Hello! I have a question about certification – I opened a ticket a few days ago, but I haven't heard back, and my exam is coming up soon! Hopefully someone here can help.

I've registered for the Salesforce Developer Certification Exam online. (NOT the Advanced Cert.) This is my first certification exam. A Salesforce trainer recently told me that the online exams are for maintenance ONLY and that my initial exam has to be in person. Is this true? Will I not be able to get initial certification with an online exam?

Thanks so much for any guidance!