8 Tips for Acquia Certification

Acquia’s certification program helps set the standard for assessing a programmer’s knowledge and experience with Drupal. By understanding which exams a developer has passed, employers know their exact skill level. Clients can rest assured that they are working with real professionals. Programmers and their colleagues can engage in friendly competition. It’s important for Acquia too; they look at the number of certified specialists when considering agency-partnership applications.

If you’re not familiar or just getting started with Acquia, here are the main certifications used to test a developer’s Drupal knowledge:

• Acquia Certified Site Builder, D8: tests a developer’s ability to create Drupal sites using core modules and/or additional modules.
• Acquia Certified Developer, D8: tests a Drupal developer’s fundamental knowledge in web programming, website building, front-end and back-end programming.
• Acquia Certified Front End Specialist, D8: tests a Drupal developer’s skills and knowledge in front-end programming.
• Acquia Certified Back End Specialist, D8: tests a developer’s skills and knowledge in creating and implementing Drupal solutions using code or module development.
• Acquia Grand Master: an honorary title for those who are certified in the Acquia Developer, Front-end, and Back-end specialties.

In addition to the many titles above, there are also certificates for Acquia products:

• Acquia Certified Cloud Pro: tests a developer’s knowledge and experience with the Acquia Cloud hosting platform.
• Acquia Certified Site Factory Pro: tests a developer’s knowledge and experience with the Acquia Cloud Site Factory multi-siting platform.

With the arrival of Drupal 9, Acquia has prepared some new certificates. However, there are only two current certifications as there are few Drupal products on this version.

Getting Certified with Acquia

You might be wondering if earning a certification from Acquia is worth it. I believe it is. Not convinced or looking to understand more before taking the next step? Read on to learn how and why to get certified with Acquia.

1. Boost Your Candidacy

An Acquia certification demonstrates not only the breadth of your Drupal skills, but also increases your value in the workforce. You will become an employer’s preferred choice over other uncertified candidates. Additionally, as you will be a more qualified specialist, you’ll increase your earning potential for your work.

2. Test Your Knowledge

If you don’t know much about Drupal, I don’t recommend you take this test. The price of an Acquia certification ranges between $155-350, depending on the discipline. If you take this test without knowing fundamentals, you’ll just waste your money and time.

3. Take a Refresher

If you are familiar with Drupal, however, it doesn’t hurt to study up for the exam. What will help you to prepare?

• Study guides for each of the Acquia exams.
• Community training materials for preparation.
• Acquia Youtube channel with educational materials.
• Drupal 8 user guide. Personally, I found these resources extremely helpful when studying for the exam. I advise you to study them as well.

4. Use Practice Tests

Drupal-X has one of the best practice tests available for use. I recommend taking a few practice tests in order to understand how you might place on the Acquia certification.

5. Register for the Exam

With the other tips under your belt, you should already feel ready to take the certification exam. If you think you are ready, then it’s time to register. Your test can be taken both online and offline. Offline options are not available in all countries and cities, so check this option if you want to choose one. If you chose online, you will need to install a special program when registering for the exam.

6. Don’t Cheat!

You cannot use any materials during the exam, such as notebooks or pens. As you take the test, a moderator will observe through a webcam and a microphone. Yes, these devices are required for passing the test. Additionally, if the examiner is confused about how you arrived at a certain code solution, you may be asked to fix the problem or provide input. If you can’t do either, your exam may be considered a failed. So it’s best not to even try to cheat.

7. Taking the Exam

All exams consist of answering 60 single or multiple choice questions in 90 minutes. You do not need to write a line of code, or give free-form answers from your head. As were exams in school, the Acquia Certification exam can be psychologically difficult! In my experience, I felt confident on the first 20 questions. However, as I ran into some unknowns, my confidence shattered. I began to hesitate answering simple questions. If I had anything to share, it’d be that I advise you not to dwell on a question to which you do not know the answer. It is possible to skip the question. You can always come back to it later. This way, you’ll save time answering all the questions you’re certain of.

8. Obtaining a Certificate

If you are one of these lucky ones to have passed the test and received the certificate, put your coveted certificate badge on your resume and on your LinkedIn page! This will make you visible not only in your company but also for other employers.

Finally, if you’re in need of an Acquia-certified developer, drop us a line! Or, if you’re looking to learn more about Acquia certification, join us on Slack.