Information about the Exam

The Tableau Certified Data Analyst examination is a test of knowledge of and skills in the data visualization tool Tableau Desktop, the data cleaning and preparation tool Tableau Prep, and the content hosting product Tableau Server and Tableau Online.

There is no prerequisite for taking the Tableau Data Analyst exam and this textbook will walk through the content required to pass. Upon passing the exam, the title Tableau Certified Data Analyst is awarded with a digital badge confirmation on the certification website, Credly. The title lasts for two years, at which point the exam will have to be taken again to renew the title.

Direct experience with Tableau Prep and Tableau Desktop is considered essential for passing the Tableau Certified Data Analyst examination as it is geared toward aspiring data analysts looking to prove a base level of technical skill in these platforms. Theoretical knowledge of Tableau Cloud or Server is beneficial, as the examination covers them briefly in the text-based questions.

General advice from Tableau is for users to have six months of practical experience, but this is merely a benchmark, as the quality of experience can vary enormously. Users should therefore meet the following criteria:

Be comfortable navigating the user interfaces of Tableau Prep and Tableau Desktop

• Understand the key features and functions covered in this guide, and be able to confidently apply them to an intermediate level of difficulty
• Have some experience creating basic charts and compiling these into simple interactive dashboards

Note that this study guide contains a host of practical questions that can form the baseline of a student’s practical experience.

The following section outlines the four domains covered in the Tableau Certified Data Analyst exam, followed by a description of the examination format and some useful tips for passing the exam.