Joined: 26 Nov 2010
Posts: 368
Location: Australia
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 6:23 pm Post subject: Photoshop CS5 ACE Exam
I thought I'd post this for anybody who's interested in the Photoshop CS5 ACE exam. I took the exam yesterday - I didn’t achieve the benchmark figure of 74% on this occasion… OK, I failed it. Which is embarrassing, because I’m not somebody who likes to fail things. But anyway, I suspect that lots of people are curious about what the exam is like, so I thought I’d ‘fess up and give my account.
The exam is multiple choice. As far as the content goes, it stuck with the topics listed in the Exam bulletin on Adobe’s website, so no surprises there. What did surprise me was the level of detail which you needed to be able to access with the fingertips of your mind. When you have Photoshop in front of you, you can see every option in front of you and there’s no need to memorise everything. It might be OK to ignore that little check box which you’ve never needed, or leave that slider alone because you get a good result with the other four. But in the exam you are expected to know them.
Some of the questions did involve knowledge of shortcuts. It pays to learn all the ways there are of doing the same thing. For example, to open a file in ACR from Bridge, I’ve always right clicked the file and chose “Open in camera raw” from the menu. I should have known about ctrl-R (but didn’t).
Lots of other things I didn’t know. For example, how Bridge puts color profile information into web gallery files. Which of the color profiles listed contained the greatest range of colors. How to avoid a panel accidently docking into the others with mini bridge. I’d read about interpolation settings (“bicubic”, “nearest neighbour” etc), but I couldn’t remember in the exam which one was better for what.
Which leads me to speculate about what to do to pass the exam. I think that for somebody who works with Photoshop day in, day out, many of these things may be common knowledge. Though even then, not everybody knows all areas. For example, some questions would be easy for somebody who does a lot of web stuff, others would be easy for somebody who does a lot of print stuff.
For somebody like me, a hobbyist who is trying to get more serious, my first strategy was obviously not enough. This strategy was to read certain books cover to cover, diligently follow exercises and tutorials, watch videos. And doing practical things, of course. I also worked through the exam bulletin, making sure that I had a reasonable working knowledge of every single point. However, I wasn’t prepared for the level of detail and lower level product knowledge required.
I’m going to have another crack at the exam in a month or two. I’m going to study for it, but this time I’m going to build my knowledge from the application ”up”, if you get what I mean. And, sigh, I have succumbed to buying an exam preparation tool, which I’d previously thumbed my nose up at, feeling like I would be “cheating” (and to my surprise, it’s actually a pretty good tool)…
I wanted to pass the exam because I thought it would give me some confidence and “credibility”. Now, I still want to pass it, but only because I don’t like being beaten.
That's quite interesting Renata. I tried to get info on the exam around 10 years ago, but there was precius little about. I'd just finished an advanced course at a local college and I asked the tutor about it. His opinion, at that time, was that it wasn't worth the money (he didn't explain why) and I didn't take it any further.
I noticed that the college is now doing a 32 week course with the exam at the end, and was considering it as, like you, I thought that it'd give me some credibility / authority when looking for work.
I'd have thought that shortcuts wouldn't be a major part of the exam. I assume that there were far more technical questions.
Joined: 26 Nov 2010
Posts: 368
Location: Australia
Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 7:43 am Post subject:
I think that somebody who passes the exam would definitely have a thorough and intimate knowledge of the Photoshop product. But I don't think that the exam would be a useful measure of what somebody's work would be like.
As for questions about shortcuts, I can't remember in detail how much it mattered, but it definitely mattered. I do remember questions where you had to choose which was the correct set of keystrokes to get something to happen.
I guess many questions could be descibed as "technical", but only because some photoshop stuff is technical. For example, I think I remember a question about the two types of noise, but it would have been in the context of camera raw.
I'm not really sure what to think of it, really. Back in another life, I remember co-workers questioning the value of a computing degree in the I.T. world. I could see where they were coming from. But I did have a computing degree, and it was very hard to articulate to them how the depth of knowledge and discipline acquired from study was actually useful.
I'm not sure if the ACE exam is like that. Part of me questions the value of knowing a particular product inside out. Another part of me wonders if I'm being like those old co-workers, who didn't understand the subtle ways that disciplined study can be useful. But is it the same? To pass my uni course (all those years ago!), we had to do a final year practical project. The ACE exam is a set of multiple choice questions...
I dunno. It's late at night here and I'm a morning person who's gone brain dead and is starting to ramble. Sorry about the ramble...
Joined: 05 Mar 2003
Posts: 3987
Location: Cheltenham, UK
Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 8:14 am Post subject:
There is the issue of, 'do you keep your ACE qualification renewed?' not something I could ultimately justify. Perhaps it's useful when establishing oneself or if in a teaching/practical role, but when you have a regular client base or a body of work behind you, maybe not so much.
Still it never harms to have A.C.E after your name _________________ If life serves you lemons, make lemonade!
i was searching about Photoshop CS5 ACE Exam & i got this topic from Google!
Firstly i like to thank renata for sharing info with us.. its really useful
Secondly i want to ask renata have u given your another crack at exam like u written in last! if yes are u passed now?
Thirdly i'm going to give my Photoshop CS5 ACE Exam on Monday can u give me some tips?
Joined: 26 Nov 2010
Posts: 368
Location: Australia
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 3:58 pm Post subject:
Hi N3gATiVE, I haven't given it another shot, yet. I still intend to. I've been working (slowly!) through one of the exam tools and find that there are too many details I still don't know.
If your exam is very soon, I'd probably just call up Photoshop and work through every menu item, option and slider that I can. Make sure you know what it does and the meaning behind it. Keep the Photoshop help PDF handy.
Given a bit more time, I would combine that with more practical work, because there's only so much that a person can memorise without having a meaningful place to slot it into in the brain. But you might already be there.
It's good you asked, though, because I keep putting it off waiting to be "ready". But I should probably just schedule myself (yes, I did mean it to sound like a psychiatric condition!) so that I have a firm date to work towards. Sometimes a little bit of stress is a good thing if it becomes a motivator.
It's just the embarassment of not passing! But I suspect that there are a lot of people out there in the same boat. Which is one of the reasons why I've put my hand up and admitted it. (It's also an example to my high achieving, perfectionistic kid - I think you have to be able to deal with failure sometimes in order to achieve - but that's another story!)
So all I can say really is "good luck". Maybe - pass or fail - you can pass on your own impressions here and add to the information?
Well from my side i tried my best to cover everything i can!
i already eaten Adobe Preparation Guide also practise with 2 Photoshop CS5 Exam Aids, Books,Videos,Tuts everything eaten using PS from 3 years
BUT! after reading your review now i have FEAR! how more deeply exam can be 'coz i really don't want to get fail well i think nobody like to get failed Anyways lets see what'll happen i'll write my result after giving exam..
& 1 more thing i want to ask in which area u face most problems in exam web,photography etc the way u written your post i think in printing u get most problem?
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
using PS from 3 years
