The designer's guide to becoming Adobe certified

Although many creators don’t know it, you can actually get ratings in Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC and InDesign CC. You only need to take the Adobe Certified Expert Exam (ACE).

However, these qualifications are not required to obtain (as a general) job as a designer, illustrator or animator. So why bother you?

There are many reasons why you may want to obtain Adobe certification. Your employer may insist on or recommend it to help you get a salary increase or promotion. Having an official "certificate" badge on your website can help you win freelance customers. You may want to teach Adobe skills to others. Or, you may find that there are many things in the software that you have never learned, and you are facing challenges.

If you pass the test, you will get a certificate and you can put this badge on your website

This is what motivated Missouri graphic artist Jamie Carroll to seek Adobe certification. I was ready to learn new things and test my understanding of the software." (You can Learn more about their experiences in this blog post.)

The situation is similar for Garrett Scott Shue, a graphic designer at Virginia Free University's marketing department.

In this article, we will explain how to obtain Adobe certification and provide tips on success.

01. What does testing mean

To become an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop, for example, you need to pass a test involving multiple-choice questions about the different tools and functions in the software.

 

So be clear: you don’t actually need to do any creative work. You have not tested the ability of design, illustration or animation; only understand the software. This means that even if you have spent many years using the related software, you still need to read the tools and functions you have never used.

For taste, this is a sample Photoshop test question. "How do users apply non-destructive bullets to images?" Possible answers are:

A. Use the burning tool to selectively draw the darkening of the image border

B. Add a photo filter layer and adjust the vignette slider for each border

C. Apply a black to transparent gradient to the edge of an empty overlay

D. Select the "Multiplication" blending mode, and then use the "Brush" tool to draw darker areas

2. How to schedule an exam?

Map of test centers near LondonThis website will take you to the nearest test center

To keep the trial version, if you don’t have an Adobe ID, you need to create an Adobe Exam ID. You can create one here. Then go to the Adobe Certification Exams website and scroll through the options to find the specific software to test, then click the blue "Schedule Exam" button.

You can choose to take the test at the physics test center or take the test online. If you choose the first one, just enter your address and it will provide you with a list of the nearest test center and available dates and times. If you choose the latter, the website will verify that your system is compatible, and if you make a request on the device to be tested, the website will be very useful.

Oh, did we mention that you have to pay? Now, whether it is online or in person, the cost of retaining the Photoshop test is $180.

03. What will make you trip?

Singaporean Desmond Du, who is currently studying sports media design in Georgia, discovered a particularly surprising thing in the test. 

Carol agreed. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you ask as many practice questions as possible.

Please also note that usually the purpose of using Adobe software may not be all. Shue recalled: "When I ran the test, my biggest surprise was that InDesign contained many animation-based questions." "This surprised me."

Du (Du) was particularly surprised when he took the Photoshop exam (this is described in detail in this blog post).

Shue has a similar view.

. I prepare for the exam very carefully, and study for a few weeks before the exam, and spend most of my free time to prepare. Long time. "

04. How to prepare for the exam

Of course, the best way to prepare for the exam depends on the software used, your knowledge and experience level, and your personal learning model. But in general, Du provides the following tips.

Check the software. Open the software you want to test, and check each button. If something looks strange and confusing, please investigate and clarify your doubts about its function.

Read the manual. This may be a bit extreme, but I actually printed a PDF of the After Effects software manual and read it as a textbook for exam study. Compared with reading PDFs off-screen, reading paper versions is more suitable for my study.

read a book. Among all the books I encountered, Adobe Photoshop CC on Demand is the ideal book to prepare for the Photoshop exam, because it covers everything you need to know about Photoshop.

05. The joy of passing

Shue reports: "Since getting the certification, people will contact me more frequently to apply for freelance." For Du, this is a life change. One (Georgia Savannah College of Art and Design).

such as using Create Droplet to automate." "In terms of interpersonal communication, my peers Respect me more and trust my software skills so much that I even received an invitation to become a software instructor."

If you decide to apply for Adobe certification, we wish you all the best. Oh, that example question? The answer is C.