Today was a shocker.
At 10 AM, Coach Lisa informed us that we were taking the Alteryx Designer Core Exam this afternoon, despite only spending 3 days learning the software!
Here are my general thoughts and recommendations for anyone taking the exam:
Prepare your setup in advance- Since the exam is open-book, have any web resources you plan to use and the Alteryx software open before you begin the exam.
Resources to consider:
This Alteryx cheat sheet:
https://www.scribd.com/document/702043316/Alteryx-Designer-Cheat-Sheet
The Alteryx help page:
https://help.alteryx.com/current/en/designer.html
Having multiple resources available is helpful. However, to save time, keep in mind that sometimes it is quicker to do a Google search for any simple questions. Another helpful approach is to create mock data in Alteryx using the Text Input tool. Creating mock tables allowed me to test out any tools that I was unsure about and visualize any data transformations. If you have time, you can even experiment with and recreate any tables from the exam giving you trouble (though I suggest only copying the first 2-5 rows).
How to create a table with mock data:
Select the Text Input tool in the In/Out section in the Tools Pane.
Fill your table with values.
Flag and move on- You have 2 1/2 hours to complete the exam. If you don’t know the answer to a question, flag it and move on to the next question. It’s better to get a question you’re confident about correctly than spend 10 minutes on a question and still be unsure of the answer. You can return to any flagged questions towards the end of the exam.
Don’t know the answer? Use your resources- This also goes for questions you’re not completely sure of. Since you are allowed to use outside resources, take advantage of them. However, be mindful of the time, don’t spend too long researching a single question.
Practice what you don’t know beforehand- These are the tools the Alteryx Core Designer Exam covers:
If you’re not confident with a certain tool, spend some time practicing it with the help of Alteryx Weekly challenges. In my case, even though I reviewed practice questions and completed challenges before the exam, I wasn’t fully confident using the Crosstab and Transpose tool. Unfortunately, around 10 of my exam questions revolved using those tools. With only 20 minutes remaining, I had to quickly research and practice those tools to answer my remaining questions. If possible, please avoid this.
All in all, thank you Salome for coaching us on Alteryx, and Coach Lisa for having faith in us. To those taking the exam, I wish you all the best!