Mini from the Google AdWords team announced on Google AdWords Help that they’ve “made some changes to the Google AdWords exams and certifications in Partners.”

One change not specifically announced or mentioned by Google is that they cut down the certification period from 24 months (two years) to 12 months (one year). Rodney Hoover spotted this and posted it on Twitter. Again, you become certified today, that certification is only valid for a year, not two years anymore.

You can read it on the updated help documents:

The older version doesn’t really mention it.

Mini from Google added:

To earn the AdWords certification, you need to pass the AdWords Fundamentals exam plus any one of the other AdWords exams (Search, Display, Video, or Shopping).
We’ve also released a new version of the AdWords *Fundamentals* exam that includes the latest changes to AdWords and has a greater focus on best practices.

Forum discussion at Google AdWords Help, Google+ and Twitter.