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It depends on whether or not your job market requires it. I'm in Canada and its relatively a non-issue if you have already proven track record. I don't recommend taking it in Canada unless you have extra money to burn. I have seen no benefit to the professional accreditation I received from ESRI in the job market here. The other issue is that if a company is asking for that accredation, usually they want it up-to-date. That means you will have to keep retaking it with every major new release (as the exams are tied to major releases). At the end of the day, your proven skills and who you know are much more relevant than a paid accreditation. I mean, I guess if all things are equal between candidates at the end of the day, it might get you the job. As far as exam preparation goes, I believe there used to be some old course materials on this website at one point. You can do a search for that. Other than that, look at sample questions and take the free course here: https://www.esri.com/training/catalog/57630431851d31e02a43ee38/esri-technical-certification:-sample-questions-for-arcgis-desktop-associate/ It will give you an indication on how questions will be asked and what to expect. Be aware that the professional exam is much more technically inclined and specific. I've taken that particular exam and there are some tricky questions. Personally, I don't think its worth the money and isn't an industry standard here.