)
The ChromeOS examination is split into two sections: a number of alternative and lab.
The primary part consists of fifty a number of alternative questions that have to be accomplished in 90 minutes or much less.
Many of the questions require the collection of a single right reply, however just a few require the collection of a number of right decisions.
I discovered this part to be essentially the most difficult. It’s important that you’re conversant in the vocabulary of the Google admin console to go this part.
There have been some questions that I discovered a bit obscure or complicated, however that’s fairly commonplace for this kind of take a look at.
In case your expertise with Chromebook administration is primarily in schooling, there are some things that may throw you off.
For instance, the subject of deploying and configuring a VPN was included on the examination. This isn’t one thing that I’ve ever wanted to do because the Chromebook admin for a faculty.
You have to be ready for 5-10 questions that might be difficult in case your Chromebook administration expertise is restricted to classroom deployments.
You do have the chance to mark questions for later evaluation if you want. You’ll have an opportunity to evaluation these questions earlier than you submit the MC portion of the take a look at.
Upon getting submitted the a number of alternative part, you’ll transfer on to the lab portion of the examination.
Part 2: Lab (a bit simpler)
The second part of the take a look at is a lab sensible which requires use of the Google Admin Console to unravel numerous administrative eventualities.
I discovered this part to be simpler than the a number of alternative part, and far more fulfilling. If you’re conversant in the admin console, you’ll breeze by means of this part.
Whenever you start the lab portion of the examination you’ll obtain login credentials to a demo admin console that you’ll use to finish the duties which can be assigned to you. Most of those duties are fairly straight ahead and contain creating organizational items, making use of insurance policies to the OUs, and shifting customers/units round throughout the OUs.
I obtained 14 state of affairs questions. Some eventualities comprise a number of duties/elements, so that they take various quantities of time. You may have 90 minutes to finish the lab portion of the examination.
The duties on this portion of the examination are issues that I do regularly. I discovered the eventualities to be very sensible and the expectations to be fairly aligned with the duties a Chromebook admin ought to be capable of full.
The important thing to success on the lab portion of the examination is familiarity with the structure of the admin console. Can you discover the setting that offers with pinning OS updates to a particular model? The place do you go to configure a kiosk app for deployment? The eventualities introduced require accessing many various sections of the console.
Examination Outcomes
It took me about 2 hours to finish each sections of the Chromebook certification examination.
After submitting my examination, I used to be informed that my outcomes can be emailed in 10-14 days.
I used to be pleasantly stunned once I obtained my examination outcomes the subsequent day.
Whereas the e-mail indicated that I PASSED, my take a look at outcomes had been being reviewed by Google to make sure “examination compliance.” I’m undecided in the event that they thought I cheated, or if that is what occurs to everybody.
It did take greater than per week to obtain ultimate affirmation of my examination outcomes. This time, I used to be formally acknowledged as a ChromeOS licensed specialist and invited to view my certificates and badge.
Your certification is held by credential.web which can be utilized to confirm the authenticity of the credential. You’ll be able to hyperlink your credentials to your LinkedIn profile and add the badge to your signature.
Closing ideas
I had a really optimistic expertise with the ChromeOS administrator examination. I didn’t expertise any technical points or obtain any questions that I felt had been unfair or inaccurate.
Google does NOT present a lot in the way in which of coaching for this examination. There’s a (very) minimal checklist of examination subjects, however no actual preparation materials. Because of this I created the Chromebook Academy, so that you could take the examination with confidence!
Operating this kind of evaluation is VERY difficult. I don’t envy the group that’s answerable for writing the questions and managing the method.
I’ve accomplished practically all of Google’s certification packages and this one was one of many smoothest by far.
With the examination price being waived till January 2024, there actually isn’t any motive NOT to provide the examination a attempt!
