Guides > Acquia Certified Backend Specialist Exam
Drupal 9

What will you learn

  • What to study for the Acquia Back End Specialist exam
  • Concepts you should know as a Drupal back end developer

Overview

The Certified Drupal 9 Backend Specialist exam is part of Acquia's Drupal certification program. The exam consists of 60 scenario-based questions that show your skills and knowledge of a developer in the areas of building and implementing Drupal solutions using code (module development). We've gathered together a concise list of the Drupalize.Me tutorials, and other resources, that will help you prepare for Acquia's Certified Drupal 9 Backend Specialist exam.

We have guides for the other Acquia exams listed in our Acquia Certification Exam Preparation guide.

Drupal 9

1. Fundamental web development concepts

In this section of the exam you need to demonstrate knowledge of HTML and CSS, object-oriented PHP programming concepts, managing dependencies with Composer, and automated testing, along with being able to demonstrate the use of Git for version control.

1.1 Demonstrate knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

1.2 Demonstrate knowledge of Object-oriented PHP programming concepts

1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of managing dependencies using Composer

1.4 Demonstrate the use of Git for version control

1.5 Demonstrate knowledge of Automated Testing concepts

2. Drupal core API

2.1 Demonstrate an ability to register paths to define how URL requests are handled in Drupal using Routing system and Menu API

2.2 Demonstrate ability to build, alter, validate and submit forms using Form API

2.3 Demonstrate ability to interact with the Entity system using Entity API

2.4 Demonstrate ability to use core APIs for building and extending Drupal functionality

There are a lot of different APIs in Drupal. You should look through the resources in our Develop Drupal Sites guide and be familiar with all of them. In particular, you should make sure you understand the Plugin and Field APIs.

3. Debug code and troubleshooting

3.1 Demonstrate ability to debug code

3.2 Demonstrate ability to troubleshoot site problems

Tutorial

4. Theme integration

4.1 Demonstrate ability to work with Drupal's theme system using Render API and JavaScript APIs.

4.2 Demonstrate ability to work with Twig templates and syntax

5. Performance

5.1 Demonstrate ability to analyze and resolve site performance issues arising from site configuration

5.2 Demonstrate ability to analyze and resolve site performance issues arising from custom code

5.3 Implement Drupal caching strategies using Cache API

Tutorial
Tutorial

6. Security

6.1 Demonstrate ability to analyze and resolve security issues arising from site configuration

6.2 Demonstrate ability to analyze and resolve security issues arising from site custom code

6.3 Demonstrate the ability to implement Drupal core security mechanisms

The 3 subsections in this domain are all covered with different resources in our Security topic.

7. Leveraging community

7.1 Demonstrate the ability to contribute to the community

7.2 Demonstrate ability to write code using Drupal Coding Standards

General knowledge

These are not required for the exam, but topics that we think you should know and will complement the knowledge directly in the exam.

Testimonials

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"Drupalize.Me has trained thousands of Drupalistas. Their video lessons help to address our constant need for more Drupal talent. Drupal needs training like this to support its growth."

Dries Buytaert
Drupal Founder and Project Lead
Roger Carr

"They’re easy to understand. They’re thorough. They’re funny. They’re always entertaining, and it makes it easy to learn parts of Drupal and how you can integrate it into your workflow and learn more and have a good time doing it."

Roger Carr
Drupalize.Me Member
Roger Carr

FAQs

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Am I required to sign a contract?

No. You can purchase a membership and/or cancel any time. Drupalize.Me is a pay-as-you-go service.

Can I preview tutorials before joining?

Yes! Just navigate to our tutorial library. Our free tutorials are labeled with a green "FREE" tag.

Can I watch videos on my mobile device?

Yes! Drupalize.Me is a responsive site and can be accessed in the browser on any mobile device.