TYPO3 v10 Certification Syllabuses

Official certifications are a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and competence. More than a decade ago, the TYPO3 Association launched the first certification program for TYPO3 integrators. As of today, we offer four certification streams: TCCI (for integrators), TCCD (for developers), TCCE (for editors), and TCCC (for consultants).

Although the exams are challenging, hundreds of TYPO3 experts successfully passed the tests and proved that they know their trade. In the last few years, candidates could take the test mainly at TYPO3 events such as TYPO3 camps, CertiFUNcation, TYPO3 Developer Days, etc.

As the pandemic situation has forced us to postpone or cancel all physical events, we had to rethink the certification program. The team at the TYPO3 GmbH developed a new exam tool that lets users buy, schedule, and take exams online. This tool and the online exams have been available since June 2020.

The question pool contains hundreds of questions that were curated and are maintained by the Education Committee. More precisely, by “task forces” for each certification. A task force is a small group of experts for a specific area, e.g. the TYPO3 developer certification.

As a candidate, you need to know which topics and skills are part of the exam. This is important as you likely want to prepare yourself before going into a test. The updated syllabuses for TYPO3 certifications are your ultimate guides to what is expected from a candidate. They contain a complete list of all topics that could possibly come up as questions in the exam.

You might be wondering how we—as the Education Committee—manage the data. How do we structure the information, and how do we document what a candidate needs to know to become certified? Also, what is the best way for a potential test candidate to access the data? The following sections provide a quick insight into the internal processes.

The SkillDisplay platform lets us manage and maintain the skills, goals, and links to resources. We broke down the syllabuses for three of the four certifications (TCCI, TCCD, and TCCE). This lets us store detailed descriptions and clear goals for each skill that we expect of a certified TYPO3 expert. The screenshot below shows a small portion of the TCCI skill tree for integrators, showing the required skills and how they depend on each other.

Candidates can leverage the SkillDisplay web portal in two ways. First and foremost, everyone can access the same information each task force developed and entered. For example, which skills are expected from a certified TYPO3 developer, and which resources (e.g. documentation) they should study to acquire this skill. A user account is not required for this type of access.

SkillDisplay is also an online tool that helps you to record, track, and show your skills. Every achieved skill represents a milestone on your learning path, and the successful end of a path is your TYPO3 certification. This function requires a user account of course, which means you have to register and log in to SkillDisplay.

Based on the data stored and managed in SkillDisplay, we generate and export each certification’s syllabus. These are fixed and provide a comprehensive overview of all topics and which knowledge each topic covers.

Some topics overlap between certifications. A typical example is “Digital Assets Management”. A TYPO3 integrator has to know the general concept behind the File Abstraction Layer (FAL) and how to configure it. An editor should know how to use the Filelist module in the TYPO3 backend. A TYPO3 developer needs to know how to store and retrieve records and use the FAL programmatically. Although specific skills are different between roles, the foundation is the same. In this example, all task forces share the skill “FAL Basics” and SkillDisplay helps us to avoid redundant information about this skill.

Each syllabus went through a strict quality assurance process. Several stakeholders and entities reviewed each syllabus before we declared them as “approved”.

To be absolutely clear: At the time of writing, the certification exams still refer to TYPO3 v9. This will remain so for the rest of the year 2020.

The reason for this is simple. Certification candidates should have sufficient time to get ready for TYPO3 v10 exams. The new syllabuses were published on 30 September 2020 and we allow for a warm-up period of three months. This means that TYPO3 certifications will continue to be based on v9 during this time.

My personal advice: If you feel more familiar with TYPO3 v9 than v10, and/or if you already started preparing for a certification, now is an excellent time to register and take the test. Make sure that you do this before the end of the year. If you pass the test, you can celebrate your achievement with an extra glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve.

If you already work with TYPO3 v10 instances, haven’t started your exam preparations yet, and/or don’t plan to do the test in the next few months, then dig into the new syllabus and get ready to take the TYPO3 v10 exam early next year. By the way, this could also be your New Year’s Resolution for 2021, don’t you think? Don’t wait too long, though. The syllabuses for v10 are already out.

Before you prepare for an exam, always check which TYPO3 version the test refers to. For the rest of 2020, all certifications remain to be based on TYPO3 v9 LTS. From the 1st of January 2021, the exams will likely refer to TYPO3 v10 LTS (to be confirmed). Keep an eye on the TYPO3 Certification website and the TYPO3 news!

Although a syllabus tells you what we expect a candidate to know to become officially certified, it does not contain any example questions or further details.

You need to be familiar with the official TYPO3 documentation and to have practical hands-on experience with TYPO3. This applies to integrators and developers in particular, but also to editors and consultants.

Here are some suggestions for preparing for the exams:

• Download and read the official syllabus (see links below).
• Look up the required skills, goals, and knowledge areas in SkillDisplay.
• Study the TYPO3 documentation and any other resources listed.
• Make sure you understand the instructions by reproducing them in a TYPO3 instance (hands-on).
• Purchase a study guide (book or eBook) to learn more about the exams and typical questions. For example TCCI, TCCD, or TCCC.
• Track your skills and learning progress with SkillDisplay.
• Try to help other users on Slack and Stackoverflow to prove your knowledge.

You can find the new syllabuses for TYPO3 v10 certificates on the TYPO3 Certification website:

• TYPO3 CMS Certified Developers
• TYPO3 CMS Certified Integrators
• TYPO3 CMS Certified Editors
• TYPO3 CMS Certified Consultants

The syllabuses are unlikely to change and can be used by certification candidates to prepare for the TYPO3 v10 exams. However, be aware that all four certifications continue to be based on v9 until the end of 2020.

Candidates are explicitly advised to double check the TYPO3 versions of the exams on the TYPO3 Certification website.

We are delighted to let you know that candidates can use the SkillDisplay web portal to look up all detailed descriptions and clear goals for each skill. This applies to three of the four certifications at the moment: TCCI, TCCD, and TCCE. Besides, SkillDisplay also lets candidates record, track, and show their progress and achievements.