Martha Britton is a mother of three children, a wife, full-time employee and now a SAS certified professional.

But getting that last title wasn’t easy.

It all started earlier this year when Britton took the SAS Base Certification Programmer exam and failed (missing the cut by just one point).

“I was hurt and discouraged,” said Britton. “But knew I couldn’t give up.”

When she decided to re-take the exam, she came up with a strategy that started with getting support and help from her family.

She also relied heavily on the SAS Certification Prep Guide. “I went through all the chapters and took all the exams,” said Britton. “You need to recall a lot of material for the test that goes beyond just basic coding.”

Britton said another helpful tool was the SAS Certification Practice Exam, which she purchased online.

A few weeks before the test, she really hunkered down by getting up at 5 a.m. to study when everyone else in her house was still asleep.  She also devoted many hours on the weekend sacrificing precious family time along the way.

Her hard work paid off in the end. Britton not only passed, but significantly raised her percentage during the second test.

“You can do it, but make sure you really want it,” said Britton. “It takes a lot of hard work and time.”

Britton is a statistical analyst at Frankenmuth Insurance and currently the only SAS programmer in the company.

“For me, it was important to have that external credibility of being SAS certified,” said Britton. “It was also nice to hear my boss say he was proud of me for not giving up after the first time around.”

To see if getting certified is the right path for you, visit the SAS Global Certification Program.