What’s New
Onshape has updated their certification exam, and it’s now more challenging than before. The changes are designed to better reflect real-world design and modeling skills, bringing it closer to the difficulty level as comparable engineering certifications.
While this is a great step forward for validating students’ CAD expertise, it also means teachers and students may notice a learning curve as they adjust to the higher standard.
What SolidProfessor is doing to help you prepare
Our Content Team dove right in to make sure your students are fully supported. We’ve made several updates to help align your classroom with the new exam requirements, including:
- ✅ Three new lessons that cover the updated exam content.
- Introduction to Onshape Section 1 Lesson 5: Measure and Mass Properties Tools: Use these tools to analyze geometry, dimensions, and physical characteristics of parts and assemblies. These skills directly align with the Associate Exam objectives related to evaluating models, verifying distances, and mass property data.
- Introduction to Oshape Section 5 Lesson 11: Offset and Limit Mate Features: Learn how to apply and adjust Offset and Limit settings within Mates to precisely control part alignment and motion. These concepts support the Associate Exam objectives related to configuring assembly constraints and managing component movement ranges.
- Certified Onshape Associate Prep Section 1 Lesson 4: Using Variables: Create and manage Variables to efficiently control and update multiple dimensions at once. These skills directly support the Associate Exam objectives related to using variables, equations, and parameter-driven design to modify parts quickly.
- 🔄 Refined practice exam questions and timing to better match the new structure.
- 🔍 Comprehensive review of existing lessons to ensure all current exam objectives are covered.
💡 Instructor Note:
If your class is already using our Onshape Certification Prep course, we can help add the three new lessons directly to your assignments.
For those who haven’t started coursework yet … good news! In the next few weeks, we’re releasing a brand-new “2025 Onshape: Beginner to Certification” course with all updates included. (More details and links coming soon!)
What to Expect
The biggest shift with the new exam is depth of skill and seat time needed to be fully prepared for the test.
With most Associate-level certifications, we recommend a full semester of hands-on practice to get familiar enough with the software to pass the exam.
Most often, the challenge isn’t knowledge — it’s speed and fluency. Students may understand the concepts but lose time navigating the interface or searching for specific dialog boxes. The key to improving those scores is simple: time in the software.
We’re confident the SolidProfessor lessons cover the knowledge portions thoroughly — but building that automaticity in modeling takes repetition.
To that end, we also recommend having students complete the official Onshape Certified Associate Practice Exam. It’s an additional way to preview the scope, timing, and user interface of the real exam, giving students an extra edge when test day comes.
More practice is never a bad thing — and this exam provides a pointed, practical way for students to get comfortable with the pace and structure of the certification.
Tips to Help Students Pass
Here are a few proven strategies from teachers and certification reviewers that can help your students succeed:
- 🧠 Start early. Introduce certification-style exercises by mid-semester to build familiarity.
- ⏱️ Enabling testing timer for the Review Tests on your assignments so students can practice the pace
- 👥 Encourage collaboration. Peer problem-solving helps students identify and fill knowledge gaps.
- 📺 Reinforce learning. Have students revisit the video lessons for extra practice — once for learning, once for mastery.
- 📅 Build it into your routine. Even 15–30 minutes a week of Onshape modeling practice adds up over the semester.
We’re Here to Help
Our goal is to make sure every student — and every instructor — feels confident going into the new certification exam. With our updated content and upcoming course release, we’ll continue to provide the resources you need to help your students succeed.
👉 Have questions or want help updating your assignments?
Reach out to our team, we’d be happy to walk you through adding the new lessons or planning your certification prep timeline.
