SnowPro Core vs SnowPro Advanced: which Snowflake certification should you pursue? Snowflake offers multiple certification tracks, and choosing the right one depends on your experience level and career goals. Here is everything you need to know.
SnowPro Advanced: The Specialist Track SnowPro Advanced is not a single exam. It is a family of role-specific certifications: | Certification | Focus | |
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| | SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer | Data pipelines, ETL, performance tuning | | SnowPro Advanced: Data Scientist | ML, MLflow, Snowpark ML | | SnowPro Advanced: Data Architect | Multi-account architecture, governance | | SnowPro Advanced: Administration | Security, monitoring, account management | Who should take SnowPro Advanced: - Experienced Snowflake professionals (plus 2 years) - Those who passed SnowPro Core and want to specialize - Data engineers, data scientists, architects, administrators Exam facts: - 65 to 80 questions, 120 minutes - 300 USD per exam - Passing score: 750/1000 - Valid for 2 years ## Which Should You Take First? Start with SnowPro Core. There are no prerequisites for SnowPro Advanced, but SnowPro Core provides the foundation. Most people take Core first, then pursue an Advanced cert 6 to 18 months later based on their career direction. Choose your Advanced track based on your role: - Data engineer by day: SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer - Building ML models on Snowflake: SnowPro Advanced: Data Scientist - Designing multi-account architecture: SnowPro Advanced: Data Architect - Managing Snowflake accounts and security: SnowPro Advanced: Administration ## Salary Impact | Certification | Average US Salary | |
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| | SnowPro Core only | 100,000 to 130,000 | | SnowPro Advanced (any track) | 130,000 to 170,000 | | Both Core + Advanced | 140,000 to 180,000 | | Both + 3 years experience | 150,000 to 200,000 | #
