July 16, 2017 at 15:42Atlassian certification: how to get a crust from Atlassian that you're cool
This year, StiltSoft employees confirmed the status of Atlassian Experts, which from 2017 will be transformed into an Atlassian Solution Partner after passing certification.
If you are an experienced Atlassian administrator, it's time to take it to the next level: get Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP) status. This is a status that officially confirms your skills.
This article is all you need to know about this certification to get through it without problems.
About 70,000 companies use Atlassian products. Each of them needs a qualified administrator. The management of these companies will prefer to work with a professional whose skills are officially confirmed by Atlassian.
For this reason, in 2017 Atlassian launched a new certification system, which is available not only to Atlassian Solution Partners, but also to Atlassian administrators, freelancers and companies who want to improve employee skills.
Certification is not for beginners. Administrators with work experience of 2 years and more can confirm their status with the help of an exam and discover new career prospects.
Atlassian offers 5 exams for Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP) status and topics for preparation for them.
At the preparation stage, you improve your knowledge: repeat the material using real business cases and learn new aspects of working with Atlassian products that you have not encountered before. After passing the exam, you get access to Atlassian Badges - additional tests that confirm the in-depth knowledge of Atlassian features and extend the validity period of the obtained ACP status.
Currently, only the JIRA badge is available - ACB-110 Advanced JIRA Workflows . It is in beta testing and costs $ 75. The remaining badges are under development. ACP exams are held at Kryterion test centers. You pass the badge test online from your home or office.
The validity period of ACP certification is 1.5 years. Atlassian offers to renew certification in two ways: again pass the ACP exam after 1.5 years or pass the badge test immediately after the ACP exam or while the ACP certification is valid.
While your Atlassian Certified Professional status is active, we recommend earning the appropriate badges to improve your skills.
Each badge extends certification for another 18 months. If you forget to renew your certification, you will have to take the ACP exam again.
Take one exam each. Because it is difficult to take several exams at a time because of the large amount of information.
It should be prepared thoroughly. Many read the blog of Rachel Wright , who passed the JIRA administration exam, one of the first in the beta testing phase. According to her, she spent about 10 hours preparing for the exam. Do not forget that Rachel has been working with Atlassian products for a long time and wrote the book " JIRA Strategy Admin Workbook"Therefore, we advise you not to overestimate your capabilities, even if you have many years of experience. The ACP exam covers a much wider range of problems than the administrator encounters in real life. You should be equally versed in versions of Server and Cloud. If you are not an expert with the highest level of training with experience in compiling curricula, we recommend that you allocate enough time for preparation: at least a week ..
Certified administrators note the benefits of Atlassian preparatory courses :
Courses increase your chances of passing the exam the first time and contain conditional examples of exam questions. When you take preparatory course tests, you see your mistakes with explanations. ACP preparatory courses are free for Atlassian partner companies. Otherwise, the cost of 1 preparatory course is $ 150.
Remember that you get access to the course for 120 days, i.e. if you did not manage to complete all the topics in 4 months, you will have to pay $ 150 again.
In preparatory courses, you will learn that you need to answer questions not from the point of view of your work experience, but from the point of view of best practices. In the test, you may come across a question to which all answers can be correct in essence, but only one is correct in terms of best practices.
Atlassian offerother training courses on exam topics. You can choose courses that match your level of knowledge.
During registration, indicate the full name as written in the ID. This is true for countries where documents are not in English. Because of the difference in spelling of the name, problems can arise when you come for an exam at the Kryterion test center and while receiving the certificate.
On the Atlassian certification portal and in the Kryterion test system, first specify a personal email, only then add a working one. Because the skill is attached to you as a specialist. For example, if you quit a company, it loses the earned status of Atlassian Solution Partner. Accordingly, the company in which you get a job can acquire this skill.
After registering with the Atlassian certification portal, follow the link to Kryterion to pay only with a card and select an exam date.
After payment, you will receive a Test Taker Authorization Code (for example, eg AT0000123). Be sure to take it with you to the exam. It opens access to examinations.
Book your exam in advance at least 5 days before the required date. You can reschedule the ACP exam date for free, the latest deadline is 72 hours before the exam. If you decide to postpone the date in less than 72 hours, you will have to pay $ 150.
Transferring an online badge exam is possible in 24 hours, otherwise you will have to pay $ 75.
To transfer the date, log into your account from the computer. An important point - at the moment, you cannot transfer the date from any mobile devices.
If you decide to cancel the exam, do it at least 72 hours before the exam begins. Otherwise, $ 150.50 will be deducted from the amount of your refund.
Take with you for the exam 2 ID documents with your photo and signature, this is very important. For example, a passport and a driver’s license.
We recommend you to arrive early in order to be registered and take your place in the audience.
Do not forget the Test Taker Authorization Code, it provides access to exam assignments.
Personal things should not be taken with you to the exam, including a wallet, mobile phone, bag, outerwear. You will be asked to leave all unnecessary in another room. Non-active speakers are allowed to take an English dictionary for the exam.
If you are distracted by extraneous sounds (typing on the keyboard, clicking the mouse, or sounds in a nearby audience), bring ear plugs with you.
The exam lasts 3 hours, so we do not recommend coming hungry. Be sure to eat so as not to be distracted during the exam.
It is allowed to review already answered questions and change the answer option. You mark the questions you want to review. They are then highlighted in the list.
We analyzed the experience of our employees and advice on forums from those who have already passed certification. Opinions were divided on how to answer the exam questions.
In the comments on Rachel's post, we found advice to answer short questions first. Because long questions can be simple, but they take a lot of time to read, study schemes, comprehend the question and choose the right answer. You are immersed in the topic and can lose time. Remember that for each correct answer to any of the questions in the exam you get the same number of points. Therefore, it makes sense to answer long questions after you answer all short ones.
There is an opposite opinion: still look at the questions and answer in turn, and those in doubt, put aside for later and review at the end. Because, after about an hour, there are already problems with concentration, which can prevent you from delving into long questions.
During the exam, we suggest evaluating the pace and, depending on your level of preparation and concentration, choose the option that suits you.
The exam result is known right after you clicked Submit. All you see is the percentage of correct answers on the topics presented (Topic Level Scoring). This is all available information about what was right or wrong. There is no way to view the correct and incorrect answers.
Congratulations!
First, the status is displayed in the Kryterion system, after which it is synchronized with the Atlassian certification portal during the day.
24 hours after the exam, log in to your account on the Atlassian portal and confirm your status. In response, you will receive a letter with instructions for downloading the electronic certificate. You will also receive a letter of congratulations on behalf of CEO Atlassian Mike and Scott.
Atlassian offers several options:
You can add information about receiving Atlassian badge to your email signature, get a link to add to your corporate website, electronic resume. For more information, see the Atlassian website in the “How can I showcase my new Atlassian Certifications” section.
Your ACP certificate is valid for 18 months.
The main thing is not to despair.
After the exam, you will receive a letter with a code for a discount on retake. Retake will cost $ 150.50, taking into account the discount. You can re-register for the exam after 7 days, but we recommend taking a break and reviewing the topics of the exam.
Allowed 5 attempts to pass one exam. If you used 5 attempts and did not pass, contact Atlassian support and they will tell you what further actions.
We hope that our article has clarified incomprehensible points on certification. If you still have questions, ask them in the comments to the article. We will be happy to answer them.
Best of luck on your exams!
If you are an experienced Atlassian administrator, it's time to take it to the next level: get Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP) status. This is a status that officially confirms your skills.
This article is all you need to know about this certification to get through it without problems.
ACP exams: what options does Atlassian offer
About 70,000 companies use Atlassian products. Each of them needs a qualified administrator. The management of these companies will prefer to work with a professional whose skills are officially confirmed by Atlassian.
For this reason, in 2017 Atlassian launched a new certification system, which is available not only to Atlassian Solution Partners, but also to Atlassian administrators, freelancers and companies who want to improve employee skills.
Certification is not for beginners. Administrators with work experience of 2 years and more can confirm their status with the help of an exam and discover new career prospects.
Atlassian offers 5 exams for Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP) status and topics for preparation for them.
- ACP-100 JIRA Administrator
- ACP-200 Confluence Administrator
- ACP-300 Agile Development with JIRA Software
- ACP-400 JIRA Service Desk Administration
- ACP-500 Atlassian System Administrator
Atlassian Certified Professional Status Algorithm
- Choose an exam.
- View exam information at the links above. Pay attention to the description of the exam.
- Download exam topics and assess your level of preparation.
- Repeat Atlassian documentation exam topics .
- Look for answers to obscure questions in the Atlassian Community .
- Take preparatory courses for the exam.
- Register on the Atlassian certification portal.
- Find a Kryterion Training Center nearby .
- Select an exam date.
- Pay for the exam with a card.
- Pass the exam.
Certification Confirmation
At the preparation stage, you improve your knowledge: repeat the material using real business cases and learn new aspects of working with Atlassian products that you have not encountered before. After passing the exam, you get access to Atlassian Badges - additional tests that confirm the in-depth knowledge of Atlassian features and extend the validity period of the obtained ACP status.
Currently, only the JIRA badge is available - ACB-110 Advanced JIRA Workflows . It is in beta testing and costs $ 75. The remaining badges are under development. ACP exams are held at Kryterion test centers. You pass the badge test online from your home or office.
The timing
The validity period of ACP certification is 1.5 years. Atlassian offers to renew certification in two ways: again pass the ACP exam after 1.5 years or pass the badge test immediately after the ACP exam or while the ACP certification is valid.
While your Atlassian Certified Professional status is active, we recommend earning the appropriate badges to improve your skills.
Each badge extends certification for another 18 months. If you forget to renew your certification, you will have to take the ACP exam again.
Atlassian Certified Professionals recommend
Training
Take one exam each. Because it is difficult to take several exams at a time because of the large amount of information.
It should be prepared thoroughly. Many read the blog of Rachel Wright , who passed the JIRA administration exam, one of the first in the beta testing phase. According to her, she spent about 10 hours preparing for the exam. Do not forget that Rachel has been working with Atlassian products for a long time and wrote the book " JIRA Strategy Admin Workbook"Therefore, we advise you not to overestimate your capabilities, even if you have many years of experience. The ACP exam covers a much wider range of problems than the administrator encounters in real life. You should be equally versed in versions of Server and Cloud. If you are not an expert with the highest level of training with experience in compiling curricula, we recommend that you allocate enough time for preparation: at least a week ..
Certified administrators note the benefits of Atlassian preparatory courses :
- JIRA Administrator Certification Prep
- Confluence Administrator Certification Prep
- Agile Development using JIRA Software Certification Prep
- JIRA Service Desk Administrator Certification Prep
Courses increase your chances of passing the exam the first time and contain conditional examples of exam questions. When you take preparatory course tests, you see your mistakes with explanations. ACP preparatory courses are free for Atlassian partner companies. Otherwise, the cost of 1 preparatory course is $ 150.
Remember that you get access to the course for 120 days, i.e. if you did not manage to complete all the topics in 4 months, you will have to pay $ 150 again.
In preparatory courses, you will learn that you need to answer questions not from the point of view of your work experience, but from the point of view of best practices. In the test, you may come across a question to which all answers can be correct in essence, but only one is correct in terms of best practices.
Atlassian offerother training courses on exam topics. You can choose courses that match your level of knowledge.
registration
During registration, indicate the full name as written in the ID. This is true for countries where documents are not in English. Because of the difference in spelling of the name, problems can arise when you come for an exam at the Kryterion test center and while receiving the certificate.
On the Atlassian certification portal and in the Kryterion test system, first specify a personal email, only then add a working one. Because the skill is attached to you as a specialist. For example, if you quit a company, it loses the earned status of Atlassian Solution Partner. Accordingly, the company in which you get a job can acquire this skill.
After registering with the Atlassian certification portal, follow the link to Kryterion to pay only with a card and select an exam date.
After payment, you will receive a Test Taker Authorization Code (for example, eg AT0000123). Be sure to take it with you to the exam. It opens access to examinations.
Book your exam in advance at least 5 days before the required date. You can reschedule the ACP exam date for free, the latest deadline is 72 hours before the exam. If you decide to postpone the date in less than 72 hours, you will have to pay $ 150.
Transferring an online badge exam is possible in 24 hours, otherwise you will have to pay $ 75.
To transfer the date, log into your account from the computer. An important point - at the moment, you cannot transfer the date from any mobile devices.
If you decide to cancel the exam, do it at least 72 hours before the exam begins. Otherwise, $ 150.50 will be deducted from the amount of your refund.
Exam
Take with you for the exam 2 ID documents with your photo and signature, this is very important. For example, a passport and a driver’s license.
We recommend you to arrive early in order to be registered and take your place in the audience.
Do not forget the Test Taker Authorization Code, it provides access to exam assignments.
Personal things should not be taken with you to the exam, including a wallet, mobile phone, bag, outerwear. You will be asked to leave all unnecessary in another room. Non-active speakers are allowed to take an English dictionary for the exam.
If you are distracted by extraneous sounds (typing on the keyboard, clicking the mouse, or sounds in a nearby audience), bring ear plugs with you.
The exam lasts 3 hours, so we do not recommend coming hungry. Be sure to eat so as not to be distracted during the exam.
Questions
It is allowed to review already answered questions and change the answer option. You mark the questions you want to review. They are then highlighted in the list.
We analyzed the experience of our employees and advice on forums from those who have already passed certification. Opinions were divided on how to answer the exam questions.
In the comments on Rachel's post, we found advice to answer short questions first. Because long questions can be simple, but they take a lot of time to read, study schemes, comprehend the question and choose the right answer. You are immersed in the topic and can lose time. Remember that for each correct answer to any of the questions in the exam you get the same number of points. Therefore, it makes sense to answer long questions after you answer all short ones.
There is an opposite opinion: still look at the questions and answer in turn, and those in doubt, put aside for later and review at the end. Because, after about an hour, there are already problems with concentration, which can prevent you from delving into long questions.
During the exam, we suggest evaluating the pace and, depending on your level of preparation and concentration, choose the option that suits you.
The exam result is known right after you clicked Submit. All you see is the percentage of correct answers on the topics presented (Topic Level Scoring). This is all available information about what was right or wrong. There is no way to view the correct and incorrect answers.
What to do if you pass
Congratulations!
First, the status is displayed in the Kryterion system, after which it is synchronized with the Atlassian certification portal during the day.
24 hours after the exam, log in to your account on the Atlassian portal and confirm your status. In response, you will receive a letter with instructions for downloading the electronic certificate. You will also receive a letter of congratulations on behalf of CEO Atlassian Mike and Scott.
How to share your achievement with others?
Atlassian offers several options:
- Upload your electronic certificate on the Atlassian portal in the Certifications section. Download the certificate in pdf.
- Add your skill on LinkedIn. Log in to your LinkedIn account and follow the instructions .
You can add information about receiving Atlassian badge to your email signature, get a link to add to your corporate website, electronic resume. For more information, see the Atlassian website in the “How can I showcase my new Atlassian Certifications” section.
Your ACP certificate is valid for 18 months.
What to do if you don’t surrender
The main thing is not to despair.
After the exam, you will receive a letter with a code for a discount on retake. Retake will cost $ 150.50, taking into account the discount. You can re-register for the exam after 7 days, but we recommend taking a break and reviewing the topics of the exam.
Allowed 5 attempts to pass one exam. If you used 5 attempts and did not pass, contact Atlassian support and they will tell you what further actions.
Remember
- Allow enough time for preparation.
- Explore exam topics at Atlassian: Documentation and Atlassian Community .
- Complete all preparatory course topics .
- Carefully read all the information about the exam that you will take: from the product version to the retake information.
- Visit the center’s website where you will take the exam. Check out the information.
- Gather a study group. If your company has employees who are also preparing for the exam, you can exchange information and prepare together.
- After passing the exam, do not forget to confirm your status: receive badges or retake ACP.
- Enjoy the new career opportunities that ACP opens up.
- Do not forget that all information about exam questions is confidential. No need to publish the number of correct answers on social networks and share details about exam questions. Atlassian can punish you for this: annul the results of your exam or prosecute in court.
We hope that our article has clarified incomprehensible points on certification. If you still have questions, ask them in the comments to the article. We will be happy to answer them.
Best of luck on your exams!