Examination Format

The following applies to both the test center and remote/online examination format unless otherwise stated.

Prerequisites

This examination does not require any pre-existing qualifications. A Tableau account is required to book and take the examination. If you do not already have a Tableau account, you can do so by following official Tableau instructions at https://mkt.tableau.com/files/CertificationAccountCreation.pdf. As part of this process, the Tableau/Salesforce Terms of Service must also be agreed to.

Once created, your Tableau account should be used to log in to the Pearson VUE Certification portal using the following link: https://cp.certmetrics.com/tableau/en/home/. Once preliminary information has been entered, and terms agreed upon, the user can schedule directly with Pearson VUE, who proctor the examination on behalf of Tableau. A legal, photographic form of identification must be shown to the proctor on examination day before the examination begins to confirm your identity. Further information on ID requirements may be found under View ID requirements here: https://home.pearsonvue.com/tableau/onvue. It is important to ensure the first and last names used for your Tableau account are identical to the name on your chosen form of identification, or examination access may be denied without recompense.

The online examination is accessible only when a number of minimum technical requirements are met. Crucial amongst these are a computer with video capabilities, an internet connection of consistently high quality, and a screen resolution of at least 1,024 x 768. A comprehensive list is available at https://home.pearsonvue.com/op/OnVUE-technical-requirements.

These standards and checks are pre-established when the examination is taken at a Pearson VUE testing center.

When beginning the examination, participants must also agree to the terms and conditions of testing, which includes a strict non-disclosure agreement.

Examination Length

The examination is 2 hours long in total, 93 minutes of which are allocated to the examination itself. Approximately 8 minutes are permitted for the administrative tasks of signing the non-disclosure agreement and completing the tutorial; the tutorial describes the question types the user can expect and familiarizes the participant with the user interface.

The examination environment will open 30 minutes prior to the scheduled examination time. Participants are advised to join as soon as possible after this time to conduct environment, system, and ID checks, which occur live with a proctor.

Cost

There is a USD 250 base fee, excluding any taxes, such as VAT – this can vary based on location.

Note

Should the examination need rescheduling, a fee of USD 25 (plus required taxes) applies.

Assessment Limitations

The Tableau Certified Data Analyst examination is a “closed book” exam. No resources of any nature, be it digital or hard copy, are permitted to be present or used during the examination.

Language and Accessibility

The examination is most commonly conducted online, but it may also be taken at one of Pearson VUE’s examination centers. There is no material difference between taking the examination online or at a test center, but if your machine is at risk of failing system checks, it is recommended to take the examination at a center. The system checks can be run from the following page: https://system-test.onvue.com/system_test?customer=pearson_vue&clientcode=CHECKPOINT&locale=en_US. The examination is currently available in English and Japanese only.

Should participants have specific accessibility requirements, adjustments may be requested by completing the following form: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/2d4c22dfbbd74aee9aea5d07c223f676. Please note that terms are to be agreed upon prior to scheduling an exam, and students may be required to submit appropriate evidence as part of their appeal.

Question Structure

The Tableau Certified Data Analyst certification contains 55 questions, split across three sections. Questions from any of the four domains discussed previously may appear in these sections, in any order. The majority of these test theoretical knowledge; expect approximately 45 static, text-based questions. The format of these may be any of the following:

• Multi-select: Four potential answers are presented, in which one or more may be correct
• Multi-choice: Four potential answers are presented, with a single correct answer
• Active screen: An image is presented with interactive regions that the user must select in response to the question

There are also approximately 10 practical questions, which are administered in Tableau itself. (Tableau is launched in a controlled manner directly inside the examination environment; this set-up process occurs automatically and requires no expertise on behalf of the examination participant.)

The examination is split into three sections: the first set is static (theoretical); the second practical, completed within an instance of Tableau Desktop; and the third is once again static. The static questions can be marked for review, which makes them easy to return to at the end of the section. All prior questions can be revisited and updated until the participant moves to the next section, at which time sections are closed and answers locked. The domains covered here are spread roughly evenly across each of the three sections.

Pass Criteria and Results

A passing grade of 750 is required. (Note that this score is not the true score achieved, but a mathematically calculated one to standardize difficulties across examinations).

Tableau policy is to send examination results to the email address associated with the participant’s account within 48 hours of the examination finishing. (Note that there may be a short delay before the certification is registered on the participant’s account and/or issued at Credly.)