Are the Facebook Blueprint exams, value for money?

I have been fortunate enough to have been invited to the exclusive Facebook community labs – Europe page, which is designed to help Facebook know what we as community leaders want and use within Facebook, it is also a platform for us to learn more about Facebook’s newest support methods and relay our concerns back to.

Following on from that is Facebook Blueprint which a massive learning resource centre that is accessible to everyone.

What does it cover?

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Whatsapp
• Messenger
• Workplace
• Oculus
• Audience Network

Each has its own subcategory full of information covering a plethora of things from ads to community management.

Once you have decided what part of Blueprint is for you, you can complete online training modules and even take a certified exam that lasts for 2 years.

When you complete a module from Blueprint you get a nice digital congratulations from Facebook with a end screen that you can save for yourself.

Once you complete all the modules and think you have it all sussed you can sit a practice exam to see how knowledgeable you are, the exam is 30 questions long and covers everything you learned from the modules you have just completed.

If you pass the practice exam with flying colours you may wish to complete the full exam and attempt to become a Facebook Blueprint-certified professional.

The facebook blueprint exam I sat was comprised of 60 questions and I had 2 hours to complete the examination, different exams give you a different amount of time relative to the amount of questions.

This exam is sat under exam conditions via onVUE, this is recorded and you can be asked to show them your surroundings to show that you are alone, do not have your mobile or any notes to hand.

“Blueprint is the only certification that Facebook recognizes, so it’s useful for agencies that want to set themselves apart from the thousands of other people running Facebook ads.
You really have to know the course material before taking the test, as each retake has to be paid for, so there’s a strong incentive to pass the first time.
As the exam is closed book and taken under proctored conditions, there’s virtually no chance of being able to cheat, which sets it apart from just about every online course on the market.

Paul Fairbrother, Facebook Ads Specialist at Hootsuite

This unofficial group on Facebook is full of people that are studying and have passed the exam so should be able to help you of you are stuck during your preparation.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/293578297831292/

All in all the exam really depends on you and your situation, I think you need to ask yourself some important questions

1. Do I need it?
2. Will it help my career?
3. Can I pass first time?

If you already have a job working within marketing and Facebook, you probably don’t need the exam, the modules should be enough to give you the extra edge and knowledge but if you are freelance and work is a little hard to get then it could be a good investment, are you seeking a promotion at work? If so it again could be worth it, it show initiative but you may also have a boss that would have invested in you.

As an overall and purely a personal opinion I don’t think it is worth doing the exam, you can have all the knowledge for free and all you really get is a digital badge that lasts for 2 years (you can literally download a PNG. file of the badge off of Google and I am yet to see a way to track who genuinely has a badge, if I find a way I will update the blog).