I’m a lifelong list-maker. And nothing pleases a list-maker more than crossing something off the list of to-dos like tackling the updated Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) exam. That’s why I finally girded myself to prepare for the GAIQ over the holidays.
Why bother?
There are disparate views of whether the exam is worth the effort of studying or dismissed as mere resume fodder, window dressing for those who are shiny rather than substantive.
Frankly, the answer depends on whether you consider yourself a novice or a ninja with Google Analytics. The more advanced your skills, the less you’ll get out of the process (besides a screenshot of a certificate).
Personally, I found the material engaging and so I really wanted to retain the principles long-term instead of just for the 90-minute, multiple-choice exam. I think Google’s done a superb job of synthesizing the foundational concepts of web analytics for application across the field—not just their own proprietary product. And all for free.
Further, the exam reflects the evolution of the industry so you’re forced to think about how mobile has changed measurement; in a hyper-connected world, smart marketers assess how all devices, touch-points and micro conversions (behaviour indicator, e.g. newsletter registration) lead up to a macro conversion (business goal, e.g. online sale). That holistic thinking then also impacts how we attribute credit for conversions—automatically assigning it to the last channel (Google’s default setting) could be myopic depending on your goals. So even if you’ve been certified in the past, it may be worthwhile to brush up on what’s changed.
Ok—I’m in. Now what?
I spent about a week revising for the exam, and the first thing I did was read up on other folks’ experiences. There are two resources that I found particularly invaluable:
- A 5-Step Plan to Mastering the New GAIQ Exam by Josh Waldrum on The YouMoz Blog
- Comprehensive coverage of key concepts with great explanatory visuals.
- Note: The actual exam has been updated since this post was published so some facts about the test itself are now out of date.
- Taking the GAIQ: Advice to Help with Your Study by Robert Fleeting on Web Analytics World
- Clear overview of the current exam, including all of the changes to the test.
- Thorough outline of how Robert approached GAIQ, and his tips for success.
Afterwards, dive in to Google’s Analytics Academy and focus on these two self-study courses:
Each lesson includes a video, a PDF transcript and a short quiz. Because I’m an old-school visual rather than an auditory learner, I preferred reading the PDF, taking notes and then the quiz before watching the video.
I used Evernote to keep my notes; feel free to download them for the first course and the second set too.
Sitting the exam
Don’t do what I did—I got sick of studying and then sped through the exam, finishing in just over 60 minutes. While I passed with 90% (63/70), my heart was pounding and I felt sick throughout it. I let nerves get the best of me because I just wanted it over. Eep!
But there’s no need for you to be nervous—or at least that panicky—if you’ve studied the materials and played around with a sandbox account on Google Analytics (or your own), then you should be just fine.
Any tips you’d like to share?