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Free certification exams for Washington residents

A library card pays for the course, the practice tests, the exam and the proctor. The exam is the same exam the vendor charges for.

The IT Specialist exams stop being free on September 25, 2026: after that date the library's course codes and vouchers no longer work. exams The IT Specialist prep pages here stay up anyway. They are a review of what CSCD 210 and CSCD 211 already teach and a way to prepare for a paid sitting later. this site

What it is
Washington State Certification Portal, run by the Washington State Library, part of the Office of the Secretary of State.
What it costs you
nothing: the courses, the practice tests, the exam voucher and the proctoring are paid for.
Who can use it
Anyone with a library card from a participating Washington library. The release names the Washington State Library, King County Library System, Tacoma Public Library, Spokane Public Library, Whatcom County Library System, Bellingham Public Library, and San Juan Island Library, with more joining. If your library is not on the portal's list, or you have no card, the Washington State Library issues a virtual card; email the address below to ask for your library to be connected. sos
Open since
October 1, 2025.
Paid for by
the Washington State Legislature and the federal Library Services and Technology Act.
The certification portal Where you log in with your library card, request a code, and request the exam. The library's guide The steps in the library's own words, with the code rules. The library's exam list Every certification the library currently offers.

How to do it

  1. Log in to the portal with your library cardGo to wsl.infojinicloud.com, pick your library from the list, and enter your library card number and PIN. If you do not see your library, request a virtual e-card from the state library by email. guide
  2. Request a course code or a practice test codeBrowse the courses, pick the exam family, and request a code. It arrives by email from certify@sos.wa.gov within minutes (check spam). One code covers any one course or practice test in that family. You may request one code every 24 hours, and there is no limit on how many courses or practice tests you take. guide
  3. Redeem the code at GMetrix and prepareRedeem the code at GMetrix.net for the self-paced course or the practice test. Keep going until you have passed a practice test at 80 percent or higher; that score is what unlocks the free exam. guide
  4. Request the free exam and proctoringBack in the portal, fill out the exam request form, upload a screenshot of the passing practice test, and choose your exam. Under 18 also upload the parental consent form. Library staff review the request and email the scheduling steps within three to five business days. Proctoring is online. guide

The exams

An exam in blue has a prep page here. The rest are on the list and have no prep page yet.

CompTIA

Vendor-neutral IT certifications. Security+ is the one this site has lessons for.

Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST)

Entry-level Cisco certifications; the cybersecurity one is a first step toward CyberOps Associate.

Microsoft Certified Fundamentals

Foundation exams for cloud, data, AI, and security on Microsoft platforms.

Microsoft Office Specialist

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access, with Expert exams for Word, Excel, and Access. Three core exams earn the full certification.

Intuit

QuickBooks and bookkeeping, plus two Intuit skills certifications.

IT Specialist

Discontinued by the library; every code expires September 25, 2026. Java and Artificial Intelligence have prep pages here, which stay up after that date as review and as preparation for a paid sitting.

Discontinued. The library's page says all codes expire 9-25-2026.

Questions about the program

The library answers them at certify@sos.wa.gov. That is also the address to write to if your library is not on the portal's list and you need a virtual card.

Where these facts come from

Where this page and the library's own pages disagree, the library is right.