Almost everyone who works with Adobe software professionally is wondering how to get Adobe Certified, what is it for and how will it affect employment?
An Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) is the specialist, who has proved a professional level of skills within one or several Adobe programs. To become an ACE, you need to pass one or several dedicated tests.
When you pass the test, you get a certificate and can put the following badge on your site.
What Are the Adobe Certified Levels?
There are three levels currently differentiated:
- Single Product Certification - a specialist in one of Adobe software products.
- Specialist Certification - a specialist in one of the areas: printing, layout, Web, or video editing.
- Master Certification - covers certification for the full product suite.
Based on the name, at the first level, you have to take only one exam. To get a Specialist Certification, you should pass three exams, and to become Adobe Certified as a master, you must pass all certification tests for products included in the Adobe CC package.
Adobe provides certifications for the majority of available products, like Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Premiere Pro to AEM, Campaign, and other less popular programs.
Learning how to be Adobe Certified for one product is rather simple (you just need to pass a test for using one of the software products from the list). However, there is more to learn if you aspire to become a specialist. To do this, you must pass three exams – two mandatory, one selective.
For example, to obtain the status of a layout specialist and prepress, you need to pass two mandatory exams – work in InDesign and Dreamweaver and choose one between Photoshop or Illustrator.
Where to Take an Exam?
To apply for an exam, you have to create an Adobe ID. Then go to the Adobe Certification Exams website and look for the program you want to pass the test for from the list of options. The last step is to press the blue “Schedule Exam” button.
If you want to become Adobe Certified by taking an exam at a testing center, then after entering the address, you will see the nearest testing locations and a list of available dates and times. Exams are taken at certification centers as Pearson VUE or Thomson Prometric. If you choose an online test option, the website automatically checks the compatibility of your device, so it is helpful to apply from the PC you will use to take the test.
An exam for any level or for any program costs $180 no matter where you take it – online or at a testing center.
How Is the Adobe Certified Test Organized?
If you are going to certify your knowledge of Photoshop, you have to pass a multiple-choice test about the various tools and options across the program.
Note that you don’t need to complete a creative task at all. The test doesn’t check your level of designing, illustrating, or animating. It is for checking your knowledge of the program. Thus, in case you’ve been using the program for years, we recommend looking through the tools and options you’ve never resorted to before taking an exam.
Is it worth getting Adobe Certified at a physical test center or online? You get both options to choose from, so it’s up to you. In both cases, you will be given 2 hours for which you need to answer 70-90 questions that are divided into two groups: in the larger one, you need to choose one answer from 5-6 variants; in the smaller – tick all correct answers from the list.
It is prohibited to use the program or the textbook. You can comment on each question. After answering all questions (if there is time left), you can change any answer. If the test is successful, you’ll get a personalized certificate from Adobe by mail in 3-4 weeks.
How to Prepare for the ACE Exam?
Take it seriously. Many professionals will be unpleasantly surprised if they fail the test because they lack special training. It is not cut off from the practice of using the program. The test is intended to reveal the depth of knowledge of the product. As a rule, Web specialists don’t understand the subtleties of prepress, and vice versa. Still, within the test, you’ll face questions just in all areas of work.
The level of the questions in terms of complexity is high enough, although there are also elementary ones – for the knowledge of the simplest commands and actions.
Explore the program. Run the software that you are going to take a test for, and study every single key. If you don’t know something, explore and clarify your confusion about the options. One of the useful tips for self-training is to study all the questions and find answers using the program help system.
Read the manual. This might be a bit overkill, but I printed the software manual PDF for Photoshop and used it as a book to get prepared for my test. It’s more convenient for me to read a hard copy than a PDF.
Take a course from Adobe. For self-training, we recommend taking the prep course for ACE certification. This course will let you know how to become an Adobe Certified step by step. Besides, you’ll hone your skills on some Adobe Photoshop 2018 tools and workflows that you’ll meet across the test.
Why Do You Need It?
The ACA certifications provide a range of benefits to delegates. Besides, being Adobe Certified Expert, you will get more chances to reach success in a professional environment. No matter if you’re looking for a job that requires skills in digital media technology, or recognition of your expertise, the ACE certificate will come in handy.
Main ACA props:
- Official recognition of your Adobe skills
- Formal qualification for your CV or portfolio
- By getting an ACA certificate, you stand out among your creative colleagues
