aryAdobeCertifiedExperts.push(me);
I just got back from Pearson VUE where I took the Certified Flash Professional 8 Exam (9A0-311). To take the test I was placed at a private workstation in an empty room after having my cell phone confiscated. The same room coincidentally, that I took the Macromedia Certified Web Developer Exam in just a few years back.
I got a decent 91% of the 70 questions correct, though you only need to answer 70% of them correctly to pass. You’re given 85 mintues to take the test. I took my time and read each question carefully while marking all of the items I was unsure about for review. I tried not to stay on questions too long. After you answer the last question you’re given a chance to review all questions or just the ones you marked. I got to this point with about 30 minutes left then spent an additional 10 minutes reviewing my marked questions. I stuck with my gut on most but changed two of them I think. Since they don’t tell you which ones you got wrong, I don’t know if my changes were smart ones. I’ll probably go and look them up after this post while the test is still fresh in my head. BTW, I haven’t mentioned specifics about questions because you need to agree to an NDA before you take the test so I’m trying to be careful about that. Tho to be honest, I didn’t actually read the agreement so who knows what I agreed to. I should probably take the time to read my agreements or one of these days I’ll end up with a kid I never met calling me dad.
I didn’t do any formal training for this test but I have been using Flash since FutureSplash which helped quite a bit. About three days ago I started looking online at Adobe’s web site to get some info on the test objectives and I also bought Macromedia Flash 8 on Demand as a quick reference which shows everything visually as well as identifies all of the certification objectives with an MCPP logo. The book only covered the design related objectives and you will need to know about object oriented programming as well. A good book for that is the infamous Moock book Essential ActionScript 2.0. Obviously, this test doesn’t cover AS3 as Flash 8 doesn’t support it.
I’m glad I took the test because it forced me to look up a lot of stuff I was vague on. I went down the certification objective list and identified stuff I only mostly knew. Those were the items I focused on during my prep.
If you’re thinking about taking the test yourself I’d say go for it. The process of prepping for it will certainly be worth it.
Good Luck and let me know how you did!
October 4th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
Congrats! I am taking the exam next month. 2 years ago I did the exam for MX 2004. Times flies. Hopefully things turn out good for me too!
October 4th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
mmmh there is a Certified Flash Professional 8 Exam? I thought they are still at Flash MX 2004
http://www.adobe.com/support/training/certified_professional_program/
I got mine recently, although the certification does say Adobe, and it’s really pretty
Well done!
October 4th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
Thanks guys. Yes, there is a Flash 8 Exam though it isn’t listed yet on the Adobe web site. If you have the MX certification then you have access to log into their Adobe Solutions Network extranet where you can find more up-to-date exam listings as well as your progress. You could also go to the Pearson VUE and search the Adobe exam listings there as they have the latest info. The exam I took was 9A0-311. Good luck to both of you!!
October 7th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
I have been using flash since flash 5 but I have not been working on it to the extent that many of you here have, yet I want to pass this exam am taking it oct 9 but i feel i am not prepared and if I fail at leasT i wil know what to prep for in the next try. I think the exam covers many aspect which are often not use in most projects. This in turn makes it good because I don’t know any designer or programer who is certified with flash 8 in my country as of yet so I hope to be one of the very first ones.
October 7th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Hi Zetback, good luck with your exam. The exam is follows the exam objective list very well so my advice would be to look through the list and put a checkmark next to each of the items you are unconfident about. Then using one of the books I mentioned earlier, blogs, livedocs, flash forums, etc. focus on learning more about those areas. The worst case scenario is you sit back when its all over with a new level of confidence because you forced yourself to learn areas of the program you might not have known well.
October 10th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
I’ve been using Flash since version 4, while working full-time for a company that develops a variety of Flash-based applications. I’ve thought about getting certified, but wondered about the value of certification. I don’t think I’ll get a pay raise as a result, my employer is already very aware of my skills. So, would it improve my skills to prepare for it. I’m doubtful. However, I question the other possibilities, and wonder what others experiences are. Do you land more contract jobs with certification than without? Do you increase the odds of getting a job period? Do you get higher pay because you are certified? What are other benefits you’ve recognized as a result of certification?
October 10th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Hi aardvark, a lot of good questions. I’ve just gotten my certification a few days ago so I haven’t been at it long enough to see any kind of affect. My situation is slightly different because I consult and have not previously negotiated a salary with anyone.
I haven’t yet nor do I plan to raise my rates simply based on my recent certification. I raise my rates a couple of points every couple of years to try and keep with inflation. I found keeping them sort of on the low side for my skill level keeps me in demand and to me thats important. Certification was something I did for myself. I wanted to see if I could pass. I also wanted some self inflicted training in weak areas to make sure I really knew my stuff. At $150 a try plus a 30-day wait between tests kind of incourages you to pass the first time. Especially if you tell anyone your about to take it.
I do plan on using the new cert in promotion, business cards, email sigs, etc. as I do think it will help with increasing my personal brand and adding a bit of weight to future pitches. I imagine the impact will be slow and very subtle so it will take a while to see if it has had an affect at all. I think its safe to assume it at least won’t do any harm.
My main goal is to become an Adobe Certified Flash Instructor and taking the Flash Cert was a requirement. I’m now studying for the CTT+ exam which is the second requirement. I plan to offer onsite corporate training as well as some classroom training. For training, I definately think Adobe Instructor Certification will help tremendously as well as create additional opportunities.
October 10th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for the informative reply. From your reply and my own ideas, I’ve settled on 2 simple questions to ask to determine if I should pursue any sort of certification: 1) Am I selling myself? 2) Will certification pay for itself?
November 6th, 2006 at 4:17 am
Hi James!
In 2 weeks I am planning to take this exam and I would have a question about the flash 8 specific things.
How many percent was the flash 8 specific features, method usages, etc. on the exam?
Thank you for your answer
regards,
Vejko™