Exam summary:
- Duration: 2.5 hours (more than enough time, in my opinion)
- Format: 48 multiple choice questions (MCQs) + 3 practical questions
- Scoring: 1 mark for each MCQ, 4 marks for each practical
- On-demand: No need to book in advance
- Open book: Yes, you can have resources open (even Chat-GPT!)
What’s in the Alteryx Advanced Exam?
On top of what’s covered in the Alteryx Core exam, you’ll be tested on:
- Advanced Data Prep & Transformation – 27%
- Reporting Tools – 10%
- Spatial Analytics Basics – 10%
- Data Sources – 15%
- Macros – 18%
- Analytical Apps & Productionising – 20%
My Experience with Alteryx
As part of The Data School, we get 4 months of intensive training covering data theory plus tools like Alteryx, Tableau, Power BI, and Snowflake. During that time, I passed the Alteryx Core exam. Back then, I was mainly confident with the basics—things like Input Data, Output Data, Crosstab, Transpose, Filter, Union (to name a few)—and a few Advanced-level tools like some Spatial features and the Multi-Field / Multi-Row Formula tools.
I finished training in April 2025 and then didn’t touch Alteryx again until this month (August 2025). That’s a four-month gap, so I had to get back up to speed quickly. In total, I spent about 3–4 days prepping for the Advanced exam.
My Prep Resources
- Apps: Archie Boswell’s videos on The Information Lab YouTube channel.
- Macros: Holly Hatch’s videos on The Information Lab YouTube channel.
- Weekly Challenges: I only did 3–4 weekly challenges (most people do more), but I’d recommend doing as many as you can if you have time—they’re an excellent way to learn.
- Other Tools: For the majority of the tools, I ran through the example workflows in Alteryx Designer and watched YouTube videos. Surprisingly, some tools don’t have great tutorial videos out there, so you might need to rely on the built-in examples.
Honestly, it sounds a bit underwhelming—but that’s all I did. Because I’ve already worked with data transformation using other tools like Snowflake, Tableau, and Power BI (and the underlying theory and logic was already there), my revision was really just about making sure I was familiar with all the tools being tested, knowing my way around their UI, and understanding the key configuration options for each.
Exam Day Tips
Before you start the exam, have Alteryx open with about five text input tools ready to go—some with Superstore data, others with a mix of string, numeric, geo, Boolean, and date fields. This saves time during practicals.
My approach:
- Did all 48 MCQs first.
- Left the 3 practicals until the end.
- Reviewed MCQs.
- Reviewed practicals.
My Top 3 Tips Having Done It
- Leverage the open-book format – Have Alteryx documentation, example workflows, and relevant pages ready. Keep Google (and even ChatGPT) on standby if you get stuck.
- Have test data ready – A mix of string, numeric, geo, Boolean, and date fields will save you precious minutes during the practicals.
- Practice, practice, practice – I only did 3–5 weekly challenges, but I’d recommend doing as many (and as varied) as you can—especially the tools you might not use often (reporting, spatial, statistical, etc)
Everyone approaches this exam differently, and this was just my experience. Hopefully it helps you feel more prepared—and maybe even a little more confident—going into your own Alteryx Advanced journey.