A Guide to Magento 2 Certification

In March 2018, the Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer exam became available for developers to complete for certification. Magento currently offers seven Magento 2 certifications for developers and other IT professionals interested in providing Magento development services.

What Is the Magento 2 Certification Test?

A Magento 2 certification test is designed to validate the knowledge and skills of professionals using the Magento 2 platform.  Once certified, professionals can expect to gain more career opportunities and acquire more clients for their agencies.

Types of Magento 2 Certification Exams

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Of the seven types of certification exams for the Magento 2 platform, the Magento 2 Certified Solution Specialist exam is open to any user.  The remaining six focus on developers.

Magento 2 Certified Solution Specialist

Successful completion of this certification indicates a comprehensive understanding of the Magento 2 functionalities that benefit an eCommerce business.  Specialists can align a company’s objectives with the functionality of the Magento 2 system, resulting in optimizing available features and avoiding unnecessary customization.

Magento 2 Certified Associate Developer

This certification was created specifically for developers starting to validate their knowledge and skills in the many areas of the Magento 2 platform.

Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer

Completing the certification exam for Magento 2 Professional Developer demonstrates expertise in the customization of source code for Magento 2.  It evaluates developers’ knowledge and skills in terms of database changes, UI modifications, checkout process customizations, catalog structure, order management integrations and customizations, admin modifications, and functionality changes.

Magento 2 Certified Professional Developer Plus

This certification is designed for Magento 2 senior developers with more than two years of experience leading teams of Magento developers.  In addition, they must be experienced in making critical technical decisions on a Magento project, customizing different areas of Magento Commerce, working with customers to build project requirements, and leading projects.

Magento 2 Certified Professional Front End Developer

The Magento 2 Certified Professional Front End Developer Test evaluates the necessary knowledge and skills required for developers in the areas of Magento 2 interface modifications and theming components.

Magento 2 Certified Professional JavaScript Developer

The Professional JavaScript Developer Magento 2 Certification Test validates developers’ knowledge and skills in customizing existing modules and building new Magento 2 extensions.

Magento Certified Professional Cloud Developer

This certification was designed to validate the knowledge and skills required to test, operate, deploy, and troubleshoot within the Magento Commerce Cloud environment.  Moreover, this includes the ability to enhance your project performance and operation.

Registering for a Magento 2 Certification Test

Professionals can find a complete listing of Magento 2 certification exams on the Magento U site. Those looking to register for an exam can select the one they are interested in completing, go through the checkout process, and receive an exam voucher code via email.  This voucher code is also available on the Account page via the My Product and Services sections.  The examination fee depends on the selected certification and ranges from $195 to $260.

Examinees have two options for completing the exam: on-site or online.  Once you’ve determined a location, selected a date and time, and entered the voucher code, you’ll receive an email confirmation along with additional details and requirements.

Preparing for Magento 2 Certification Test

Magento provides several ways for professionals to prepare for Magento 2 certification exams and increase their chances of successful completion.

Study Guides for Magento 2 Certification

Free study guides are available for each of the Magento 2 Certification Exams, and may be downloaded on each of the exam-specific pages.  These guides provide useful information on what to study, practice, and revise to complete the exam and become certified in that area.

For example, the study guide downloaded from Magento U for the Magento 2 Certified Professional Developers examination includes the following:

• Exam topics and revised questions related to each topic
• Percentages of topics covered in the certification exam:
  • 18% – Customization techniques and Magento architecture
  • 13% – Checkout process customization
  • 12% – Processing request flow
  • 12% – Catalog customization
  • 10% – Magento UI customization
  • 10% – Admin HTML development
  • 8% – Utilizing the EAV (Entity-Attribute-Value) Model
  • 7% – Ability to work with databases in Magento
  • 5% – Sales operations
  • 5% – Customer management
• Magento 2 Certified Professional Developers exam sample questions
• Answer key and explanations

Magento Courses

Professionals looking to complete Magento 2 certification are encouraged to participate in the paid training courses.  There are specific courses designed for each of the Magento 2 certification exams:

M2 Development Essentials

This instructor-led, classroom-based, five-day training is ideal for developers starting their Magento 2 careers.  It’s recommended for professionals looking to complete the Magento 2 Associate Developer and Professional Developer certifications.

M2 Certified Developer Study Group

This instructor-led, online group that meets two hours a week for 10 weeks is perfect for professionals moving from Magento 1 to Magento 2 and working to become Magento 2 Certified Professional Developers.

Core Principles for Theming in Magento 2

This course helps professionals learn to customize or modify Magento 2 websites.  It’s ideal for those seeking to become Magento 2 Certified Professional Front End Developers.

JavaScript Development in M2

This is an instructor-led, classroom-based, four-day course is designed to help professionals learn how to use their JavaScript knowledge within the Magento platform.  It’s suitable for individuals wishing to complete the Magento 2 Certified Professional JavaScript Developer exam.

Managing Your Magento 2 Store

This course is ideal for merchants, marketers, and business analysts looking to complete the Magento 2 Certified Solution Specialist examination.

Directory for Magento 2 Certified Professionals

Upon successful completion of Magento 2 certification examinations, your name will appear in the Magento 2 Certification Directory.  This allows businesses looking for certified professionals to find specialists who meet their needs.

A proud Meet Magento Association member, IronPlane is a U.S.-based, full-service, Magento-Certified company.  We have more than 30 Magento developers experienced in back end, integrations, and design, and more than seven years of experience with eCommerce implementation for B2B and B2C businesses.  Contact one of our Solutions Specialists to learn how we can take your eCommerce business to the next level.

Contact us for a free consultation, one of our Magento specialists will be glad to help you.