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Re: What do you think of the new MCE Exam? Any test tips for those taking it at Summit?

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Michelle_Miles3
Level 9 - Champion Alumni

For those of you who have taken the new MCE exam, I am curious what you thought of it!

Michelle Miles
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Robb_Barrett
Level 10

The new exam was geared towards creating a minimum level of competency for what would be considered a Marketo Certified Expert. The questions are fairly written (no "gotchas") by Marketo experts and Champions, scrutinized by Experts and Champions, and then weighted to make sure that the test would be achievable by someone who fellow experts would consider having mastered Marketo.

The test does not include questions around optional add-ons (i.e.: RCE, RTP, Calendar), nor does it include questions specific to other products such as SFDC or Dynamics.  It assumes that you know your way around an instance of "Vanilla" Marketo.

As mentioned in the announcement, the test assumes about 800-1000 hours of actual Marketo usage. Gone are the questions like "What does the button say" that rely on a photographic memory, the questions now show that you know broad level knowledge of Marketo along with intricate processes and how things work.

Every question asked is backed up by the official documentation. Just about every answer can be found in the Product Docs.

I'm happy to say that the review team really thought through these questions, really taking out the "gotcha's" and considering the level of stress that a test taking environment causes. The questions are clear, thorough, and the answers are easily identifiable to someone who should be considered an expert.

Robb Barrett

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62 REPLIES 62
Anonymous
Not applicable

So glad to hear about the buttons! There were a few questions on the old test that would be obvious if I was sitting in front of my instance, but I wouldn't know the name of the buttons or areas by memory.

James_Chung
Level 2

Does anyone know if the test is geared more towards gauging your Marketo-specific usability knowledge?  Or more towards industry best practices/strategy?

The last MCE i took was really in the weeds with how to use the Marketo tool and had very little to do with strategy or business related questions.  I know a lot of people volunteered to help provide input on this new MCE so I'm curious if they'd be willing to share the direction the MCE went with

Robb_Barrett
Level 10

It's a mixture of both.  A Marketo Certified Expert is someone who not only knows Marketo but knows the Marketing Automation landscape. While the majority of the questions are within the walls of Marketo usage, there are questions that will test your overall knowledge of the job.

Robb Barrett
SydneyMulligan
Level 10 - Champion Alumni

MCE is definitely a certification for Marketo users, not a general marketing-best-practice cert. That said, I think this test is fairly weighted between Marketo best practices and actual Marketo user knowledge. Someone who is not very familiar with using Marketo day to day will not be able to pass the test, which I think is what we all want. It makes the certification more valuable to those who have it.

Joey_Forcelli1
Level 5

Sydney - Have you taken any of the specialization exams? 

SydneyMulligan
Level 10 - Champion Alumni

I have not, but I am excited to learn more about those! I am not sure that those are available yet, but I could be wrong.

Michelle_Miles3
Level 9 - Champion Alumni

They are available! I think they're planning to add more later in the year too. Check it out: Marketo Specializations

Michelle Miles
Anonymous
Not applicable

Michelle - I looked at the Specialization exams on Kriterion, and they say they're "not proctored." Does that mean we can just take them remotely without all the webcam setup? Can they be taken at any time?

Ayana_Nickerson
Level 2

Hi Amy, you are correct. You can take these exams without using your webcam.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Ayan_Talukder
Level 5

Ha! Thats awesome, I remember having to make a tower of books just to get the camera angle right when I wrote it last year. It kept shifting and the Procter kept pausing my exam saying the angle wasn't right. 

Michelle_Miles3
Level 9 - Champion Alumni

I think the MCE is still proctored, it is just the specializations that aren't proctored.

Michelle Miles
Grégoire_Miche2
Level 10

I think we are many who have gone through this one:)

Grégoire_Miche2
Level 10

Hi Ayana,

This is a very big policy change !

Does that means looking into the doc is officially authorized ?

-Greg

Joey_Forcelli1
Level 5

I feel that these changes are all for the better.  I like the idea of increasing the difficulty of the exam, it makes certification more valuable to those who attain it.

Dory_Viscoglio
Level 10

Sydney Mulligan​ was one of the beta testers. Maybe she can give her input?

Michelle_Miles3
Level 9 - Champion Alumni

Dory Viscogliosi Actually the new MCE exam and specializations are out now along with the training sessions. We have even had team members take the new MCE Exam this week. Details are here: Marketo Certified Expert and you can register for the three hour prep courses here: Training Catalog.  There will no longer be a practice exam, and I have heard that the new exam is quite different and more difficult. Team members reported that Marketo has really raised the bar on the MCE certification.

Michelle Miles
Ayan_Talukder
Level 5

Ha, they made the passing 70% now. I remember when I wrote it was 80%. Makes me feel like it's probably more difficult!

Dory_Viscoglio
Level 10

Good to know. Looks like they released it without too much fanfare, which is less common for Marketo

Anonymous
Not applicable
Dory_Viscoglio
Level 10

The new test hasn't been released yet. I believe it is scheduled to be released prior to Summit. They're scheduling 3 hour "study sessions" prior to taking the exam if you want, but I don't believe it's a requisite to take the exam.

Dory_Viscoglio
Level 10

Ahh, just saw your other comment on the separate test thread. Looks like we'll have to wait until people start taking the newly released exam!