CS4 ACE Exam Test Guides Posted
A few weeks ago, David posted that the Adobe InDesign CS4 Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) exam is now live at the PearsonVue website. A couple days ago, the Recertification Guide exam was also posted. Today, the Prep Guides for each of these exams were posted to help you prepare.
One change with the CS4 exams this year is that the Adobe Certified team announced in an email that, effective February 21, 2009, “the administration of all Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) exams will be handled exclusively by Pearson VUE. Shifting to one vendor will improve service to ACEs and Adobe Training partners by providing reporting improvements, increased certification scalability and coverage —VUE operates over 5,000 testing centers in 162 countries.” Previously, you could also take exams through Thompson Prometric.
They also announced that “Exams scheduled after February 20, 2009, with a Prometric testing center will need to be canceled and rescheduled with Pearson VUE.”
I’m scared. Before, when the questions were all nutty and weird, it didn’t matter to me if I failed the exam. Now it really does matter to me on a personal level!
Unfortunately, while the Adobe site says that the CS4 Recertification exams are live, the new provider (TesTrac, in cooperation with PearsonVue) hasn’t posted them yet. I’m told that it may take another couple of days.
But that’s great that they have the Guides available now. Terrific. Oh dang… I see one of my favorite questions we did listed in the sample questions. I guess that means they cut it from the actual exam.
@David – Which sample question was your favorite?
I am a fan of the table footnote question.
David,
Thanks for checking whether the exams were ACTUALLY posted. I didn’t have time to get that far in the process!
Steve
Hy! Are the recertification – exams only available in English?
I thought that the recertification for cs3 could be taken online from home. But for CS4 I find no information. Must I drive to the next Pearson Testing Center??
rübi
These preps guides are a nice way to see what’s on the test, but I still have one issue with the sample questions. The answers should not be right under the question!
When trying to read the sample question I accidently see the answer. I always have someone scratch out the answers before I read the questions. I would list the answers at the end of the document, so you can take the sample test, then see how you did after. Maybe you can suggest this to Adobe?
The prep guides are nice and all. But I wish they’d put the answers at the end of the document, rather than underneath the question. And I’d also wish they would keep questions and possible choice answers on the same page, rather than splitting them over two pages, it’s quite distracting to read the question and then have to go to the next page to read the other two possible answers.
Good news on the certification. And I hope to take my first ID ACE exam this year.
I think there’s an error in the practice exam of the rectification prep guide.
The answer to question 6.1 about the preflight profile is claimed to be D, but I think the correct one should be C.
I didn’t remember any checkbox for Bleed/Trim Hazard there, as referred to in answer D, but to be sure, I checked to see I’m not wrong. No, it’s not there.
Please confirm it…
And in case I’m not wrong, who should be hanged and where?
Yes, all these guides are designed by Adobe’s summer interns. They’re pathetic! Just look at those column measures — waaaaaaaaay too big for any comfortable reading, around 90 characters! That alone mean they flunk Typography 101. The same goes for the PDF manuals of all the CS apps — they’re unreadable. It boggles my mind that Adobe, who have great typographers like Slimback working for them full-time, can allow any employees to release so typographically rotten documents into the wild.
All right, having just taken my ID CS3 exam two months ago, I now have to go back into the cold, cold waters!
Regarding the preflight question on the practice exam:
Question 8.1 on the practice exam, the correct answer is D. You have to look in two different places for the Bleed & Slug and for Bleed/Trim Hazard.
@James:
Got it.
It’s the spread over 2 different setting categories, which are not mentioned in the question, that got me confused.
Adi, we had to go over and over the language in the questions, editing them to the bone, to make them as concise as possible but still understandable and without leaving out critical information.
So, sometimes the answers have stuff which wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the question. (This is true for all the ACE exams, not just the ID one.)
RE the answers being right underneath the questions, I agree, I hate that! LOL … I use Acro and scroll up line by line so the answer’s cut off at the bottom. Ridiculous.
I also noticed that they switched from InDesign to Framemaker for making these Prep Guides. I thought that was an interesting change.
I have to say I got a good chuckle in the CS3 prep guides when I tried to print some pages and it wouldn’t let me print a specific page range. It was because they forgot to remove the Sec1: prefix that InDesign insisted on adding by default (which vexed many people and annoyed me – I am glad CS4 no longer adds it). I always thought it was funny that the expert exam prep guide was made by someone who wasn’t so “expert!”
Rubi, it looks to me like the Recertification exam is still done online. Click the “Register to take this exam” link and you’ll see it’s bringing you into an online testing portal from Testrac. The same links for the full Certification exams take you to the PearsonVue site.
Re the language for the exams, my guess is that they’re starting out with the English version and will roll out other languages later on. Just my guess though.
@ruebi: I believe the certification and recertification tests will be available in other languages, but only in English right now. Yes, you will be able to take the Recertification exam on-line (not drive somewhere).
This morning I see that the Recertification exam is live at TesTrac, but the site appears to be having some technical problems. (At least, on my Mac.) If anyone takes the test, let us know!
I don’t think it’s giving away too big of a surprise if I note here that our very own Mike Rankin is actually writing an Exam Prep Guide for the ACE that will be out in the next month or so. It’s going to be great, and will also include a number of exam questions… (Note to team: Remember to hide the answers!)
@ David: I´m not shure. But I thought that the CS3 Recertification was only available in English. That´s nasty for those people who has not a english version of the programm.
It´s a good news that the exam can be taken from home.
The exams used to be goofy and almost indecipherable – but they were also EASY. I mean once you figured out what planet the writer was from and understood what he/she was trying to say, it was clear sailing because the questions were really pretty basic.
The new exam is a lot harder. It covers a lot more ground too. The Recertification Prep Guide questions alone are a bugger. Felt like I was answering the quizzler sometimes … on second thought, the quizzler is easier.
Took the recertification test yesterday and … passed, fortunately. My feedback to TesTrac:
»Localized questions would be appreciated, since order/exact terms in lists/menus [of InDesign, of course] is/are essential for answering. Process of registration seems buggy and not too reputable at all (e.g. requirement to provide birth date and to confirm nonexisting/invisible terms and conditions), inconvenient user interaction (choice required to proceed despite mark for review), explanation text in German/English mixture.
All in all, this almost looks like it had not existed just two weeks ago and never been tested thoroughly. Prometric did a lot better, at least in terms of Adobe-like Adobe tests. This is really annoying, considered people used to using high-end software are paying for having their proficiency recertified by means of … hmm … not-so-high-end web pages.«
I assume this was pretty rude, but (not only) Adobe customers definitely do have demands in usability and aesthetics, that these testing pages are not able to fulfill at all.
Does re-certification have a time-limit? I don’t see it mention on study guide.
It depends on whether you’re an Adobe instructor or not. This is from the Adobe Partner Connection News on 2/27/09:
“The new online testing system from Pearson VUE will make Creative Suite 4 recertification exams available beginning February 20. Initial recertification exams include Illustrator CS4, InDesign CS4, and Acrobat 9. In order to be eligible for a CS4 recertification exam, you MUST be certified for the previous version of the product. If you’re an Adobe Certified instructor who holds Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) certifications for the CS3 versions of these products, you’ll need to pass the recertification exams by May 30, 2009 to remain compliant in your instructor certification. If you are not certified for the previous version, you must take the full ACE exam. “
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I meant if there is a 90-min time limit for re-certification or shorter?
where can i see the Prep Guide for Illustrator CS4?
Here’s the page that lists all the ACE exams. Just click on the link in the “Prep Guide” column.
http://partners.adobe.com/public/ace/main.html
I took the test yesterday and it was wonderful to have a test that makes sense after the CS3 test. I passed.
Does anyone know if you are suppose to receive an email after you take the test? I have received nothing. Just the page that congratulates you after you take the test.
I also wanted to thank AnnaMarie for the videos on lynda.com, New Features. Really helped me out!
Lauren-
In a week or two you’ll receive a packet in the mail with a swanky certificate proclaiming your ACEness.
You don’t get an email (at least I didn’t). A couple days after you pass you should be able to go on the ACE site and log in to download your logo, etc.
I hope they improved the design of the certificate itself.
Back in the CS and CS2, the certs were pretty cool with a big gold leaf on them. In CS3 they changed them to this ugly thing with a big blue gradient on them.
Adobe, please hire a designer to make the certificate.
I’ve passed the test but my certification progress is not updated in ACE comunity, do you know how long it takes?