The latest evolution in the Marketo Certified Expert (MCE)** exam weeds out those who aren’t really experts in the tool. As opposed to previous versions of the exam, studying goes beyond rote memorization. It looks for real comprehension of the tool. Don’t get us wrong—memorizing is a big part of it. However, we are going to address some pitfalls and tricky spots we think could help you pass the exam the first time.
**Marketo Certified Expert exam now called Adobe Certified Professional – Marketo Engage Business Practitioner Exam
Know Naming Conventions
The difference between “Send Alert” and “Send Email” is a great example of naming conventions. Alerts are sent to the lead owner (sales) while emails are sent to the lead. The exam will test your knowledge by providing scenarios where you are given certain directions from your “marketing manager.” The given task could include letting the sales team know that a lead has filled out a form. The exam is primarily made up of multiple choice questions (some with very small, tricky differences). So in the above scenario, you could narrow your choices down by ruling out any answers that have “Send Email” as the option to notify the sales team.
Understand How Marketo Works
Love or hate them, story problems are very useful in comprehension tests. Marketo makes heavy use of them, which means you will need to understand how things actually work. For instance, when importing a list, you might know it’s important to allocate those leads to a specific program or campaign. However, this exam is multiple choice. You’ll have to pay close attention to pick the right wording and location of how to attribute those leads, because you’ll be looking at a list of similar but incorrectly worded answers. This tutorial from Marketo shows you how to select the acquisition program during the import. In the answer choices, it is always important to note the wording.
Comprehend Marketing Processes and Best Practices
Marketo wants to make sure MCE’s (Adobe Certified Expert – Marketo Engage Business Practitioner) don’t just know the platform tool, but are true marketing professionals. That’s why the new MCE exam goes beyond exclusively Marketo-related subjects. Part of the prerequisites of the test are one year of experience with marketing automation, plus one to two years of general marketing experience. You can get by with less if you’re diligent in your training.
A great example of general marketing knowledge on the exam is anti-spam regulations. For the MCE exam, you will want to make sure you know the difference between U.S. spam law, as well as Canadian and European. It would also be good to know how to implement them. European legislation generally requires a double opt-in approach for subscriptions, so make sure you know how to implement double opt-in (and what that means). This write-up on implementing double opt-in is a great resource, as is this thread in Marketo Nation on this exact topic.
When You Don’t Know, Be Strategic
As with all multiple-choice tests, deciding between multiple answers that all ‘could’ be right is a difficult task—especially if the test offers options like “all of the above,” “none of the above,” and any combination of the above. To prepare for this, we recommend unlocking your insatiable curiosity on the Marketo platform. Look at things you don’t use in your instance. If it exists in Marketo, it’s fair game on the test, even if you don’t use it. Being at least casually familiar with every moving part, naming scheme, and back-end process Marketo has to offer will equip you with the knowledge (or deduction skills) to pass this exam.
When it comes to test time, if you aren’t confident in the answer, start by crossing off the ones you know are false. Let’s say you are asked to use a trigger for a smart campaign, and you need to select the correct option. If there is an option, “filled out form,” even if you don’t remember the exact wording of the trigger, you can feel safe not choosing that answer. That’s because we know triggers fire when the condition is met. Thus, triggers use present tense verbs, such as “Fills out form.” The past tense, “filled out form,” is what you’d use if you were looking for a filter, which looks at past actions.
Good Luck Passing the Exam
We hope our resources are helpful in your exam-taking endeavors. If so, drop us a line to let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
