Episerver Certification - Tips & Tricks!!!

Yesterday, I passed the Episerver 9 Certifcation, so sharing my thoughts while it's fresh in my mind.

Preparation:

• If you have attended "Bootcamp", make sure you know the materials covered in the class inside out. This is your bible for the exam. I would say, at least 30-40% of the exam questions will be based on the material covered during the course. About 30-40% will be based on your understanding of these concepts. The rest of the questions can be based on admin, editor guides, SDK or sample Alloy website.
• Alloy, Alloy, Alloy. Did I mention the Alloy website? Look at every single method and class (if it doesn't make sense, google is your friend).
• Have at least one or two projects under your belt. To give you an anology - it's the difference between reading a book on swimming and actually swimming in the water.
• Understand all areas of CMS like editing interface, gadgets, mirroring, personalization, multi-site setup, languages, friendly urls, access rights, scheduled jobs etc. by clicking on each link and/or reading the admin/editor guides. 
• Know all areas of development like CRUD operations on blocks/pages, templates, caching, modules, add ons, filtering, all base classes & APIs, localization, attributes, custom editor, dynamic data etc.
• Focus on the concepts. Ask yourself two questions - "How does it work" & "Why does it work that way". 

About the Exam:

Knowledge areas you will be tested on:

• Production knowledge
• Installation
• Content Model
• Creating Websites
• Advanced Concepts

It's a multiple choice exam with 64 questions and 120 mins, so roughly 2 mins per question. I don't think time is an issue because I completed mine 45 mins before time. One tip I would like to give is, if you aren't confident about something, skip the quetsion and come back to it later. You can't go back once you have answered a question.

There are 3 types of multiple choice questions:

1. Select ONE of the following 4 options.
2. Select TWO of the following 4 options.
3. Which of these is NOT true of the 4 options.

The last two are a little tricky because if you answer one out of the two wrong, your answer will be marked as incorrect. Be careful becuase the options are a little tricky :) 

Before Exam (Remote):

• You will receive an email from Episerver about the instructions 24-48 hours before the exam. Make sure you read these instructions carefully. This is a closed book (application) exam, so make sure you have nothing around you (including cell phones) and close all your applications. No multiple screens allowed during the exam.
• Book a quite conference room with a good internet connection (preferably wired). 
• For remote exam, make sure your computer/laptop is compatible based on the instructions provided. This includes web camera, microphone, operating system etc.
• I would recommend you take the practice test (included in the instructions), so you are familair with the remote proctoring software and not figuring it out during the exam.

During Exam:

• Keep your cool and don't rush. Some of the questions are difficult so you may have to wing it at the end. But you will get enough easy/medium level questions to pass the exam. 
• Use some educated guesses. As long as you know the concepts on "How" and "Why" it will be easy for you to pick the right answer based on what you know.
• Don't leave the room or talk to anyone and avoid any distractions. 

After Exam:

You will receive a PASS or FAIL right after you complete the exam. If you passed the exam, you will receive an official email from Episerver after reviewing your recording within 5 working days. If you fail, you will be able to re-take the exam after 21 days. 

Hope this helps, if you have any questions reach out to me on agadre@rightpoint.com

Good luck!

AG