To meet the job market's ever growing demand for  certified Android developers, Google once more in partnership with Udacity, has started offering an "Associate Android Developer Certification",  obtainable through just a single exam.

It's a move that might seem in contradiction to the certifications already offered by Udacity through its Android Developer Nanodegrees, again co-created by Google, but in contrast to a Nanodegree, getting hold of this certification doesn't require attending a lengthy or expensive course, in which you do projects and stick to class deadlines.

The candidate has to only take a one-off exam for a fee of $149. It requires the downloading of a few Android Studio project files and working on them for a period of  48 hours of work before  handing them over for their grading.

The actual download is a startup project that the candidate has to modify to accommodate new  functionality and bug fixing.Of course, it goes without saying that in order to be successful, the candidate has to be a seasoned developer. Thus the kind of developers that this certification targets are those that have obtained their skill set through sources such as practical experience or engaging in learning activities, online or otherwise, and who need to obtain certification to officially attest their skills or get past a job interview's entry level barrier. 

This certification, clearly influenced by Udacity's hands-on learning approach, is designed around the latest requirements sought after by the modern workforce marketplace. As such the candidate will be asked to display competency in the following application development areas:

• Testing and Debugging
  Candidates should be able to analyse application crashes, and find common bugs such as layout errors and memory leaks.
  
  
• Application User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)
  Candidates should have a working knowledge of using view styles and theme attributes to apply a consistent look and feel across an entire application. 
  
  
• Fundamental Application Components
  Candidates should be able to describe the types of application logic that would be best suited for each component, and whether that component is executing in the foreground or in the background.
  
  
• Persistent Data Storage
  Candidates should be able to describe platform features that allow applications to store data securely and share that data with other applications in a secure manner.
  
  
• Enhanced System Integration
  Candidates should understand how to provide proper navigation from these external interfaces into the application's main task, including appropriate handling of deep links.

After the exam's submission, subsequent grading, and successful passing of the exam, there is still an exit interview awaiting candidates, in which they have to explain their work in their own words. For this candidates record a video rather than talking to a person.

Although the mere act of passing the exam does not assure the landing of a job, if you're an experienced Android developer but lacks an official accreditation you still might want to take advantage of this opportunity.

More Information

Introducing Associate Android Developer Certification by Google

Android Developer Nanodegree

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