Update your skills - take the Google Advertising Fundamentals exam

How do I keep up to date with new Google products? Am I using all the latest features and tools to run my campaigns? How can I learn about AdWords quickly?

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve training materials and the Google Advertising Professional program we have updated the certification exam and learning center.

We've replaced it with a new Google Advertising Fundamentals exam which is designed to be more rigorous and strategy-oriented. Our teams have developed the new curriculum and exam to equip search managers with useful, relevant training to manage AdWords campaigns.

We've noted some questions since we introduced the new exam so want to tell you a little bit more:

* We're testing a wider range of knowledge and the passing score is higher than the previous exam - 85% vs 75% on the previous test.

* You can access the new exam through your Google Advertising Professionals account - navigate to the My Exams tab where you can pick up your candidate ID to use on the testing site and follow the links to either the Learning Centre or the Exam Testing Site.

* The new exam is available in English only, but will be available in 20 additional languages in January.

Our goal was to bring the materials and exam up to date and ensure they cover all current products and best practices to help run and manage AdWords campaigns. We will be introducing new advanced exams in 2010, so you may hear about some of them being tested now. But at this time, you only need to hold a valid passing score in the previous exam or if you're new to the program - the new Advertising Fundamentals.

Congratulations to those of you who have taken and passed the new exams and good luck to all test takers.

Posted by Kelly Blackford, Agency Training Team
This is a partial cross post from the Inside AdWords Blog