AD0-E137 · ● Active · Expert · Adobe
Exam facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Cost | ~$225 USD; partner pricing varies by region |
| Duration | 100 minutes |
| Questions | 50 (all scored) |
| Passing | ~65% (scaled scoring) |
| Format | Multiple choice / Multiple response |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE (online or test centre) |
| Languages | English |
| Valid | 3 years |
| Renewal | Retake exam to recertify |
| Prerequisites | None; 2+ years hands-on AEM Sites development experience recommended |
| Released | 2022 (current version) |
| Retiring | N/A |
Vendor source — Adobe Experience League Certifications
Official exam guide — AEM Certification Overview
Exam objectives — AEM Certification Overview
About
The Adobe Certified Expert — AEM Sites Developer certification validates expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining enterprise digital experiences using Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Sites. Targeted at professional developers with 2+ years of hands-on AEM development, this expert-level certification demonstrates mastery of AEM architecture, component development, content management workflows, and production deployment patterns. Current as of 2026; vendor actively maintains and updates exam content quarterly.
Domain context — Software Engineering / CMS
Enterprise content management and web platform development using proprietary vendor stacks. AEM represents a specialized, high-value segment of the broader CMS ecosystem, requiring deep knowledge of Java/Sling architecture, component patterns, and Adobe's deployment topology.
Read full deep dive — Adobe Experience Manager →
Topics covered
Exam blueprint weighted as follows:
- AEM Architecture & Core Concepts (10%) — OSGi, Sling servlets, JCR repository model, node structure
- Pre-sales & Discovery (10%) — Stakeholder engagement, requirements gathering, solution fit assessment
- Solution Design (15%) — High-level design, component strategy, content modeling, authoring workflows
- Implementation (40%) — Component development (HTL/Sightly), backend services, bundles, APIs, testing, CI/CD integration
- Solution Validation (10%) — Testing strategies, performance profiling, security scanning, UAT coordination
- Maintenance & Operations (15%) — Upgrade paths, version management, troubleshooting, log analysis, monitoring
- Best Practices & Standards (10%) — AEM design patterns, accessibility (WCAG 2.1), responsive design, security hardening
Source: Official Adobe exam blueprint
Common skills at Software Engineering / CMS · Expert
Shared competencies for enterprise content management platforms at expert level — not specific to AEM.
- Full-stack web application architecture (frontend UI, middleware, backend services)
- Content data modeling and workflow automation
- RESTful API design and integration patterns
- Relational and document-oriented database design
- Production deployment, scaling, and disaster recovery
- Security hardening (OWASP top 10, data encryption, access control)
- Team leadership and architectural decision-making
- Performance optimization and load testing
Recommended courses at Software Engineering / CMS · Expert
| Provider | Title | Cost | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Experience League | AEM Sites Videos and Tutorials | Free | ↗ |
| Udemy (Krishna Rao) | Complete Adobe AEM 6.5 Developer Course | $12–$60 | ↗ |
| Udemy (Yogesh Upadhyay) | Adobe Experience Manager — Sites Developer Expert | $12–$60 | ↗ |
| A Cloud Guru / Linux Academy | AEM Sites Developer Track | $50/mo | ↗ |
| CBT Nuggets | AEM Sites Developer Series | $39/mo | ↗ |
Practice exams
| Provider | Title | Cost | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Udemy (AEM Quiz Provider) | AD0-E137 Practice Exam Pack (100+ questions) | $15–$30 | ↗ |
| MeasureUp | Adobe AEM Sites Developer Expert (AD0-E137) | $99 | ↗ |
| Whizlabs | Adobe AEM Sites Developer Expert Practice Tests | $40–$60 | ↗ |
Books
| Title | Author | Publisher | Year | ISBN | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 Dispatcher Configuration Guide | Adobe Documentation | Adobe Press | 2023 | 978-1-0861-4271-2 | ↗ |
| Adobe Experience Manager — Classical Foundations | Justin Edelson, Bertrand Delacretaz | Packt | 2014 | 978-1-784-39015-1 | ↗ |
| AEM 6.x Quickstart and Developer Guide | Yogesh Upadhyay | Self-published | 2023 | N/A | ↗ |
Note: Adobe Experience League (free) is the canonical source for current certification study materials. Published books lag behind quarterly feature updates; use them for foundational architecture concepts only.
Typical job titles at Software Engineering / CMS · Expert
AEM Developer · AEM Sites Developer · Senior AEM Developer · AEM Architect · Backend Developer (AEM) · Sling/JCR Developer · AEM Solutions Architect · AEM Technical Lead · Full-Stack AEM Engineer
(Job titles drawn from current job-board postings that list this cert as required or preferred.)
Salary
| Region | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| USD | $110,000 – $180,000 | Glassdoor AEM Developer · Robert Half IT Salary Guide 2026 · Levels.fyi |
| ZAR | R850,000 – R1,400,000 | Pnet · PayScale South Africa · CareerJunction |
| GBP | £80,000 – £140,000 | IT Jobs Watch · Hays Salary Guide 2026 |
| EUR | €90,000 – €150,000 (DE/FR/NL) | Glassdoor EU · PayScale Europe |
| AUD | A$140,000 – A$220,000 | Seek · PayScale Australia |
Salary premium note: AEM expertise commands 15–25% premium over general backend developers due to scarcity of certified professionals and platform specialization. Architect-track roles (AEM Architect, Solutions Architect) reach $200K+ USD.
Skills validated
This exam specifically tests the following technologies and concepts distinct from general software engineering:
- AEM Core — OSGi bundles, Sling framework, JCR repository model, node types, access control lists
- Component Development — HTL (HTML Template Language), Sightly syntax, clientlibs, component dialogs, design systems
- Content Models — StructuredText nodes, asset management, metadata, versioning, workflow states
- Java Backend — Servlets, service interfaces, dependency injection (Declarative Services), bundle lifecycle
- APIs & Integration — Content API, Assets API, GraphQL endpoint configuration, third-party service connectors
- Testing & Quality — JUnit, Mockito, AEM testing libraries, performance profiling with JMeter
- Deployment & DevOps — Dispatcher configuration, replication agents, package deployment, CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, Cloud Manager)
- Security — Authentication (SAML, OAuth), authorization, XSS prevention, CORS, content security policies
- Performance — Query optimization (JCR-SQL2), caching strategies, dispatcher rules, asset delivery optimization
- Accessibility & UX — WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, responsive design patterns, RTL support, screen reader testing
Related certifications
- Stacks with: Adobe Certified Professional — Adobe Analytics Data Analyst (complementary analytics cert)
- Prerequisite for: Adobe Certified Architect — Adobe Experience Manager (architect track)
- Equivalent at this level: No direct cross-vendor equivalents; CMS experts from other vendors (Sitecore, Drupal enterprise) require full reskilling due to AEM-specific architecture
- Vendor overview: Adobe Vendor Overview
Sources
- Adobe Experience League Certifications: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/certification-home
- AEM Certification Overview: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/certification/program/technical-certifications/aem/aem-overview
- Adobe Digital Experience Certification Program (exam code AD0-E137, verified 2026-08-09): https://certification.adobe.com/courses/1222
- Dispatcher Configuration Guide: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-dispatcher/using/dispatcher
- Glassdoor Salary Data: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries
- Robert Half IT Salary Guide: https://www.roberthalf.com/salary-guide
- PayScale ZA: https://www.payscale.com/research/ZA/Certification=Adobe_Certified_Expert_%28ACE%29/Salary
- Pnet South Africa: https://www.pnet.co.za
- CareerJunction: https://www.careerjunction.co.za
- Hays Salary Guide: https://www.hays.com/
- IT Jobs Watch: https://www.itjobswatch.co.uk
- Levels.fyi: https://levels.fyi
Last verified: 2026-08-09
Parent ecosystem: Adobe Experience Manager
Parent domain: Software Engineering / CMS
Vendor overview: Adobe Overview