The exam had 14 quiz questions total, with one big SQL question in the middle. The content was almost exactly like what people have shared here in past years — really grateful for those write-ups, they were super helpful for prep!
Questions 1-7: you download a CSV file. The one I got was about an online ad platform — A/B testing, watch time, dates, that kind of thing. The HR email had actually mentioned all of this.
Since I'd read other people's write-ups, I did this part in Excel too. I used filter, pivot table, COUNTIF, SUMIF, and so on. I don't remember most of the specific questions anymore, but one asked which week had the longest watch time during a certain ad's time slot — that one needed SUMIFS.
Also, for the date column, only the first row actually had a date written out (e.g. 2008-01-01) — every other row just had a "-" instead, so remember to replace those dates first.
Question 8: SQL
This one had three requirements, so you had to get the whole query right to get any credit... I thought I'd written it correctly but it kept erroring, probably because I misunderstood one part of it. The data was something like exam scores — I remember it involved grouping scores above some threshold a certain way, and using something else for the new column for scores below that threshold.
You basically needed JOIN, aggregate functions, GROUP BY, WHERE, and IS NULL for this one.
Questions 9-15: also ad data, with 4 CSV files — platform, ads, videos, total. Honestly if you merged them correctly you could answer everything.
The questions were mostly things like which ads got played the most, which had the highest click-through rate, etc. When you're practicing, it also helps to come up with your own common stats questions to build fluency.
The last two questions were t-tests — worth reviewing the difference between one-tailed and two-tailed tests beforehand. I panicked and didn't finish them...
You also needed filter, pivot table, and VLOOKUP/INDEX+MATCH to merge the three tables.
Other notes: the exam requires you to share your screen (it's recorded) and have your camera and mic on. It took about 2-3 days from finishing the exam to getting a certified score, so it really feels like someone manually reviews how you worked through it.
They actually said before the exam started that you're allowed to look up syntax, but I was too nervous to even open a search engine. If you get stuck out of nowhere, I'd still recommend searching — otherwise watching the clock run out while you're stuck is genuinely stressful.
The hard part of the exam is more about the time limit plus understanding what the questions are actually asking — some of the questions really are worded in a roundabout way, and I had to read them several times to figure out what they wanted.
I'd also recommend doing the Excel part first and then the SQL part, to lock in points more safely — not sure why I felt so confident that I did the SQL part first...
If you notice you're getting anxious during the exam, I'd suggest not submitting the parts you're unsure about right away — you can go back and check them later. Some questions are actually easy once you get them, but getting stuck on one you don't understand really tests your composure.
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