Archer Certification Program Overview

The Archer Certification Program has evolved significantly since its early days, and today’s structure reflects a modern, flexible, and accessible approach to validating Archer skills. Below is a concise look at how the program has changed, how today’s exams work, and what you can expect moving forward.

How We Got Here

In the early 2000s, Archer training centered around a single four‑day Administration course, followed by a 160‑question exam on day five. It was long, intense, and open‑resource—but effective.

As Archer grew under RSA, training expanded, exams multiplied, and testing moved to Pearson VUE. Exams became fully proctored, no‑resource, appointment‑based, and often required travel to a testing center. Later, at‑home proctoring became available, but the strict format remained.

When Archer transitioned away from RSA and Dell systems, we reimagined certification from the ground up.

The Modern Archer Exam Experience

Since September 2021, all Archer certification exams have been delivered directly through Archer Academy’s learning platform. This means:

• You can take exams anytime—no appointments, no proctors
• You may use any resources you normally rely on (training materials, your Archer instance, notes)
• Exams include 70 questions with a 90‑minute time limit
• You can purchase exams with credit card or training credits
• Cost: $100 per exam

Just like real‑world Archer work, you won’t have time to look up everything—but you can confirm what you need.

Updated Platform Certification Levels

To better reflect the needs of both administrators and business users, Archer now offers three platform-specific certification levels:

• Level 1: Archer Certified Associate For business users, consultants, project managers, and others who use Archer but do not administer it.
• Level 2: Archer Certified Administrator – Specialist Roughly equivalent to the former Associate exam.
• Level 3: Archer Certified Administrator – Expert Roughly equivalent to the former Professional exam.

There are no requirements to work your way up through each level —if you feel ready for Level 3, you may take it directly.

What If You Certified Before 2021?

Anyone who held a valid Pearson VUE certification received an invitation from Credly to claim an equivalent digital badge. Certifications remain valid for two years, so if yours has expired, it is time to refresh your credential.

Your Next Step

Review the Archer Certification Exam Preparation Tips to get ready for your exam.

Keep learning, keep challenging yourself, and keep your Archer skills sharp.

All the best, 

Megan Olvera 
Sr. Manager, Archer Academy