Who is a Google Adwords Qualified Individual?

[jumbocruiser]

I am thinking about taking the Adwords exam. I figure that the $50 fee will be paid back many times from what I will learn from doing this, I qualify for the spending threshold as I have used Adwords for a couple of years.

My aim is to be an expert on as many parts of affiliate marketing as possible, starting with Adwords. Not forgetting the little Google logo I could use on my site!

Can anyone share any exam and post exam results?

[Frostie]

I was but it has since lapsed and I no longer think its worth the paper its written on. In the past I have had agencies and networks, who are apparently qualified, who didn't have a clue what they were talking about. One network I even took time out to educate and explain over the phone the difference between broad/exact/phrase matching.

I dont have a problem with this, but these people had also passed the exam and proudly displayed the logo on the front page of their corporate website After this, I chose not to resit it when it expired.

If you do choose to take it, becareful of some ambiuous questions (not sure if they have since been removed) but a basic understanding would probably get you a pass

[hpops]

Most of my team are adwords qualified - its actually quite extensive these days but Frosties right in that some people who are qualified don't seem to have the faintest clue - if you use it as a tool to sharpen your knowledge its well worth it - plus, in my game, its essential to have qualified company status and you need two qualified employees to get that.

[Shane]

yup it's ironic that the day it came in several of the high flying account managers failed it first time, some daren't even attempt it until they'd used the online university either.

I passed first in the world the day it came in.. YAY.. got a bag and some crayons for doing so ... like umm BOOO and WTF!?

but as frostie says there's not much of a value perception to it really in the industry as some of the people who have passed display a complete lack of awareness so as a result now it's not technically worth the pixels it takes up on the page as far as peers regard it I think, however unknowing merchants would be impressed by the badge on a site no doubt and it would offer them reassurance the company knows what it's doing. (and hopefully it does)

Following on from frostie educating a network, i've one better than that !.. I actually saw an email where an adwords rep told a collegue he'd be best not using phrase and exact variaions of a keyword as broad would catch it all! ..ok technically true but another HUH !? moment so why bother offering phrase and exact then ?!? lol

The test is now quite inflated, covers areas 95% of users will probably never use and is full of ambiguous questions.. ie. which one of the following can lower bid price.. and then after reading it's feasable that say 2 or 3 could do it..

I guess you'd expect specialists to be qualified though so it does have it's uses, although perhaps actual account evaluation may be a better way.. i.e run x accounts totalling £x and demonstrate CTR improvement over a given period, CPA reduction etc.. that'd be worth more as it's a real world excercise.