Should You Take the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) or aCAP Exam?

Data Science was once considered the sexiest career of the 21st century. Could analytics training help you stand out in the crowded field of decision science?

Author:  Nicole Janeway  |  Post Date:  Aug 24, 2022  |  Last Update:  Aug 7, 2024  |  Related Posts

The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) exam is an independent verification of the technical expertise needed for top performance at a data-driven organization. The certification is vendor-neutral, so it's a great foundation for any role involving data analytics. The CAP exam evaluates seven domains, which we'll cover in detail in this section.

If you're a data practitioner looking for a way to distinguish yourself in today's highly competitive workforce, read on. Certifications like CAP may help you broaden your skillset beyond the tasks you perform in your day-to-day work. Attaining this well recognized credential can help you solidify relevant skills, leading to more opportunities, higher pay, and increased job security. Earning the CAP is sure to help set you apart in the job hunt or in your current position.

💡 If you would like to study alongside others, be sure to check out the CAP Study Group on Facebook. If you're looking for extra practice, check out this set of practice questions. And finally, we offer a 65-day Study Plan to guide your preparation with daily emails.

Contents

• Introduction
• Eligibility
• Preparation and logistics
• Alternatives
• Topics
• Test Taking
• Maintenance
• Conclusion
• Related Posts

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.

Eligibility

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

Preparation and logistics

After successfully applying, you must 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.

Alternatives to the CAP exam

If you are not yet eligible for the CAP exam, then you should consider the Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP). This test is the exact same exam as the CAP. If you pass, you can convert your credential to the CAP when you become eligible.

Looking for more alternatives to the CAP exam? Check out our report on top data-related certifications.

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.

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.

INFORMS encourages test takers to read each question two to three times and take short breaks throughout the exam. It's in your best interest to pace yourself such that you use the full three hours to complete the test.

The passing score for each iteration of the CAP is computed separately but hovers around 70%.

Advice from CAP Study Group

"I passed the CAP exam from INFORMS yesterday. I was exhausted afterward!! It's a three-hour exam. Keep in mind that you can take one bathroom break, with the timer still counting down, but you cannot return to any question that you've seen before you take your break.

"Only about 20% of the questions have easy answers, and the rest are very challenging. There are a lot of questions that ask things like 'What is the best...' or 'What is the first thing to do...'

"Overall, quite a challenge!"

– Kathryn Lesh,

Mathematician

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.

To learn CAP content along side your peers, check out the CAP Study Group. If you're interested in evaluating your knowledge, check out our practice questions. And finally, we released a 65-day Study Plan with daily emails to guide your preparation. Our team put together this great video introduction to the course:

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