The Google Analytics Certification is built around four GA4 skill areas. Google does not publish a percentage weight per topic or an official question count, so plan to study all four evenly. The whole certification is based on Google Analytics 4 (GA4), it is free, and you take it online on Skillshop. Confirm the current outline on the official Analytics Academy and Skillshop pages.
The four GA4 skill areas
Google says that by earning the certification you show you can do the following.
- Set up a Google Analytics 4 property - create and structure a GA4 account, property and data streams for a website or app, and understand the event-based data model (in GA4 everything is an event with parameters, not the separate hits used in Universal Analytics).
- Collect the data you need - configure data collection with automatically collected events, enhanced measurement, and custom events, parameters and user properties.
- Use the reporting tools and features - read GA4’s standard reports (acquisition, engagement, monetisation, retention) and build deeper analysis in the Explore workspace (free-form, funnel, path, cohort and segment-overlap explorations).
- Recognise key measurement features - key events (GA4’s conversions), audiences (including predictive audiences), attribution and data retention, which together show how effective online marketing is.
How the areas fit together
The four areas follow the natural workflow of measurement: you set a property up, collect clean data, report on it, then use the measurement features to judge marketing performance. Because no per-topic weight is published, treat the areas as roughly equal in importance and aim for broad competence across all of them rather than spotting a single heavily weighted topic.
How to study it
Learn each area in the free Analytics Academy courses, then apply it in a real GA4 property: set one up, send events, build an exploration and create an audience. GA4 concepts make far more sense once you have clicked through them. Keep your study GA4-specific - Universal Analytics has been retired, so old session-and-hit and goal concepts no longer apply. Confirm the current outline and any format details on the official Skillshop and Analytics Help pages before you sit it.