SolarWinds Certified Professional Program
Get Certified. Be Recognized.
Become a SolarWinds Certified Professional
Our certifications build on the foundation of a global network of thousands of SolarWinds Certified Professionals and focus on enabling the effective use of SolarWinds’ products.
Becoming a SolarWinds Certified Professional (SCP) ensures that you have the technical expertise to use and maintain SolarWinds network and systems management products effectively.
Three Easy Steps: Sign Up. Study. Schedule.
It’s easy to get started. Just register with SolarWinds and look for a confirmation email. Then begin studying using the associated Exam Study Guide. Once ready, simply follow the instructions to register for and schedule the exam.
Once you’ve decided to start the SCP certification process, you will need to register with SolarWinds. You’ll then get an email from the team with instructions for creating an account and registering with our testing service.
Each product-specific SCP exam has a preparation guide that is a great starting place for your studies. If you have a SolarWinds product under active maintenance, simply access virtual and on-demand training by logging into the Customer Portal.
Certification is conducted by PSI Services proprietary remote proctoring technology, which allows for anywhere, anytime testing with integrity. Once you’re ready, create your account with PSI Services and schedule your exam online.
Supplement your experience with the Architecture and Design of SolarWinds Orion© platform products.
Includes architecture, scalability, deployment options, integration, and licensing.
Supplement your experience with Access Rights Manager.
Includes configuration, troubleshooting, installation, architecture, and administration.
Supplement your experience with Database Management.
Includes installation, licensing, and navigation of database products (i.e., SQL sentry, DPA, DBO), as well as troubleshooting and methodologies.
Supplement your experience with Database Performance Analyzer.
Includes installation, administration, architecture, troubleshooting, alerts, reports, scalability, REST API, and integration.
Supplement your experience with Diagnostics and Troubleshooting using SolarWinds products.
Includes Orion© platform/NPM/SAM: troubleshooting Website/IIS, Orion© services, database, high availability, installations, migrations, upgrades, configuration wizards, alerts and actions, and reporting.
Begin your experience with Hybrid Cloud Observability through Fundamentals.
Includes a foundational set up of users, permissions, views, dashboards, custom properties, alerts, reports, and intelligent maps.
Supplement your experience with Hybrid Cloud Observability Network Monitoring.
Includes network health and performance monitoring, hardware health, capacity planning, network Insight™, flow optimization, bandwidth utilization, syslogs, traps, and event log analysis.
Supplement your experience with NetFlow Traffic Analyzer.
Includes features, installation, administration, upgrade, and troubleshooting.
Supplement your experience with Network Configuration Manager.
Includes installation, configuration management, features, and settings.
Supplement your experience with Network Performance Monitor.
Includes Orion© platform, cloud services, interfaces, NetPath, Orion maps, capacity planning, custom SNMP polling, hardware health monitoring, network insight, and SNMP trapping and Syslog management.
Supplement your experience with Security Event Manager.
Includes monitoring, installation, and configuration.
Supplement your experience with Server and Application Monitor.
Includes alerts, AppStack, AppInsight, managing application component monitors, templates, and troubleshooting application issues.
Supplement your experience with Service Desk.
Includes configuration and management of SolarWinds Service Desk, incident, problem, release, and change management modules; as well as IT asset management (ITAM), Service Desk setup, and reports.
FAQs and Exam-taking Tips
The exam fee is US$200.
Alternatively, members of our user community, THWACK®, may exchange 60,000 points for the exam fee. If you plan to use this option, follow the instructions in the How to Register for an SCP Exam in the Payment section. Before registering with the PSI Exam Center, go to the THWACK store, select SCP Voucher, and complete the process. You’ll receive a voucher via email within three business days. Use the voucher code on the PSI testing center website during the payment process.
For more information about THWACK and how to earn points, start here.
Exam candidates are IT professionals using SolarWinds products who want to demonstrate they have the skills needed to effectively manage network, systems, applications, and/or security and compliance issues. The exams should be taken by those who actively participate in the day-to-day operational tasks needed to support and manage their environments.
SolarWinds recommends a candidate have at a minimum:
- One year of experience in a technical role, working in network, systems, applications, or security and compliance management or engineering
- Six months of on-the-job experience with SolarWinds products
- Familiarity with the technology and processes related to SolarWinds product features, including but not limited to, PerfStack™, NetPath™, and AppStack™
Your certification is valid for three years from its date of issue. This helps ensure professionals who hold a SolarWinds Certified Professional certificate stay up to date with the latest product features and evolving software tools.
First, register on the SolarWinds site by completing this registration form. After registering, you’ll receive a reply from the SolarWinds Certified Professional program team with instructions on how to register with PSI Services, a web-delivered remotely proctored exam system. The email from the SolarWinds team will have details on how to create your account with PSI Services, or you can visit the PSI account creation page here.
If you’re using THWACK points to pay for the exam, you must first exchange your points for a voucher. Please see the How much does the exam cost? section for more information. You’ll need the voucher code to complete the payment process.
If you have questions about the PSI testing experience, visit their FAQs.
PSI Services proctor all exams. PSI’s proprietary web-based, remote-proctoring technology means you can access exams from any web browser at the time of your choosing.
NOTE: During the registration process, you will need to check your system compatibility. It is essential to complete this step before your exam and make any suggested updates before your start time.
With over 300,000 customers worldwide, SolarWinds products are fast becoming the go-to solution for all things IT. Successfully passing the SCP exam and earning a certificate demonstrates you can proactively and quickly gauge and respond to issues in your IT environments using SolarWinds tools.
Those who have completed the certification process have reported preparation for the exam helped expand their knowledge and understanding of the SolarWinds products they already use. This formal certificate, combined with increased know-how, can help you show your value to your current organization, as well as stand out from the crowd and improve your marketability as an IT professional.
After you’re certified, you will have these added benefits:
- Our support team will know you’ve completed basic troubleshooting steps and reports, saving time by skipping the initial information-gathering steps and allowing you to dive right into your issue—or provide faster escalation if needed.
- Exclusive invitations to webcasts from SolarWinds product managers, Head Geeks™, and other IT professionals.
- Access to select GNS3® courses.
Upon successfully passing the exam, SolarWinds will issue you a Credly digital badge and certificate, which can be securely shared and verified by employers via the Credly website. You may also print a digital copy of your certificate.
If your product has an active maintenance agreement, you can take virtual classes via the SolarWinds Customer Portal. Find available classes here.
SolarWinds does not require eligibility to take an SCP exam. You can schedule an exam appointment with the online proctoring site, PSI Services after you have registered on the SolarWinds website. See How to Register for an SCP Exam above for details.
PSI Services requires notification of intent to reschedule at least two business days before your scheduled exam. If you cancel your exam, it will count as an attempt. You have one makeup exam opportunity included in your registration. If you fail to show for the exam, you will not receive a refund. To make changes to your exam appointment, go here.
If you have an emergency, email certification@solarwinds.com and we’ll work with you to find a solution.
Your exam fee includes the cost of one retake exam. If you need to retake the exam, email certification@solarwinds.com to request a retake voucher. You must take the makeup exam within one year of your initial exam date.
Your name on your ID must be exactly the name you used for your registration. You need a valid, government-issued ID that shows your name in the English alphabet, your signature, and your photograph.
Don’t wait until test time. Make sure your system—including your video—is ready for you to take the test. A proctor must be able to confirm your test-taking experience visually. You may need to run upgrades, so give yourself ample time. Canceling due to technical issues will count as your first exam attempt, and you’ll have to reschedule and use your one free retake.
If you have trouble scheduling an exam online, call the PSI Candidate Service Center at 855-579-4642, or email examschedule@psionline.com. A representative from the Candidate Service Center will help you schedule your exam and select your preferred testing date, time, and location.
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