How to Get Workday Certified
This post was updated on October 24, 2024, to include new information from Workday's certification and exam update on September 30, 2024.
For consultants committed to a Workday career, achieving a Workday Certification can be transformative. The path to certification can be winding but worthwhile as certified consultants enjoy greater earning potential and more job opportunities.
As a Workday Staffing Partner, our recruiters at Healthcare IT Leaders field a lot of questions about certification from prospective consultants. Read on for our tips and advice on how and why to become Workday Certified.
What is a Workday Certification?
Workday certifications are valuable credentials that confirm a higher level of proficiency with Workday solutions, as well as knowledge of Workday best practices required to optimize customer results. These certifications cover various areas—including human resources, finance, payroll, and more—and they are achieved through coursework and/or testing. Workday certifications are also required for any implementation or systems integration work that involves access to the Workday tenant.
Why should I become a Certified Workday Consultant?
For any individual who wants to work as a consultant within the Workday services ecosystem, Workday certifications are important qualifications. From a career perspective, becoming a Workday Certified professional can increase consultants’ marketability and earning potential. Achieving and maintaining certifications also demonstrates a commitment to ongoing learning and skills development, which is critical for staying current as the Workday platform evolves.
Do I need to work with a Workday Services Partner or Workday Staffing Partner?
The short answer is it depends on your goals. Entry-level Workday Pro certifications are available to Workday customers and partners; however, consultants must work through a Services or Staffing Partner to hold and maintain the more advanced, implementer certifications.
What Workday Certifications are available and how do I choose?
As of this writing, there are over 60 Workday certifications available through the recently updated Workday Services catalog. The entry certifications, now called Workday PRO Services Certifications, mostly align with the various Workday solutions and broadly cover the following areas:
- HCM
- Payroll
- Financial
- Supply Chain
- Reporting and Analytics
- Adaptive Platform and Planning
- Integration
- Project Management
- Student
After achieving an entry certification, there are additional “Specialty” certifications available for most learning paths. For example, an entry-level Financial certification can be augmented with specialty certifications in Accounting Center, Financial Consolidations, Projects Services, Expenses Services, and other Workday Financial Specialty Certifications.
Aside from the Workday Pro Services Certifications, there are also functional-specific certifications that are required for implementer access. This means that a functional consultant—whether that’s HCM, Payroll, Student, Financials, or Industry—who needs to be staffed on a scorecard and obtain an implementer ID will need to complete a Workday PRO Services Certification and a Data Loading Services Certification or a Data Conversion Services Certification.
Choosing a certification path or paths is up to the individual, but our general advice is to “go deep rather than broad.” Developing a mastery of a single Workday product or solution can increase your marketability as an expert consultant.
How long does Workday certification take?
The time it takes to complete an entry-level Workday Pro Services Certification varies. In the past, certification required the completion of multiple instructor-led courses, as well as independent learning, before successfully completing the examination.
However, Workday has separated exams from coursework, meaning individuals with Workday experience can take any Workday Pro Services Certification exam (except for the Data Loading Certification and Data Conversion Certification exams) without any required coursework. If a consultant needs to enroll in instructor-led courses to prepare for the examination, these vary in length (usually 1-5 days each) and may sometimes include self-paced training options.
For consultants seeking Specialty Certifications, examinations are no longer required. Instead, consultants must work with a Workday Service/Innovation Partner or a Workday Professional Services partner to complete the required courses to obtain certification. On average, most Specialty Certification courses will take 1-3 days, but some require multiple courses, so the total time commitment might be longer for certain certification paths.
Here’s an example of what this might look like in practice. If a consultant with existing Workday experience is seeking Workday Pro HCM Core Services Certification, they can enroll in the program and may be able to pass the examination successfully without completing any coursework.
However, someone who needs coursework to prepare for the examination will have the option to enroll in the HCM Core for Administrators (4 days) and the HCM Core Supplemental for Administrators (4 days) before taking the exam. Keep in mind that the total time for courses, studying, test prep, exams, and potential retakes (which have a 4-day wait period) can vary from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the situation.
How much does Workday certification cost?
The average cost of Workday certifications varies depending on the individual and certification paths. All Workday certification examinations—including Workday Pro Services Certifications, Data Loading Certification, and Data Conversion Certification—cost $800. Instructor-led courses cost $800 per training unit, with most courses ranging from 1-5 training units each, meaning a 4-day course (or 4 training units) would cost $3,200.
For entry certifications, these courses are optional, which can reduce the overall cost. However, courses are required for Data Loading, Data Conversion, and Specialty certifications. While this represents a substantial investment, the returns often rapidly eclipse these costs and compound significantly over the duration of one’s career.
What should I know about Workday Certification exams?
For certifications that require successful completion of an examination, these tests consist of a two-hour proctored examination. Exams will consist of 50 multiple-choice questions, and grades are provided in a pass/fail format within 1 hour of exam completion. Each examination costs $800 (or 1 training unit) per attempt, and exam retakes have a 4-day wait period.
Here are some tips to maximize success:
- Leverage Workday resources: Use official Workday training materials and courses, and join the Workday community to connect with others and seek mentorship.
- Know the exam format: A certification exam will test both your theoretical knowledge and practical problem-solving skills. Use official Workday practice exams to aid your preparation.
- Prepare for test day: Workday’s examinations now include updated security measures, so you’ll want to make sure your device meets the exam’s technical requirements. You can review action items and additional information on the new exam experience here.
- Trust the process: The exams are challenging, but if you invest the time and effort in the provided coursework and draw on your practical Workday experience, you should do well.
As a certified Workday Staffing Partner, Healthcare IT Leaders is a direct resource for helping IT consultants and professionals in the healthcare space harness the value of a Workday Certification.
Contact us today to learn more about how Healthcare IT Leaders can provide the right level of Workday certification support.