The New Adobe Marketo Engage Certifications

Adobe is making another large stride integrating the Marketo Engage solution into the Adobe-verse with new certifications and upgraded exams created with the help of Marketo champions and power users. New exams are currently being rolled out with a small overlap before legacy certifications are retired. If you’re due to re-certify soon, check out Adobe’s renewal guidelines.

What’s new about the 2022 Adobe Certified Marketo Engage Exams?

First, Marketo Engage certifications have moved to Adobe Credential Management. Certifications will continue to be valid for 2 years from the date of your last passing exam, but now they’ll also show with any other Adobe certifications you may have, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Commerce, or Adobe Experience Manager.

Most notably, the content of the exams has shifted. The 2022 exams focus more on functional knowledge than past exams. Where previous tests might ask you to name specific reports available in Marketo, the new format presents more situational questions with screenshots or a program description and asks what will happen in the given scenario. This new approach, likely influenced by the heavy involvement of Marketo Champions and power-users, feels more authentic to the Marketo Engage experience and less like you have to memorize product docs pages.

The downside to the new style is that the wealth of MCE-prep scattered across the web is no longer relevant. According to Digital Pi consultants who recently renewed their certifications, the practice test is slightly more difficult than the actual exam, which is ideal for a study guide. A handful of practice test questions were included in the actual test, too.

Exam results are not immediately available, but in our experience, results were provided in less than 24 hours. If you fail you may take the exam again 24-hours after. For a third attempt, you’ll have to wait 3 weeks. Previously, you would have to wait 2 weeks and then 6 more weeks for a second or third attempt at Marketo Engage certification. 

Finally, the new Adobe Certified Marketo Engage exams are proctored by a different company than Marketo previously used. You will still have the option to take the exam at a certified testing site or complete it online. If you plan to complete it online, give yourself extra time to set up, including potentially adding additional software from the proctoring company, When you’re ready to take the test, have a government-issued ID handy, and be sure to clear the areas around you. If you’re anything like me with a wealth of knickknacks, notes, and trinkets on your desk, consider working from your dining room table to renting a shared office space for peace of mind. Check out Marketo Champion and Digital PiPerformer Amy Goldfine‘s community post for more tips on taking the Marketo Engage exams.

Who should take an Adobe Marketo Engage certification exam?

If you’re reading this, chances are you are already planning to obtain (or renew) an Adobe certification. But which one is right for you? And do you need the highest level of certification for your career?

If you bleed purple, you know there was once a time MCE (Marketo Certified Expert) was an essential badge of honor—at least within the community, if not outside of Marketo users. But today, things are a bit different and you can choose from three levels of certification—if you decide to pursue any.

At the end of the day, the answer comes down to your professional goals. If you’re one of many Marketo users at your organization and don’t spend much time in the heart of the system, a certification isn’t necessary. But if you aspire to be a Marketo Engage admin, want to become a marketing automation consultant, or plan to grow a career in Marketing Ops, the Business Practioner or Architect exams should be on your radar. Having any of the three certifications on your resume can provide an additional edge when you’re on the job hunt; it never hurts to have third-party verification of your knowledge.

From a hiring perspective, it may be tempting to require candidates to hold an Adobe Certified Professional – Adobe Marketo Engage certification at a minimum. However, many marketers are quite capable of working in Marketo without certification, especially since individual access to Marketo Engage is no longer available, making it more challenging to get certified independently.

Alternatively, if you’d like a guaranteed level of knowledge of Marketo Engage best practices, consider hiring a consultant for your project needs or ongoing marketing ops support. Digital Pi consultants typically hold a Business Practitioner exam at minimum, in addition to a myriad of other specialty certifications in other software including Pardot, Hubspot, Eloqua, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and more.

Types of Adobe Certified Marketo Engage Exams

Adobe will retire Marketo Certified Expert (MCE) | Adobe Certified Expert (AD0-E552), Marketo Certified Associate | Adobe Certified Professional (AD0-3551), and Marketo Certified Solution Architect certification format and prerequisites by the end of February 2022. Until February 16, 2022, you can pass either the Marketo associate exam (AD0-E551) or the new Certified Professional exam (AD0-E555) to renew. You only need to pass one.

If you’re not immediately ready to take an exam, here are the types of exams available for 2022.

Adobe Professional Certification Badge

AD0-E555 Adobe Certified Professional – Adobe Marketo Engage

At a glance:

  • Number of questions: 55
  • Formats: Multiple choice and multiple select
  • Duration: 110 minutes
  • Delivery: Onsite/Online proctored (requires camera access)
  • Passing mark: 36/55
  • Cost: $125 (USD)

This new certification is designed to align with Marketo Core Concepts IMarketo Core Concepts II, and Marketo Reporting and Insights courses, which are available to Adobe Solution Partner Program members for free. Unlike the traditional Marketo Certified Expert exam, for which 800-1500 hours of real-world Marketo usage were recommended, this exam is designed for marketers with only 3-6 months of Marketo Engage training and hands-on experience. This certification shows a solid understanding of foundational Marketo Engage features.

Candidates should be familiar with:

  • Building a simple program from beginning to end
  • Creating a Smart List and Smart Campaign
  • Segmentations
  • Data review (cleanup)
  • Database (how to create people, Activity Log, unsubscribe, Blocklist, email invalid concepts)
  • The importance of privacy regulations
  • Using assets
  • Design Studio (uploading/replacing images and files)
  • Email marketing

Intended audience:

  • Campaign Operations Specialist / Coordinator
  • Database Marketing Manager / Specialist / Coordinator
  • Demand Generation Roles
  • Digital Marketing Specialist
  • Email Marketing Associates / Coordinators
  • Event Organizers / Coordinators
  • Roles in Marketing Automation, Generation, Campaign, Communication, Marketing Operations, MOps Coodinator, Martech Specialist, etc.

Learn more and access the AD0-E555 Adobe Certified Professional study guide and practice test here.

Adobe Expert Certification Badge

AD0-E554 Adobe Certified Expert – Adobe Marketo Engage Business Practitioner

At a glance:

  • Number of questions: 50
  • Formats: Multiple choice and multiple select
  • Duration: 125 minutes
  • Delivery: Onsite/Online proctored (requires camera access) or test center proctored
  • Passing mark: 32/50
  • Price: $225 USD

This exam most closely aligns with the original Marketo Certified Expert certification. It’s designed for marketers and marketing consultants who have at least 18 months of Marketo Engage hands-on or field experience. General knowledge of marketing automation is insufficient for passing this certification; the test scenarios are based on actual Marketo Engage use in all areas, including Marketing Activities, Design Studio, and the Admin panel.

Section 1Administration and Maintenance12%
Section 2Marketing Activities/Campaign Management46%
Section 3Lead Management12%
Section 4Data Management10%
Section 5Reporting4%
Section 6Best Practices16%

Intended audience:

  • Marketing operations manager/specialist/expert/analyst
  • Digital marketing manager/specialist/expert/analyst
  • Campaign manager/specialist/expert/analyst
  • Marketo Engage consultants
  • Digital/marketing automation manager/specialist/expert/analyst
  • Marketing systems manager
  • Demand generation manager
  • Email marketing manager
  • Revenue operations manager
  • Growth operations manager
  • Martech architect
  • Marketing technology manager
  • Integrated campaign managers
  • Business system analyst

Learn more and access the AD0-E554 Adobe Certified Expert study guide and practice test here.

AD0-E556 Adobe Certified Master – Adobe Marketo Engage Architect

Adobe Master Certification Badge

This is the highest level certification available and is best for marketers who have designed and strategized digital automation for at least 5 years. Previously, the MCSA designation involved a presentation-driven process, but the latest certification appears to be a standardized test. Test topics include:

  • Project leadership
  • Marketo architecture design
  • Reporting and attribution
  • Advanced operations

The legacy Marketo Certified Solution Architect certification format and its prerequisites will retire on February 14, 2022, and be replaced by Adobe Certified Master – Adobe Marketo Engage Architect.

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At Digital Pi, we use technology to connect revenue to marketing efforts. We fuse marketing strategies, processes, data and applications to make marketing technology solutions work for clients' businesses.

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