Program profile · official sources
Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional
The Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional credential assesses a candidate's ability to design, implement, and manage enterprise-scale machine learning on Databricks. The assessment is a 120-minute online-proctored exam featuring 59 scored multiple-choice questions and costs USD 200 plus applicable local taxes. Assessed domains include scalable SparkML pipelines, distributed training, advanced MLflow, MLOps testing, automated retraining, Lakehouse Monitoring, and model serving. Databricks requires no prerequisites, but highly recommends one year of hands-on experience and knowledge of Python, scikit-learn, and SparkML. The certification is valid for two years, and recertification requires passing the current exam. The passing threshold, preparation time, and availability of a digital badge are not disclosed in the official exam guide.
Commercial status: no commercial relationship is documented for this page. The verification link goes directly to the official provider source.
- Price
- USD 200USD 200 for one attempt plus applicable taxes under local law; optional preparation and repeat attempts are separate.
- Duration
- 120 minutes for the exam assessmentnot preparation time
- Level
- Professional
- Format
- Proctored certification exam
- Credential
- industry certification
- Prerequisites
- No prerequisite required. Course attendance and one year of hands-on Databricks experience are highly recommended, plus Python, scikit-learn, SparkML, MLflow, Lakehouse Monitoring and Model Serving knowledge.
Sources ↗
- Price — https://www.databricks.com/sites/default/files/2025-10/databricks-certified-machine-learning-professional-exam-guide-september.pdf
- Duration — https://www.databricks.com/sites/default/files/2025-10/databricks-certified-machine-learning-professional-exam-guide-september.pdf
- Official program page — https://www.databricks.com/sites/default/files/2025-10/databricks-certified-machine-learning-professional-exam-guide-september.pdf
What’s covered
- Model Development
- MLOps
- Model Deployment
Prerequisites: No prerequisite required. Course attendance and one year of hands-on Databricks experience are highly recommended, plus Python, scikit-learn, SparkML, MLflow, Lakehouse Monitoring and Model Serving knowledge.
What is the format and cost of the examination?
The Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional assessment is an online-proctored exam that costs USD 200 plus any applicable local taxes. Candidates are allotted a 120-minute sitting time to complete 59 scored multiple-choice questions. No test aids are permitted during the examination. The exam guide advises candidates to check for updates two weeks prior to their scheduled date, as the current version is live as of September 30, 2025. The official documentation does not state the passing threshold required to earn the credential or whether a digital badge is awarded upon completion.
What prerequisites or experience are required before taking the exam?
Databricks does not enforce any mandatory prerequisites for this certification. However, they highly recommend that candidates complete relevant course attendance and possess one year of hands-on experience using the Databricks platform. Additionally, candidates should have prior knowledge of Python, scikit-learn, SparkML, and MLflow, as well as familiarity with Lakehouse Monitoring and Model Serving. The official exam guide does not estimate a specific preparation duration needed to pass, nor does it specify any expected job outcomes or career advancements resulting from obtaining this credential.
What topics are covered, and how long does the certification remain valid?
The exam evaluates candidates across three main domains: Model Development, MLOps, and Model Deployment. Specific technical topics include scalable SparkML pipelines, distributed training and tuning, advanced MLflow, feature pipelines, MLOps testing and environment management, automated retraining, model serving and rollout, and Lakehouse Monitoring for drift detection. Once obtained, the credential is valid for two years. To maintain the certification after this period, candidates must complete the recertification process by taking and passing the full, currently live version of the examination.
What you actually do
What the credential is
- Credential type
- industry certification · Source
- Credential
- Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional · Source
- Issuer
- Databricks · Source
- Expiry and renewal
- Valid for two years; recertification requires taking the full currently live exam. · Source
- Exam requirement
- Pass the certification exam; passing threshold not stated. · Source
- Exam required
- Yes · Source
- Credential expires
- Yes · Source
- Renewal
- Take the full currently live exam. · Source
Total cost to finish
Estimate for the stated payment scope: USD 200 × 1 = USD 200.
- One certification exam attempt: USD 200 × 1 = USD 200. One exam registration/attempt; not preparation cost or a guarantee of passing. · Source
Scope: USD 200 for one attempt plus applicable taxes under local law; optional preparation and repeat attempts are separate. · Source
Retakes: Repeat-attempt cost is not established in the reviewed source. · Source
Who should skip it
- Choose the Associate exam instead if you need assessment of basic rather than enterprise-scale ML tasks. · Source
- Do not treat one year of recommended experience as a mandatory registration prerequisite. · Source
- Do not use the 120-minute exam sitting as a preparation estimate; no preparation duration or passing threshold is stated. · Source
Alternatives in the registry
Related by topic or level.
- NVIDIA-Certified Professional: Accelerated Data Science (NCP-ADS) — USD 200 (USD 200 for one exam attempt, normalized from the dollar amount on NVIDIA's official US page; taxes, preparation and repeat attempts are separate.); The official page says 90 minutes in its overview and 120 minutes in its exam-details table; neither is preparation time.
- Databricks Certified Machine Learning Associate — USD 200 (USD 200 for one attempt, normalized from $200 in the official US-hosted guide; taxes, optional preparation and repeat attempts are separate.); 90 minutes for the exam assessment; not preparation time.
- Associate AI Engineer for Data Scientists — DataCamp Premium — USD 35/month for course content, billed monthly at the regular price; 40 hours of listed content.
Change log
- : Initial recorded review of official exam, scope, price and credential facts. · Source