Databricks ML Professional renewal and retakes
The Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional is valid for two years, and the only renewal route is to pass the current version of the exam again at the full $200 fee. After a failed attempt there is no attempt limit, but Databricks requires a 14-day wait and a new payment each time. The validity and recertification wording is on the exam page, and the retake wording is in the certification FAQ.
A two-year timeline for a Professional holder
| When | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Pass; unofficial result appears at the end, then Databricks reviews the proctor recording | FAQ |
| Day 0 to a few days | Badge posted at credentials.databricks.com, emailed through Accredible | FAQ |
| Before month 24 | Databricks says it notifies you in advance of expiry | FAQ |
| Month 24 | Credential and badge expire | FAQ |
| After month 24 | Register again and sit the current exam, same fee | Exam page |
The clock runs from the date the certification is awarded, not from the day you sat the paper. Databricks does not publish a renewal window, so whether sitting the exam a few months early extends the date to two years from the new award is not confirmed. Ask Databricks if a contract depends on it.
What “the current version” means for this exam
Databricks states that there will only ever be one live version of each exam, with the exam guide as the source of truth. The ML Professional exam guide linked from the exam page carries a September date in its file name, and the exam description now names Declarative Automation Bundles, Lakehouse Monitoring and Feature Store concepts. Someone who passed earlier and renews will face a paper that follows today’s guide, not the one they studied, so read the exam format and the guide again rather than relying on old notes.
Sections and weights shown on the exam page today are Model Development 44%, ML Ops 44% and Model Deployment 12%. Databricks does not publish a history of earlier weights or a changelog, so this site cannot tell you precisely what moved between versions. The exam changes page covers shifts that are announced.
The 14-day, $200 retake rule for ML Professional
| Question | Databricks answer |
|---|---|
| Attempt limit | None: retake as many times as you like |
| Wait between attempts | 14 days, between all attempts |
| Fee for a retake | Same price as the original; no free retakes |
| Retake vouchers | Databricks says it will not issue them |
| Registering under another name or email to skip the wait | Prohibited; the terms say it leads to denied or revoked certification |
The 14-day wait and the fee apply equally to a first attempt and to a renewal attempt that fails. The same retake rule applies across the Databricks exams, so it is not specific to this one. What is specific is the cost of getting it wrong: with 59 scored questions in 120 minutes and two sections at 44% each, one weak section can sink an attempt. Use the 14 days on the weaker section with the study plan before rebooking.
Passing score, results and feedback
Databricks does not publish the passing score. It says scores are set by statistical analysis and may change as questions are updated. This guide therefore cannot tell you how close a failed attempt was. Whether a failing candidate receives section-level feedback is not stated on the FAQ or exam page checked, so check your exam provider account after an attempt.
Rescheduling and exam-day problems
The FAQ gives two deadlines: more than 24 hours before an online proctored exam, and more than 72 hours before a test centre exam, with a rescheduling fee otherwise. The terms and conditions page separately says a session cannot be rescheduled or cancelled with less than 72 hours’ notice, and that the terms may be amended at Databricks’ discretion. The two documents are not worded identically, so use the longer window to be safe. The exam day checklist covers the online proctoring requirements, and the exam page offers online or test centre delivery.
Special accommodations are requested through the test sponsor before scheduling, according to the terms, and some, such as a translator or professional reader, may cost extra. The exam is English only.
Does another credential renew it?
Databricks does not state that any other exam refreshes the ML Professional. Treat each credential as having its own two-year date. If you hold the ML Associate too, they expire independently, which means up to $400 of exam fees every two years for both. The FAQ also notes that the old Professional Data Scientist exam was deprecated in August 2022 and that holders kept their credential for the normal validity period; that is a different exam from this one.
If the ML Professional badge lapses
Databricks describes no grace period or reinstatement path. An expired credential is simply not current, and you would pass the exam again. The badge expires with it, so remove it from your profile. For what the credential is worth in the meantime, see the career page.