I want to say that I successfully completed my Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam this week. It was a long time coming, I just never seem to have found time until one day I said “Let’s do it.” There’s a lot of study material out there regarding the Google Analytics IQ exam, so I this post is to hand off all of my study notes to you.
Studying For the Exam
If you’re starting to study for the exam, chances are you’ve Google’d “How to Study for the Google Analytics IQ Exam” and chances are you’ve found the SEOMoz blog post, Google Analytics Certification and How to Pass the GAIQ Test. If you somehow found my blog before SEOMoz; I very flattered, but I highly recommend you go read it. At the end you can download a series of practice questions. In case you don’t want to give away your contact details, you can download the PDF right here – How to Pass The Google Analytics IQ Exam (PDF)
Answer these questions as best as you can and score yourself at the end. I ended up scoring about an 85% and that’s exactly what I passed the GAIQ exam with. While they state that these questions are only practice questions, I feel that you will not find anything as close as these. I recommend doing these questions at least three times over in a period of a week to really understand the concepts.
Regular Expressions
Regular Expressions (RegEx) is big in Google Analytics. I’ve always had trouble with it in the past, but Regular Expressions for Google Analytics (PDF) has made it easy to understand. I have a printed copy next to me at all times. I highly recommend using this document to quiz yourself on certain functions. Not only should you have this document open, but have Regular Expressions – A Gentle User Guide & Tutorial open when you’re ready to take the exam.
The Exam Date
This Google Analytics Individual Qualification Exam Reference Guide (PDF) cheat sheet was my saving grace. You will benefit greatly from having this file open during the exam. The CTRL/CMD+F function really helps cut down the time spent on any question you’re having doubts on. Just be aware that this file wasn’t built for strict study notes, however, it’ll be good refresher before going into the exam. You will also benefit from having these two Google tools open:
- URL Campaign Builder
IP Address Range Tool- Google’s IP Address Range tool has since been removed. You can use Analytics Market’s IP Regex generator tool instead.
Don’t Panic
If you work with Google Analytics on a daily basis, you have nothing to worry about. There are some trick questions, but just stay smart. Answer the ones you know, mark the ones you don’t (at the bottom-right corner). Once you reach the end, it’ll allow you to go back to all the questions you marked or go back to every question. I highly recommend doing a full run-through when you feel you have answered all the questions correctly. Here is the process I used when answering my questions:
- Read the question (twice) and answer or mark it.
- Review all marked questions and answer them.
- Review all questions once more, reading carefully and check the cheat sheet.
- Submit answers.
Post in the comments how your exam went, I’d love to hear it, not too mention I’m sure it’ll help others who takes it in the future.
Good Luck!