view

Industry Insights

INDUSTRY

How to get Drupal Certification

Drupal Certification

Every now and then, you’ll come across a job application that requires you to be certified in a specific coding language or platform. Other times, you’ll hear from friends who want to obtain some sort of certification for their skills. Certifications add value and relevance to your expertise and they help future employers understand your skills.

One certification developers should look into to further their career is Drupal. The most popular way to get a Drupal certification is through the

Acquia Drupal certification program.

What is the Acquia Certification Program?

Simply put, it’s the best and most widely recognized way to get certified. It measures your general Drupal knowledge (as defined by Acquia) and consists of four paid exams: site builder, developer, front-end specialist, and back-end specialist.

The Acquia certification exams are administered at Kryterion Testing Centers around the globe. You can also take these exams online at home.

Passing the developer, front-end, and back-end specialist exams in a single year will award you the title of Grand Master, meaning you are extremely knowledgeable in all things Drupal. However, this is not required to gain certification. It is only an additional title for your CV.

About the Drupal Certification Exam

The Drupal Exam mimics that of regular school: multiple choice and multiple response questions that relate to real-world scenarios and applications.

Why Bother with Drupal Certification?

Well, it may not be a life changing experience or bring you a million dollars in a year, but it is good to have to prove you know your stuff, especially if you don’t have an extensive portfolio, want to brush up on your knowledge, or if you want to learn a new skill.

Take the advice from someone who worked on the world’s first Drupal project: obtaining a certificate means that you have passed the questions developed by Acquia. Nothing more or less. Pretty anti-climatic, right? A Drupal certification is not necessary for your career, but it can help.

For example, larger companies are more likely to hire someone with the most to show for their experience. Having an extra line under certifications that says “Drupal Certified” certainly won’t hurt your chances!

If you want to jump in and register for Acquia’s program, we’ve got you covered.

The Best Way to Get Drupal Certified

Take notes, literally.

Start by reviewing the exam wireframe on the certification site. You’ll need to do more than study for one night and cram all the answers in your head. Drupal is a constantly evolving platform that introduces new code and new versions regularly. The more experience you have in Drupal, the more likely you are to pass. We recommend having up to six months of experience before attempting this certification – yes, even if you’re really good at taking tests.

You should also have some Drupal 8 and Drupal 9 experience under your belt.

Finally, consider your internet connection. If it’s unreliable, go to a testing center or quiet public place with reliable internet. If you do take your exam at home, stay at your desk and remove any distractions from your room, including food, pets, and clutter. You’re also required to have a webcam, so dress appropriately.

Your phone and any other electronic devices are not allowed during the exam either, so be sure to silence those and put them in another room. This includes non-traditional watches and fitness trackers.

Study Tips

The exam consists of all of the following:

  • Fundamental Web Development Concepts

  • Site Building

  • Front-End Development (Theming)

  • Back-End Development (Coding)

We recommend that you brush up on everything, even if you’re comfortable with it all. For fundamental web development concepts, study up on advanced CSS, responsive design principles, GIT, and OOP PHP principles.

For site building, look at Drupal 7 techniques, as Drupal 8 is very similar here. Look into form modes, view modes changes, and ways to work with blocks. If you are unfamiliar with new field types provided by core it could also be useful to configure one or two content types and see how it all comes together.

Front-end development is where things get interesting. Drupal 8 is totally different from Drupal 7 in this regard, so if you’re not familiar with the new additions and changes, get familiar before the exam! Cover overrides, TWIG filters, functions, control structures, sub-themes and libraries, and Drupal 8 core themes like Stable Classy.

Finally, back-end development (also known as coding), should be a breeze if you’re familiar with everything we’ve already listed here. A general review of Symfony should get you where you need to be to pass this part of the exam with flying colors.

Ready to take the test? No? Well, that’s okay. If you need a white-label service to help you until you’re ready to get certified yourself, you know where to find us. Reach out any time!