Certification prep?

Amy Dana · March 2015

For those who have done the fundamentals certification, how did you prepare (aside from looking at the prep guide)? I was reviewing some user's guides and fell asleep during Imports--am I overthinking it? I've been using RE for 13 years.

Thanks!

Joshua Bekerman bCLO bCRE · March 2015

I would say you should be okay after 13 years but I've heard of others failing the exam with just as much experience (not to freak you out or anything). Review the modules you do not work with as the exam includes questions about optional modules (membership, volunteer, prospect, etc.). Also review the study guides to get a sense of topics covered. Then just take the exam. If nothing else you'll get a great feel for what's covered and can then retest for free.

Elizabeth Johnson · March 2015

I found the multiple choice questions challenging in that you need to answer all the correct answers not just one. Having the sample database available to look up questions for modules I didn't have was very useful. You should do fine with that much experience.

Good luck!

Milly Whittington · March 2015

I went through all the questions in the test, answered the ones I knew and marked the ones I was not SURE of as 'follow up'. That took about an hour. I spent another hour going through the follow ups with RE open. If I had it to do again, I'd use the remaining time to review those ones I 'knew'.

I think the 'ease' of the test really depends on how extensively you use RE. The staff I work with challenges me to figure out how RE can be used for their needs and my first source is BB Knowledgebase.

All that said, once you've gone over the review for the test and feel comfortable with that info,you should set a time and just do it. To get the gumption to actually take the test, I had to remind myself that I could retake it, if necessary.

You can do it!!

Amy Dana · March 2015

Thanks, Josh! For some reason I totally forgot that you do have one chance for a do-over (whew).

JoAnn Strommen · March 2015

LOL - I, too, have put it off. Figured I'd stuggle with questions on the optional modules we don't have. I should also just put it on my schedule, bite the bullet and attempt. Would just be for my own vanity to be certified as not really looking at any career moves.

Yes, I had heard you got a re-take with no fee.

Vanessa Taylor · March 2015

I agree with reviewing the optional modules and things you don't often use, but for the most part I think you just have to give it a try! It helps a lot to know where to find answers during the test--so make sure you're comfortable using KB and help and also make sure you have access to a sample database and get to know a few records in there so you can quickly test things.

I think with 13 years experience you should be just fine, even if you have to do the retake. Just keep in mind that the answers should reflect how things are supposed to be done, not necessarily how they are done at your org. ;-) I'm lucky (I guess!) in that my position has required me to work extensively in 7 different RE databases over the past 5 years, so I'm not set in one way of doing things and do a lot of best practice research--I think that gave me a big advantage in some respects.

Side note--is the Professional level exam no longer being offered?

Joshua Bekerman bCLO bCRE · March 2015

Hmmm, it's listed as coming soon. Maybe they are redoing it?

https://www.blackbaud.com/nonprofit-training/certification/raisers-edge/pricing-plans#

Josh

Amy Dana · March 2015

JoAnn Strommen:

LOL - I, too, have put it off. Figured I'd stuggle with questions on the optional modules we don't have. I should also just put it on my schedule, bite the bullet and attempt. Would just be for my own vanity to be certified as not really looking at any career moves.

Yes, I had heard you got a re-take with no fee.

I'll admit it, I mostly just want to be one of the cool kids at bbcon.

Amy Levitre · March 2015

Vanessa Taylor:

It helps a lot to know where to find answers during the test--so make sure you're comfortable using KB and help and also make sure you have access to a sample database and get to know a few records in there so you can quickly test things.

So you are able to use a sample database and KB while taking the exam?

Ryan Mills · March 2015

Josh Bekerman:

Hmmm, it's listed as coming soon. Maybe they are redoing it?

https://www.blackbaud.com/nonprofit-training/certification/raisers-edge/pricing-plans#

Josh

You are correct Josh. I was digging around a few weeks ago when someone from my local user group asked about certification prep and noticed the same thing. The question I was asked was about the optional modules, which I've been told aren't included in the Fundementals test. That's a new test that doesn't directly replace the Associate level test some of us took. I know the Ed Services team has been working hard rebuilding all the training courses. I was told that if those of us who took the Associate level test still wanted to take the Professional level that it's still an option. I'm sure they'll make an annoucement when they've got more of the courses and tests re-worked a bit. It should make it a lot easier to know what to study up on.

Vanessa Taylor · March 2015

Amy Levitre:

Vanessa Taylor:

It helps a lot to know where to find answers during the test--so make sure you're comfortable using KB and help and also make sure you have access to a sample database and get to know a few records in there so you can quickly test things.

So you are able to use a sample database and KB while taking the exam?

Yes - at least when I took the tests you were, and I assume that won't change--since the tests are timed, you can't look up every answer and still need to know quite a lot in order to pass. Plus, I personally think that being able to quickly find and apply answers from your helping resources is part of being an advanced user.

Vanessa Taylor · March 2015

Ryan Mills:

Josh Bekerman:

Hmmm, it's listed as coming soon. Maybe they are redoing it?

https://www.blackbaud.com/nonprofit-training/certification/raisers-edge/pricing-plans#

Josh

You are correct Josh. I was digging around a few weeks ago when someone from my local user group asked about certification prep and noticed the same thing. The question I was asked was about the optional modules, which I've been told aren't included in the Fundementals test. That's a new test that doesn't directly replace the Associate level test some of us took. I know the Ed Services team has been working hard rebuilding all the training courses. I was told that if those of us who took the Associate level test still wanted to take the Professional level that it's still an option. I'm sure they'll make an annoucement when they've got more of the courses and tests re-worked a bit. It should make it a lot easier to know what to study up on.

Thanks for the additional info. This was my assumption, but I must say I'm finding it rather frustrating that none of this is being proactively communicated by Blackbaud. Since this Professional-level certification I have cost several hundred dollars, it would be nice to be able to state confidently that it means something...instead I find that the tests I took don't even exist anymore.

Joshua Bekerman bCLO bCRE · March 2015

I was just thinking the same thing. Would have been nice to hear from Blackbaud directly instead of reading about it here. Let's play "What if..." What if I applied for a job and the HR manager never heard of the cerification program? They would go to the website to check it out and see that my Associate level certification doesn't even exist. Awkward. Would be nice if it even mentioned something like "Fundamentals (formerly Associate)". What happens with our Assoicate level certifications? Hope they don't convert to Fundamentals level since it covered more skills. Perhaps they should keep the Associate level (or atleast keep it listed and note that the exam is no longer available) and list it in the order of Fundamentals, Associate, Professional, Master.

If Associate converts to Fundamentals, can I change my "professional designation" to bCRE, Fu?

Amy Dana · March 2015

Josh Bekerman:

I was just thinking the same thing. Would have been nice to hear from Blackbaud directly instead of reading about it here. Let's play "What if..." What if I applied for a job and the HR manager never heard of the cerification program? They would go to the website to check it out and see that my Associate level certification doesn't even exist. Awkward. Would be nice if it even mentioned something like "Fundamentals (formerly Associate)". What happens with our Assoicate level certifications? Hope they don't convert to Fundamentals level since it covered more skills. Perhaps they should keep the Associate level (or atleast keep it listed and note that the exam is no longer available) and list it in the order of Fundamentals, Associate, Professional, Master.

If Associate converts to Fundamentals, can I change my "professional designation" to bCRE, Fu?

<end rant>

Well, if you have enough Champion points you can always take the Fundamentals test for free!

Joshua Bekerman bCLO bCRE · March 2015

Would that make me a "Fundamental Associate"?

Terry Vyas · March 2015

Hi... I'm responsible for Blackbaud University (having joined the company 6 months ago). Each of you have brought up valid points/questions and I wanted to provide you some background on what we are doing and preview where we are headed.

For the last few months, our team has been focused on building from the ground up brand new curriculum for RE. In the last 90 days we have launched 40+ new courses for RE which replaced all of our previous Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) and Regional RE Training. We have also launched a set of Best Practices and Outcome base curriculum as well.

We also introduced the requirement for a set of pre-requisites for our advanced courses. In addition, the Fundamental training series replaced Essentials. We wanted to have a easy way to allow experienced Blackbaud RE users to bypass the pre-requisites - so we created the Fundamentals exam. This exam is not equivalent to the Associate exam as the Associate exam covers additional materials. The request to have documented on the web the Associates exam is valid and something that we will fix.

We put a hold on the professional and masters exams as we realigned the entire curriculum and we needed time to redo some of the questions in the question bank. We will be relaunching these later in the year.

We are currently in the transition window between the old courses/exams and the new courses/exam...my apologies if that has caused confusion. We are heavily investing in RE courses and we will further invest in the Certification program. More to come... but know that we are hard at work. Our plan is to launch 2 brand new RE courses a month moving forward once we finish the rebuild process.

Happy to answer any additional questions/concerns that you might have.

Amy Dana · March 2015

Thanks for the update, Terry. I understand the need for a Fundamentals level--I've encountered a lot of people who think because they know how to run a query they know RE. But ask them to build a basic query and they're lost.

Just out of curiosity, will there be any sort of discount for folks who took the Associates exam and didn't pass? I do know of a few people who didn't have a lot of training in the optional moduleds and that's why they failed.

Ryan Mills · March 2015

Josh Bekerman:

I was just thinking the same thing. Would have been nice to hear from Blackbaud directly instead of reading about it here. Let's play "What if..." What if I applied for a job and the HR manager never heard of the cerification program? They would go to the website to check it out and see that my Associate level certification doesn't even exist. Awkward. Would be nice if it even mentioned something like "Fundamentals (formerly Associate)". What happens with our Assoicate level certifications? Hope they don't convert to Fundamentals level since it covered more skills. Perhaps they should keep the Associate level (or atleast keep it listed and note that the exam is no longer available) and list it in the order of Fundamentals, Associate, Professional, Master.

If Associate converts to Fundamentals, can I change my "professional designation" to bCRE, Fu?

<end rant>

I do like the idea you propose Josh about having it list the Associate level on the site still with that note about that particualr exam not being offered anymore.

I know I heard from more than a few folks commenting about the optional modules being included in the Associate level. Given the amount of feedback I heard I can only imagine how much feedback they got. I can see wanting to make the training and certification programs line up for everyone going forward. I assume that's the reason for the new level name, and for wanting to try and make Professional and Master levels line up a bit better as well.

I know for me, waiting and possibly being able to help them test the new version seemed like a good plan. The certification program is only a couple years old so I'm not shocked that there are a few growing pains as they work building it up. I understand the frustration, but I guess knowing the people on the other side and how hard they are working on it I'm inclined to give them break.

Terry Vyas · March 2015

Amy Dana:

Thanks for the update, Terry. I understand the need for a Fundamentals level--I've encountered a lot of people who think because they know how to run a query they know RE. But ask them to build a basic query and they're lost.

Just out of curiosity, will there be any sort of discount for folks who took the Associates exam and didn't pass? I do know of a few people who didn't have a lot of training in the optional moduleds and that's why they failed.

Hi Amy - Are you speaking of retaking the Associates exam or taking the Fundamentals exam that is offered now? I will say that I believe the exam should be included (for free) in the Learn subscription and that is where we are headed.

Amy Dana · March 2015

I was specifically wondering for those who didn't pass the Associates exam, say last year, will there be a way to take the Fundamentals test now without paying the full amount? I'm glad it's included in the Learn subscription but I know some folks who don't have the extra $$ for the subscription.

Joe Moellering · March 2015

Terry Vyas:

Hi... I'm responsible for Blackbaud University (having joined the company 6 months ago). Each of you have brought up valid points/questions and I wanted to provide you some background on what we are doing and preview where we are headed.

For the last few months, our team has been focused on building from the ground up brand new curriculum for RE. In the last 90 days we have launched 40+ new courses for RE which replaced all of our previous Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) and Regional RE Training. We have also launched a set of Best Practices and Outcome base curriculum as well.

We also introduced the requirement for a set of pre-requisites for our advanced courses. In addition, the Fundamental training series replaced Essentials. We wanted to have a easy way to allow experienced Blackbaud RE users to bypass the pre-requisites - so we created the Fundamentals exam. This exam is not equivalent to the Associate exam as the Associate exam covers additional materials. The request to have documented on the web the Associates exam is valid and something that we will fix.

We put a hold on the professional and masters exams as we realigned the entire curriculum and we needed time to redo some of the questions in the question bank. We will be relaunching these later in the year.

We are currently in the transition window between the old courses/exams and the new courses/exam...my apologies if that has caused confusion. We are heavily investing in RE courses and we will further invest in the Certification program. More to come... but know that we are hard at work. Our plan is to launch 2 brand new RE courses a month moving forward once we finish the rebuild process.

Happy to answer any additional questions/concerns that you might have.

To add to Terry's note above, I'd like to clarify a few of the questions that I've seen in this chain. First of all, I like the idea of noting that the Associate level exists and users who achieved that level are still Blackbaud Certified. We will work on figuring out the best way to represent this on our webpage BlackbaudCertification.com. I also apologize for the confusion and I want to make sure that everyone who has demonstrated their strong knowledge of Raiser's Edge is appropriately recognized for it.

I also want to clarify what is covered on the Fundamentals exam. Optional modules are not included on the Fundamentals exam. I know that there were a few questions on the Associate exam but since optional modules aren't covered in the Fundamentals Series, they are also not included on the exam. The best way to get an understanding of what is included on the Fundamentals exam would be to review our prep guide. You can download that from this page.

Users who do not pass the first attempt are able to take it again at no additional charge. Users are also able to have Raiser's Edge open and reference it when answering questions. They can also have other help resources open like User Guides, KnowledgeBase, etc. but I'd caution that anyone who relies to heavily on these help resources will most likely run out of time and not be able to answer all of the questions.

I'm also happy to answer any questions that anyone has about the program. We are working hard to make the Professional available again as well as publishing the Master exam.

Nicole S · April 2015

Josh Bekerman:

I would say you should be okay after 13 years but I've heard of others failing the exam with just as much experience (not to freak you out or anything).

Also, not to scare anyone, I've worked with fols who have had been working in RE since it was in DOS. They were terrible. Do not mistake quantity for quality. In this and all things.

That being said, if you care enough to want certification, you are probably doing pretty well. I took it a year ago, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard either. And if I recall, it's open book

Amy Dana · April 2015

Nicole San Miguel:

Josh Bekerman:

I would say you should be okay after 13 years but I've heard of others failing the exam with just as much experience (not to freak you out or anything).

Also, not to scare anyone, I've worked with fols who have had been working in RE since it was in DOS. They were terrible. Do not mistake quantity for quality. In this and all things.

That being said, if you care enough to want certification, you are probably doing pretty well. I took it a year ago, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard either. And if I recall, it's open book

Amen to that! Just because you can export query results to Excel doesn't mean you are an RE expert.

That being said, it went well. I wish we could see the questions we missed because apparently I fail at queries.

Terry Vyas · April 2015

Amy Dana:

I was specifically wondering for those who didn't pass the Associates exam, say last year, will there be a way to take the Fundamentals test now without paying the full amount? I'm glad it's included in the Learn subscription but I know some folks who don't have the extra $$ for the subscription.

Logistically (and systematically) this would be difficult for us to do... but if you are in this situation, please reach out to me directly and I'll do my best to assist.

Rob Crenshaw · April 2015

I took the test pretty recently (Associate level) and even with my more than 10 years of experience, it still had some pretty challenging questions. One thing I'd recommend is making sure you are solid on the terminology BB uses when they talk about RE, those testers will try to throw you some curve balls. One of the main points I'd make is to pay attention when a term is Capitalized in the test and in what context the question is being asked. Since there are multiple ways to do a lot of things in RE, most of us use one way and ignore the other methods (for example, opening a constituent record from inside a gift record, etc.).

Also, make sure you are thinking in the mode of "this is how RE is supposed to be used according to BB, not how we do it." Those are often quite different! It's also definitely important to review and familiarize yourself with modules you may not use or have purchased.

Jennifer Lange · April 2015

I took the first-lewel test in November and did realize I was 'overthinking it' as you say. I wish I had more knowledge about how the test works - you can mark questions for follow up later - that confused me a bit and I could have made better use of that feature had I known. The optional modules piece was easily handeld with general knowledge and a look or two at the user manual. I was not able to, however, use the Knowledge base to answer any of my outstanding questions. I searched with key words - and usually I'm pretty good at that type of thing - but nothing came up. It did help to have the database open, though, and a 'scrap' account to play with. I thought after all that stress and craziness of studying, JUST DO IT and I'm glad I thought that - it was easier than I thought. Maybe 90 mins? Not bad - and then if I hadn't passed, at least I'd have known what I was in for!

Danielle Repic · April 2015

Josh Bekerman:

I was just thinking the same thing. Would have been nice to hear from Blackbaud directly instead of reading about it here. Let's play "What if..." What if I applied for a job and the HR manager never heard of the cerification program? They would go to the website to check it out and see that my Associate level certification doesn't even exist. Awkward. Would be nice if it even mentioned something like "Fundamentals (formerly Associate)". What happens with our Assoicate level certifications? Hope they don't convert to Fundamentals level since it covered more skills. Perhaps they should keep the Associate level (or atleast keep it listed and note that the exam is no longer available) and list it in the order of Fundamentals, Associate, Professional, Master.

If Associate converts to Fundamentals, can I change my "professional designation" to bCRE, Fu?

<end rant>

I like the above designation. Sadly, I passed the Associates but failed the Professional twice. Something I'm not proud of, but those multiple choice where that one answer just doesn't quite click dooms the whole question. Have you seen anywhere where they are changing the format of the tests?

Vicki Rigby · April 2015

I took (and passed) the Associate test in November. Besides the study guide, I found my "Essentials - Part 1" book from my original training session at Blackbaud very helpful.

Jen Claudy · April 2015

Amy Dana:

Nicole San Miguel:

Josh Bekerman:

I would say you should be okay after 13 years but I've heard of others failing the exam with just as much experience (not to freak you out or anything).

Also, not to scare anyone, I've worked with fols who have had been working in RE since it was in DOS. They were terrible. Do not mistake quantity for quality. In this and all things.

That being said, if you care enough to want certification, you are probably doing pretty well. I took it a year ago, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard either. And if I recall, it's open book

Amen to that! Just because you can export query results to Excel doesn't mean you are an RE expert.

That being said, it went well. I wish we could see the questions we missed because apparently I fail at queries.

I asked about seeing the missed questions (I don't really need to see the correct answers, just which questions). But the most I could find out was what section they were in. Not terribly helpful. There were a couple of times when I thought the question could be read two different ways, making two answers more-or-less correct. And I think I got stuck at least once where I knew the answer based on how we use RE rather than how it is "supposed" to be used (I'm the DBA, and we're a small org, so I've repurposed a number of things to suit what we need...here and at previous jobs, so I don't always know the default/intended process). All in all, I was happy with a 94% and probably shouldn't worry about what the correct answers were to the 7 questions I missed (all in areas that I use on a regular basis).

Jen Claudy · April 2015

Terry Vyas:

Amy Dana:

I was specifically wondering for those who didn't pass the Associates exam, say last year, will there be a way to take the Fundamentals test now without paying the full amount? I'm glad it's included in the Learn subscription but I know some folks who don't have the extra $$ for the subscription.

Logistically (and systematically) this would be difficult for us to do... but if you are in this situation, please reach out to me directly and I'll do my best to assist.

Not sure what is going to happen, as I haven't had the conversation with my boss yet, but I had approval to take all 3 levels of testing this fiscal year and get reimbursed as professional development. However, the FY closes in just over 2 months, and now the next 2 levels aren't available. I, too, found it frustrating that there wasn't an announcement (or at least an email to those of us who had taken one or more of the tests already) from BB when it was decided to revamp them. (I'd also find it easier to follow/explain the levels by using I, II, III instead of Associates, Professional, Masters. Same with which level of Learn subscription you have, as it seems like the whole training piece is BB Learn, but then the levels are Learn, Learn More, Learn Everything.)

Certification prep?

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