In August 2020, Adobe announced an update to the existing Magento certifications. Aiming to create more consistency over all Adobe certifications, the main visible changes are the updated names and badges of the Magento certifications.
For those that take a certification, one more change is important: While Magento certifications previously took 90 minutes, you can now spend up to 120 minutes to answer the questions. This allows to translate questions for people for whom English is a second language. And it also means that the updated Magento certifications are now as long as other Adobe certifications.

New names, reflecting different levels of experience

Previously, the certifications for Magento developers somewhat reflected their level of expertise by titles like ‘Associate’ and ‘Professional’. From now on, you will see that each certifications has their level as part of their name. There are three levels:

Master

Not to be confused with Magento Masters, the Master level in certifications is for people who lead complex projects, e.g. as a software architect in an ambitious Magento Commerce project, and who have a minimum of 3-5 years of experience working with the solution.

What happens to the Magento 1 certifications?

If you already hold a Magento 1 and a Magento 2 certification, you may have realised that you have only received emails about your Magento 2 certifications. This is phase 1 of the changes made. Phase 2 will follow soon. In the second phase, the Magento 1 certifications will be transferred to the Adobe Certification Program.

Where can I get hold of my new badge?

To issue certification badges, Adobe uses the service Acclaim. They will provide you with the image file as well as code snippets to add to your email signature. And they also offer to directly connect your Acclaim account to your social media accounts, e.g. your LinkedIn profile.

Where can I download the logo?

In addition to a badge, you also get to use a logo when you have passed the certification. The main difference is that the badge is only an image whereas the logo includes the title of your certification.
To download the logo, you need to log in to the Adobe Credential Management, then navigate to Certifications / Download Logo. If nothing shows up there, you might still need to connect your Adobe Credential Management to your Acclaim account or wait a bit while Adobe processes your request to add your certification to your account.

Do I need to retake the exam to stay certified?

Adobe certification are valid for 24 months. However, this does not apply to Magento certifications. This may change. The goal to create more consistency across all certifications issued by Adobe would be an argument to limit the validity of Magento certifications.
If you have taken an exam to become Magento certified, you know that some of these exams require a lot of training. This would speak against limiting the validity. Imagine learning for a couple of months, passing the exam and then realising you need to do it again in 24 months – doesn’t sound too enticing, does it?
So while your Magento (and Marketo) certifications currently do not expire, this fact will be re-evaluated by Adobe in the upcoming months.

What does Adobe Qualified mean?

“Adobe Qualified” is a title that applies to individuals who have earned a non-certification credential for the Adobe Experience Platform, e.g. by attending an Adobe training.