Many educators and students wonder about the advantages of taking the Onshape certification exam. This certification is designed to showcase CAD proficiency to prospective employers, making it a valuable credential for anyone looking to validate their skills in a professional or academic setting.

First, let's discuss the recommendations and requirements. The certification exam is intended for candidates with at least 35-50 hours of Onshape experience in modeling multipart models. Alternatively, a year-long course focused on part modeling, multi-part modeling, assemblies, geometric dimensioning, and reading engineering drawings will adequately prepare students for this exam.

The three-hour Associate exam verifies a user’s understanding of Onshape’s part modeling, multi-part modeling, basic assembly design, drawing knowledge, and sharing and collaboration tools. It does not cover Onshape’s unique data management techniques, advanced modeling capabilities, or advanced assembly motion, which are addressed in the Certified Onshape Professional exam.

READ: What Is the Onshape Certified Professional Exam?

Certified Onshape Associate

The cost to take the Certified Onshape Associate exam is $50 per attempt, with discounts available for bulk purchases. Successful completion of the exam is recognized with a certificate and a digital badge suitable for LinkedIn, websites, or social media use.

The Career Value of Onshape Certification

Students who completed certificationStudents from FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Team 2901 in North Carolina are proud to be Onshape Certified Associates.

But what can the Certified Onshape Associate do for your career? Students from the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Team 2901 in North Carolina are proud to be Onshape Certified Associates.

Among the first to embrace the Certified Onshape Associate exam challenge are the “Purple Gears” (FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Team 2901) from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Led by mentor John Toebes, the team already holds five U.S. patents for its robot creations, with more on the way.

Eight students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, along with three mentors, have taken the exam. Out of the eight students, three passed on their first attempt.

“I was impressed with the challenging nature of the exam,” says Toebes, a software engineer and Purple Gears coach for 15 years. “I was a little concerned it might be too easy or too hard. I was sweating near the end of the test. There is a strong focus on attention to detail. Another coach and I both missed the same question.”

“Every student who didn’t pass the first time is excited to retake it. We’re planning a group study session. It’s been a very positive experience for all of us,” he adds.

Cardinal Gibbons High School prides itself on its strong STEM curriculum and has recently sent graduates to study engineering at colleges such as Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, and North Carolina State University.

“When our alumni visit, they look at what we’re doing with the robotics team and say, ‘Why didn’t we have this when I was in high school?’” Toebes remarks.

“The biggest value in earning an Onshape certification is that it shows the world you’ve made the effort to learn something recognized by the product owner,” he says. “Juniors and seniors benefit most from certification as they can include it on college applications, demonstrating their commitment to developing new skills.”

For college students, proving proficiency in Onshape can be advantageous when seeking engineering internships.

“We bring on new interns once or twice every quarter,” says Evan Reese, co-founder of Fractal, a product development firm in Nashville, Tennessee. “Since Onshape is our primary CAD tool, it’s important that our hires are proficient in it.”

“Getting candidates up to speed from another CAD system is doable, but it’s even more helpful if they can hit the ground running. For a three-month internship, we don’t have time for them to learn a new CAD tool. Being certified in Onshape is a huge asset,” he adds.

How to Get Prepared

As mentioned earlier, we highly recommend a year-long course that provides ample opportunity to practice your modeling skills. Just before taking the exam, we suggest utilizing the Practice Exam, which includes two parts to help both students and educators prepare.

The first part includes the Exam Guide, which walks users through the process of purchasing an exam, including redeeming vouchers. It provides detailed information to help users understand the exam environment and what will be expected of them. Additionally, answer keys are available at the end of the practice exam.

Second, a full practice exam is provided in a separate document that shows the layout and user interface. It contains a complete set of practice drawings and links to Onshape documents to hone your modeling skills. The practice exam also includes single-choice practice questions at the end, rounding out the full exam experience.

Practice examExamples from the Onshape Practice Exam.

We highly recommend using the practice exam in a simulated exam time frame and environment to see how you measure up before taking the real exam. It is an excellent indicator of your exam readiness!

How to Get Started

The Certified Onshape Associate exam was developed through a partnership between PTC/Onshape and SolidProfessor, a leading online resource for professional engineering training and education.

SolidProfessor has developed three valuable resources for educators and students to prepare for this new exam:

To be eligible for a free exam voucher ($50 value), students must complete SolidProfessor’s online prep course, which includes expert-guided lessons, practice exercises, and practice exam questions. 

You can easily enroll all your students in this prep course by becoming a “SolidProfessor for Schools” member. Request a demo to learn how you can integrate SolidProfessor’s online prep course into your Onshape curriculum!

Associate Cert CTA