This will be the first in a series of blog posts about the practice questions on the Desktop Certified Associate Exam Guide for Tableau.
Note that questions 10-15 already have their full solution processes available in the “Additional Guidance” section at the end of the guide. I will be writing exclusively about questions 1-9.
1. To connect to multiple tables in a single data source at one time, what must be specified?
a. A blend
b. A calculation
c. A join
d. A hierarchy
Blends are used to combine two or more distinct data sources. Calculations are used to create new data, generally out of existing data. Hierarchies are simply a convenient way of siloing columns of data and are used to facilitate quick changes in level of detail. The answer to the question is a join.
2. Tableau can create worksheet-specific filters.
a. True
b. False
True! The bulk of filtering is often done with worksheet-specific filters.
3. What does the box in a box plot represent?
a. Maximum extent of the data
b. The range of the middle half of the data points
c. The median of the middle half of the data points
d. The outliers of the data A basic statistics question. Answers a and c refer to the vertical lines (“whiskers”) and box respectively in the image below.
Bonus advice for using the prep guide
The “Skills Measured” section tells you exactly what you’re going to be tested for, so the biggest favor you can do for yourself is to go through it thoroughly.
A good method for doing this is the Feynman Technique, where you pretend to explain a particular topic to a child. Any portions of your explanation where you find gaps in your knowledge or are forced to use jargon are candidates for further study. In the case of the Tableau exam, you may benefit from building out simple demonstrations of the skills being tested, and then trying to explain both the building process and what the final product does.
