A Personalized Approach to Exam Selection
To get the best results, personalize your Esri exam selection process. Start by asking yourself a few key questions to select the exam that's right for you.
3 Steps to Selecting Your Exam
The first step in determining which exam is right for you leads you straight to the Esri Technical Certification website to view a list of exams.
- Select the exam by level: Which level matches my years of experience?
- Select the exam by the exam purpose: Which exam aligns with the ArcGIS software that I use?
- Select the exam by the audience definitions: Which exam information guide has details that best resemble my role and ArcGIS responsibilities?
Review Each Exam Level
You will need to decide which level is right for you. Certification exams are currently available at three levels: foundation, associate, and professional.
The foundation level indicated skills and experience with Esri software at between 0-2 years, whereas, the associate level would require 2-4 years’ experience, and finally, the professional level is set at 4+ years of experience.
- How many years of experience do I have with the software?
Review the Exam Purpose
When initially selecting an exam, it is important to determine if the exam purpose aligns with your job role and responsibilities. Our job roles and responsibilities will often evolve but the exam purpose is designed to align with industry know workflows. Not everyone within a role will have the same responsibilities. Sometimes there are difference in how frequently a workflow is completed, it could be weekly, monthly, or even yearly. Additionally, the workflow could be completed by an individual or by a team.
- Does the exam purpose align with my role and my responsibilities?
- Do I use all of the software tools, and how often do I use them?
- Do I complete all of the workflows alone, or do I complete with my team?
Review the Audience Definitions
To understand if you align with the audience definitions, you may want to conduct a self-assessment to determine if your skills best align with the exam's audience definitions.
- Perform a self-guided skill assessment by watching the preparation video and reviewing the Learning Plans to support your exam preparation process.
- Review the exam information guide to determine if your skills and experience align with that being tested on in the exam.
- Test your knowledge of best practices against the ArcGIS Documentation to refresh your knowledge or learn new topics that will appear in the exam you are interested in.
When you have completed your skills assessment and are confident you have chosen the best exam to fit your skills and experience, return to the Esri Technical Certification website to find an exam, and either 'Wishlist' the exam and learning plan to Esri Academy's My Wishlist while you prepare or purchase from the exam details page.
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-- Best to you on your certification journey!