Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam tips + question examples (2016)

After I became certified in Google Analytics, I was asked about the certification and how I prepared for it. In this article I will give you some tips so that you can pass Analytics IQ exam. I will also provide a few sample questions just to give you a taste of how the actual exam looks like.

Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) is an exam aimed to demonstrate your proficiency in Google Analytics. After you pass the exam you earn an individual qualification in Analytics. The certificate is valid for 18 months from the date that you pass the exam. In order to keep the certificate valid you will need to successfully pass the exam every 18 months.

Analytics IQ exam is free of charge and is offered in several languages. However, I would suggest to take the exam in English even if the test is available in your language. Mainly because there is a much larger proportion of Google Analytics resources written in English. Even some of the Google’s own guides are not yet translated to languages other than English. So you would avoid misinterpreting the questions simply because the terminology translation was not consistent between the guides and the exam.

Note: Google does not offer an Analytics IQ badge to those who have passed the GAIQ exam. Creating or displaying a Analytics IQ badge is a violation of Google’s branding policies and may result in your qualification being revoked. Instead you can share your IQ status with others by showing them your personalized certificate or Google Partners public profile page.

How to prepare for Analytics IQ exam

Here are some of the sources I used to prepare for the GAIQ exam:

First five course tracks consist of several units each, covering one or more topics. There are videos, video transcripts and multiple choice questions available for each topic. Some of the topics even include suggestions for further reading.

When I prepared for the GAIQ exam, I watched all the videos and then used video transcripts to take notes. The pace of these videos is very fast, so I would suggest to use transcripts to take notes instead of pausing the videos.

I would really recommend to complete the quizes after each topic as well. It is good for not only testing what you just learned and receiving the instant feedback. Some of the questions in the actual exam are quite similar to quiz questions.

GAIQ exam format

The exam consists of 70 questions that you need to answer in 90 minutes.

The passing score is 80%: it means that you need to answer at least 56 questions correctly in order to become certified.

The Analytics IQ exam covers such topics as planning and principles, implementation and data collection, configuration and administration, conversion and attribution, and reports, metrics, and dimensions.

The exam consists of both multiple choice and True or false questions. Some of the questions require the choice of all that applies.

You will not be able to pause the exam after you have started it. The test timer will continue to run until the 90 minutes have passed or you decided to finish the exam. It will continue to count down even if your computer shuts down. If you end the exam early or the timer runs out before you have answered enough questions correctly, you will not pass the test.

There is no skipping questions.

Once you confirm an answer, you will not be able to return to that question to review the answer or change it.

You can retake the exam as many times as you want. However, you will have to wait seven days in between the attempts.

How to take the Analytics IQ exam

1. Go to the Partners website at https://www.google.com/partners.
2. Click on I’m an Agency.
3. Click on Join Google Partners and set up your Google Partners profile
4. Click Certifications to see your exam status.
5. Click See exam next to Analytics.
6. Click Take exam to start the examination.
7. Read the questions carefully but do not spend too much time per question.
8. Make sure you answer all the questions.

Question examples for GAIQ exam

Each dimension and metric has a scope that aligns with a level of the analytics data hierarchy – user, session or hit/level. In most cases it only makes sense to combine dimensions and metrics in your report that belong to the same scope. Which of the following is a valid dimension/metric combination?

[a] Session (metric) / Page (dimension)

[b] Bounce rate (metric) / Event action (dimension)

[c] Sessions (metric) / City (dimension)

[d] All of the above are valid dimension / metric combinations

Which of the following would prevent URL destination goal conversions from being recorded?

[a] There was a misspelling in the URL of the goal definition

[b] The tracking code is missing from the conversion page

[c] The match type in the goal definition is incorrect

[d] No URL destination goals have been defined

[e] All of these answers apply

In the multi-channel funnel reports, which of the following metrics would be the most useful in measuring how many conversions were initiated by Paid Search?

[a] Assisted Conversion Value

[b] Conversion rate

[c] First Interaction (Click) Conversions

[d] none of these metrics

Which of the following questions can be answered using the goal flow report?

[a] Are there a lot of unexpected exits from a step in the middle of my conversion funnel?

[b] Do visitors usually start my conversions process from the first step or somewhere in the middle?

[c] Is there a place in my funnel where traffic loops back to the beginning of the conversion process to start over?

[d] Are there any steps in my conversion process that do not perform well on mobile devices compared to desktop devices?

[e] All of these can be answered using the goal flow report.

True or False: If a user views one page of a website, completes an Event on this page, and then leaves the site, this session will be counted as a bounce in Google Analytics.

[a] True: A session is considered a ‘bounce’ if the user views one page of the site and then leaves.

[b] False: Because there was more than one interaction hit in the session (pageview hit and event hit) this session would not be considered a bounce.

Hope this GAIQ exam guide was of help to you. Good luck on the exam!