Is the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) Exam Right for You?

The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) exam provides a third-party validation of the technical skills required for high performance in a data-driven enterprise. Because the certification is vendor-neutral, it serves as an excellent basis for any function involving data analytics. The CAP exam assesses seven domains.

If you're a data professional seeking for a strategy to stand out in today's increasingly competitive workforce, keep reading. Certifications like as CAP may help you develop your skill set beyond the duties you undertake on a daily basis. Obtaining this well-known credential can assist you in solidifying important abilities, which can lead to additional chances, higher compensation, and increased job stability. Earning the CAP will undoubtedly make you stand out in your job search or in your existing employment.

Introduction

The Certified Analytics Professional examination is based on the Job Task Analysis (JTA) framework developed and validated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). CAP evaluates mastery of the assessment of complex problems and application of advanced analytics. It also tests business acumen.

To get started with the certification process, you’ll first submit your professional credentials. The CAP requires a set number of years of experience depending upon the level and relevance of your academic qualifications:

• 3 years with MA/MS in related area
• 5 years with BA/BS in unrelated area
• 7 years with any degree in an unrelated area

You must also pledge to adhere to the Code of Ethics.

Training materials for the exam include the CAP Handbook, Job Task Analysis (JTA), and the CAP Study Guide. Supplementary material is available through the INFORMS CAP Prep Online Courses, which are designed to orient analytics professionals to the seven domains of analytics knowledge. The exam costs $495 if you are an INFORMS Member and $695 for nonmembers.

Topics

Data (23%): systematically applying statistical and/or logical techniques to describe, illustrate, condense, summarize, and evaluate data.

Analytic Problem Framing (17%): translating the business problem into terms that can be addressed analytically via data and modeling.

Business Problem Framing (14%): aligning the entire team with one solution through collaborative structuring.

Model Building (16%): developing a probabilistic model that best describes the relationship between the dependent and independent variables.

Methodology Framing (14%): scrutinizing approaches used by other researchers with similar aims and objectives. Researchers from the same disciplines often follow a common methodological approach or set of approaches.

Deployment (10%): putting machine learning models into production. Makes predictions available to users so that they can make data-driven business decisions.

Model Lifecycle Management (6%): testing and updating models in production without interrupting service to downstream applications.

Test Taking

Once your educational credentials are approved, you can use your CAP account to schedule the test through the Kryterion platform.

The CAP exam is composed of 100 multiple-choice questions, each with four answer choices. There is only one correct answer for each question - if you don’t know the answer, you should guess, given that a blank question will be counted as an incorrect answer.

Candidates have three hours to complete the exam. This means that on average, you’ll have just under two minutes to answer each question. Sounds like a lot of time, but each question is a mini-business case that requires significant care to answer.

Maintenance

Once you receive recognition as a Certified Analytics Professional, it’s time to waltz into the sunset, right? Well, not exactly — CAP recipients are required to maintain active certification status by earning Professional Development Units (PDUs). The idea here is to make sure that CAPs are at the cutting edge of industry and academia.

PDUs can be formal or informal learning opportunities and must be logged on the CAP dashboard.

Conclusion

The CAP enhances traditional analytical skills such as data modeling, and it also emphasizes the ability to transform data into insight and action via improved business acumen. Because the CAP is so holistic and rigorous, it provides a trusted foundation for hiring and career advancement.

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