I took Memsource’s Certified User test. Here’s what I thought of it.

Last year, I decided to take Memsource’s Certified User test because I wanted to refresh my skills. I’d noticed a few new small features had been added, and wanted to make sure that I was making the most of its functionality.

Sign up was extremely straightforward. I immediately received an email with training materials and access to the test.

The training materials were four videos, about an hour long each, covering a range of areas. Some of the areas of training were quite complex. I had to watch one part of a training video several times to fully understand one of the concepts.

It took me about a day and an evening of watching the training videos and running practices in Memsource to feel ready to take the test. Once you take the test, you have 45 minutes to complete it. The pass rate is quite high, and if you’re not successful you have to wait 6 months before attempting to re-take it.

I found that the test covered some of the basics that a proficient Memsource User would already know (before taking the training). Everything else had been covered by the training videos. Annoyingly, there was only one question on the concept I spent ages studying for, but thankfully it wasn’t a waste of time, as I used this new knowledge a couple of weeks later at work when I was setting up a new project.

Overall, I found it nice and straightforward. It was multiple choice, which is the kind of format that suits me well. It’s not the kind of multiple-choice test answers you can breeze through – you have to know your stuff to get it right.

Once completed, I received an email back almost straightaway with my test results. I was feeling a bit less than averagely confident, as I knew that a couple of the questions had stumped me, so all of the rest I had to get right.

Ta da! I was genuinely so pleased to read that I’d successfully passed the test with a score of 87.9% that I immediately downloaded and printed off the certificate and sent a picture of it to my family, who immediately said, “Well done! What is it though?!”.

As well as the snazzy certificate, you also have the opportunity to be listed on their website, with a Certified User profile and location pin on their Certified Users and Trainers Map. There’s also an official badge which you can download and use on your CV and social media profiles.

Was it worth it?

I would say absolutely, yes. The free training was a great opportunity to refresh my Memsource skills. Having the Certified User status has already been beneficial to me in my freelance career. Several clients have noticed the badge on my LinkedIn profile or CV, and having proof of my competence has been a bit of a crowd-puller. They also offer a Student Certification program, which I haven’t tried, but I wish I’d had access to when I was studying.

I’ve signed up to the Certified Trainer program for Spring 2022 with a hope that I can learn more about advanced Memsource functionality, and maybe offer my training services to others in future.

Has anybody else taken the test? Let me know what you thought of it.