Tips for getting SAS Certified Specialist: Base Programming Using SAS 9.4 (The latest updated exam: Performance Based)

Hi folks,

Are you preparing for SAS Base exam? 

Then here, I am...

I appeared for SAS BASE exam and in my first attempt itself score 969 out of 1000 points.

Yeah! Now I’m SAS certified Specialist.

Here, I would like to share my experience to those who are preparing for this exam.

Initially, they will verify your details i.e your id, the place.

Ask you to take the pictures of your current location. i.e your desk, id proof especially driving license or passport will work.

Please do this mandatory stuff before the time of exam schedule.

At the dot time, the proctor will arrive and ask you with some details. And verify whether your compliance issue is there or not. In between the exam, there is no issue of internet, mic or webcam.

You will get two and half an hour for this exam.

Then, proctor will give you 5 mins to explore the virtual machine, they will provide for online examination and ask you to read the guidelines. If any questionnaire then you can raise question here only.

** I would suggest better to adjust the screen of SAS coding window before staring the exam.

Watch this video for more details: https://www.sas.com/en_us/certification/credentials/foundation-tools/base-programming-specialist.html

You may come across around 40-42 questions in total.

These questions are divided into Lab questions and MCQ question.

Lab question holds for about 2-3 marks and that of MCQ as 1 mark each. There is NO negative marking.

So, this makes sense that lab questions are important to score good marks.

Watch this video for more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpQ0SMNXiYE&t=1s

They will provide 4 folders named as CERT, INPUT, OUTPUT, RESULT.

You must have to use LIBNAME LIFREF function for the reference of the input data file. Without good command on libname function, you are in serious mess then.

For this get good command over libname, Proc import function.

Even they might ask to import excel file of particular sheet. And for that you don’t have right to download and check within your system.

It is mandatory to use SAS code to figure out the name of those sheets within the excel file.

So, for such questions use Proc dataset function.

Find the sheet name using 2-level file naming method.

** Questions were quite simple.

Eg.  what is the value of observation 42 or customer_id =11011 etc

Important is data manipulation.

They will ask you on match-merging of two datasets, one to one merge datasets, concatenation datasets.

Even ask you IF-THEN DO based questions to subset the dataset based on conditions.

There are some ERROR solving questionnaires. So, be prepared on syntax and execution/semantic errors and how to debug that. So, using putlog or put function will be helpful.

They have asked me to write the encoding, label, file size of the imported excel file.

So, use proc contents data=’ ’;

Most of the questions are using proc means, proc freq where maxdec=2;

So, one lab question comprises on 2-3 questions and some questions are in continuous to the previous one.

**The examiner/proctor will check your coding style as well.

**You are allowed to search on SAS documentation and their forums which are on their bookmarks. But, don’t relay on this because it might take longer period to get the desired website page. But, yes you can use if you are stuck in between.

**Be prepared some of their functions were not working as desired. For me, it was FIRST. And LAST. Function.

They will ask you approx. 20 lab questions and 20 MCQ questions.

This MCQ questions were straight forward.

**I would highly recommend to go through this practice exam: https://vle.sas.com/course/view.php?id=436

You can go through SAS documentation too for more in-depth knowledge.

**Get completely familiar with SAS Certified Specialist Prep Guide Base Programming using SAS 9.4

E-Book is also available on SAS website.

Do practice over to the questions and practice set at the end of the book.

This E-book and Practice Questions are more than enough to crack this SAS Base Certification Exam using SAS 9.4

All the Best….

Hope this guidance help you in cracking this exam.