Prerequisite FAQs

Good news! In January of 2020, the Prerequisites requirement for taking advanced level courses changed. The only prerequisite for most advanced courses is Blackbaud certification at the Fundamentals level. This means you no longer need to search for and take specific Fundamentals courses, or try to determine if you took a previous version of a course. And if you’re already certified, you know the added value of Blackbaud certification is validation of your product knowledge and industry expertise.

I’m not Blackbaud certified. In order to take a certification exam, do I need to take the prerequisite courses cited for that certification?

Prerequisite courses are not required for Blackbaud product certifications and Organizational Best Practices certifications but are recommended to help prepare you for the certification exam. Think you’ve already got what it takes? Take your exam on-demand. Most complete exams in less than 20 minutes.

In order to qualify for access to advanced courses, from which year does my certification need to be?

We require a certification with a prior year stamp within the last two years (Example: To take 2022 advanced courses, you must have a certificate earned in 2021 or 2022).

I’m not a good test taker. Can’t I just take the Fundamentals courses?

  • Certification exams are multiple choice, open-book, and can be attempted as many times as needed in order to pass.

  • Earning a Blackbaud certification is the easiest way for you to validate your knowledge. This enables the best classroom experience for you and your peers.

  • Please refer to our Certifications FAQs for further information on certification.

If I already took the Fundamentals courses, do I still need to get certified?

  • Yes, Fundamentals certification is now a prerequisite for advanced courses. For details on which courses require certification as a prerequisite, refer to the Course Overview tab.
  • Updating a certification can take as little at 20 minutes, is open-book, and can be attempted as many times as needed.
  • Certification gives you access to advanced courses for up to two years, depending on when the certification is completed.