AUGUST 2007

Recertification exam is latest tool for evaluating Acrobat 8 expertise

Updated ACE test includes online option for qualified experts

by Kurt Foss, Editor, AcrobatUsers.com

Adobe Systems is looking for some Acrobat 8 experts—and they’ve expanded the options for you to earn that official designation with the latest release of the product certification exam.

As the Partner Certification Manager at Adobe Systems for the past seven years, Jim Mendes has played a key role in the development and evolution of the examination process used in the company's product certification programs. Or as he puts it in using the vernacular of his trade: "I build test vehicles." Among them is the 61-question exam on Acrobat 8 that one must pass to become an Adobe-certified expert (ACE) for the latest version.

With each new major upgrade of Acrobat introducing new and enhanced features, the ACE exams undergo a similar revision process. That may involve minor tweaking or can result in significant changes, the latter including the decision with Acrobat 7 era to develop two separate exam tracks—an Acrobat Print Production exam and an Adobe LiveCycle Designer exam.

Acrobat 7 ACEs can take shorter exam online

To maintain expert certification, ACEs must retake and pass the appropriate test within 90 days of the release of an updated exam. Mendes said that over successive iterations of the various product exams, the company had begun to notice some dropoff in the retention of previously certified users. While exploring the potential reasons, he says, Adobe heard from a meaningful number of repeat test takers that they were getting weary of the process —being continually re-tested on many of the same long-time features, paying full price ($150) and having to travel to a designated testing site each time to take the upgraded test in a monitored setting.

That feedback led to probably the most significant change in the Acrobat 8 ACE process—first, the return to one main exam covering all aspects of the multi-faceted application, and more importantly, the addition for qualified users of a "recertification" exam —a shorter version covering primarily new product features. Other benefits: The cost of the new ACE-friendly test is only $50, more time is allowed to complete the test AND it can be taken online —with no rule against using reference materials.

"What we do with these recertification exams is allow two hours to complete them, which is much longer than you get for taking a proctored exam," Mendes says. "We fully expect people to have the product running or a book open when taking the new online exam. We figure that drives people to learn the new features."

The 30-question recertification exam for Acrobat 8 became available in English in June, and is being localized into French, German, Japanese and Italian. Mendes says the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

"The feedback we got from our training centers is that they just love the new option and really appreciate it," he says. "It's helped with retention in the program, and I'm confident that we have people who are still technically competent. It's a win-win all the way around."

Those who have never taken an Acrobat exam or didn't pass one of the two Acrobat 7.0 tests must still take the full-blown Acrobat 8 ACE exam in a proctored environment—either a Thomson Prometric or Pearson VUE test-delivery site. But anyone who is already certified in Acrobat 7 can take the streamlined, online version.

There are actually two versions that are assigned randomly when you check in at one of the testing sites. If you don't pass on the first attempt and choose to try again —no required waiting period or limit to number of times —on the second visit you'll get the other version with mostly different questions. (There's also a slightly reduced fee for retaking the exam.)

The full-blown Acrobat 8 exam

With Acrobat being both "broad and deep," Mendes says, the exam is designed to test your knowledge across the spectrum of features and capabilities. Adobe publishes a guide detailing the scope of the main Acrobat 8 test. Mendes says it's not mandatory that you get a certain score in each section of the exam, but only that you achieve the required total score.

"If you were to score lower in the print production section, for example, and if you scored high enough in the other sections, you can still pass the exam," Mendes says.

To pass the full Acrobat 8 exam, you must score 77 percent —meaning 47 of the 61 questions must be answered correctly within the 75-minute time limit (using no on-site reference materials).

According to the Acrobat 8 test guide, the main topic areas are:

• General knowledge and features
• Viewing and navigating PDF documents
• Creating PDF documents
• Combining PDF documents
• Modifying and enhancing PDF documents
• Reviewing and commenting
• Managing document security
• Configuring Adobe PDF Settings
• Creating forms and collecting data
• Preparing PDF documents for print production

Acrobat 8 practice exam questions

Mendes provided the following practice questions, similar to the type developed for the actual ACE exam (correct answers further below):

1. Which task can be performed by using Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional 6?

1. Require the user of a PDF document to connect to a server so they can open or continue to use PDF documents to which a security policy has been applied
2. Manage file versions across Adobe Creative Suite applications including Adobe Acrobat
3. Conduct real-time meetings where attendees can log into a Web-hosted meeting space from their own computers
4. Control and synchronize color management for Acrobat and the rest of the Creative Suite

2. You want to locate words in your PDF document such that if you are searching for the word hiking you would also find the words hikes and hiked. Which command should you choose?

1. Edit > Search, and choose the Proximity option
2. Edit > Search, and choose the Stemming option
3. Edit > Find, and choose the Whole words only option
4. Edit > Search, and choose the Whole words only option

3. Which statement about bookmarks in a PDF document is true?

1. Bookmarks can activate an action.
2. Bookmark text can NOT be edited once created.
3. Deleting a bookmark deletes the associated text in the PDF.
4. You can add a new bookmark regardless of security settings.

4. You are moving a page by dragging its thumbnail in the Page palette. You held the Option key down before you clicked on the page to drag it. What will happen when you let go?

1. The page will jump to the end of the document
2. The page will return to its original position and become locked
3. The page will jump to become an even-numbered page if it was even to start or become an odd numbered page if it had been odd-numbered
4. Acrobat will duplicate the page and place the duplicate where you let go

5. You want to get feedback on a PDF document from several people. Everyone has access to a folder on an internal network. You would like everybody to see all comments as they are added to the document. What should you do?

1. Export the PDF document to Word
2. Attach the PDF document for Email Review
3. Send the PDF document for Shared Review
4. Send the PDF document as an attachment to an email message

6. Which security feature can be activated by using password security?

1. Create locking signature fields
2. Specify which users have access to a PDF file
3. Limit the time duration users have access to a PDF file
4. Restrict any edits to a PDF document except for filling in form fields and signing existing signature fields

7. Which type of signature attests to the contents of the document and allows the signer to specify the types of changes allowed for the document?

1. approval signature
2. certifying signature
3. encrypted signature
4. third-party signature

8. Which security option requires the Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server?

1. Binding a document to a particular digital ID
2. Creating a security envelope for delivering the file
3. Auditing usage and attempts to access the document
4. Encrypting document meta-data, file attachments and contents

9. You are preparing a document for PDF/X compliance by creating a custom Adobe PDF setting. Which setting is required?

1. Embed All Fonts
2. Allow Postscript XObjects
3. Object-Level Compression: Tags Only
4. Color Management Policies: Convert All Colors to sRGB

10. You have a PDF document that is supposed to be two-color. The file produces four plates, a black plate and three spot color plates. What should you do?

1. Convert the spot colors to process by using the Convert Colors tool
2. Use the TouchUp Object tool to convert the objects to a single spot color
3. Convert the project to RGB and use color management policies to adjust the objects that are on the wrong plate
4. Alias the inks with the Ink Manager to reduce the total number from four to two

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ANSWERS:

C - Conduct real-time meetings where attendees can log into a Web-hosted meeting space from their own computers

B - Edit > Search, and choose the Stemming option

A - Bookmarks can activate an action

D - Acrobat will duplicate the page and place the duplicate where you let go

C - Send the PDF document for Shared Review

D - Restrict any edits to a PDF document except for filling in form fields and signing existing signature fields

B - certifying signature

C - Auditing usage and attempts to access the document

A - Embed All Fonts

D - Alias the inks with the Ink Manager to reduce the total number from four to two

ACE exam geared toward trainer partners

Since the primary audience for the ACE examination is Adobe training partners —it's a program requirement to be an Adobe-authorized trainer —the test covers Windows-only features and add-ons such as Designer, which are not included in the Macintosh version. "Our feeling is that if you're a trainer, you need to know both sides of the product —both platforms —pretty well," he says.

You can take the Acrobat 8 ACE exam separately or as part of several enhanced, multi-program certification tracks. Acrobat is a required part of the print-specialist designation and is available as one of the elective proficiency exams for the Web-specialist track. It's also required for the ACE Master Certification that recognizes skills with entire product suites.

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