BIDA® Final Exam Preparation Tips

Congratulations on completing the BIDA™ syllabus and beginning your preparation for the BIDA® Final Exam!

There is a 30-day cool down between final exam attempts, so we encourage you to take ample time to prepare before beginning. This guide contains:

About the Exam

The BIDA Final Exam is divided into two primary sections.

Exam Breakdown

Section 1: Multiple-Choice Questions

    • Section one contains 50 randomized multiple-choice questions
    • Similar difficulty level as the qualified exams at the end of each course. 

Section 2: Case studies

    • Section two contains 15 questions about four case studies
    • This section accounts for ~22% of your final exam score
    • Each case study is based on one of the following tools:
      • Required Case Studies
        • Power Query
        • Power BI Desktop
        • Tableau
      • Case Study of Your Choice
        • SQL
        • Python

Topic Weights*

All questions are weighted equally. Each topic varies in weight, as outlined below.

*Topic weights may vary slightly.


Duration

  • The final exam is timed and takes three hours to complete
  • You should aim to spend about two minutes on each multiple-choice question
  • Roughly 80 minutes should be allocated to answering the case-study questions (it is highly recommended you pre-configure the required tools below before beginning)

Other Important Exam Information

  • Answers cannot be changed once submitted as backward navigation is not allowed
  • There is no penalty for incorrect answers
  • You can retake the exam after 30 days if your first attempt is unsuccessful

Tools Required to Complete the BIDA® Final Exam

We highly recommend setting up the following tools before beginning your exam. This will allow you to maximize your time spent answering questions.

    • SQL: Ensure that you have Azure Data Studio installed and can create a new connection using server details, which will be provided in the exam.
    • Python: You should have Anaconda installed and be able to open the provided .ipynb file. file using Jupyter Notebooks. Ensure that you use the same versions of software used to complete any Python-related courses, as newer updates may have compatibility issues.
    • Tableau: You will need to be able to open a .twbx file.
    • Power BI Desktop: An Excel file (.xlsx) and a Power BI file (.pbix) will be provided. You must be able to import data from the Excel file to complete the analysis.
    • Power Query: An Excel file (.xlsx) will be provided, and some problems must be solved using Power Query. Install the Excel add-in if you run MS Excel 2010/2013 on your machine. For MS Excel 2016 onwards, Power Query is a built-in feature found under the Data tab.

Studying & Practicing for the Final Exam

Review Course Materials

    • Rewatch video demonstrations
    • Review course presentations, exercises, and case studies
    • Take detailed notes and organize them by topic using the "notes" feature in the CFI LMS
    • Read the BIDA Final Exam Guide

Take the Practice Exam

The practice exam will contain questions similar to those in the final exam. We recommend focusing heavily on theory questions, which will make up most of the final exam. You can retake the practice exam as many times as you need to feel confident in your mastery of the material.

Other Tips to Consider

  • Be sure to sit in a comfortable setting with no distractions.
  • Have a snack and water close to keep you energized and well-hydrated.
  • Ensure that you have a stable network connection.
    • You can refresh your browser during a brief outage without losing your progress, but the exam counter will not stop.

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