This is the study guide for the Acquia Certified Drupal 10 and 11 Site Builder Examination.
This guide explains the exam blueprint, breaks down knowledge domains, and helps you get familiar with the nature of questions asked in the exam. It also provides helpful steps to prepare for the exam and links to further resources for study and preparation.
About the exam
- Exam name: Acquia Certified Drupal Site Builder
- Exam duration: 75 minutes
- Exam length: 50 questions
- Pass/Fail mark: 68%
- Available languages: English, Japanese, French
The purpose of this exam is to validate the skills and knowledge of a Drupal Site Builder in the areas of using Drupal features, content and user management, content modeling, site display, community and contributed projects, module and theme management, security, and performance.
This exam can be taken in a testing center or in your office, provided certain environmental details can be guaranteed (such as a webcam on the testing computer). Do not be discouraged if you do not pass the exam the first time. Many do not.
This exam validates a candidate’s ability to:
- Plan, build, and manage Drupal-based solutions
- Understand the core Drupal practices for site building
- Develop and maintain applications using Drupal site building tools
- Install and configure new Drupal modules and themes
The basic knowledge and skills required at this level include all of the following areas and objective components:
Drupal
- Demonstrate professional experience using Drupal
- Setup and configure Drupal sites
- Model content architectures
- Manage Drupal content and users
- Install and configure contributed Drupal modules and themes
Web and IT Knowledge
- Experience in developing Drupal websites and web applications
- HTML
- Basic CSS, JavaScript/jQuery knowledge
- Basic PHP knowledge
Steps to certification¶
Take introductory Drupal courses
Acquia offers free Drupal preparatory courses on Acquia Academy.
Customers, Partners, and the public can self-register on the appropriate branch of Acquia Academy to access these and other Drupal resources.
We offer private, instructor-led Drupal training for groups of up to 10 people. Visit Professional Services Product Guide to review our available private training.
Through our network of training partners, we offer public, instructor-led training, sold by the seat. Visit the Acquia Developer Portal for public training listings.
After taking an introductory course, build a small website on your own to reinforce the concepts learned in the course.
Gain practical experience
Completing the courses may not fully prepare you to take the certification exam. You need some practical experience to attempt the exam. We recommend that you gain practical experience by working on at least 2-3 real-life projects.
Once you decide to take the exam, we recommend that you study the domains and topics covered by the exam and their relative weight. You should also perform a self-assessment of your own areas of strength and weakness vis-a-vis the domains/topics covered by the exam blueprint. This is a recommended starting point for experienced Drupal Site Builders.
Take practice exam
A Site Builder practice exam is available in our introductory Drupal course on Acquia Academy.
Use labs and study guide
Based on your self-assessment, you may need to gain knowledge and experience in some domains or topics. The best way to learn Drupal is by working or experimenting with it. Follow the suggestions given for preparation in the Preparation section and refer to the external resources given in the Study Guide section.
Register for and take the exam
At this stage, you should be ready to take the exam. Follow the instructions for registering for an exam.
Exam domains¶
| Domain | % of Questions |
|---|
| 1.0 Understanding Drupal and working with a Drupal Site | 12% |
| 2.0 Content Modeling | 28% |
| 3.0 Site Display | 20% |
| 4.0 Site Configuration | 20% |
| 5.0 Contributed Module and Theme Management | 12% |
| 6.0 Security and Performance | 8% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Self-assessment
Experienced Drupalists will likely be more aware of their weaknesses than their strengths. You might have judged your own skill levels while reading through the domains listed above. It is quite natural for you to be more experienced and proficient in one domain than another. Also, within a domain, it is likely that you have hands-on experience on some topics but have never touched other areas within the same domain.
How to use self-assessment
We suggest you perform a skills and expertise self-analysis with respect to the domains and topics listed in the blueprint. The blueprint lists test objectives (topics) for each domain. Rank your skills on a scale of 0 to 10 against each test objective (0 for absolutely zero knowledge or exposure and 10 for complete mastery).
- Topics with 8+ score are your strengths.
- Topics with a score of 5 to 7 will need some preparation.
- The ones below 5 may require a lot of preparation, or guided instruction.
You may use the following table to carry out your self-evaluation.
Acquia Certified Drupal Site Builder self-assessment table
| Domain | Topic | Your Score (1-10) |
|---|
| 1 | Understanding Drupal | |
| 1.1 | Demonstrate the ability to explain the distinct and differentiating features of Drupal and understanding of Drupal Terminology | |
| 1.2 | Given an example of a page layout, determine what is content versus a block | |
| 1.3 | Demonstrate an ability to troubleshoot problems related to content, configuration and maintenance | |
| 2 | Content modeling | |
| 2.1 | Demonstrate ability to model content using content types and vocabularies | |
| 2.2 | Demonstrate ability to configure and manage comment types and comments | |
Preparation
Once you have a list of topics for which you need preparation, you may face two challenges:
- Find and study documentation and knowledge resources for the topics.
- Find enough practical case studies covering the topics.
Knowledge resources
Customers and Partners the public can self-register on the appropriate branch of Acquia Academy and take courses in the relevant domain to refresh their knowledge.
Supplementing introductory Drupal training with documentation and online resources is a good idea.
A list of online resources and documentation for each learning domain appears in the Study Guide section.
Labs and case studies
Finding sufficient practical case studies covering exam topics can be a challenge. Here are a few ideas and suggestions for finding case studies for your preparation:
Review several (3 to 5) Drupal projects that you or your team has worked on in the past year. Review the content types, field settings, display settings, vocabularies, blocks, menus, and views used on the sites.
For each project, study the following:
- What are the Content Types for the site?
- What are the fields and field settings for each Content Type?
- What are the Displays configured for each Content Type? Are there any Custom displays? If so, how and where are they used?
- What Vocabularies are defined? Are they controlled or uncontrolled? How is the Taxonomy system used?
- How many Custom blocks are used on the site? Are there any Custom Block Types defined? Are there any custom fields in the blocks? How are they used on the site?
- How many Menus are defined? Are there any Custom Menus? How are the Menu items managed? Where are the Menus used on the site?
- List all the Views used on the site. For each View, check the Displays, Format, Fields, Sort Criteria, Filter Criteria, Contextual Filters and Relationships. Check how views are used on the site.
- List all the Custom Modules enabled on the site. Check the functionality added by each module.
- Go to the Configuration Settings page of the site. Check the settings made under all the available options. Check the settings made under People, Content Authoring, Development, Search and Metadata, RSS Publishing, System, Media, Regional and Language Settings.
- Go to Extend. Enable modules under Multilingual section. Check the different configuration options newly available under Language settings and Content type configurations. Play around with the settings to build a bi-lingual or a multilingual website.
Once you study the projects as above, for each project, ask questions:
- Why are the configurations the way they are?
- What can be changed or improved?
- What are the issues or Support requests raised by the client?
- What changes were made to initial configuration and why?
Study guide
Drupal user guide
Topic-specific reference material
- Understanding Drupal & Working with a Drupal Site
1.1. Demonstrate the ability to explain the distinct and differentiating features of Drupal
1.2 Given an example of a page layout, determine what is content versus a block
1.3 Demonstrate an ability to troubleshoot problems related to content, configuration and maintenance
2.1. Demonstrate ability to model content using Content Types and Vocabularies
2.2. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage comment types and comments
2.3. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage block types and blocks
2.4. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage Contact forms
2.5. Demonstrate ability to configure and use multilingual content and interface
2.6. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage menus, menu items and menu blocks
2.7 Demonstrate the ability to configure and use Rich media in content using Media module
3.1. Demonstrate the ability to control the display of content across various regions of the site using the block system
3.2. Demonstrate the ability to provide different presentations of content entities, such as nodes, comments, user profiles, and terms, for editing or viewing
3.3. Demonstrate the ability to create, manage and display lists of content using Drupal Views
3.4 Demonstrate the ability to build layouts of content using Layout Builder
4.1. Demonstrate the ability to use the various options related to site configuration like account settings, content authoring, development, search, site and system settings, media
4.2. Demonstrate the ability to use the Configuration and Synchronization options to import, export, compare configuration across environments
4.3 Given a scenario, demonstrate the ability to configure user accounts
- Module and Theme management
5.1. Demonstrate the ability to add, update, and remove contributed modules
5.2. Demonstrate the ability to add, update, and remove contributed themes
5.3 Identify ways of community participation and reporting issues
6.1. Identify security issues resulting from site configuration
6.2. Identify performance issues resulting from site configuration
Acquia Certified Drupal Site Builder
This is the study guide for the Acquia Certified Drupal 10 and 11 Site Builder Examination.
This guide explains the exam blueprint, breaks down knowledge domains, and helps you get familiar with the nature of questions asked in the exam. It also provides helpful steps to prepare for the exam and links to further resources for study and preparation.
About the exam
- Exam name: Acquia Certified Drupal Site Builder
- Exam duration: 75 minutes
- Exam length: 50 questions
- Pass/Fail mark: 68%
- Available languages: English, Japanese, French
The purpose of this exam is to validate the skills and knowledge of a Drupal Site Builder in the areas of using Drupal features, content and user management, content modeling, site display, community and contributed projects, module and theme management, security, and performance.
This exam can be taken in a testing center or in your office, provided certain environmental details can be guaranteed (such as a webcam on the testing computer). Do not be discouraged if you do not pass the exam the first time. Many do not.
This exam validates a candidate’s ability to:
- Plan, build, and manage Drupal-based solutions
- Understand the core Drupal practices for site building
- Develop and maintain applications using Drupal site building tools
- Install and configure new Drupal modules and themes
The basic knowledge and skills required at this level include all of the following areas and objective components:
Drupal
- Demonstrate professional experience using Drupal
- Setup and configure Drupal sites
- Model content architectures
- Manage Drupal content and users
- Install and configure contributed Drupal modules and themes
Web and IT Knowledge
- Experience in developing Drupal websites and web applications
- HTML
- Basic CSS, JavaScript/jQuery knowledge
- Basic PHP knowledge
Steps to certification¶
Take introductory Drupal courses
Acquia offers free Drupal preparatory courses on Acquia Academy.
Customers, Partners, and the public can self-register on the appropriate branch of Acquia Academy to access these and other Drupal resources.
We offer private, instructor-led Drupal training for groups of up to 10 people. Visit Professional Services Product Guide to review our available private training.
Through our network of training partners, we offer public, instructor-led training, sold by the seat. Visit the Acquia Developer Portal for public training listings.
After taking an introductory course, build a small website on your own to reinforce the concepts learned in the course.
Gain practical experience
Completing the courses may not fully prepare you to take the certification exam. You need some practical experience to attempt the exam. We recommend that you gain practical experience by working on at least 2-3 real-life projects.
Once you decide to take the exam, we recommend that you study the domains and topics covered by the exam and their relative weight. You should also perform a self-assessment of your own areas of strength and weakness vis-a-vis the domains/topics covered by the exam blueprint. This is a recommended starting point for experienced Drupal Site Builders.
Take practice exam
A Site Builder practice exam is available in our introductory Drupal course on Acquia Academy.
Use labs and study guide
Based on your self-assessment, you may need to gain knowledge and experience in some domains or topics. The best way to learn Drupal is by working or experimenting with it. Follow the suggestions given for preparation in the Preparation section and refer to the external resources given in the Study Guide section.
Register for and take the exam
At this stage, you should be ready to take the exam. Follow the instructions for registering for an exam.
Exam domains¶
| Domain | % of Questions |
|---|
| 1.0 Understanding Drupal and working with a Drupal Site | 12% |
| 2.0 Content Modeling | 28% |
| 3.0 Site Display | 20% |
| 4.0 Site Configuration | 20% |
| 5.0 Contributed Module and Theme Management | 12% |
| 6.0 Security and Performance | 8% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Self-assessment
Experienced Drupalists will likely be more aware of their weaknesses than their strengths. You might have judged your own skill levels while reading through the domains listed above. It is quite natural for you to be more experienced and proficient in one domain than another. Also, within a domain, it is likely that you have hands-on experience on some topics but have never touched other areas within the same domain.
How to use self-assessment
We suggest you perform a skills and expertise self-analysis with respect to the domains and topics listed in the blueprint. The blueprint lists test objectives (topics) for each domain. Rank your skills on a scale of 0 to 10 against each test objective (0 for absolutely zero knowledge or exposure and 10 for complete mastery).
- Topics with 8+ score are your strengths.
- Topics with a score of 5 to 7 will need some preparation.
- The ones below 5 may require a lot of preparation, or guided instruction.
You may use the following table to carry out your self-evaluation.
Acquia Certified Drupal Site Builder self-assessment table
| Domain | Topic | Your Score (1-10) |
|---|
| 1 | Understanding Drupal | |
| 1.1 | Demonstrate the ability to explain the distinct and differentiating features of Drupal and understanding of Drupal Terminology | |
| 1.2 | Given an example of a page layout, determine what is content versus a block | |
| 1.3 | Demonstrate an ability to troubleshoot problems related to content, configuration and maintenance | |
| 2 | Content modeling | |
| 2.1 | Demonstrate ability to model content using content types and vocabularies | |
| 2.2 | Demonstrate ability to configure and manage comment types and comments | |
Preparation
Once you have a list of topics for which you need preparation, you may face two challenges:
- Find and study documentation and knowledge resources for the topics.
- Find enough practical case studies covering the topics.
Knowledge resources
Customers and Partners the public can self-register on the appropriate branch of Acquia Academy and take courses in the relevant domain to refresh their knowledge.
Supplementing introductory Drupal training with documentation and online resources is a good idea.
A list of online resources and documentation for each learning domain appears in the Study Guide section.
Labs and case studies
Finding sufficient practical case studies covering exam topics can be a challenge. Here are a few ideas and suggestions for finding case studies for your preparation:
Review several (3 to 5) Drupal projects that you or your team has worked on in the past year. Review the content types, field settings, display settings, vocabularies, blocks, menus, and views used on the sites.
For each project, study the following:
- What are the Content Types for the site?
- What are the fields and field settings for each Content Type?
- What are the Displays configured for each Content Type? Are there any Custom displays? If so, how and where are they used?
- What Vocabularies are defined? Are they controlled or uncontrolled? How is the Taxonomy system used?
- How many Custom blocks are used on the site? Are there any Custom Block Types defined? Are there any custom fields in the blocks? How are they used on the site?
- How many Menus are defined? Are there any Custom Menus? How are the Menu items managed? Where are the Menus used on the site?
- List all the Views used on the site. For each View, check the Displays, Format, Fields, Sort Criteria, Filter Criteria, Contextual Filters and Relationships. Check how views are used on the site.
- List all the Custom Modules enabled on the site. Check the functionality added by each module.
- Go to the Configuration Settings page of the site. Check the settings made under all the available options. Check the settings made under People, Content Authoring, Development, Search and Metadata, RSS Publishing, System, Media, Regional and Language Settings.
- Go to Extend. Enable modules under Multilingual section. Check the different configuration options newly available under Language settings and Content type configurations. Play around with the settings to build a bi-lingual or a multilingual website.
Once you study the projects as above, for each project, ask questions:
- Why are the configurations the way they are?
- What can be changed or improved?
- What are the issues or Support requests raised by the client?
- What changes were made to initial configuration and why?
Study guide
Drupal user guide
Topic-specific reference material
- Understanding Drupal & Working with a Drupal Site
1.1. Demonstrate the ability to explain the distinct and differentiating features of Drupal
1.2 Given an example of a page layout, determine what is content versus a block
1.3 Demonstrate an ability to troubleshoot problems related to content, configuration and maintenance
2.1. Demonstrate ability to model content using Content Types and Vocabularies
2.2. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage comment types and comments
2.3. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage block types and blocks
2.4. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage Contact forms
2.5. Demonstrate ability to configure and use multilingual content and interface
2.6. Demonstrate ability to configure and manage menus, menu items and menu blocks
2.7 Demonstrate the ability to configure and use Rich media in content using Media module
3.1. Demonstrate the ability to control the display of content across various regions of the site using the block system
3.2. Demonstrate the ability to provide different presentations of content entities, such as nodes, comments, user profiles, and terms, for editing or viewing
3.3. Demonstrate the ability to create, manage and display lists of content using Drupal Views
3.4 Demonstrate the ability to build layouts of content using Layout Builder
4.1. Demonstrate the ability to use the various options related to site configuration like account settings, content authoring, development, search, site and system settings, media
4.2. Demonstrate the ability to use the Configuration and Synchronization options to import, export, compare configuration across environments
4.3 Given a scenario, demonstrate the ability to configure user accounts
- Module and Theme management
5.1. Demonstrate the ability to add, update, and remove contributed modules
5.2. Demonstrate the ability to add, update, and remove contributed themes
5.3 Identify ways of community participation and reporting issues
6.1. Identify security issues resulting from site configuration
6.2. Identify performance issues resulting from site configuration
Acquia Academy