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Welcome to our Esri Community place! The purpose of this article is to introduce you to Esri Community as our authoritative location for program information. We recommend that you subscribe to our boards and labels to receive notifications and click this link to Ask Questions. Our Content is Organized by Boards We have four topic-boards, each board has resource article and unique labels. Use this Search for This Place to locate content by key words. For example, type ‘community’ into the search bar to locate the board’s key resource. All of our content is outlined below by topic to align with the Certification Journey Milestones.       The Program Information Board is our prime location to host supplemental program information created to support our interested candidates, certified individuals, subject matter experts, and program advocates. This location features additional insight into how our program aligns with industry best practices and informative articles describing how to celebrate the milestones along your certification journey. Topics include: Program Presentations, ArcGIS Accounts, My Academy Certification Journey, Find an Exam, Prepare for an Exam, Take an Exam  Certification Accounts, Pearson VUE, CertMetrics, Credly Esri Exam Vouchers, Registration and Delivery The Certification Questions Board is the authoritative place to ask the experts and collaborate. Your participation when you post an inquiry or a solution, positively supports the personal and professional growth of our certification candidates. Topics include: ArcGIS Account & My Academy Esri Exams & Certifications Vouchers - Registration - Delivery Pearson VUE Account, CertMetrics Account, Credly Account The Certification Exams Board is our exclusive location hosting content related to all of our certification exams, new exam versions, and exam development information. Topics include: Exams by years of experience: Foundation, Associate, and Professional Exams by software:  ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise ArcGIS Utility Network ArcGIS API for Python, ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript Exam by exam development status:   Blueprint Survey and Beta Exam Exam Development Schedule and Exam Development SME The Exam Development Opportunity Board is our user-friendly tool, allowing interested participants to (1) select an event by using the list, calendar, or event status buttons, (2) sign up to participate, and (3) mark your calendar – ensuring participants don’t miss a scheduled blueprint survey, beta registration event, or preparation resource update. Topics include:  Blueprint Survey and Beta Exam Notifications Exam Information Guide Update Notifications Exam Card and Exam Resource Update Notifications   Personalize Your Subscriptions & Notification Settings Once you've subscribed to our place, you can further personalize the subscription to focus on a specific board or label. Then, you can update your subscription notifications to best meet your communication needs. Locate the top banner and click on your picture or avatar Select My Settings to update your Subscriptions & Notifications settings preferences Esri Community My Settings             Esri Community > My Settings > Subscriptions & Notifications   We hope you will subscribe and give a ‘Kudos’… we look forward to “meeting” you.   ... View more

Esri Beta Exam FAQs Beta exams are a vital component of Esri’s high-stakes certification exam development process. The beta exam helps ensure the validity of each item included on an operational exam as well as the exam’s overall industry workflow alignment. Compared to those taking an operational exam, beta exam participants have a unique experience. Here’s what you need to know about beta exams if you’re considering participating in one. Visit our Esri Beta Exam Schedule blog for the latest dates. Why does Esri create beta exams for its technical certifications? Beta exams are a standard part of all certification programs—they are the “pre-test and analyze” mechanism used within the exam development process. Detailed analysis of beta exam results helps ensure the operational exam validates skills used within current industry workflows and software best practices. To keep up with ever-evolving technologies, Esri certification exams are updated every 18-24 months.  Why should I take an Esri beta exam? Passing a beta exam means that you have achieved that certification at the earliest possible time. If you are seeking new professional opportunities or aiming to enhance your credentials to earn new business opportunities, taking a beta exam may be a useful way to achieve those goals sooner. If you are someone who enjoys contributing to the GIS community, taking a beta exam may also be for you. During a beta exam, you have the option to provide feedback on each item. Our testing vendor analyzes the feedback collected during the beta exam process to identify the highest quality exam content and uses that content to create the operational exam. Your participation in a beta exam is your “voice” in this process, and your participation helps ensure the operational exam is updated to be a valid measure of the skills defined within its exam information guide (EIG), which is included on each Esri Academy exam page (like this one). If you’re considering taking a beta exam, it’s important to carefully review its EIG to determine if the exam is right for you.  Who is qualified to take an Esri beta exam? Esri beta exams are available to the entire Esri community of users, including students, customers, business partners, international distributors, and employees. As with operational exams, it’s important to review the beta exam’s qualified candidate description in its exam information guide to ensure your skills match or exceed the description. What should I expect when taking an Esri beta exam? To support our rigorous exam development process, beta exams have more questions than operational exams. During the beta exam, you will review, answer, and when appropriate, post a comment on the exam question. Our testing vendor reviews all beta exam feedback and discards poor-performing questions. This ensures that the content used to create operational exams is a valid measure of the skills defined within the exam information guide. Beta exam results are released about 10 weeks from the close of the beta exam period, and only a pass or fail result will be provided. What should I consider before purchasing a voucher to take an Esri beta exam? The most important thing to consider is whether your knowledge and skills match those of the exam’s qualified candidate description (found in the beta exam information guide). The voucher purchase and registration process is the same, whether you’re taking a beta or an operational exam. However, beta exams are only available for a two to three-week period. Therefore, you have a relatively short time to purchase the exam voucher, schedule your exam appointment, prepare for your exam, and take your exam. We are not able to extend a beta exam’s open period, and no refund will be provided if you register for a beta exam and do not attend your exam appointment within the beta exam period. Your exam voucher is good for one year after the date in which it was issued and can be applied towards an operational exam instead. It may also be used for a future beta exam if it falls within the one-year period. With these considerations in mind, it’s critical that you review all the beta exam information available to you before purchasing a voucher. Is passing a beta exam equivalent to passing an operational exam? Yes, a certification will be awarded to all individuals who pass a beta exam. If I don’t pass the beta exam, can I retake it? Retakes are not available for beta exams and if a test taker does not pass the beta exam, the test taker can still attempt the operational exam three times after it releases, which will be eight to ten weeks after the beta exam period closes. To learn more, read our Esri Exam Retake Policy FAQs. When are Esri beta exams available? See the Esri Beta Exam Schedule blog for the latest dates. How do I purchase a voucher to take an Esri beta exam? Beta exams are the same price as operational exams—$250 USD. Certification exam vouchers are sold by Esri and can be applied towards a beta exam during the two to three-week period in which it's open, or towards any available operational exam. To purchase an exam voucher, visit its exam details page on Esri Academy to access the 'Purchase' button. Beta exams and operational exams use the same exam voucher.   Can a foundation, associate, or professional level exam voucher be used to register for a beta exam? Yes, beta exams are the "pre-test and analyze" mechanism used within the exam development process. For this reason, we use the same voucher type to support each beta exam during its unique beta exam period. Only foundation, associate, or professional level exam vouchers can be used to register for a beta exam within the Pearson VUE registration system. To learn more, read Esri Technical Certification Voucher Types. How do I register for an Esri beta exam? Purchase an exam voucher from Esri and enter the voucher code when scheduling an exam appointment with our testing vendor Pearson VUE during the beta exam period. You’ll need to sign in with your Pearson VUE account or create an account if you do not have one. __________________ For the latest information on beta exams and all things certification, subscribe to our Esri Community boards—and keep us informed of your progress. All the best to you on your certification journey! ... View more

Exam Day Preparation Planning for exam day begins with understanding the tasks associated with exam day and defining your expectations as you complete these tasks. Remember, exam day is part of your certification journey -- not the destination. By outlining these tasks and adding them to your Certification Journey RoadMap, these tasks become milestones and achieving your milestones creates ‘wins’ along the journey. Buy an Esri Exam Voucher Create Your Exam Day Appointment within the Pearson VUE Registration System Attend the Registration Appointment and Take the Exam   Personalize Your Experience To begin, read our blog to familiarize yourself with Pearson VUE Exam Day Preparation Recommendations, then follow the steps below to select the options that best meet your preferences.  Buy an Esri Exam Voucher The most direct access from our website to the 'purchase' button is to visit the exam details page to purchase an exam with your ArcGIS account. (Need help with your ArcGIS Account? Click here) But, for a personalized experience -- ensure you have aligned your training and certification goals in My Academy and use the 'purchase' button on My Wish List. Register with Pearson VUE Create your account and register to take the exam with Pearson VUE. The most direct access to the Pearson VUE Registration System is from our program page: https://home.pearsonvue.com/esri. You can customize your exam day appointment with date, time, and exam delivery environments. If you're not sure which options are best for you, visit this Pearson VUE Helpful Resources FAQs.  Utilize Pearson VUE's Resources For Any Questions Email Customer Service: Here is a region specific web page. You will initially receive an automated email but then please allow them 3–4 business days to get back to you. Please note: if you choose Americas support, select the Email form for ‘Professional and technology certifications.’  Call Customer Service: This contact us section of the Esri Pearson VUE page has numbers to call for each region.  OnVUE support and resources: This online testing page will have various resources and tips to choose from.  Attend the Registration Appointment and Take the Exam   Watch this Test Center Video to set your expectations for an in-person exam delivery at a test center.  Watch this Online Testing Video to understand the process for an OnVUE online exam delivery AND review the Pearson OnVUE for Esri web page, https://home.pearsonvue.com/esri/onvue, to run a system test. NOTE: Pearson strongly recommends using a personal computer (i.e., one not issued by your employer) and a wired, ethernet connection. Additionally, it is important to understand that not all systems are compatible with OnVUE and you may need to take the exam with the in-person test center. Be sure that your Pearson VUE web account reflects your legal name to match your government issued identification, learn more about Pearson VUE ID Policy. Be sure to reschedule within 48-hours before your exam day appointment ensuring that you do not forfeit your exam fee and need to purchase a new voucher.   Celebrate the Journey Planning your milestones creates ‘wins’ along the journey. Define your success metrics before you ever attend the exam day appointment. Celebrate everything that went as planned and update the plan milestones as you achieve them. Remember, this is your certification journey -- not certification destination. Not all exams will be 'passed' on the first attempt, know this and have a plan for the next steps. Lifelong learning doesn't end because you 'pass' the exam, so 'pass' or 'not', have a plan to celebrate all that you have learned and achieved on this journey.  Be proud of your accomplishments and know that we are proud of you and all that you do to contribute to our industry. We hope you will subscribe to our program subscriptions , allowing you to stay current with our program’s latest and greatest blogs and newsletters -- and keep us informed of your progress! -- Best to you on your certification journey!   ... View more

Esri Exam Preparation Resources Key Resources to Esri Technical Certification Exam selection and preparation: Esri Academy, Exam Information Guide, ArcGIS Documentation, and Esri Community. While these are the authoritative key resources, it is important to remember that these exam preparation resources are suggestions. Completing suggested resources will not guarantee a passing score on an exam.  The focus of this article is to outline the exam preparation resources available and how to use them. After reviewing this article, you may want to personalize your experience, with these 3-Steps to Selecting Your Esri Certification Exam, or review some exam day preparation tips.   Exam Selection & Preparation Begins with Esri Academy Visit our website and click 'View all certification exams' button to view our exam cards on Esri Academy. Once you've selected and exam, add it to your 'Wish List' until you are ready to purchase your exam voucher. Read this article to learn more. To assist you with locating exam preparation resources, we've provided a preparation video to explain how Esri Academy provides access to the Exam Information Guide and additional exam preparation resources, like product specific web courses, videos, or documents. Each exam has a complementary Esri Learning Plan, but we encourage you to explore your options by visiting the webpage, search for 'Certification' or create your own custom learning plan.  If you've identified a skills gap, visit the Esri Academy's Course Catalog to browse by topic or select product specific resources to support your exam preparation efforts.   Exam Information Guides (EIG) are Exam Specific Esri Technical Certification Exams are designed to test a candidate’s knowledge, comprehension, and application of ArcGIS workflows, each exam is unique and so is the complementary EIG. Exam Information Guides, located on the Exam Details page in Esri Academy, will always be the primary exam specific resource but you'll want to also review Esri product resources to ensure that you are up-to-date with industry usage of the software and best practices.   Visit our website Click 'View all certification exams' button to view our exam cards on Esri Academy Click the button to download an EIG   Review Best Practices with ArcGIS Documentation One of the most important product resources is the product's ArcGIS Documentation. By reviewing this information, you can refresh your memory on best practices, industry workflows, and sometimes learn something new about the product.  Locate the best practices for the exam you are studying Review the exam information guide to determine if your skills and experience align with that being tested on in the exam.  Think about the workflows you use most and least with the product to determine if any workflows have changed since the last software version.   Esri Technical Certification in Esri Community Our place in Esri Community is our main authoritative location to provide program updates. Here's our main blog, explaining how we organize our content, allowing you to focus your reading about exam selection and preparation resources. We also recommend you subscribe and engage with the industry and product places that best align with your exam. If you're new to Esri Community, here's a Getting Started with Esri Community video.    -- Best to you on your certification journey!   ... View more

Are you interested in becoming Esri-Certified or are you preparing to take your exam? Learn how you can use My Wish List in Esri Academy to save and quickly access certification exams and exam learning plans to help you on your certification journey. To get started, we encourage individuals to read our article 3 Steps to Selecting Your Certification Exam to ensure they are choosing the exam that’s right for them and their experience level, then follow the steps below to add exams and key exam preparation resources to their Wish List. If you have any questions after reading this article, please ask them here.   Add an Esri Exam and Learning Plan to your Wish List in Esri Academy Once you’ve selected an exam from our list in Esri Academy, click on the exam card to open the exam details page. On this page, you can click the heart icon below the title of the exam as well as the hearts at the bottom of each resource under “Related Training” to add them to your Wish List. Exam cards are useful to wish list as this is where the Exam Information Guide (EIG) and button to purchase your exam voucher are located. You can learn more about EIGs here, and more about purchasing and using exam vouchers here. Learning Plans are useful to wish list as they contain courses from Esri Academy that can help a candidate prepare for their exam should any knowledge gaps be identified after reviewing the EIG. Learning plans are also considered a key Esri exam preparation resource. Open My Wish List To access 'My Wish List' and view your selections, ensure you are logged into your primary ArcGIS account, hover over My Academy > click on My Wish List. Use Wish List to Create Your Certification Journey Milestones Once you've opened 'My Wish List' in My Academy, you can begin planning and tracking your Esri Certification Journey Milestones. Here's a few to get you started. Begin by enrolling in the Learning Plan to support your exam preparation efforts. When you’re ready to take the exam, purchase your Esri Exam Voucher and prepare for Exam Day.   Stay Connected and Engage with Us! We hope you will subscribe to Esri Technical Certification to stay current with our program’s latest updates and information.   - Best to you on your certification journey! ... View more

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. Want to learn more about how the GIS community supports exam development? Click here to ‘subscribe’ and participate. -- Best to you on your certification journey! ... View more

The Esri Technical Certification program offers various resources to help individuals through all stages of their certification journey. This article outlines the various ways you can stay connected with Esri Technical Certification to receive the latest updates and program information. Read on to learn more and ask questions here.   Esri Community with Your ArcGIS Account Our certification site article outlines the importance and value of Esri Academy as our authoritative location to view exams, exam preparation resources, and other program details. However, the second most important place for individuals who want to view additional information and receive updates is Esri Community. In Esri Community, individuals can customize their experience to be notified of all things Esri Technical Certification from resources to help you begin your certification journey to exam development participation opportunities. After signing in with your ArcGIS Account, you can read blogs, make comments, ask questions, and follow topics that interest you the most. (If you don’t have an ArcGIS account, create one here). To ensure you receive Esri Technical Certification community updates in your inbox, be sure you have your Esri Community notification settings properly configured: Visit the “My Settings” in the dropdown menu at the top right side of the page Click on “Subscriptions & Notifications” Ensure the “Turn off all email notifications” option under “General Settings” is unchecked Scroll down the page and ensure your Email Notifications are configured to receive notifications for the various options listed. You can customize the frequency by getting immediate, daily, or weekly updates to best suit your needs.   Subscribe to the Esri Technical Certification Community There are four different ways in which you can subscribe to the Esri Technical Certification Community. To learn more about how we structure our content to help you set up the proper subscriptions, read this article. Subscribe to the Community Main Page Click the “subscribe” button on the main page. This option gives you notifications when an update is made anywhere within the Esri Technical Certification community. Subscribe to a Board Click on the board and click “Subscribe to this Board.” This option will give you updates to all posts and labels within a specific board. Subscribe to a Label Click on a label and a blue notification box will appear at the top of the page. Click “Subscribe to this label.” This is helpful if you wish to subscribe to a particular exam level, exam software, or exam development participation updates. Subscribe to an Article Visit any article and click “Subscribe” to receive updates to that article only. This is helpful if you’re wishing to stay up to date on a specific exam and its ongoing version updates.   Other Ways to Stay Connected   Esri Newsletter with Your Subscription Subscribing to Esri Technical Certification provides you with the Esri Training Services newsletter in your inbox 6 times per year to keep up on the latest updates on Esri training & certification. In addition to this, the Esri Technical Certification team emails subscribers when a new exam is being published, when exam development begins, or when an exam is retiring. To ensure you're registered to receive emails about Technical Certification, sign up or edit your email preferences here: https://go.esri.com/subscribe. Access > Customer Resources, Training and Events Click ‘Technical Certification’ Save preferences   Esri Technical Certification LinkedIn Group Within the Esri Technical Certification LinkedIn Group, there are over 17,000 members. Join the group to meet others on their certification journey, start discussions, and receive program updates!   Contact Us We are always accessible from our Esri Technical Certification website. At the bottom of each page, click the mail icon to contact us. Or simply click this link to fill out a request form. ... View more

Pearson VUE Exam Day Preparation Recommendations Preparing to complete your Registration & Delivery tasks is easy with the Pearson VUE Helpful Resources for Test-Takers. Visit today to prepare for your Registration & Delivery with Pearson VUE. Esri test takers that visit the Pearson VUE Helpful Resources will view a list of Tips and Tricks for Test-Takers section to help manage tasks BEFORE TEST DAY and ON TEST DAY. This content is updated often to best support test takers and we encourage you to visit the site to learn more. Exam Registration: Begin with a Pearson VUE Web Account Visit the Pearson VUE Home Page for Esri Test Takers and sign in or create an account to get your Pearson VUE Testing ID, sometimes called your Esri Candidate ID.  If you do not have a Pearson account, create one by clicking the "Create Account" button above on the right and you will receive an email with your Esri Candidate ID. Your account must reflect your legal name and match your government issued identification, learn more about Pearson VUE ID Policy. If you already have a Pearson account, sign in and click the arrow icon on the left menu to determine your Pearson VUE Testing ID, sometimes called your Esri Candidate ID. You can also locate this ID on your Pearson VUE Confirmation of Payment emails. Prepare To Pass On the Pearson VUE website, the "Prepare To Pass" section will lead test takers back to our main home page so it is important to remember that exam selection and preparation begin with Esri Academy. Within Esri Academy each Esri Exam Card can be clicked to open the Exam Details Page which has an Exam Information Guide and Esri Learning Plan. Within Esri Community our Certification Exams Board hosts exam specific articles to support you on your certification journey. Appointment Check-in Process Additionally, Pearson VUE works to reduce stress on exam day by providing a section titled: "What to Expect During Your Exam." You must attend your appointment with your government issued identification, as per the Pearson VUE ID Policy.   These videos to explain the check-in process for an in-person test center or OnVUE test environment. We encourage you to visit the site to watch a the videos and select the test delivery environment that's best for you.  Pearson VUE's FAQs Lastly, the actual "Pearson VUE's Frequently Asked Questions" section provides information about the "general" Pearson VUE testing experience. Visit the site and use the dropdown to get answers to specific questions. One of the question we're asked most relates to registration. Pearson VUE FAQ #4:  How do I schedule, reschedule or cancel an exam?   We wish you the best on Exam Day! Should you have any additional question, complete the Pearson VUE Contact Form and they will reply within 3-4 business days.   ... View more

Esri Exam Voucher Purchase and Pearson VUE Registration  Follow the steps outlined below to purchase an exam voucher from Esri Academy. Once you have purchased your exam voucher, you have up to one year from your date of purchase to sit for the exam and consume the voucher before it expires. You can learn more about Esri Technical Certification Voucher Types here. When you're ready to take your certification exam, you can visit Pearson VUE's registration system to apply your exam voucher towards the creation of an appointment to sit for the exam.   Purchase Your Esri Exam Voucher in Esri Academy   Step 1: Select an Exam View all certification exams in Esri Academy and select the exam you would like to take. (Learn how to choose the right exam here.)    Step 2: Open Exam Card and Click Purchase  Once you've chosen the exam you'd like to take, click on the exam card to access exam details and click the blue ‘Purchase’ button.   Step 3: Sign into Primary ArcGIS Account or Create an Account Sign in with your primary ArcGIS Account or create an account if you don’t already have one (it’s free and easy to create one here).   Step 4: Select Customer Number or Create Customer Number for Transaction  Once you are logged in and click ‘Purchase,’ select your account type and purchasing option. First time purchasers: You will be directed to a screen prompting you to select if you are purchasing a voucher as an individual, or on behalf of an organization. Personal accounts are for non-commercial, individual, or student use. Organization accounts are for commercial use.   Returning Purchaser: You will be directed to a screen prompting you to select the customer number saved to your primary ArcGIS profile that was previously used to make a purchase. (There is an option to create a new customer number, but this is only recommended if you have moved to a new organization or if you have not yet created an Esri Customer number.)   Step 5: Submit Your Order Review & submit your order information. Individuals can use credit card or PayPal to complete the order.   Now that you’ve purchased an exam voucher, you'll want to visit Pearson VUE to create an exam appointment. Click here to read about Esri Exam Day Preparation Tips. Create Your Appointment with the Pearson VUE Registration System You can personalize your exam day appointment with date, time, and exam delivery environments. If you're not sure which options are best for you, visit this Pearson VUE Helpful Resources. page to review your options. Access the Pearson VUE Registration System is from our program page: https://home.pearsonvue.com/esri. Sign in or Create an Account Click View Exams to select your exam Select the exam delivery environment: In-person test center or online with OnVUE Agree to Esri policies Select your appointment date and time Review your Cart and Proceed to Checkout Enter your payment and billing information     Questions? If you have any questions related to Esri Technical Certification, please ask them here. If you have any questions related to an exam voucher code you purchased, please fill out and submit a Contact Form and the Certification team will respond within 72 hours. If you have any questions related to Pearson VUE (exam scheduling/rescheduling, Pearson VUE account support, password reset, etc.) please follow the instructions in this article to contact Pearson VUE. ... View more