Q: Do you have a sense of how long you need to study to pass the SAS Base Programming cert exam?
A: It depends. If you have previous programming experience, we have seen people pass the exam with 2-3 months of preparation. We do recommend 3-6 months of programming experience.
Q: What would be the order of credentials to take?
A: You would want to start with the Base Programmer Certification.
Q: Is this a recorded meeting?
A: Yes, this webinar is being recorded and you can access the recording using the same link you used to join the webinar when you registered.
Q: I would like to know about the resources to prepare for Clinical SAS certification (A00-281)?
A: You can go to the following link for all preparation materials needed for the A00-281 exam.
https://www.sas.com/en_us/certification/credentials/foundation-tools/clinical-trials-programmer/clin....
Q: Do you offer a special certification for SAS® Customer Intelligence 360? There are lots of resources, but I couldn't find a certification.?
A: We do not have a credential for SAS CI 360 at this time. We may consider one in the future if we are able to identify enough demand.
Q: How do we send those badges directly to the employer where we applied for a job?
A: Once signed into your account, there is an option to share your badge or transcript with any 3rd party. They will receive a secure link to see your badge.
Q: Is the badge tied to the E-mail Address I used during setup? How can I keep access to it when changing the employer/e-mail address?
A: Yes. If you have difficulty accessing your account from a new email address, send us a note at certification@sas.com and we will assist.
Q: I passed the SAS Certified Base Programmer back in November 2003. I remember something about having to recertify every 3 years. If that’s true, then what is the status of my certification?
A: Back in 2003 there was a requirement to recertify. Recertification ended in 2009. If you did not recertify prior to 2009, your certification would have expired.
Q: I do not use SAS studio - rather EG when I take the online course do, I have an option to use?
A: Yes, you can choose your user interface at the beginning of the exam.
Q: Do you all have any notes we can have to practice, something like a “Cheat Sheet”?
A: We have free sample questions for all exams and most exams have a practice exam. See the website https://www.sas.com/en_us/certification.html. On our website, for every exam that we offer, we provide a complete exam content guide to help you know what is going to be tested on each exam. In addition, we provide sample questions, and, in many cases, we provide practice exams that will allow you to see the types of questions that are on the various exams.
Q: I assume also that you can choose the version of SAS to use on the exam?
A: No. You can choose your interface, but the software version is constant.
Q: Is there access to the SAS help documentation while you are in the exam?
A: Yes - it is there during the exam for both the Programming Specialist and Programming Professional exams.
Q: Once you get the credentials, do you have to update it annually?
A: The credentials do not expire, so you do not have to update the credential annually.
Q: By performance based, does that mean we have to use SAS software while taking exam?
A: Yes, you will use SAS software during the exam. But the software is available within the exam.
Q: Are there exams that you have to do some SAS programming on the spot?
A: Yes, the Base and the Advanced Programming exams require that you create and execute SAS code during the exam.
Q: What is the cost for the certifications?
A: Most of the exams cost $180.00 USD. The Programming Associate exam is $120.00 USD and the Predictive Modeler Exam using Enterprise Miner is: $250.00 USD.
Q: Would it be possible for you to share the slides or information presented today?
A: We make a pdf document of the slides and the Q&A available on the resources widget which you can access when you access the webinar. You can access the webinar using the same link that you used to access the webinar when you registered.
Q: I am pursuing Data science certificate thru community college, which is basically mirroring the SAS course website. Does it carry any value.?
A: Yes, the courses you are taking are valuable. We would suggest that you visit our certification website to explore the credentials associated with the Data Science credential. There is an exam content guide for each of the exams and you can use it to compare the topics/content from your courses against what we expect you to know in order to take the exams. In addition, we list the specific training that we recommend that you take to help you prepare for the different exams. You can look at your courses and what they cover against the content covered in the SAS training to determine any gaps.
Q: I have a Grad Cert using SAS. I have no programming experience. Which exam should I take? If new to SAS, would you recommend the SAS Certified Associate: Programing Fundamentals exam before obtaining the SAS Base Specialist exam?
A: Yes, although it is not required that you take the Programming Fundamentals exam before you take the Base Programming Specialist. The Base Programming Specialist assumes you have 3-6 months experience. The Associate level exam does not assume that you have very much programming experience.
Q: Do you have military or Veteran discounts?
A: Yes, we do. .Go to: https://support.sas.com/training/veterans/ to check out the training discounts. To request a free certification voucher, e-mail proof of military standing to certification@sas.com. Your certification voucher code is good for six weeks at Pearson VUE. To register for your exam, first create an account in SAS Certification Manager, then follow the steps to register/schedule an exam.
Q: If someone already holds the Specialist credential is there any value to acquiring the Associate credential? It seems like one should get Associate first, then Specialist.?
A: For the Associate in Programming, it is designed for those with little programming experience. If you hold Specialist, it is more advanced and there is no need to take the Associate level exam.
Q: Should I take Base Programming Specialist without taking the Programming Fundamentals exam?
A: If you are comfortable with SAS programming you can take the Base Programming Specialist exam without taking the Programming Fundamentals exam. The Programming Fundamentals exam is not a prerequisite for the Base Programming Specialist.
Q: If I don’t pass the exam first time, do I have to pay for fee again?
A: Yes, you will be charged the exam fee for each attempt you make for an exam.
Q: Are the prep questions as they appear on the exam?
A: Yes, we try to make sure that the practice exam questions are similar in type and difficulty level to the live exam questions. They are not the same, but they cover the topics as outlined in the Exam Content Guide which is published on our website for each exam.
Q: How do Python certifications translate over to SAS?
A: The short answer is that having certifications in Python does not fulfill any requirements for obtaining certifications in SAS, however, if you’ve already mastered one computer language such as Python, it is certainly much easier to master another language like SAS. We currently do not ask any Python questions on any of our exams.
Q: What is the practice exam is for the Base Programming Specialist?
A: The practice exam for the Base level is PE-231P.
Q: Will the PE-231P have programming practice as well?
A: Yes, the PE-231P practice exam will have programming practice.
Q: What if we want to retake the exam to score better?
A: The exams are pass/fail. Once you pass an exam, no further attempts are allowed.
Q: I plan to take the test from home. Does the room where I'll be taking the exam, have to be sanitized (i.e.no SAS book lying around, etc)? Do they use the laptop camera to check?
A: Maybe not sanitized, but you cannot have books, notes, etc., lying about. The proctor will monitor the exam session using the webcam in the laptop. This information about online proctoring is covered in this webinar as well.
Q: How do we access this feature in Acclaim re job openings?
A: When a badge is earned, within the badge a series of skills keywords are listed when you click on those skills, it will open the LMIs for those skills.
Q: What if my Internet connection is interrupted during the exam?
A: When something like this happens, the proctor staff from Pearson VUE will attempt to help you restore your exam session and you will pick back up with the last question you were working in once you log back into the exam. If your Internet cannot be restored in a timely manner then the Pearson VUE team will personally reach out to you to reschedule your exam session..
Q: I would like to take the SAS Certified Associate: Programming Fundamentals using 9.4: Does it just cover SAS level 1 training only? Does it cover both level 2 and level 1?
A: It covers content from Programming 1 and 2.
Q: Is the SAS Base certification a prerequisite to the SAS advanced certification?
A: It is recommended to take the Base before the Advanced. You will not receive the certificate for the Advanced until you take and pass the Base exam.
Q: In the Associate level Programming Fundamentals exam there is no programming, but do you have to evaluate a code that may be right/wrong? Do you have to identify what's wrong? What is the result of this code?
A: Yes. You must interpret and analyze code.
Q: Do you get more than one chance to pass exam?
A: You can take an exam up to five times in any 12-month period, waiting 14 days between each attempt. Once you pass, you cannot take the exam again.
Q: Did you say the information is available after taking the exam as to what job opportunities are available to that particular certification? If so, can it be made available before so that I can evaluate which ones I am interested in taking?
A: The job information is available in the Acclaim system and is related to your badge that you get when you earn one of the SAS credentials. It’s only available if you’ve earned a credential from SAS and not before. When a badge is earned, within the badge a series of skills keywords are listed when you click on those skills, it will open the LMIs for those skills.
Q: How many times can you take it in a year?
A: You can take the exam up to five times in a year.
