My Top 5 recommendations to Passing the Facebook Blueprint Test
I’ve recently passed the Facebook Certified Buying Professional exam and I wanted to share some insights that I believe will help you pass as well! I’ll be going over the top 5 keys to passing the test and becoming certified!
1) Take the Right Test(s)
There are two ways to become certified (until October 1, 2019). The first way, what I did, is to take and pass the core competencies test and then take and pass the Facebook buying professional test. Each test costs $150 per attempt (pass or fail) and you must pass BOTH in order to become certified. Recently Facebook came out with one BIG test that combines the core competencies and buying professional tests which only costs $150 in total per attempt.
What I recommend doing, if you’re okay with paying $150 each time you take a test, is to take the two tests separately, but this option is only available until October 1, 2019! From what I’ve read in forums and blogs is that the larger test is more difficult as well as about 45 minutes longer than the other two. That said, if you pass the test on your first try you’ll save $150.
2) Study, Study, Study
I studied between 5-10 hours a week for about a month for each exam, core competencies and the Facebook certified buying professional. This may have been overkill, but hey I passed! I found it most valuable to read and take all the mini courses that Facebook provides for the exams. The recently updated the layout of this and gives you a clean and clear learning path to follow. I also found some third party study guides that I found useful as well, Markeko free study guide and this quizlet.
All of this studying helped for the very specific questions about ad types, placements, how the auction works, etc., primarily for the core competencies test. This did not however help too much for the scenario questions which is my next point.
3) Have Digital Marketing AND Facebook Ads Experience
This one is important. If you just studied the materials and never actually used Facebook ads or had experience in digital marketing you will NOT pass. There are a lot of questions about analysis and set up that I had to draw from my experience as a digital marketer. That combined with Facebook’s ‘best’ practices is key! Some answers I felt were ‘right’ but maybe went against Facebook’s best practices and in those instances I went with Facebook. It’s a Facebook test at the end of the day, isn’t it?
I believe if you have at least 6 months of experience in managing and optimizing Facebook and other digital marketing channels you should be well equipped to pass. When I say ‘managing and optimizing’ I mean really owning the accounts and not simply being tactical. If you have 6 months of taking direction from someone else and just popping into the accounts and clicking around and launching ads with no analysis you will struggle with the test.
This test isn’t meant to be an entry level test, take your time studying and get some experience managing accounts.
4) Research the Test(s)
In addition to studying for the tests I did a lot of research of what to expect. Every test is different and it can be nerve racking when you aren’t sure what the questions will be like or even look like! Being as familiar as possible before you take the first test (Core Competencies) is best. I used Reddit to browse through a few forums regarding the tests. I also joined a Facebook group of people actively studying or have already taken the tests. After taking the first test you’ll have a good understanding of the process; checking in, how to sign in, what the questions look like, etc.
The thing NOT to do when researching the test is to buy into how ‘hard’ everyone says it is. Yes it is difficult, but reading all of the ‘nightmare’ stories of how difficult it was made me more nervous than I should’ve been. I guarantee if you hit all 5 of these areas to focus on, you will do just fine on the tests.
5) Be in a Secure and Quiet Location
You can either take the test at a testing center or in a quiet area where nobody else will be. I took mine at our office on Saturday since I knew nobody would be in, which I’d recommend because no one wants to go to a testing center.
The tests are proctored through Pearson, a third party company that Facebook Blueprint uses. The set up is a bit intense, you must be on a secured browser, they check every inch of you room, hands, wrists, scan your ID, and make sure everything is unplugged in the office. During the test they literally watch you through your computer’s camera the whole time. I know this because on the 2nd to last question of my test I did the ‘look to the right while you think’ and the proctor paused my test and asked if someone was there. I had to rescan the room to prove nobody was in the office in order to resume.
Simply, make sure you have all the proper documents and are in a place where NOBODY else will be otherwise they will fail you.
Was it worth it?
I certainly believe so. To me, this was simply validation of my knowledge of Facebook Ads. I knew that I knew my stuff when it came to Facebook Ads, but did my clients trust that, did my bosses know that, could I sell it well enough? Well now they certainly do and I have the proof. I know several marketing professionals that specialize in Facebook Ads and don’t have this accreditation, and I think this simply gives you a leg up on them when it comes to talking with new potential clients. It was shows that you’re willing to put in the work and time to get this done, much like the willingness to put the time and grind in each and every account we work with here at Four15 Digital.
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