SailPoint runs two kinds of credential, unproctored knowledge credentials and proctored certifications, across two products, and choosing the wrong one means studying a training path and exam blueprint that do not match the platform you actually run. This guide sets out, credential by credential, what SailPoint publishes about each exam: the product it covers, question count and format, duration, attempts, experience, prerequisite training, exam domains, validity and the recertification programme. Every exam fact comes from SailPoint's own Certifications and Credentials page, exam prep guides on the SailPoint Community, the recertification programme article and SailPoint's February 2026 press release, checked on 8 November 2026. SailPoint updates blueprints (one prep guide notes a content update in September 2025), so confirm details in the current prep guide before you book. It is written for identity engineers, administrators and implementation partners working on Identity Security Cloud or IdentityIQ, and the managers who fund their training. For a cross-vendor view of identity credentials, see the Identity Certifications Guide.
This is an independent guide from NHI Mgmt Group, based on SailPoint's public certification documentation as of November 2026. It is not sponsored or reviewed by SailPoint. Programme details change, so confirm exam facts against SailPoint's current documentation.
Key takeaways
- Pick the product first. The Identity Security Administrator and Identity Security Engineer certifications cover Identity Security Cloud; the IdentityIQ Associate and IdentityIQ Engineer certifications cover IdentityIQ.
- Certifications are proctored and expire. The certification prep guides describe online, proctored exams with a two-year validity; knowledge credentials are online, unproctored and do not expire.
- Expect a different question style. The certification exams use discrete option multiple-choice (DOMC): options appear one at a time, you answer Yes or No to each, and you cannot change answers or flag questions.
- Training paths are the stated preparation. Each prep guide points to a named Identity University training path; knowledge credentials list completing that path as a prerequisite.
- Recertify with credits, not a retake. SailPoint's recertification programme extends a certification by two years for 80 credits earned over two years plus a USD 200 fee.
Who the certification is for
SailPoint's Certifications and Credentials page groups its programme into knowledge credentials and certifications. Availability matters: apart from the Identity Security Leader credential, the page lists each credential as available to current SailPoint customers and partners.
| Credential | Type | Product | Best fit | Availability (per SailPoint) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity Security Leader Credential | Knowledge credential | Job role agnostic | Existing and emerging identity security leaders, project managers | Prospects, customers and partners |
| Identity Security Professional Credential | Knowledge credential | Identity Security Cloud | New administrators building platform knowledge | Customers and partners |
| Identity Security Expert Credential | Knowledge credential | Identity Security Cloud | Engineers extending the platform with APIs, workflows, rules and connectors | Customers and partners |
| Identity Security Administrator Certification | Certification | Identity Security Cloud | Administrators running day-to-day platform operations | Customers and partners |
| Identity Security Engineer Certification | Certification | Identity Security Cloud | Implementation engineers and partner consultants | Customers and partners |
| IdentityIQ Associate Certification | Certification | IdentityIQ | People starting on IdentityIQ | Customers and partners |
| IdentityIQ Engineer Certification | Certification | IdentityIQ | IdentityIQ implementers and developers | Customers and partners |
SailPoint's press release of 17 February 2026 announced the Identity Security Administrator certification as the seventh exam available through Identity University, alongside the recertification programme.
Exam format and domains
The table summarises the published format of each exam with a prep guide that NHI Mgmt Group read. Every exam can end early once enough questions have been answered correctly or incorrectly, must be completed in one sitting, and returns a Pass/Fail result on submission; the prep guides do not publish a passing score.
| Exam | Questions (up to) | Duration (up to) | Delivery | Attempts | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity Security Leader | 30 (multiple-choice, matching, true/false) | 45 minutes | Online, open-book, not proctored | 3 | Does not expire |
| Identity Security Professional | 51 (multiple-choice and matching) | 90 minutes | Online, not proctored | 2 | Does not expire |
| Identity Security Expert | 65 (multiple-choice, multiple-select) | 90 minutes | Online, not proctored | 2 | Does not expire |
| Identity Security Administrator | 74 DOMC | 120 minutes | Online, proctored | 2 | 2 years |
| Identity Security Engineer | 73 DOMC | 120 minutes | Online, proctored | 2 | 2 years |
| IdentityIQ Engineer | 66 DOMC | 90 minutes | Online, proctored | 2 | 2 years |
The prep guides list two attempts in their summary tables and describe one automatic retake in the text; read that as one first sitting plus one retake. The IdentityIQ Associate exam has no prep guide on the pages read for this guide, so its format is not given here.
Identity Security Engineer domains
Ten domains with 70 objectives in total (SailPoint publishes objective counts, not weightings): Identity and Lifecycle Management (8), Provisioning (9), Access Management (3), Virtual Appliances (12), Sources (7), General knowledge for Identity Security Engineer (7), Platforms (10), Supporting Governance (5), Architecture (5), and Rules and Transforms (4). Virtual Appliances carries the most objectives, so hands-on time deploying and troubleshooting VAs is well spent.
Identity Security Administrator domains
Eight domains: Platform (9), Virtual Appliances (3), Identity and Lifecycle Management (7), Provisioning (5), Access Management (5), Supporting Governance (6), Sources (7), and General knowledge for Identity Security Administrators (5). The press release describes the exam as covering platform management, virtual appliances, identity and lifecycle management, provisioning, access management and governance.
IdentityIQ Engineer domains
Seven domains: Installation, build and deployment (7), Lifecycle Manager (7), Identity Governance (7), Development (10), Application Onboarding (6), Debugging and Troubleshooting (6), and Data and Access Modeling (7). Development carries the most objectives.
Knowledge credential topics
- Leader: launching an identity security career, the evolution of identity security (IAM and IGA), planning a strategy, identity security with SailPoint, charting an implementation journey, managing implementation projects.
- Professional: set up and administer Identity Security Cloud, search, access modelling, managing compliance, using platform data, troubleshooting.
- Expert: extending Identity Security Cloud (authentication, REST APIs, search, transforms, rules, Configuration Hub, workflows, event triggers), designing workflows, designing rules including BeanShell, and configuring connectors (CCG, Web Services, JDBC, SCIM).
Prerequisites and experience
| Credential | Experience | Training |
|---|---|---|
| Identity Security Leader | None stated | Prerequisite: all courses in the Identity Security Leader learning path |
| Identity Security Professional | None stated | Prerequisite: all courses in the Identity Security Administrator learning path |
| Identity Security Expert | None stated | Prerequisite: all courses in the Identity Security Engineer learning path |
| Identity Security Administrator | Industry experience recommended; confirm the current requirement with SailPoint | Recommended: Identity Security Administrator training path |
| Identity Security Engineer | 1 to 3 years of hands-on industry experience | Recommended: Identity Security Engineer training path |
| IdentityIQ Associate | None stated | Recommended: training path completion |
| IdentityIQ Engineer | About 1 to 3 years of IdentityIQ implementation experience | Recommended: Identity Security Engineer (IdentityIQ) path |
For the Administrator certification, confirm the current experience requirement with SailPoint in the latest prep guide before booking. Because most credentials are limited to customers and partners, candidates outside those groups should confirm access to Identity University and the exams with SailPoint first.
Preparation plan
A practical eight to twelve week plan for a proctored certification, adjusted for existing experience:
- Week 1, choose and confirm: pick the exam that matches your product and role, download the current prep guide, and confirm through your organisation how exams are funded. SailPoint's training administrator guide says training units bought by an organisation can be used towards certification exams.
- Weeks 1 to 4, training path: complete the recommended Identity University path end to end, taking notes against each objective in the prep guide.
- Weeks 3 to 8, hands-on: work in a sandbox or non-production tenant. For Identity Security Cloud, deploy a virtual appliance, connect sources, build transforms, provisioning policies, access profiles, roles and certification campaigns. For IdentityIQ, build and deploy, onboard an application, write rules and debug with logs.
- Weeks 6 to 10, objective review: score yourself against every objective, and spend extra time on the domains with most objectives (Virtual Appliances and Platforms for Engineer, Development for IdentityIQ Engineer).
- Practise DOMC discipline: because options appear one at a time and cannot be revisited, decide each option on its own merits rather than waiting to compare.
- Exam day: prepare the room and computer for online proctoring, and allow email from [email protected] so the digital badge, usually issued within 24 to 48 hours, reaches you.
Use only SailPoint's official prep guides, training paths and documentation. Unofficial question dumps are against exam rules and do not build the skills the exams test. The SailPoint Hardening Guide is useful background for the security side of platform configuration.
Cost, renewal and continuing education
Exam fees: the certification prep guides do not state a fee, and SailPoint's training administrator guide describes training units purchased by organisations that can be used for certification exams without giving a unit price. Contact SailPoint training support for current pricing. The Identity Security Leader prep guide states there is no exam fee for the first three attempts.
Validity: SailPoint's recertification article states that SailPoint certifications are active for two years. Knowledge credentials do not expire.
Recertification programme:
| Activity | Credits | Cap over two years |
|---|---|---|
| SailPoint training courses | 1 (under 1 hour), 2 (1 to 3 hours), 4 (4 to 7 hours), 8 (8+ hours) | 50 |
| Live webinars | 2 each | 20 |
| SailPoint Navigate attendance | 10 | 20 (10 per year) |
| Navigate Skilled sessions | 5 | 10 (5 per year) |
| SME programme work on exams | 1 per project hour | 40 |
| Community contributions (posts, topics, accepted solutions, kudos) | 2 per qualifying unit | 4 per category |
| Verified project hours | 1 per hour | 40 |
Candidates need 80 credits over two years; no exam retake is required. After SailPoint verifies the credits, a USD 200 recertification fee is payable, and recertification extends the certification by a further two years. The press release names the Identity Security Engineer, IdentityIQ Engineer and Identity Security Administrator certifications as eligible. General renewal planning is covered in the Certification Renewal and CPE Requirements Guide.
Where it fits on the career path
SailPoint credentials show product depth in identity governance and administration (IGA): joiner, mover and leaver automation, source onboarding, access modelling, provisioning and access certification campaigns. They pair well with a vendor-neutral identity credential and with broader security certifications for roles that go beyond one platform.
- Early career or new administrator: Identity Security Professional credential, then the Identity Security Administrator certification. See IAM and IGA Basics.
- Implementation engineer or partner consultant: Identity Security Engineer or IdentityIQ Engineer certification, followed by the Identity Security Expert credential for API, workflow and connector work. See the IAM Engineer Career Guide.
- Governance analyst: the Administrator certification supports access review and role work; see Identity Governance Analyst and the Access Reviews Guide.
- Leader or project manager: the Identity Security Leader credential, open to prospects as well as customers and partners.
- Machine identities: governance of service accounts and other non-human identities is a growing part of IGA work; see the NHI and Machine Identity Engineer Career Guide.
Practitioner checklist
- Confirm which SailPoint product you run before choosing an exam.
- Check that you qualify as a customer or partner for the credential you want.
- Download the current prep guide and note the update date and objective counts.
- Complete the recommended Identity University training path in full.
- Get hands-on in a sandbox, weighting time to the domains with most objectives.
- Practise answering DOMC options one at a time without revisiting.
- Confirm exam funding through training units or SailPoint training support.
- Allow email from [email protected] before exam day.
- Track recertification credits from the day you pass, aiming for 80 within two years.
Standards and references
- SailPoint: Professional Certification and Credentialing Program
- SailPoint: Identity Security Engineer Exam Prep Guide
- SailPoint: Identity Security Administrator Exam Prep Guide
- SailPoint: IdentityIQ Engineer Exam Prep Guide
- SailPoint: Identity Security Professional Exam Prep Guide
- SailPoint: Identity Security Expert Exam Prep Guide
- SailPoint: Recertification Program
- SailPoint: Press release, recertification program and new certification
Related NHI Mgmt Group resources: Identity Certifications Guide · SailPoint Hardening Guide · IAM Engineer Career Guide · Identity Governance Analyst · Certification Renewal and CPE Requirements Guide