Even though there probably exists 25+ variants of these type of blogs, I'd thought for some reason it'd be worthwhile throwing my two cents into the ring and provide some advice with how to tackle the Alteryx core exam.
If you've been living under a rock, Alteryx is one of the primary softwares you'll use throughout your time in the Data School. It makes data prep a hell of a lot easier and once you get the hang of it, it becomes one of the most helpful and satisfying tools at your disposal. When I first started using it all those months ago, I was definitely on the confused side of it. Seeing different cables going into different tools made me just purely confused. But after some time (and the week or two you have of pure Alteryx at the beginning of the program) you start to get familiar with its capabilities and enjoy the problem solving you undergo when using the program.
After having done both the Core and Advanced Exams, I've found there's some tips that have definitely helped me in having an outcome that I'm more pleased with, rather than the self-loathing one.
Tip #1 - Weekly Challenges
These challenges posted on the Alteryx Community website are probably the most handy revision tools at your disposal. They're posted weekly (duh) and provide different situations and circumstances which will challenge how you tackle these problems since there is such a wide variety of ways to get to the solution that they provide. Most of the time, you'll find yourself wanting to look at how other people have solved the problem, especially when your mind is turning a blank - I would actually recommend this. One thing that definitely helped me was seeing how other people approached the problem and then you start to pick up small things from their workflows - I noticed this especially with the likes of tools like Record IDs - these are a lifesaver and actually helped me solve a pretty tough challenge we had during a client project. Don't be disheartened by having to look at a solution, pick something up from it, solve the challenge and then jump right back into one and maybe that new skill will help you solve the next.
Here's a link to the mass list of Weekly Challenges Alteryx has to offer:
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Tip #2 - The Data School
With how the DS' curriculum is set up, you get plenty of hands-on experience with Alteryx before you tackle that core exam. This is so crucial to take on board so much because you'll be using this software for the first time and remembering what is being taught to you will definitely benefit you in the long run. In addition to this, the services available to you at the DS, whether that be blogs like this, or other posts on Convo, are definitely worth a read and you'll be picking up tips left right and centre - all which can definitely contribute to a pass on the exam. I saw a tip about tackling multiple choice questions first, before then going onto the practicals and I've been using this tip since learning about it and it definitely helps putting that time constraint to the side. I've noticed repeatedly that I'd have finished all the multiple choice questions with an hour+ to spare, which is some crucial time you can spend dealing with those pesky practicals.
Tip #3 - Don't be Afraid to Fail
This is such a key thing to remember. It's important to not take a fail as a personal attack on your character - it's a chance to learn not only about how the exams are structured - but also the questions too! With the exams, there's a limited pool of questions and by constantly retaking them, you start to learn the questions and, provided your answers are correct, you can easily re-answer those questions if they pop up and it can be an easy way to secure a mark. I retook the Advanced exam 3 times and by the end of it I knew a majority of all those multiple choice questions by heart - which is definitely handy.
Hopefully with all these tips in mind, you'll be able to get that preferred outcome of taking the test and can start bragging to everyone you know. That's the fun part.
