Steps to Developer Certification

Newcomer: You are absolutely new to Drupal

Learner: Development experience with previous versions of Drupal, but new to Drupal 9

Experienced: You have Drupal 9 Development experience, wish to get certified.

Take Acquia Academy Basic Level Courses

As a Newcomer to Drupal 9, take introductory courses in Acquia Academy (also found on our YouTube channel in playlists). We have three courses to get you started on your Drupal journey.

  • Introduction to Drupal 8

  • Building a Basic Site Using Drupal 8

  • Extending and Managing a Drupal 8 Site

After taking the courses, build a small website on your own to reinforce the concepts learned in the courses.

(Note: as Drupal 8 and 9 are very similar in architecture and concepts, you may start with the latest of the Drupal 8 or Drupal 9 courses from Acquia Academy)

Take Acquia Academy Advanced Level Courses

For the Developer path, the next step is to take a comprehensive advanced Level courses in Acquia Academy. The following courses are suggested:

  • Building Websites with Drupal 8

  • Drupal 8 Layout and Theming

  • Drupal 8 Module Development

If you have previous experience in Drupal 7 development, you should start here. The courses cover advanced site building concepts, and theming and module concepts are covered from the ground-up. The courses also contain hands-on exercises to help you build Drupal 8 based websites, themes, and modules.

You can access Drupal 9 preparatory courses on Acquia Academy, which you can find at https://customers.acquiaacademy.com.

You can access these courses for free and review them as many times as you like. Many Acquia Academy courses are available, and if you are in an Acquia enablement or training program, you have been assigned the courses you most require to obtain an initial certification.

Courses follow a model of 100-level for introductory material, 200-level for application of the concepts, 300-level for advanced concepts, and 400-level for solution architecture.Those with more exposure to Drupal 8 concepts, or with demonstrated development experience with Drupal 7, may skip the D8 100-level courses.

(Note: as Drupal 8 and 9 are very similar in architecture and concepts, you may start with the latest of the Drupal 8 or Drupal 9 courses from Acquia Academy)

Gain Practical Experience

Completing the courses may not make you ready for taking the certification exam. You need to have some real-life practical experience to attempt the exam. For this purpose, we recommend that you gain the practical experience by working on at least 2-3 real life projects.

Perform Self Assessment

Once you decide to take the exam, we recommend that you study the domains and topics covered by the exam and their relative weights. You should also perform a Self Assessment of your own areas of strength and weakness vis-a-vis the domains/topics covered by the exam blueprint. This is a recommended starting point for experienced Drupal 8 Developers.

Use Labs and Study Guide

Based on your Self Assessment, you may need to gain knowledge and experience in some Domains or Topics. The best way to learn Drupal is by working or experimenting on it. Follow the suggestions given for preparation in the Preparation section and refer to the external resources given in the Study Guide section.

Appear for Exam

At this stage, you should be ready to take the exam! Follow 'Schedule A Test' link on https://www.acquia.com/customer-success/learning-services/acquia-certification-program. Register for the exam. You may choose from an online proctored or an onsite proctored exam delivery option.

Learn more about the Acquia Certification Program at https://www.acquia.com/customer-success/learning-services/acquia-certification-program

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