What Is the Adobe Express Certification?

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

Explore the Adobe Express certification process and get details about exam topics, prep courses, and how it can enhance your marketing, design, or social media career.

[Featured image] A content creator is editing a video using skills they gained through an Adobe Express certification.

Whether you’re a social media coordinator, content creator, or digital marketer, earning the Adobe Express certificate shows your proficiency in using Adobe Express for content design and creation.

Adobe Express, formerly Adobe Spark, is a web and mobile application that merges art, video, audio, and animations through drag-and-drop functionality. You may rely on Adobe Express to overlay graphics onto a TikTok video, design an eye-catching logo for your brand, or create flyers to advertise an event.

To demonstrate a versatile understanding of Adobe Creative Cloud software, you may pursue additional Adobe certifications or specialty credentials. For example, you can become an Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Illustrator.

You have two options if you’re looking to earn Adobe Express certification. First, you can earn the Adobe Certified Professional certification in Adobe Express. If you’d like to show additional Creative Cloud skills, you may consider a specialty credential in Marketing Design. Learn more about these two certifications, including requirements and costs. 

1. Adobe Certified Professional in Adobe Express

Cost (US): $150 [1]

Requirements: No prerequisites exist, but Adobe recommends that you have at least 150 hours of Adobe Express experience. 

Description: The Adobe Certified Professional certification for Adobe Express highlights an understanding of design industry best practices, including tools and techniques commonly used on the job and how to access these tools through the Adobe Express application. 

The Adobe Express certification exam covers design principles, content creation, and digital marketing principles, among other professional skills. 

2. Adobe Certified Professional in Marketing Design

Cost (US): $150 per exam (total $300) [1]

Requirements: The Marketing Design credential requires certification in Adobe Express and an additional design software (Photoshop or Acrobat Pro).

 

Description: To earn Adobe’s Marketing Design specialty credential, you’ll need to become certified in Adobe Express and Photoshop or Adobe Express and Acrobat Pro. Marketing professionals widely use these three software programs. 

With the Marketing Design credential, you can demonstrate to employers that you have strong foundational knowledge in design and content creation, two skills that can elevate a marketing career.

Who should get the Adobe Express certification?

If you work in a social media or marketing role, earning the Adobe Express certification could be a valuable next step in your career. While it’s not a requirement in the field, having this certification shows that you’re highly experienced in a commonly used application, which may enhance your qualifications and set you apart from other candidates. Digital marketers can take an additional exam to earn Adobe’s Marketing Design credential. 

Other roles that could benefit from becoming an Adobe Certified Professional in Adobe Express include:

How to get the Adobe Express certification

Preparing for the exam with a course or by taking practice tests can help you prepare before registering and taking the exam. If you’re interested in the Adobe Express certification exam, consider completing the following steps. 

1. Review the Adobe Express exam guide.

First, take a look at Adobe’s exam guide, which is provided for free on its website. Adobe divides the guide into several key topics, including marketing, design, content creation, and publishing. 

2. Enroll in a prep course.

Next, you might enroll in an Adobe Express practice test or prep course. You’ll find a practice test offered on Pearson VUE’s Mindhub, where you can also purchase your exam voucher. While this isn’t a requirement to receive your certification, it can help you prepare for the exam.

3. Register for the exam.

Once you’ve finished studying, it’s time to register for the Adobe Express certification exam.

To become an Adobe Certified Professional in Adobe Express, you’ll need to take the online exam through Certiport’s OnVUE online delivery or contact a Certiport Authorized Testing Center. You can then take a 50-minute proctored exam to earn this industry-recognized certification. 

While the Adobe Express certification exam isn’t free, some colleges cover the cost for students. It may be worth checking with your school before registering. 

Cost (US): Ranges from $150 (Adobe Express) to $300 (Adobe Express + Photoshop or Acrobat Pro) [1]

What’s on the Adobe Express certification exam?

When you take the Adobe Express certification exam, you’ll answer questions about various topics and techniques—some specific to Express—while others relate to the marketing and design industries as a whole. 

Exam topics include:

  • Digital marketing principles: Successfully implementing branding and promotions

  • Design fundamentals: Ensuring accessibility, visual appeal, and legal and ethical principles

  • Using Adobe Express templates or tools: Employing features and workflows to create content efficiently

  • Content management: Managing content for several projects

  • Exporting and sharing content: Sharing your work, collaborating with clients and team members, exporting content, and publishing content to different platforms 

If you’re interested in the Marketing Design specialty credential, you’ll want to review additional topics, depending on which certificate you choose. The Adobe Photoshop exam will center around visual design, while the Adobe Acrobat exam will test your document creation and management skills.

Training for the Adobe Express exam

Before taking the test, practice creating and editing digital media in Adobe Express. You can also use practice exams, tutorials, and prep courses to help you develop and refine your skills. Adobe suggests that you have 150 hours of experience with Adobe Express before taking the exam.

Before your exam, it may be worth reviewing social media, marketing, and design principles on Coursera. Related certificates such as the Meta Social Media Marketing Certificate or the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate can help you reach your professional goals.

What jobs can you get with the Adobe Express certification?

After receiving an Adobe Express certification, you might be a stronger fit for one of the following entry-level positions:

*All annual base salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of February 2025 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

Build skills to prepare for Adobe Express certification on Coursera

Becoming an Adobe Certified Professional in Adobe Express could give you a competitive edge as a digital marketer or designer. If you’d like to learn more about content creation with Adobe (and earn another certificate), you may also consider the Adobe Content Creator Professional Certificate on Coursera. Alternatively, you might enroll in the Adobe Graphic Designer Professional Certificate to develop your design capabilities before taking the Adobe Express exam. Upon completing either program, you will gain a shareable certificate to include in your resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile.

Article sources

1

Adobe Certified Pro. “Frequently Asked Questions, https://certifiedprofessional.adobe.com/en/faq.” Accessed February 6, 2025.

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