Atlassian Certification Program (ACP) tests are a great way to enhance your Atlassian skillset and better leverage the tools at your organization. Atlassian offers a few different exams, depending on what aspects of the tools you're focused on and your current skill level. If you pass, you get a nifty badge you can place on your LinkedIn profile or email signature!
Here at Praecipio Consulting, all of our consultants have taken at least one of the available ACP tests, and we have some great tips and tidbits to share that will help you prep for the exams and understand what they entail.
A little bit about the exams
- Atlassian offers 6 different ACP exams
- Exams are typically between 70-80 questions
- Exams can be taken remotely due to COVID-19, but are proctored
- Depending on the exam, the passing score is between 60-70%
- You have 180 minutes (3 hours) to complete your exam
1. Take it back to your college days with study guides and flashcards
When studying for any exam, it's important to figure out how you best learn the material. Is it taking notes by hand so you don't have the distractions of a laptop? Or do you tend to lose loose leaf paper so you prefer to type out what you've learned? Either way, my best tip to prepare for your exams is to organize your notes into a comprehensive study guide.
Atlassian requires the completion of specific courseware before you can take the ACP exams, and they provide downloadable PDFs for each exam topic. All of this information is great for your study guide. You can use a good ol' fashioned notebook for this, or, if you have access to Confluence, create your study guide there and then use macros and tasks to organize your notes with reminders of trouble areas to focus on
Because the exams cover a lot of material, flashcards are another great way to memorize information. There are several online services that allow you to create flashcards for free, such as Quizlet. Repetition works wonders when studying for any exam, so be sure to review your study materials several times.
2. Practice in a test environment
If your way of learning is by doing, a great way to prep is by reviewing admin functionality in your Jira or Confluence instance, especially if you have a test or demo environment. Project schemes, permissions (project and global), and workflow functionality can provide helpful knowledge around exam items. Chances are, if you're taking an ACP test, you already have access to a Jira and/or Confluence environment, but if not, Atlassian offers a free Cloud instance if you're maintaining 10 users or less. Keep in mind that some exams only focus on Server functionality, but it's still great to get a visual for the items you'll be tested on.
3. Collaborate with others prepping for the exam
At Praecipio Consulting, we are all about teamwork. When other co-workers were also prepping for the test, we collaborated on our notes, shared our study guides, and had study groups. Sharing our thoughts and notes allowed us to each figure out our strengths and weaknesses around the exam material so we could help each other be successful.
If you're the only one at your organization taking the exam, or are just deciding to do it individually, no worries - there are folks all around the world looking to get certified! If you venture over to the Atlassian Community, there are often discussions that folks have started to create study groups with members of the community (check out this post around the ACP-100).
4. Stay in tune with your physical and mental state
Prepping for and taking any exam is physically and mentally exhausting. It's important when studying to allow yourself breaks to better absorb the material. While you study, it’s a good idea to create incentives and goals around the study material. For example, once you are through half of your flashcards, you can reward yourself with watching the next episode of your newest Netflix addiction or read a chapter of your favorite book. That way, you have something to look forward to while studying and have a structured pattern for brain breaks.
When it comes to taking the exam, try to find a quiet space in your home where you can remain undistracted. If you get stuck on a question, mark it and come back to it - you've got 3 hours to get through the questions, so take your time! Remember, your well-being is a key factor in being able to focus and perform your best, so it's important to keep it in check.
Good luck with your next exam, and let us know if your organization needs further support with how to best leverage your Atlassian applications.
