The Account Executive certification (CAE) is earned on one scored live call, not a multiple-choice test. This page is that assessment: you hold a single call out loud with the economic buyer — the negotiation and close — and it is graded on the same five dimensions as every practice call: opening, discovery, objection handling, composure, and the clear ask. Score 3.0 or higher and you can issue your certificate — a public page a hiring manager can open, with your name, the band and a verifiable serial.
What the assessment is
It is the graded act of the AE track, and it compresses the whole AE job into one graded call. The lessons are how you get ready; nothing in them is a checklist you have to clear first. You are not running a discovery call or a demo in isolation — you run the close with the person who owns the number: diagnose the real problem and its cost, arm the buyer to defend the decision internally, handle their final objection, and make the direct ask.
You are given a deal card — the product, the value proposition, the target buyer, its real benefits and honest limitations, the world this buyer is bringing into the room (team, current stack, what just went wrong, who signs), and why a deal like this stalls. It stays open in the call panel while you negotiate, one copy, exactly like your own notes in a real close.
The card is context, not a script. Reciting it proves nothing and Marcus will say so — the hard questions are about consequences: "what does this replace in my stack?", "what does the CFO get for thirty grand that he does not already get from Clari?", "who does the work on day one?" A rep who can't answer those hasn't done their homework; a rep who invents a number to survive the question has failed a different way. If the card genuinely doesn't cover it, scope it honestly and commit to a date.
How it's scored
The same five-dimension rubric used everywhere on the site, 0–4 each:
- opening — earns attention and sets the frame
- discovery — diagnoses the buyer's problem before pitching
- objection handling — handles the final objection and lands a next step
- composure — steady and articulate under pressure
- clear ask — one specific, unambiguous ask held with silence
The overall is what counts. 3.0+ passes (a Distinction at 3.9+). Nothing else gates it: no lesson checklist, no multiple-choice section. The result is returned as a band, and a passing call can be issued as your certificate — your name, the band, and a public verify page a hiring manager can open and you can add to LinkedIn.
How to pass it
Run the call the way the track taught it: re-anchor on value the buyer already agreed matters, trade rather than fold, handle the objection without arguing, and make the ask directly — then stop talking and let the buyer answer. The buyer is winnable — do the job well and you get a yes or a dated next step; pitch features or discount instantly and the call stalls. When you're ready, start the assessment below and hold the call out loud.