When it comes to electronics and Arduino related, I am always hungry for more appliable knowledge. Not long ago, Arduino announced its certification program course based on a final test. I did some research on its content, and came out with the following question:
Is Arduino certification worth it? Arduino certification is not worth it if you’re expecting to get a job because of it. But if you just want to have an addition to your resume, then Arduino certification might confirm your role as a future educator.
But Arduino’s certification program is packed of exciting subjects, and it’s worth to take a look at their offer, what benefits you’ll get from the program, as well as what you must know about it before signing up in this article.
I wrote a guide on how much knowledge is needed to to build something with Arduino (even beginners can build something great!), if you’re interested to know more, check it out here: chipwired.com/arduino-how-much-programming-knowledge/
Arduino certification program: Is it worth or just a marketing strategy?
Nowadays, there are many websites like Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare, and others offering several paid and unpaid courses on Arduino. Some even provide certifications.
But, do Arduino makers support such courses? Do Arduino hobbyists, educators, and others need such certifications for their purposes?
Nobody is sure about it, but now that Arduino initiated its paid, official certified program, the main question is…
Is it worth buying? To know this, let’s take a look at what Arduino is offering in the certificate.
To start with, Arduino offers its certifications in three different tiers according to expertise:
- No.1 Arduino Fundamentals for Enthusiasts
- No.2 Arduino for Educators
- No.3 Arduino for Professionals
You can get the Arduino Fundamental certification by paying 30$ and passing the exam.
Here’s what you need to know about the Arduino Fundamentals Certification.
- You’ll have to answer 36 questions within 75 minutes.
- If you failed to score more than 70 marks out of 100, you’d have to pay 30$ more for the second attempt.
- You can also enter the exam by purchasing the Starter Kit. It will cost you 109$.
- The content focuses on learnings from the Arduino’ Starter Kit.
- The exam is available in English, Spanish, German, Chinese, and Italian.
- The certificate is valid for one year.
On completion of the test, you get an email with a link with which you’ll be able to download the certificate in PDF format. Also, you get a unique QR code upon passing the exam; you can use it to verify your certification validity.
FAQs when purchasing the Arduino Certification Program
Does the activation code expire or not?
No, it does not expire. You’ll receive the redemption code via email when you purchase the Arduino Fundamentals Bundle (Arduino Starter Kit+exam).
But, once you redeem the code, you have one year to pass the exam. Otherwise, it’ll be invalid after that period.
You’ll receive emails with a reminder before the expiry of code and test attempt. In case you buy it from a digital store, you’ll have one year to take the exam.
Do they refund or not?
Before you buy, keep in mind that all the fundamentals exam packages are non-refundable and non-transferable.
While taking the test, do not use the browser back and forth buttons as this might take you out of the exam. So, use the only navigational arrow button provided by the exam system.
You can go back and forth freely between the questions and edit all answers. But once the examination is submitted, your marks will be immediately assessed.
What Does the Arduino Fundamentals Certification Test?
The Arduino Fundamentals Certification test will evaluate your knowledge concerning the following categories:
- Electricity
- Electronic components
- Reading circuits and schematics
- +frequency and duty cycle
- Programming logic
- Programming syntax
- Arduino ide
- Arduino boards
Now we start assessing whether it is worthy or not, and why. Any certificates worth depends on the acceptance by their respective industries.
For example, you get certified in some program or specialized knowledge, let’s say, from China; there’s no guarantee US companies will accept it. It also depends on the competency level and exam analysis.
Is the Arduino certification recognized worldwide?
Arduino certification is new, and it’s pretty soon to say enough on this matter, but we can assess its worth by counting some of its benefits.
The Arduino Fundamentals’ exam outlines
All the questions of this exam will revolve around eight main categories.
1. Electricity
You must have sound knowledge about all the necessary electrical components such as power, voltage, resistance, capacitance, and you should be able to calculate these values.
2. Circuits and Schematics
You must be able to understand and analyze the graphical representation of electronics’ circuits and schematics.
3. Arduino IDE
You must be familiar with the functionality of Arduino, its development environment, serial communication, errors, and libraries.
4. Arduino Board
You must have a grip on the constitution and capabilities of Arduino and the functions of its different parts.
5. Frequency and Duty Cycle
It is about the concepts of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and frequency. The exam question will ask you to calculate a duty cycle.
6. Electronic Components
Without knowing how various electronic components work, you may not pass the exam. So, you must understand LEDs, sensors, buttons, and how motors work and how to use them in a circuit.
7. Programming Syntax and Semantics
As you know, Arduino works on Programming. That’s why they included building blocks of Arduino programming such as functions, arguments, loops, and variables.
8. Programming Logic
This topic is included in the exam to analyze your ability to program and troubleshoot various components with Arduino code.
What benefits can you get from the Arduino Certification?
Arduino community
Although there are plenty of certifications available, Arduino officials will stand out because of its broad community. Its users are all around the globe, especially in the education and learning sector.
Hobbyists, students, and dedicated engineers dedicate their time to develop exciting projects with Arduino. So, no doubt that going through the certification program will win you some points, and networking with this community.
Academic Credibility
The purpose of taking any exam is to analyze the skill level of a person. HR people, when recruiting, can have an idea of yours by looking at your grade level as still, many companies reward and focus on academics.
But, the problem with online exams is that you can cheat using Google, or any helping material, right?
Well, the Arduino exam is going to be different. It allows you to open the helping book that comes with the Starter kit. Guess from here it’s not a memory test.
You’ll have to logical thinking to solve any problem.
In other words, gaining good marks or passing the exam means you know something valuable.
The Arduino Certification is a Structured and Learning Oriented Program
The Arduino Certification Program is learning-oriented. Suppose you failed on the first attempt, after purchasing the exam code for the second time, it will give you a guide to improving your weak areas.
I found this to be such a great feature of the program. Bravo Arduino!
Moreover, the topics you have to cover for taking this exam are essential as in a lot of industrial jobs, basic knowledge of electronics, electrical systems, and programming plays an important role.
Final thoughts
If you still doubt if the Arduino Certification Program is worth it or not. Well, in my personal opinion, it depends on how you’d benefit from it, and if you use Arduino as a hobby, most probably, you don’t need certification.
But in case you want just to add and show more of your skills on your resume, CV, or linked in profile, then what will be better than having certification from the genuine Arduino company? Sure, it will make a good impression.
If you have any more questions about this program and other matters, like payment, take a look at the Arduino Fundamentals Certification FAQs from its official website.
Do you want to know more about this topic? Then you must check out these sites:
- Arduino Fundamentals Certified Program (arduino.cc).
- Arduino Certified Program. Benefits and Requirements (arduino.cc).
- Arduino Learning Solution Kits (arduino.cc)