
Programming is the core to developing IT software which means that a professional who is apt in software and program development is a crucial need of every software. In this technical era where everything is shifting to digitalization, developers play their role in the creation of effective and smooth digital projects. The worth and importance of programmers stay on the same graph owing to the value they add to any project- the reason why it is one of the most accepted professions.
One of the major concerns of the developers is which certification can provide them to thrive in terms of both skills and recognition. There are several programming certifications that are offered but the best certification that can help you a career boost is hard to decide. In this blog, you will get an overview of the 10 programming certifications that are ruling the trend.
C and C++ Certification
1. CLA – C Programming Language Certified Associate Certification
C Programming Language Certified Associate (CLA) is a professional certificate that tests your skills to fulfill coding tasks related to the basics of programming in the C programming language, as well as basic programming techniques, customs and vocabulary, including the most common library functions and the usage of the preprocessor.
Exam Name: CLA – C Programming Language Certified Associate (CLA – C Certified Associate Programmer)
Exam Code: CLA
Associated certifications: CLP – C Certified Professional Programmer,
Pre-requisites: None
Exam Version: CLA-11-02 (Pearson VUE)
Duration: 65 minutes (exam) + 10 minutes (NDA/Tutorial)
A number of questions: 55
Format: Single-choice, Multiple-choice questions
Passing score: 70%
Full exam price: USD 295 (see discount information)
Languages: English
Delivery Channel: Pearson VUE Testing Centers (CLA-11-02), OpenEDG Testing Service (CLA-NP-11-02)
♦ the universal concepts of computer programming and developer tools;
♦ the syntax and semantics of the C language as well as data types offered by the language;
♦ writing programs using standard language infrastructure regardless of the hardware or software platform.
2. CLP – C Certified Professional Programmer Certification
C Certified Professional Programmer (CLP) is a professional certificate that tests your skills to manage coding and design tasks related to advanced topics of the C programming language, as well as advanced programming techniques, including the library functions and the use of the preprocessor.
Exam Name: CLP – C Certified Professional Programmer
Exam Code: CLP-12-01
Associated certifications: CLA – C Programming Language Certified Associate
Pre-requisites: CLA – C Programming Language Certified Associate
Exam version: 12-01 (Published)
Duration: 65 minutes (exam) + 10 minutes (NDA/Tutorial)
Number of questions: 55
Format: Single-choice, Multiple-choice questions
Passing score: 70%
Full exam price: USD 295 (see discount information)
Languages: English
- Handling variable number of parameters (<stdarg.h>)
- Low level IO (<unistd.h>)
- Memory and strings (<string.h> et al.)
- Processes and threads
- Floats and ints once again (<math.h>, <fenv.h>, <inttypes.h> et al.)
- Network sockets –the absolute basics
3. AWS Certified Developer Associate
AWS Certified Developer – Associate highlights expertise and proficiency of core AWS services, uses, and basic AWS architecture best practices, and efficiency in developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications by using AWS. Preparing for and gaining this certification assure certified individuals gain the required skills and expertise.
Level: Associate
Length: 130 minutes to complete the exam
Cost: 150 USD
Number of questions: 65 questions
Type of questions: Either multiple choice or multiple responses
Languages: English, French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America)
- Understanding of core AWS services uses of the services, and basic AWS architecture best practices, including the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, application lifecycle management, and the use of containers in the development process
- Proficiency in developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications using AWS and writing code for serverless applications
- Ability to identify key features of AWS services and use the AWS service APIs, AWS CLI, and SDKs to write applications
- Ability to apply a basic understanding of cloud-native applications to write code
- Ability to author, maintain and debug code modules on AWS
Read more: AWS certifications roadmap
4. CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Security+ is the foundational security certification from Salesforce that a candidate should earn. It helps to learn the required knowledge for any cybersecurity role and offers a step to intermediate-level cybersecurity jobs. Security+ credential delivers the most effective hands-on troubleshooting skills, ensuring candidates have practical security problem-solving skills.
Exam Code: SY0-601
Number of questions: Maximum of 90 questions
Type of questions: Multiple choice and performance-based
Length of test: 90 minutes
Passing score: Passing Score
Languages: English, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Portuguese
Retirement: Usually three years after launch
Price: 392 USD
Testing provider: Pearson VUE
Testing Centers
Online Testing
- Knowledge and skills required to assess the security posture of an enterprise environment and recommend and implement appropriate security solutions
- Monitor and secure hybrid environments, including cloud, mobile, and IoT
- Operate with an awareness of applicable laws and policies, including principles of governance, risk, and compliance; identify, analyze, and respond to security events and incidents
5. MongoDB Associate Developer
MongoDB associate developers acquire the necessary skills to develop basic-level applications with the help of MongoDB as a backing database for Java, Python, C#, or Javascript applications.
Format: 53 Multiple choice questions
Time allotted: 75 Minutes
Exam fee: USD 150
Delivery options: Online in a proctored environment
Prerequisites: None
Language: English
- Writing Java and NodeJs apps
- CRUD Operations in MongoDB
- Replication and sharding
- Indexing and Aggregation
- MongoDB tools
- MongoDB backup methods
- Replica sets
6. Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer Certification
The Java SE 8 Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) certification enables you to create a basic knowledge of Java. Obtaining this credential is the first step in exhibiting that you have the high-level skills needed to become a professional Java developer.
Required exam: OCA Java SE 8 Programmer I
Exam Code: 1Z0-808
Type of questions: Multiple Choice
Duration: 120 Minutes
Number of questions: 56
Passing score: 65%
Validation: The exam has been validated for product version Java SE 8.
- Handling Exceptions
- Working with Methods and Encapsulation
- Creating and Using Arrays
- Working With Java Data Types
- Assume the following:
- Working with Selected classes from the Java API
- Working with Inheritance
- Using Loop Constructs
- Using Operators and Decision Constructs
- Java Basics
7. CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer
With the rising worth of data, organizations and IT firms have to control the immense amount of data generated. So, many companies prefer hiring big data and Spark developers who can optimize their performance. As the name implies, Big Data is the term used to explain huge volumes of data. Apache Spark is the open-source engine tha control Big Data and is thus mainly used in the CCA credential.
Exam Name: CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer
Exam Code: CCA175
Number of questions: 8–12
Type of questions: performance-based (hands-on) tasks
Time limit: 120 minutes
Passing score: 70%
Language: English
Exam cost: $ 295
- Load data from HDFS for use in Spark applications
- Write the results back into HDFS using Spark
- Read and write files in a variety of file formats
- Perform standard extract, transform, load (ETL) processes on data using the Spark API
- Use metastore tables as an input source or an output sink for Spark applications
- Understand the fundamentals of querying datasets in Spark
- Filter data using Spark
- Write queries that calculate aggregate statistics
- Join disparate datasets using Spark
- Produce ranked or sorted data
- Supply command-line options to change your application configuration, such as increasing available memory
8. Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
Candidates for the Azure Developer Associate certification are cloud developers who have to perform in all phases of development, from requirements definition and design to development, deployment, and maintenance. They partner with cloud DBAs, cloud administrators, and clients to implement solutions.
Exam Name: Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
Exam Code: AZ-204
Number of questions: 40-60 questions
Type of questions: Multiple-choice
Exam cost: 165 USD
Exam time: 120 minutes
Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Indonesian (Indonesia), Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
Retirement date: none
- Develop Azure compute solutions
- Develop for Azure storage
- Implement Azure security
- Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions
- Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services
9. Certified Associate in Python Programming (PCAP)
PCAP™ – Certified Associate in Python Programming certification (Exam PCAP-31-0x) is an expert, high-stakes certification that tests the candidate’s skills to perform intermediate-level coding tasks in the Python language, like the skills to design, develop, debug, execute, and refactor multi-module Python programs. It also tests their skills and knowledge related to analyzing and modeling real-life problems in OOP categories with the usage of the basic ideas and techniques available in the object-oriented approach.
Exam Name: PCAP™ – Certified Associate in Python Programming
Exam Code: PCAP-31-03
Pre-requisites: None
Expiry: none
Exam duration: 65 minutes
Number of questions: 40
Type of questions: Single- and multiple-select questions
Passing score: 70%
Languages: English
Cost: USD 295
Delivery method: Pearson VUE
- Modules
- Packages, and PIP
- Character encoding
- Strings and string processing
- Generators, iterators, closures
- Files, file streams, and file processing
- Exception hierarchies
- And exception classes and objects
- Standard Library modules
- Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) approach
10. Cisco CCNA Certification
CCNA certification validates that you have all the required skills to plan and manage the continuously varying needs of IT. CCNA exam course enables you to learn networking fundamentals, IP services, security fundamentals, automation, and programmability. Designed for the professionals, Cisco certification helps to meet today’s most advanced networks.
Exam Code: 200-301 CCNA
Exam Name: Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions
Duration: 120 minutes
Languages: English and Japanese
Price: $300 USD
- Network engineering
- Routing protocols: EIGRP, OSPF, BGP
- Operational support
- SAN networking knowledge
- Unified Communication
- OSI model
- Multicasting knowledge: IPv4 and IPv6
- Cisco ASA Firewalls
- Virtual networking
Final Coda
Making the right decision for your future is one of the most nerve-racking situations. To opt for one programming credential from a long catalog is where you need to show vigilance. To simplify this process, I would suggest you keenly observe the skills that you would acquire from a certain credential. Secondly, you need to compare the worth of different credentials. Conversely, it is also a valid debate that the cert providers are not as essential as the skills that you earn. Earn the most trending skills that are most likely to be persistent in the IT world. .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the requirements to take a programming certification?
The requirements of taking a programming certification depend on and differ from your chosen certification. Each certification has its prerequisites. However, you need to have basic coding knowledge which you can easily learn from online lectures and tutorials.
Which is the best programming certification?
Which certification is best for you depends on your interest. Each programming language and certification leads to a defined path, so it relies on your interest that which credential matches your career prospect.
What job will I get after gaining the programming certification?
Gaining a programming certification would lead you to an entry-level job. To get a highly paid programmer position, you need to get hands-on experience with different projects. Your programming resume is validated both based on your certifications and the number of projects that you have been working in.