Yes, the Facebook Blueprint Certification is worth it
I took two Facebook Blueprint Certification exams and became a Facebook Certified Media Buying Professional. Here’s what I think about the exam, whether it’s worth the investment, and how to prepare for it and pass it with flying colors.
Are you considering taking the Facebook Blueprint Certification exam and getting officially Facebook certified? Do you want to learn best practices for advertising on Facebook and Instagram? Do you want to be seen as more reputable to clients, your boss, or future employers?
Then you're in the right place!
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What is the Facebook Blueprint Certification (Meta Blueprint)?
Facebook Blueprint is Facebook’s official courses on digital advertising on platforms owned by Facebook (also known as Meta Blueprint). It has over 100 mini-courses that are completely free to take.
By taking Facebook Blueprint courses, you’ll obtain a strong fundamental understanding of how advertising works on Facebook’s platforms, from mastering Facebook Audience Insights to how big brands measure lift in ad recall on million-dollar budgets.
In addition to the courses, Facebook Blueprint offers exams so people can get officially certified in a certain specialty of Facebook advertising.
Currently, Meta Blueprint has nine different categories where you can become Facebook certified. And when you do, you get a badge you can display on LinkedIn, your resume, website, and other marketing materials.
The three most popular Facebook Blueprint Certification badges
Meta Blueprint Certification 7 Specialties
Meta offers 7 exam specialties to choose from. All you have to do is choose a specialty (or more), prepare with free courses and practice tests, and finally, register for an online exam.
Meta Blueprint currently offers the following certifications:
Facebook Certified Advertising API Developer (Important: This certification has not been offered since February 1, 2022. Registration for the exam and coding assessment closed on January 31, 2022.)
Each of the above links provides an overview of the certification, the topics covered, and other helpful resources.
Meta Blueprint Certifications
How much does it cost to get Facebook Blueprint certified?
Each Facebook Blueprint Certification exam costs between $99 to $150 USD depending on the level of the certification.
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How hard are Facebook Blueprint Certification exams?
When I took the Facebook Blueprint Certification exams to get Facebook certified, I didn’t pass the first time - not because of my core, but because my internet dropped during the exam. If they lose connection with you, it’s an immediate fail.
Meta Blueprint exam guidelines:
You’re allotted between 90 to 105 minutes to complete the exam.
They have around 75 multiple-choice questions.
Each question should be pretty quick to answer, except for a few questions that are scenario-based which ask for the best advertising approach for example company’s advertising objectives.
As long you thoroughly go through the mini-courses related to the exam you're taking and do well on the practice exam, you should be able to pass.
Here’s how the Meta Blueprint exam works:
You can take the exam online, but you need to be in a bare-bones office room. You can’t have anything on the walls.
You can't have anything on your desk except your computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. No paper. No pens. Nothing.
You have to install a program on your computer that ensures you have no other apps running while taking the exam. You have to make sure nothing extra is running - including any helper programs that run in the background.
You have to have your webcam on during the entirety of the test.
As soon as you begin, you get connected with a person who asks you to show your surroundings with your webcam - a 360-degree view of the walls, under your desk, and even all four corners of the ceiling.
You have to show them your phone is on the ground behind you.
While you’re taking the test, you have to keep your webcam on so they can make sure you’re not cheating or writing down any of the questions.
If you lose your internet connection as I did, it’s an automatic fail (but they will allow you to reschedule for free).
It’s a “little” extreme, but it also helps add to the legitimacy of the certification.
Is the Facebook Blueprint Certification worth it?
consider the cost, the time required for studying, and the stressful exam environment before deciding whether the exam process is worth going through to get certified.
With that in mind, there are some clear advantages to getting Blueprint certified:
Facebook Blueprint Certification is the only accredited certification for Facebook advertising
The fact is, the Blueprint Certification is the only accredited certification on Facebook advertising recognized by the industry.
And with how big Facebook is, not only do many employers who rely on Facebook ads know about the certification, but many clients know about it, too.
Being Blueprint-certified can give you an extra edge
Being Blueprint certified can give you an extra edge when applying to a relevant position over other candidates who aren’t certified.
It can also give agencies (and freelancers) the same edge when pitching clients compared to agencies that are not certified.
Will being Meta Blueprint certified automatically get you that job or client?
Of course not.
In my opinion, if you’re trying to land a position as a Facebook Ads manager/planner/buyer at a company, I definitely think it’s worth the investment.
If you’re applying to a more general digital marketing role, I don’t think it’s worth it unless specified in the job requirement.
If you’re already managing Facebook ads at your company and want to get certified to prove something to your boss, I would say it’s not worth it.
You can take the mini-courses and learn all the material for free and the best way to prove something to your boss is through your work - by scaling Facebook ads efficiently and earning your company a good ROI.
Meta Blueprint certification for freelancers
If you’re a freelancer, getting certified could also be worth it, especially if you don’t yet have a lot of case studies in your portfolio.
Meta Blueprint certification for agencies
If you’re an agency, it’s definitely worth having either yourself or at the very least your account managers get certified.
Not only will it ensure your whole team has a solid foundation to provide a good experience for your clients, but your clients will also feel better that their account manager is certified.
How to prepare and study for your Facebook Blueprint Certification exam
Alright so if you decided to go through with taking the exam, here’s how I studied to pass it.
1. Go through all the recommended courses
Facebook has a huge library of mini-courses, but they also have specific recommended courses for each exam.
Here are the recommended mini-courses for the three major certifications:
Go through all the courses in the links above for the certification you want. When taking one of the professional courses, the exam will have questions on digital marketing associate courses, so take those, too.
The questions on the exam are pretty similar to the practice questions on the quizzes that are sprinkled throughout the mini-courses.
If you get some wrong, I recommend retaking them until you score 100% on the quizzes. You’ll thank yourself later.
2. Take the blueprint practice test
The practice exam for each certification is 30 questions. I also recommend taking it as many times as you need to score 100% before taking the real exams. Again, you’ll thank yourself later.
Once you feel you have a solid grasp on the knowledge aspect of the test, you need to decide where you’re going to take the test and do a device pre-check to make sure you know what you need to do to verify compatibility.
Remember you’ll need a private space to take the test. The person proctoring your exam will ask you to show them your workspace through your webcam. If they see any violations that can’t be quickly corrected, they will ask you to reschedule.
Find a place with a stable internet connection and preferably a small office space. You’ll need a completely clear desk beside the necessary computer components. If the desk has dual monitors, you’ll need to unplug the second monitor’s power and show them it’s unplugged.
Running the device pre-check is a must. If you don’t pass the device test at the time of the exam, you won’t be able to take it. Luckily they provide a pre-check so you can check if your computer will pass the way it’s set up.
To access the pre-check, you’ll have the option to first run it when signing up for the exam. Just click the “Run pre-check” button during this step of the signup process. You should then be taken to this page:
Make sure you complete the systems check before taking the Facebook Blueprint Certification
After passing the systems check, you should be good to go. Good luck!
Where and how to display Facebook Blueprint Certification badges
Once you’ve passed one of the certifications, you’ll get access to the certification badges shortly after.
You’ll get access to it on Acclaim’s website, the tool Facebook uses to manage badges. From your Acclaim profile, you have a variety of options.
LinkedIn
Acclaim integrates with LinkedIn so you can add it to the certifications section of your LinkedIn profile in just a couple of clicks.
Pro-tip: Don’t be that person who adds that you’re certified after your name (it’s not a doctorate).
Here’s how it will look on your profile (yes, I know it’s expired)
You can add your Facebook Blueprint Certifications to LinkedIn
Direct URL
You will have access to a special Acclaim URL to give out to people (or link on your website) that shows 3rd party-verified proof that you have earned the certification and it is not expired.
Embed
Acclaim provides an iframe embed code that you add to your website instead of messing around with images and linking them. And since it’s using the official embed code and file, it adds credibility and to the badge.
Pitch decks
Whenever you’re making a proposal, you can always just add the image of the badge into your deck. It may not be an official embed, but it gets the point across and you can link the image with your special Acclaim URL.
Everywhere else
And you can of course share that you earned it anywhere else you can think of, like your social networks.
What to do after getting Facebook Blueprint certified
The Facebook Certified Professionals group is available once you've passed
If you’re not in any other Facebook group about Facebook ads, I recommend joining.
If you’re already in a couple of good groups, I don’t think you would be missing out on anything, to be frank.
Second, you can start learning more advanced strategies to scale Facebook ad campaigns. It’s one thing knowing how Facebook ads work; it’s another thing to make them work.
At Revealbot, it’s our mission to help Facebook advertisers to succeed and that mission doesn’t just drive our Facebook ad automation product, but it also drives our content.
The third and most important thing to do is leave us a comment. I’d love to hear how the Facebook Blueprint Certification has helped you (or didn’t) in your career or with attracting clients.
Key takeaways
The Facebook Blueprint is Facebook's line of official certifications for Facebook ads and ad products
There are many different types of Blueprint certifications for various roles in the industry
The certification exam is pretty difficult and will require studying before hand
The Facebook Blueprint certification cost ranges from $99 to $150 USD each
Getting Facebook certified can help give you an extra edge for landing jobs or impressing clients
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