Becoming an AdWords certified professional can open many doors for you in the digital marketing industry as many businesses continue to avail of Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) platform. It’s one of the greatest attainments a PPC specialist could have—one that is worthy of being added on the resume or curriculum vitae. It adds value to your credibility as an expert and gives you an edge amongst your competitors. Moreover, it’s considered as a great asset not only to your future employers, but also to marketers and business owners who are looking for pros to do their ads. So let’s get down to business, shall we? Here’s a list of professional tips before and during the AdWords certification exam:
Preparing for The Exams
1. Make an outline of the exams’ coverage.
Begin by familiarising yourself with the basic and advanced ad concepts that are simultaneously going to appear in the certification exams. Keep in mind that you have two sets of exams coming your way. One is the AdWords Fundamentals which basically covers the benefits and best practices for the campaign management and Optimization of Google AdWords. The second exam, you have to choose for yourself:
- Mobile Advertising
mobile campaigns – ad formats, Optimization, measurement, bidding, and targeting.
- Search Advertising
search campaigns – creation, Optimization, management, and measurement
- Shopping Advertising
shopping campaigns – creation and management
Google Merchant Centre – creating an account and product data feed
- Video Advertising
video campaigns via YouTube or Web – creation, Optimization, measurement, and management
- Display Advertising
display campaigns – creation, measurement, Optimization, and management
2. Study for both exams.
The PPC specialists of an SEM agency in Singapore recalled that their screen was temporarily blacked out while taking the exam. It only means that Google is preventing the examinees from searching the answers online. What’s more, those who fail are given seven days before they can retake another set. So as much as possible, spend quality time studying the reading materials that Google has provided in their Google Partners Help page.
3. Gain first-hand experience.
There’s a big difference between simply reading and experiencing Google AdWords hands-on. The former can give you all the answers you need to know but nothing beats sheer experience. The latter gives you an edge over everyone else as it tests your abilities to apply the things you’ve learned through reading. Not only that, it takes a lot of perseverance to succeed in it which means you also get to improve your attitude whilst refining your skill.
On-the-job Google AdWords certification training can boost your exam scores, not to mention your employer ratings, and further your career as a PPC specialist. The exams are in multiple choice and have questions that are mostly analytical. In this regard, experience with AdWords comes in handy since it becomes easier to remember certain details just as if it’s second nature to you.
4. Try using iPassExam for practice.
iPassExam is an online testing tool that serves as a reviewer for Google Partners, Analytics, and Adobe ACE. It’s regularly updated to make sure the questions are related to or almost identical to the real ones. It has helped marketers working for SEM vendors to pass the AdWords certification exam the first time they did it. True enough, practice makes perfect.
While Doing the Exams
5. Take your time.
There’s no need to rush things because you have two hours to complete each exam. Keep a steady pace while answering the exam so that you can finish right on time or even ahead of schedule. This prevents you from leaving some of the questions unmarked and making unnecessary mistakes while cramming towards the end. Once you’ve ticked an answer, there can be no corrections afterwards.
6. Analyse tricky answers.
Be prepared for a little mind game while taking the exam. The set of answers for each question can be vaguely similar to one another. However, there can only be one correct answer so make sure to choose the best one there is.
7. If you fail, there’s a reason to be positive.
The AdWords certification exam used to cost $50 dollars each. But now, you can get it for free! So in case you do fail, you can always retake the exam after seven days. You won’t be able to know where you went wrong but an online testing tool can reveal what area your mistakes are coming from.
8. Focus and relax.
Perhaps the time and the amount of questions can be overwhelming to some but marketers create their own approach to make it easier for themselves. All you have to do is relax and just focus on answering the questions. Some answer the easy questions first followed by the difficult ones or vice-versa. Do what makes it easier for you.
Before you start conquering the PPC world, taking the AdWords certification exam is one of the many challenges you must face. It’s a crucial step towards developing a career in the SEM realm and it’s one of the tickets you have to obtain before reaching the top spot.
