Studying to become a Magento Certified Developer

Question

I have been considering studying to become a Magento Certified Developer. When I look at the study guide I see a lot of questions that I can answer, however, the problem is I don't really know what they are expecting me to answer.

For example this question:

Describe typical Magento module structure

Would they expect me to answer with the full module structure (how far do I go?), would they expect me to also answer with how the config.xml should look like? Do I include helpers and/or resource collections?

Does anyone know where I could find a more specific guide or can anyone give me any advice?

EDIT

Apparently, the questions are all multiple-choice, so this would make things a lot easier. However, I'm still interested in the resources you can find/know about.

Answer 1

All questions are multiple choice. Moreover it's also indicated in a question itself how many answers it has, for example, "What is this class responsible for in Magento" - it means that the right answer will be only one, "Which two of the following you must do to achieve something" - and you should choose two answers.

I would recommend to start with the Fundamentals of Magento Development Video Course. It covers more than half topics from the Study guide. So before each chapter you can watch these videos and then start digging.

Students will leave the course understanding the Magento architecture, MVC and data models, how to work with Magento modules, and how to customize and extend Magento to ensure the best upgrade path for the websites they extend

There is also a Study Group Moderator’s Kit you can get for a nominal fee. There is a set of exercises on different topics with code sample answers. This could help you not only to prepare for the certification, but also enrich your knowledge in general.

Since the Study Group Moderator's Kit isn't available anywhere, Vinai Kopp made an excellent, free resource: Grokking Magento: Book 1 - Magento Basics & Request Flow. This is an in-depth ebook on the study group material.

At BelVG we have a certification dedicated category in our blog. At the moment it covers only the first chapters, but we're working on it.

Magestore also has a lot of articles.

But the real way to prepare for exam is: all questions in certification guide have the following info:

These code references can be used as an entry point to find answers to the questions above

Essentially it's a list of files/classes that need to be examined. There is no magic pill - you need to open all of them and check all main methods and analyze how they work. We spent 2-3 hours after work within 3 months to prepare for exam...

As additional info you can check, as mentioned here, Alan Storm articles, Knowledge Base, Magento Extension Developer’s Guide and Design Guide

Disclaimer: I passed exam in May of 2012, and it was based on Magento CE 1.5, from January of 2013 it's based on Magento CE 1.7 and I think that they should update Certification Guide.

Now, In 2016 it's based on Magento CE 1.9

Answer 2

I took the exam at the end of 2012. Unfortunately, I missed the passing mark by two questions. =(

My best advice is to study the areas you feel you would do poorly in. For me, this was EAV and Database (I mostly work front-end, so this is an obvious weakness for me). I did fair enough in most sections, but completely bombed these two sections. Knowing this now, I would have spend more time studying these weak points. Had I spent just a few more hours here, I am sure I would have passed easily.

While the reference materials others have suggested are good, the best reference material I had access to were the Magento U books provided by @Benmarks. While they are not going to flat out tell you the answers (sometimes they do) they give you the information you need to figure it out. They also highlight a number of quirks that many people might overlook (such as app/etc/local.xml being loaded both first and last, which is definitely on the exam).

Study groups also help. If you have others around you that can meet in person several times for a few hours, you will really help each other out. I know I would have done better on the exam had I been able to study with others who do more backend development.

Answer 3

http://www.magestudyguide.com/

This link is also very helpfull for study guide, it covers all question which are in study guide pdf, and explain question in brief.

Answer 4

I have updated about the Certified Developer exam in my blog with resources and useful links.

You can check it out here: http://ka.lpe.sh/category/magento-certification/

Theory will not help you much, what I believe is you need at least 2 years of Magento full-time experience.

Apparently the questions are all multiple choice, so this would make things a lot easier.

Multiple questions does not mean it will ease things, it actually makes it HARD! Magento exam will present you similar-looking options and people fail here. Even you know the correct answer, the MCQ will make it hard for you!

Answer 5

Go to this page http://www.magentocommerce.com/certification/ Click on Lab and subscribe (it is free)

You will got:

1. a Document with all exam the topic
2. 40hr of video material (Foundamental of Magento)

As study reference you can and should use also:

• http://alanstorm.com/category/magento
• http://www.magentocommerce.com/knowledge-base/categories/category/development/

Answer 6

We have prepared most of the Study Guide Answers to help Magento Developers taking their Certification exam.

http://magentools.com/blog/magento-certification-preparation-study-guide-answers/

Answer 7

Here is offline tutorial you can download it and read when u wish to appear for examination with question and answer

https://github.com/marcinsdance/magentostudyguide.com/blob/master/form.php

Also you can

http://blog.belvg.com/category/magento-news/developer-certification

For me, way better then the others (I mean the one from the official Magento site)!

Answer 8

I was lucky enough to get all 4 certifications for Magento 1. In then end, the exam isn't too hard and simply by Googling you will find enough resources to help you out.

One resource that stands out (which didn't seem to be around or as prominent when I was studying) is: http://magento-quiz.magestore.com/

Reading through the guides and doing lots of test quizzes is one part to get yourself prepared, but generally making sure you have a solid understanding of the Magento architecture should never be overlooked.

Answer 9

Im learning magento modules structures and more with MageMastery and Max Pronko. He has very good tutorials for free and paid.

Also magemastery has some practice exam for devs who wants to become a Magento Certified Developer.

Just look at this.. https://magemastery.net/quizzes/ i believe it's brilliant information.

Answer 10

I have recently cleared my Magento certification Expert Exam.

The Exam has multiple choice questions, where you can choose single and multiple options as answers. instruction provided in a question itself to select single/multiple options, so read carefully.

My personal exam opinion for the preparation is as below.

The exam requires practical knowledge as well as in-depth concept understanding.

Cover all the Magento topics using Magento official documents.

Pick up one topic, read each & every point related to that topic and note down important points for a quick review before the exam day.

The main focus is to understand the concept, which helps you to choose the correct answer.

Below are my personal notes which I have prepared during the exam where I have provided my research work, a few important points, all the concepts with reference links & online free sample questions & answers for detailed understanding.

Exam Preparation Personal notes