After several weeks of preparation, I finally took the Adobe Lightroom ACE exam and good news: I passed! While the experience is still fresh, I wanted to pass along a few thoughts and some tips on my preparation.

First off, as part of taking the test, I also agreed to not share any questions or specific details about it – so you won’t find that here.

But, at a high level the test was easier to take than other Adobe ACE’s I’ve taken. Really, that’s to be expected I suppose. Lightroom, while an awesome tool, has fewer features to remember than the full blown Photoshop or some of the other Adobe applications. Also, a few details I didn’t mention that are publicly available-it was 52 questions long and a 68%+ score is required to pass. I had around an hour to take it and finished well under that (I’ve always been blessed to handle multiple choice questions pretty well). A few of the questions were a bit confusing or worded in a misleading way, as often seems to be the case. But, the majority of the questions were straightforward and had clear answers (as long as you know your stuff). Which brings me to the next part, preparation.

How I Prepared

As with most things, successful execution relies on solid preparation. As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the best benefits to taking an ACE is the added product knowledge it provides.

I used pretty much the same process when preparing for each of the ACE exams I’ve passed. Obviously they worked for me – my disclaimer is that they may not work equally for all. Take each tip for what it’s worth and apply it as needed.

Also, it’s very important to keep in mind that these are just tests. Those that take tests well are going to have a natural advantage, even when it might not mean that they know their stuff any better than another person.

Enough with the disclaimers – onto the tips.

1. Use the Product: My first step is always to become very familiar with the product. I don’t even really consider trying to take the test until I’ve used it for at least 6-12 months (depending on how complex the program is and how often I use it). Nothing beats the real world experience with the program. It puts everything in context. I suppose you could take it without much hands-on use, but it’s exponentially harder without it.
2. Use the Prep Guide as a Reference: I always download the prep guide (you can find Lightroom’s Prep Guide here) and use it to guide the rest of my studying. It lists the various subject areas the test will cover and even provides some sample test questions. It’s true to its word. The questions are based on the subject areas it lists. If a subject isn’t listed, it won’t be on the test.
3. Read a Comprehensive Manual: The exact manual varies. With InDesign I read Real World InDesign. For Lightroom I printed off the 150 page user manual and read that. The key here is to read something (cover to cover) that comprehensively covers the topic. This is where you miss a lot of the small tips/tricks that you might not have picked up anywhere else. It also reminds/reinforces not just how to do certain tasks, but why.
4. Read Blog and Other Resources: Of all the steps, this is probably the most optional. I find, though, that reading regular blogs can also reinforce tips and trics and does a nice job of bridging the how do you do it with the real world (many blogs write how to do something in response to a real world question or problem). InDesignSecrets.com and LightroomKillerTips.com are two great blogs.
5. Memorize the Menus and Other Options: After thoroughly reviewing all the details, I spend a fair amount of time just clicking around and memorizing menus, options, etc. I find that I don’t have a problem doing something in a program, but couldn’t necessarily repeat the steps to do so when I don’t have the program in front of me.

That’s it. That’s my preparation scheme. After my 6-12+ months of using the product, I spend somewhere between 2-6 weeks doing steps 2-5. It all depends on the program’s level of difficulty. Generally, I’d recommend planning 20-60 hours of dedicated prep time.