Advanced Professional WordPress Developer Beta Certification Exam
The beta period is now closed, January 19th 2026.
Over the past few months, WordPress VIP has been developing a new Advanced Professional WordPress Developer certification.
The certification will validate advanced skills in delivering secure, scalable, high-performance WordPress solutions and is intended for experienced developers.
About the Beta Test
The goals of the beta test are to validate the accuracy, fairness, psychometric quality and difficulty of the exam items to ensure the final credential is valid and credible.
The beta exam contains a larger pool of questions, with 90 compared to 65 on the final exam. We will analyze the performance of the questions presented in beta exam and use these statistics to create the final exam.
The beta test period is December 1st – January 18th 2026.
What’s Involved with the Beta Test?
Beta testing the exam involves taking the certification exam under live conditions, which means in-person in a test center or proctored online.
Exam delivery is managed through Webassessor by Kryterion, a platform trusted by leading technology providers including Google Cloud.
The beta exam includes 90 questions and must be completed within three hours, but will probably take around two hours.
Candidates taking the online proctored exam should anticipate additional time for environment configuration and security procedures.
Individual questions contain a comment field for submitting question-specific feedback, and after completing the exam, you’ll receive a short survey to share your feedback.
We are interested in your feedback not just of the exam itself but of the entire test‑taker experience.
Eligibility
Participation in the beta test is by invitation, and the certification page outlines the recommended experience for candidates.
A practice test is also available on that page, which we recommend candidates take to assess their readiness. The exam and training guides can likewise be accessed from the certification page.
NB: The certification exam is platform agnostic and does not require knowledge of the WordPress VIP platform.
Why Take the Beta Exam?
- Earn the credential by passing the beta exam, issued by Accredible and valid for three years.
- Be among the first worldwide to access this new certification.
- Retake at no cost – if you don’t pass the beta exam, you can take the $300 final exam for free.
- Shape the final exam by providing feedback and question‑level comments on both content and user experience.
- Experience the platform – register and take the exam using the same system as the final version.
FAQs
How much time will it take to complete a beta exam?
The beta exam is longer than the final version of the exam, we expect it to take between one and a half and three hours.
The first test takers are completing it in under two, with around half an hour needed for set up for the online proctored version.
Will I receive my result immediately?
Beta exam test takers will receive their score in February after the beta period has closed, and we have calibrated then re-scored the exam.
What is the passing score for the beta certification exam?
We have not yet set the passing score, that’s exactly what the beta test is designed to help us determine.
Once the beta phase concludes, we will establish the passing score, recalculate the results accordingly, and share the updated outcomes with all beta test participants.
What happens if I don’t pass the beta certification exam?
Beta participants are only allowed one attempt on the beta exam.
If you don’t pass the beta exam, you’ll need to wait until the final exam is released to the public to try again.
You’ll be able to retake the final exam at no cost, and the $300 exam fee will be waived.
Is the beta certification exam available in other languages?
The beta exam is available globally in English only.
Will I receive section-level feedback for the beta certification exam if I don’t pass?
You will receive a section level score breakdown.
Where will I take the exam?
Beta testing the exam involves taking the certification exam under live conditions, which means in-person in a test center or proctored online.
Find a test center near you and read about testing requirements.
How long will the credential valid for?
The credential is valid for three years and can be renewed at a 20% discount.
Are there training prerequisites to taking the beta certification exam?
No. There are currently no prerequisites to taking the Advanced Professional WordPress Developer certification exam.
This is however an exam for experienced WordPress developers, see the recommended experience for candidates.
We advise reading the exam and training guides, and taking the practice test to help evaluate your exam readiness. The VIP Learn courses will support your preparation.