@Patrick wrote:
@laneylaners
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In my opinion all these multiple choice exams basically test only how good you are in answering multiple choice test exam questions. For this reason if your sole goal is to just pass the exam: Go through the exam prep and the test exam. That's all you need to know to pass the exam. It's like with the theory test for a driver's license: It won't make you a good driver. It's just about learning how to read the exam questions and to learn the answers by heart.
.Now about your motivation to get certified:
I'm from time to time interviewing people for roles in SAS projects. These are never entry level positions and a Base SAS Cert wouldn't cut it. Actually: I don't care much about certifications at all. I care about problem solving skills, social skills (can fit into a team, easy to work with), attitude (can do, takes on responsibilities, commits and delivers against promises) and experience/expertise. And unlike in a certification you can be sure I won't ask any questions one could answer with a simple yes/no.
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I could not agree more with these statements. I also do not find passing the certification a sign of content mastery, ... although in some instances it might represent a sort of motivation. It is the ability to understand the structure and context of a task that I think is the crucial element. Given there are often a dozen ways to accomplish a task, being tested on a specific subset of them it a poor measure of likely value to your employer. After all, how many times are you requested to perform a task, and you choose an approach that facilitates satisfying your client's next, as yet unrequested (and often un-contemplated) task.
On a related note regarding the value of certification: I once, on a lark while attending a sas global forum, took the sas advanced certification test. I passed, yet sas refused to issue a certificate. Why? Because I hadn't taken the base exam. This represent an (ahem) counter-intuitive understanding of the terms "base" and "advanced". After all, would an employer, even one that subscribes to the value of sas-certification, be likely to require an employee with an advanced certificate in hand to go and add a base certificate?
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