Taking an RPA certification exam might seem daunting. There are so many to choose from. And all of them seem useful. Plus there’s the whole thing of “who in their right mind voluntarily signs up to take a test in their spare time?”
But here we are. Maybe you’re a project manager or IT professional looking to level up your automation skills and improve your productivity. Maybe you’re a computer programmer hoping to pivot into the world of RPA development. Maybe you just love adding new certification badges to your LinkedIn profile (we see you former Girl Scouts).
Whatever the reason, we’re here to help you decide which Robotics Process Automation certification is right for you.
But first, let’s get clear on the basics.
RPA certification is a professional credential that demonstrates an individual’s skill in developing and implementing robotic process automation. It recognizes the expertise of individuals who can create, deploy and maintain RPA systems.
Sometimes referred to as an RPA developer certification, it can take anywhere between 1 hour and 6 months to complete, depending on the prerequisite prep work required. It can be free or can cost upwards of $75 USD. Many RPA vendors, such as UiPath and Automate Anywhere, offer industry-recognized RPA certifications.
Check out our favorite robotic process automation certifications.
Robotic Process Automation is one of the fastest-growing (and newest) industries in the world. Dating back only to the early 2000s, it is expected to reach a market size of $30.85 billion by 2030 (Grandview Research).
According to the Hackett Group, RPA adoption in the finance industry is predicted to grow by 12.7 times its current rate in the next 2 to 3 years, 3.7 times in HR, and 4.3 times in procurement. The pandemic and the ensuing recession have contributed to this massive spike in demand for the automation of business services.
In other words, RPA is basically the wild west. And in the wild west, it’s important to show everyone you’ve got cred.
By this we mean it’s important to get a professional credential like an RPA certificate to help you stand out to recruiters and prove you’ve mastered the skills and techniques required to be an RPA professional. Hiring managers are eager to find RPA pros, but just as eager to make sure they are hiring qualified individuals. And in most cases, they won’t be RPA experts themselves.
Even if you work in an industry like IT, HR, finance, or healthcare, having an RPA certificate on your resume could help you land a higher-paying job, as it shows you have an in-demand skill that will ultimately save your organization time and money.
RPA certifications vary in intensity, scope, and cost. Most involve in-depth knowledge of a particular RPA platform. Some provide learning materials to accompany your certification prep.
These are the top RPA certification courses to consider in 2023:
Certification: PixieBrix Professional Certification
PixieBrix is a low-code browser extension that you can use to automate any website. It’s not as big a name as other RPA companies on this list, but if you want to dip your toe into the world of RPA certifications, it’s definitely a great place to start.
You can even learn exactly how to use the tool in the process of getting certified through our 6-part course (which you can use to study at your own pace, but which is also estimated to take about 3 hours to complete). The course includes tutorials, reading, interactive exercises, and pop quizzes. You can even study along with Automation Teacher & YouTuber Anders Jensen in the video below:
Lastly, you have our Slack community to support you and field your questions along the way.
“I would highly recommend checking out the Pixiebrix Professional Certification course if you're looking for a low-code tool that can transform your web applications to get desired output in seconds. It covers all the essentials you need to get started, and the best part is that each section includes hands-on learning tasks so you can learn the concepts by putting them into practice. You can get a shiny certification in a couple of hours and use the knowledge to build awesome mods for everyday use.”
- ChanduMohammad S,
Lead Developer, Automation Anywhere MVP
Best for: Anyone who wants to learn PixieBrix fast to automate time-consuming tasks on the web, including RPA developers
Pre-requisites: Our free, 3-hour long online course (44 lessons) + exam
Fee: Free
Bonus: PixieBrix certified LinkedIn badge
Certification: RPA Associate (UiRPA)
The UiPath Certification is a general track RPA certification for anyone who wants to prove their knowledge of the UiPath Platform, which is one of the largest platforms in the industry. You don’t necessarily have to be an RPA developer for this UiPath training and certification. It will assess your foundational technical knowledge skills related to problem solving, process identification, and building simple automation solutions.
Best for: Anyone who uses UiPath for their job and wants to become a UiPath certified RPA developer
Pre-requisites: none, but experience with the platform is recommended
Fee: $150
Certification: Advanced RPA Developer (UiARD)
This UiPath advanced training is for RPA professionals in technical roles who are looking to gain deeper-level expertise in designing and developing complex RPA solutions in the Robotic Enterprise Framework, which is an advanced project template in UiPath Studio. The exam will assess your ability to independently design complex RPA solutions within this framework.
Best for: advanced RPA developers who use UiPath, UiPath developer advanced certification, UiPath professional certification, UiPath advanced developer training
Pre-requisites: none, but advanced experience with the platform is recommended
Fee: $200
Certification: Essentials RPA Professional
This RPA certification can be used to demonstrate your understanding of how RPA technology can be employed to solve critical business problems and create value.
Length: 1 hour
Best for: University students
Pre-requisites: Completion of the Automation Anywhere RPA Essentials for Students learning trail
Fee: Free Automation Anywhere Certification
Certification: Advanced RPA Professional
This advanced Automation Anywhere certification can be used to demonstrate knowledge of Automation Anywhere Enterprise RPA platforms.
Length: 2 hours
Best for: RPA professionals who use Automation Anywhere
Pre-requisites: Completion of all the courses in the Bot Developer (Automation 360) learning trail (6 hours)
Fee: $75
Certification: Master RPA Professional
This RPA certification can be used to demonstrate knowledge of creating bots using Automation Anywhere Enterprise RPA products.
Length: 1 hour 45 minutes
Best for: RPA professionals who use Automation Anywhere
Pre-requisites: Automation Anywhere Certified Advanced RPA Professional
Fee: $125
Certification: Power Automate RPA Developer Associate
This certification tests developers’ knowledge of automating repetitive tasks using Microsoft Power Automate. Before taking it, you should know how to:
Pre-requisites: Experience with JSON, cloud flows, and desktop flows; integrating solutions with REST and SOAP services; analyzing data by using Microsoft Excel, VBScript, and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA); HTML; JavaScript; one or more programming languages; and the Microsoft Power Platform suite of tools (AI Builder, Power Apps, Dataverse, and Power Virtual Agents).
You may also consider taking this 2-hour learning path provided by Microsoft.
Fee: $165
RPA certifications usually include an exam that takes 2 hours or less to complete. But getting an RPA certification is usually only recommended for individuals who have undergone at least 6 months of RPA training.
To become an RPA developer, you usually need to have a degree in computer science. You should also have knowledge of coding languages, an understanding of algorithmic logic, experience using common RPA tools, and an RPA certification.
Yes, if you already have a background in programming or if you just want to learn a few automation tricks for your day job, you could probably learn the basics of RPA on your own. There are many free resources, articles, RPA tutorials, and how-to guides online.
But, it depends on your goals and experience. If you’re hoping to get a job that heavily relies on RPA, you may not learn everything you need to know while following a self-guided program of study. It’s also hard to know if the information you’ve found online is the most up-to-date.
If you have no background in programming, you will most likely need to get a degree in computer science before you can consider becoming an RPA developer. And you may benefit from having a teacher to guide you and respond to questions.
But even for experienced programmers, we recommend taking a course or getting RPA certified from an industry-recognized institution to improve your chances in the job market.
The best Robotic Process Automation course (and certification) depends on your career history and goals. Some of the most trusted and popular options are:
In the words of the American entrepreneur Mark Cuban and richest “Shark” on Shark Tank, “Learn, learn, learn. The greatest competitive advantage is knowledge.”
Hopefully, by now we’ve convinced you that taking an exam in your spare time is worth it. It means you’re investing in yourself and ready to take your career to the next level. That’s exciting.
And with this list of RPA certifications at your side, you’re one step closer to showing recruiters you deserve your dream job. Next step? Schedule your exam!
With the explosion in popularity of ChatGPT and other AI apps, it’s not enough to simply be an RPA developer these days. You’ve got to be an RPA developer who knows how to leverage AI to work faster and be more creative.
Luckily PixieBrix has created an excellent course for you to start with. In the new PixieBrix + AI course, you’ll not only develop your competitive edge with AI; you’ll also get to:
Quick note: Don’t cancel your weekend plans. This course is just a couple of hours long and includes a 10-question quiz at the end. Plus, you’ll get a snazzy new badge for your LinkedIn profile (And who can say no to a snazzy badge? Not this former Girl Scout.)
Pre-requisites: none
Fee: Free
So what are you waiting for? Take your first step towards befriending the robots now!