Is MATLAB certification worth it for university research positions?

I'm applying for research assistant positions in biomedical engineering labs and a few postings mention MATLAB proficiency as a requirement. I already use it daily for signal processing work, but I don't have any formal credential. Would getting the matlab certification actually help differentiate my application, or do research supervisors care more about a portfolio of actual work?

I know industry hiring tends to value certifications more than academia does, but I've seen conflicting opinions. Some PIs I've talked to said they'd be impressed, others said they don't know the cert exists. It's also not cheap, so I want to make sure it's a worthwhile investment of both time and money.

I've been working through MATLAB practice tests to assess where my gaps are, and the exam material does look solid for matlab for engineers — it covers data import/export, visualization, and numerical methods that are all directly relevant to research workflows. Leaning toward doing it but would love input from anyone in academia.