Sitecore 10 .NET Developer Certification Exam: My Experience and Key Takeaways

In December 2024, I cleared the Sitecore 10 .NET Developer Certification Exam, an essential milestone for developers working in the Sitecore ecosystem. This blog will walk you through my experience, the exam structure, preparation tips, and new questions that were included, which might help you prepare better.

Exam Structure

• Total Questions: 60

• Duration: 120 minutes

• Key Topics: No questions on ASP.NET Core, but the exam extensively covered: 

o Sitecore xConnect

o xDB

o Sitecore Search and Indexing

o Sitecore Marketing Features

The questions were mostly multiple-choice and focused on practical scenarios, with several around the newer features in Sitecore. Here are new questions that they asked

1. What are the things required for Sitecore reporting?

a. Reporting API 

b. Reporting services

c. Processing server

d. Reporting database

2. Whats the role of xConnect search collection?

a. Search the interaction

3. If you have to create a new model for xDB, what's the next step?

a. Create JSON file for model and deploy to xConnect project folder

4. What are the available options for IQuarable<Item> for search operations

a. GetResults

b. GetFacets

c. Where, orderby, contains

d. Groupby, sum

5. How to show same price for all version of each language in Sitecore item?

a. Make field Unversioned

6. What is the use of goals in Sitecore?

a. Measure the engagement and tracking

7. From the personalization rule what can be achieved

a. Hide the component,

         b.  Replace the layout of the component

8. New language is not available from available language list in Sitecore, how can you add new language?

a. Add new language from control panel

9. What is the use of <IncludeTemplate> in config file for search indexing 

a. Indexing include only those items created from specific template

10. What can be achieved from Sitecore search operation

a. Search the products

11. How can you change the alt value of items that contains image field

Get the items, get all fields collection and change the alt field 

13. What the use of “Item Include” in serialization file?

a. Specify the item path that need to serialise

14. Which of the following information is available within Workbox?

A. Number of editable data source items in all of Sitecore

B. Information about an item's originating template

C. Number of active campaigns divided by marketing team

D. Available workflow commands divided by associated workflow.

15. Which statement characterizes the Sitecore Extranet security domain?

A. It provides default access to the Sitecore identity server for users to log in to the appropriate environment areas.

B. It is an internal security domain for users that can access the Sitecore client tools and editing functionality.

C. It is the domain that contains user accounts as well as customized roles for managing read access to the website content.

D. It provides customized roles for controlling access to third-party environments such as a CRM or payment portal.

16. For non-SXA websites, why is it recommended to avoid setting presentation details directly on new content items?

A. Defining presentation details on standard values ensures all the fields related to an item's presentation are configured for access by content creators.

B. Sitecore does not allow presentation details to be changed at the content-item level, so they must be set and edited from the standard values of templates.

C. It allows all content items made from the same template to have the same presentation details by default and eliminates additional work during content creation.

D. It forces a prompt to appear when new content items are created so Content Authors can finalize the presentation details for the new content items.

17. Of the available options, which is a purpose of the field source in data templates?

A. The field source is a field property that designates where in the content tree the field obtains its data.

B. The field source is used to control a user’s access and permissions to folders and files in the content tree.

C. The field source defines how a field’s data appears in the Content Editor in the UI.

D. A field source maps a field to the underlying class representation in the API.

18. What is a reason to set the insert options on a specific item under the content node of the content tree?

A. To allow Content Authors to insert items into the content tree for all the templates they have access to

B. To allow Content Authors to insert items under the specific item in addition to what is included with the item's standard values

C. To allow Content Authors to insert new items under any item within the content tree

D. To allow Content Authors to insert items created from any system template into the content tree under the specific item

19. Your published layout.cshtml file contains a static placeholder with a “main” placeholder key and you want to add renderings to the presentation details of a templates standard values; however you cannot see the "main" placeholder key you added to the layout. Of the available options, which is the best explanation of what happened?

A. There is a missing configuration element in web.config for placeholders.

B. The wrong layout is associated with the current template.

C. A Sitecore publish is required to show placeholder keys when editing presentation details.

D. There is no placeholder settings item for the associated "main" placeholder key.

Preparation Tips

1. Video and PDF by Navan

I found the video and PDF tutorials by Navan extremely helpful. He comprehensively covered the topics and ensured I had a clear understanding of the Sitecore core concepts. PDF is available at here.

2. Focus Areas Beyond the Basics

Pay special attention to xConnect, xDB, and Marketing features, as these were prevalent in the exam.

3. Hands-On Practice

Create a small Sitecore project to familiarize yourself with search operations, workflows, goals, personalization rules, and field properties like "Unversioned" and "Shared."

Final Thoughts

Passing the Sitecore 10 .NET Developer Certification Exam requires a combination of practical experience, theoretical knowledge, and focused preparation. Be thorough with advanced topics like xConnect and xDB, as they often differentiate a prepared candidate from the rest. With the insights and preparation resources shared here, you’ll be better equipped to tackle the exam successfully.

Good luck to all aspiring Sitecore-certified developers!