IT certifications take a turn for the practical

IT and tech certifications have long been a cornerstone of the industry, giving employers an easy way to identify skilled professionals, and allowing professionals to demonstrate and validate their IT and tech skillsets to employers. Now there’s an increasing amount of in-demand IT certifications earned through hands-on, skills-based criteria that can help tech workers progress their tech careers across several different paths.

Certifications also have the potential to help employees boost salaries, with 32% of IT-cert holders saying they received salary increases for earning a certification, according to a 2025 survey from PearsonVue. Of those who say they earned a pay raise, the average reported increase was between 6 and 20%. However, 31% of respondents said they received a pay increase greater than 20%.

Changing with the times

As the industry and technologies have evolved, so has the demand for certain skillsets, especially those related to gen AI. In response, the certification industry is shifting to reimagine the certification testing process through real-world testing exercises.

“Employers are looking more for proof of applied skills, and traditional multiple-choice exams don’t always capture the full picture of a candidate’s expertise,” says Thomas Vick, senior regional manager at Robert Half. “Certification vendors are likely responding to that demand, and understand that hiring managers want to know whether someone can step into a role and contribute, not just recall definitions.”

The new face of IT certifications

This shift to hands-on and real-world certification testing has benefits to both employers and candidates. Employers can identify candidates with specific skillsets, and there’s validation they’re skilled and capable in necessary areas. For candidates, updated testing creates opportunities for learning and developing skills, and offers stronger confirmation of IT and tech skills through earned credentials.

PearsonVue also found that skills development is the main driver behind pursuing certification, followed by boosting chances of promotion, and then as a way to bolster a résumé. This indicates that one of the main drivers behind gaining certification is to advance education on a new skill, further develop current skills, and develop a candidate’s career. On the candidate’s side, these changes can provide an opportunity to showcase real strengths rather than just test-taking ability, says Vick.

Traditionally, certification exams have been structured as multiple choice or short answer tests, which only reflect a candidate’s ability to memorize information and repeat it on an exam. So while this shift to hands-on testing might make certification exams more challenging or demanding, the added rigor may also increase the credibility and overall value of credentials that are completed, adds Vick.

For example, CompTIA is a popular IT certification vendor that has updated exams to include performance-based questions (PBQs), which are becoming a popular way for cert vendors to update exams without having to completely overhaul the process. In this instance, CompTIA has added simulation PBQs and virtual PBQs to its core exams.

For simulation PBQs, candidates are led through a series of questions and instructions, with interactive segments that require more than selecting just one correct answer. And with virtual PBQs, candidates are entered into virtual machines and systems that are running certain operating systems and software in a production environment.

“Earning certifications with PBQs often requires more hands-on practice and familiarity with specific tools and workflows,” says Vick. “From a hiring standpoint, certifications that include PBQs may increasingly give employers added confidence in a candidate’s practical readiness for specific roles.”

Bridging the gap for in-demand AI skills

According to CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2026 report, 47% of IT professionals who responded said they planned to pursue industry-recognized certifications to demonstrate they have specific skillsets. Part of this is in response to industry shifts, with employers putting more emphasis on skills and abilities than education or background.

The report also found that nine out of 10 companies said they’ve made moderate to heavy investments in a skills-based workforce approach, which includes upskilling, reskilling, and cross-skilling existing technical staff, as well as hiring specifically for skills gaps within the organization.

“Employers need very specific skillsets to move their business goals forward, and finding the right talent has become more challenging,” says Vick. He points to data in the Robert Half IT Skills and Salary 2026 report, which shows that 65% of tech leaders said finding skilled professionals is more challenging than it was a year ago, and 61% plan to increase permanent headcount in the first half of 2026.

“Vendors seem to be responding to this by shifting their testing methods to better validate real-world skills, which may help both employers and highly skilled candidates in the hiring process,” he says.

Data further shows that most persistent skills gaps are in AI and ML, with only 7% of tech leaders saying they have the necessary skills in the organization to realize priority projects in the coming year. And 65% said they’ll need to upskill current team members.

Testing based off real-world skills is also beneficial to help candidates foster soft skills, which are becoming increasingly critical in an AI-driven world. As organizations embrace AI, they’re still finding the need for soft skills like critical thinking, adaptability and continuous learning, creativity and innovation, communication, and emotional intelligence, according to Robert Half. More nuanced and rigorous cert exams can also help validate the soft skills necessary to get projects done in a modern tech environment.

SAP overhauls certifications to focus on skills

SAP is one of the first vendors that’s made significant changes to its certification model, expanding it to better accommodate the skills necessary for modern tech and IT environments. The vendor wanted to stop focusing on memorization with testing and instead emphasize a candidate’s ability to solve real-world problems and implement effective solutions.

In this new series of certifications, candidates are tested on real-world situations, where they’re expected to configure systems, troubleshoot issues, build solutions, and analyze data. The exam process also includes open-book problem solving portions, where candidates are allowed to rely on any resource they’d reasonably have access to at work, including AI Copilots. Plus, candidates are tested on scenario-based tasks, and asked to navigate guided scenarios, respond to mock stakeholders, and complete case study challenges.

“This type of overhaul signals an alignment with how a lot of IT work gets done today,” says Vick. “In real environments, professionals rely on a mix of tools like AI to solve problems, be more efficient, and innovate.”

Giving candidates access to modern tools, resources, and AI assistants in their day-to-day jobs better demonstrates what they can accomplish at work. Multiple choice test can’t do this as effectively. Hands-on and open-book testing, however, gives candidates the opportunity to show employers how they work through problems, and what they can accomplish under more realistic working conditions, says Vick.