How it works

How DEX Certification Works

Four steps. Choose your certification. Prepare. Take the assessment. Receive your credential.

DEX certifies readiness at a defined band and industry. There are 13 bands across four levels and 10 industries. You pick the one that fits. The assessment does the rest.

Step 1: Choose Your Band and Industry

Start by choosing the band and industry that match the work you do now. Or choose the ones that match the work you are ready to do next.

The 13 Bands

DEX has 13 certification bands across four levels.

DEX-A: Associate (1 band)

This is for people entering or re-entering the workforce. It certifies readiness for supervised professional work.

DEX-P: Professional (4 bands)

Specialist, Practitioner, Lead Expert, Strategist. These bands are for people who contribute on their own. Each band covers a wider scope than the one before it.

DEX-M: Management (4 bands)

Team Leader, Group Manager, Area Director, Division Head. These bands are for people who lead others. Each band covers a larger scale of leadership.

DEX-PF: Portfolio (4 bands)

Regional, National, Cross-Border, Global. These bands are for enterprise leaders. Each band covers a wider geographic and operational scope.

The 10 Industries

Each band is available across 10 industries: Arts, DaaS, Education, Energy, Government, Healthcare, Human Resources, Marketing, Nonprofit/NGOs, and Utilities.

No Prerequisites

There are no required qualifications. No minimum years of experience. No mandatory prior certifications. You choose the band and industry you believe match your current readiness.

The band descriptions and the study guide can help you decide. The assessment itself is the gatekeeper.

Step 2: Prepare

A study guide is available for every certification product. Each study guide is specific to your chosen band and industry. The study guide for Specialist Healthcare is different from the study guide for Practitioner Marketing.

What the Study Guide Covers

Each study guide has three parts:

  • Industry knowledge. Key terms, rules, and ideas for your chosen industry.
  • Band scope. What is expected at your chosen band. The tasks, decisions, and responsibilities.
  • Combined content. Applied material where your band and industry meet.

The study guide is a preparation tool. It does not contain assessment questions.

Study Guide Pricing

  • $49 CAD on its own.
  • Included at no extra cost with membership. One per assessment taken. Specific to your band and industry.

Step 3: Take the Assessment

  • 90 questions.
  • 90 minutes.
  • Online. Proctored.
  • Pass standard: minimum demonstrated readiness at the band.
  • Immediate provisional result.

Step 4: Receive Your Credential

When you pass, you receive:

  • Digital badge with your certification number.
  • LinkedIn credential badge linked to the DEX verification database.
  • Verification link. Anyone can confirm your credential using your credential ID.
  • Credential label in the format Band Name + Industry. For example: Specialist Healthcare or Division Head Energy.

Your credential is valid for 24 months.

Pricing

All prices are in Canadian dollars (CAD). The assessment price is the same for all bands within a level. It is the same for all 10 industries.

Assessment Pricing

Level With Membership Without Membership Bundle (Assessment + Membership + Study Guide)
DEX-A $199 $299 $288
DEX-P $299 $399 $388
DEX-M $399 $499 $488
DEX-PF $499 $599 $588
  • Membership: $89 CAD per year. Works across all levels, all bands, and all industries.
  • Study guide: $49 CAD on its own. Included with membership at no extra cost. One per assessment taken.
  • Member savings: $100 on every assessment.
  • Bundle savings: $149 at every level. This is compared to buying the assessment (without membership), membership, and study guide separately.

Retake Policy

Retake when you are ready. There is no required waiting period.

Each retake is a fresh assessment. Different questions are drawn each time. Questions from previous attempts are not repeated. You can retake as many times as you need. The study guide stays available between attempts.

Retake Pricing

Level With Membership Without Membership
DEX-A $100 $150
DEX-P $150 $200
DEX-M $200 $250
DEX-PF $250 $300

Membership

$89 CAD per year.

Membership works across all levels, all bands, and all industries.

What membership includes:

  • $100 savings on every assessment at every level.
  • Study guide included with each assessment taken. One per assessment. Specific to your band and industry.
  • Access to member resources.

Membership does not mean certification. A member who has not passed an assessment is not a DEX-certified professional. Certification and membership are separate.

After Certification

Your credential is valid for 24 months from the date you pass.

Renewal: Take the assessment again at the standard assessment price before your credential expires. Member pricing applies if you have an active membership.

Credential stacking: You can earn more than one certification. Each one covers a different band, industry, or both. Each credential you earn is a separate, verified entry in the DEX registry.

Examples of credential stacking:

  • Associate Arts and Specialist Marketing
  • Group Manager Healthcare and Group Manager Human Resources
  • Practitioner Marketing and Regional Energy

Ready to Start?

Choose your certification. Pick the band and industry that match your readiness.

Explore certification bands

How it works

The walk-through, in order.

This page shows you what happens, step by step. From the moment you sit down to take the test to the moment someone checks your certificate. No selling. Just the steps.

HOW TO PREPARE

You can prepare. You do not have to.

The test is about the work you already do. So you do not need to study. If you want a sense of what is on the test before you start, the Dex Study Guide walks you through it. It is a tool. Not a course. There are no classes.

Prepare if it helps. Skip it if it does not.

Get the Study Guide Explore Membership

WHAT THE TEST SITTING IS LIKE

What it feels like to take the test.

You take the test online from your own laptop or desktop. You pick the time. You pick the place. Your kitchen table works. A library works. Anywhere quiet with good internet works.

One sitting

You take the test from start to finish in one go. You do not stop and come back to it later.

At your own pace

There is no clock running you out. You read each question, you answer, you move on.

Right when you finish

As soon as you put down your last answer, you see your result. No waiting. No email a week later.

Your result, and what you get.

Two things happen at the end. First, you see your result. Then, if you pass, you get your certificate.

Your name

The name you signed up with. Spelled the way you want it to appear.

Your path and your field of work

The path you passed and the field where you took the test. Like Specialist Healthcare. Or Team Leader Marketing.

The date

The day you passed. Right there on the certificate.

Active or not

So anyone looking at it knows it is current today.

The certificate is yours. You hold it. You decide who sees it.

The Registry

How someone checks your certificate.

Your certificate has a short code on it. The code is how others check that it is real. Here is what that looks like for them.

How it works

  1. You give the code: You share it the way you want. By email. On your resume. In a message. Face to face. Your call.
  2. They put it in: They go to the page. They type the code. That is it. No account. No sign-up. No fee. They do not pay. You do not pay.
  3. They see what you saw: The same four things you have on your certificate. Your name. Your path and field. The date. Active or not. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Free to check. No login required.

Check a Certificate

Sample certificate record

Certificate Record Active
Name Alex M.
Level DEX-P Professional
Field Digital Marketing
Assessed March 2055
Certificate code ASKF-ORDE-XCAN-ABCD

This is a sample record for illustration only.

You know how it works. Now pick where to start.

You can pick a path on the certification page. Or you can try Dex Ready first. It is free. It takes a few minutes. No credit card.

Find Your Dex Try Dex Ready, free