Ever wonder how the SAS Global Certification team comes up with a new exam? Well I’m about to take you behind the scenes of our latest certification – SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst Using SAS 9: Regression and Modeling Credential.
With the prevalent use of SAS statistical software for data analysis, our customers have expressed a desire for a credential geared toward analytics professionals with strong backgrounds in SAS statistical procedures such as REG, GLM, and LOGISTIC.
It was a major collaborative approach from development to final creation. We started by talking to business leaders and hiring managers to find out what they were looking for in the Statistical Business Analyst job role. We also scoured job boards to see what skills were needed and in demand. Statistical Analysts fill a large variety of positions: forecasting, quality control, and market basket analysis among others. Recognizing that no single certification could cover these diverse topics, we have focused this credential on regression and predictive modeling techniques using SAS.
After this research, we brought together industry professionals, college statistics professors and SAS instructors to write the exam items. We followed it up with a major technical review and beta exam before creating the final exam.
The SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst helps with logistical regression and the creation of models to solve business challenges such as assessing credit risk and targeting marketing campaigns. Essentially helping you make better business decisions. This new certification complements our existing Predictive Modeling Using Enterprise Miner certification by providing a statistical credential that focuses on Base SAS and SAS/STAT procedures and programming techniques.
The recommended classes for this credential are the Statistics 1 and Predictive Modeling Using Logistic Regression class. While there are no prerequisite SAS certifications required, strong SAS programming skills are critical for success.
It took a lot of hours, energy and coffee to create the certification, but the process was rewarding and we’re excited about rolling it out.
If you’re interested in taking the exam, it will be available on Sept 28. In the meantime, you can find more information on the exam registration page or email us at certification@sas.com.
Hi! I’m Michele Reister and I’ll be providing you with an insider’s view into the world of
21 Comments
Thanks Mark for providing some background to the certification.
I participated in the beta exam and found it a good test of your knowledgei the areas of regression and predictive modelling. It covers your understanding of statistical theory, SAS syntax and interpretation of results - all attributes of a statistical business analysis. I learnt last week that I passed the exam, the first in Australia and I am excited to now have gained the SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst Using SAS 9: Regression and Modeling Credential http://support.sas.com/certify/creds/sba.html
I am now looking forward to helping other SAS users to achieve this certification. SAS users in Australa can join me, in November/December as I teach the SAS Australia Business Analytics Bootcamp - http://www.sas.com/reg/gen/sp/Business_Analytics_Boot_Camp
Hi what is the percentage of questions come in exam as statistical theory, sas syntax and interpreting results
Murali,
We don't currently provide a % breakdown by objective. However, all of our exam objectives are listed on the Exam Content page and all objectives are tested.
hi Michelle
will you guide about free links books etc for preparing for sba cert exam
regards
Nishant
Hi Nishant,
I believe the best preparation for the Statistical Business Analyst certification exam are the 2 courses that SAS Institute offer and recommend - http://support.sas.com/certify/creds/sba.html#t3 as well as hands on experience and statistical theory.
All the best for your preparation.
Kind Regards,
Michelle
I looked at the 'SAS Global Certification Program' link that was provided in this blog and under the 'Exam Preparation' tab there were some 'sample questions'. I am confused with the answer to
'Item 5'. So, can someone please explain.
Thanks,
George
Sorry, actually Item 4 is the one I was unsure of, the question about the most important predictor of the response variable.
Sorry for the confusion.
Thanks again,
George
George, can you check question 4 again and let me know if you still have a question? It was being updated at the same time you posted your comment.
Thanks,
Mark
Thanks Mark,
The SAS Certification people e-mailed me about the change...
thanks for sharing this! it is important to understand the wide variety of circumstances under which you could be working. Basically, a business analyst (BA) is someone that analyzes the design and organization features of businesses, companies, organizations – any conglomerate really – and makes recommendations based on his findings. This can include anything from analyzing business needs and company policies to developing a business process model and interpreting regulations necessary for technical systems.
JhenC,
We had many discussions about the role of the Business Analyst during the development of this exam. It is true that it can mean different things to different organizations. This is why we included both the word "Statistical" and the phrase "Regression and Modeling" in the credential title. We hope that this helps to narrow down the intent of this credential. For further definition, we refer people to the list of exam objectives: http://support.sas.com/certify/creds/sba.html#t2
Hi Mark,
Can you please advise if we can pursue ' SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst Using SAS 9: Regression and Modeling Credential' after SAS Base programming certification?
I mean without the knowledge of SAS Certified Advanced Programmer is it viable to directly jump on to the SAS statistical business analyst certification....Please share your thoughts on this.
Yes, you could take the new exam without having taken the Advanced Programming exam. The exams are independent of each other.
Hey Mark,
Thanks for the info --- since this test is pretty new and of course the sample test is too small, while the training are expensive ( if I talk of the one's being offered by SAS), I want to know if I have prepared statistics at my own end, and understand the regression concepts strongly, can some hands on knowledge of SAS/STAT would be enough for me to appear for this exam....
Also, any relative miminum professional work experience on these skills is required to be eligible??
Ketan,
While I recommend the training, it is not required. You can follow the exam objectives and prepare to answer questions in these areas. You should definately have hands-on experience working with SAS/STAT software. Experience isn't required for eligibility, but we recommend a minimum of 3 months experience, but 6 months - 1 year would be better.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for good and valuable information, I just completed my MBA first year, Can you please guide me about courses that are after MBA or with MBA, those will helpful to my carrier.
Thankyou..!
Well, let me venture a guess that you are interested in Analytics along with your interest in business. I might recommend reading this blog post from our own Catherine Truxillo for a possible way to add analytic skills missing from many MBA programs.
Hi,
Is there a prep guide available in India?
Thanks,
Ratheen
Thanks for the great information, and thanks for the class recommendations
Hi Mark,
Will there be a practice test published for this certification? Any books that you would recommend apart from the SAS e-courses?
Thank you!
Haneef
Haneef,
We do not have current plans to create a practice exam, but that is always subject to change. As for a book, there is not an exact match for all of the exam content. However, some have found Regression and ANOVA: An Integrated Approach Using SAS Software" helpful.
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