- The Exam at a Glance: Identity, Format and Scoring
- Registration, Vouchers and Fee Mechanics
- Domain 1: Data Basics Cheat Sheet
- Domain 2: Data Manipulation Cheat Sheet
- Domain 3: Data Analysis Cheat Sheet
- Domain 4: Data Visualization and Communication Cheat Sheet
- Domain 5: Responsible Analytics Practices Cheat Sheet
- Scope Traps and Look-Alike Facts
- Which Domain to Schedule When
- Validity, Recertification and Where the Credential Fits
- Quick-Answer FAQ
- ITS-DA here means Information Technology Specialist - Data Analytics, a Pearson credential delivered through Certiport and Pearson VUE.
- Expect an estimated 35-45 questions in a 50-minute timed limit; the passing score is 700 on a 1-1000 scaled range.
- Five official objective domains are published, but no official percentage weights, so do not trust any weighting table you find.
- Coverage spans SQL, R, Python, Excel/Power Query, tuples, date/time, and principal component, cluster and association analysis.
The Exam at a Glance: Identity, Format and Scoring
This cheat sheet condenses everything verified about the IT Specialist - Data Analytics exam into one scannable page. It is issued by Pearson, and Certiport (a Pearson VUE business) administers it. The Pearson catalogue identifier is INF-202. If you want the wider picture of what the credential is and who it suits, start with What Is ITS-DA? and then return here for the fast-review version.
| Fact | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Credential | IT Specialist - Data Analytics (Pearson; Certiport administers) |
| Question count | Estimated 35-45 questions; a variable range, not a fixed form count |
| Time limit | 50-minute maximum of timed exam time (administration and tutorials are excluded) |
| Delivery | Computer-based, proctored: Pearson VUE test center, OnVUE online, or a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC) |
| Passing score | 700 on a 1-1000 scaled score |
| Domains | Five official objective headings, no published weights |
| Preparation profile | Roughly 150 hours suggested; a readiness profile, not a logged-hours requirement |
| Validity | Five years for awards on or after 2025-06-18 |
Format notes that affect how you answer
The exam is a computer-based, proctored knowledge assessment. Because the question count is a range rather than a fixed number, do not assume you will see exactly 40 items; pace by the clock, not by a guessed total. Pearson's interface tutorial describes how answer options are navigated, and it is worth reading before test day so the controls are not new to you. Note that the older tutorial document carries a generic question estimate that predates the exam-specific listing used on this page, so treat the 35-45 figure as the current reference for this exam.
Scaled score, not a percentage
The 700 passing mark sits on a 1-1000 scaled range. It is not a raw 70% requirement, so you cannot convert it to a number of questions you may miss. Certiport does not publish pass rates, which is why any pass-rate figure you see quoted should be treated with caution. For a fuller discussion, see ITS-DA Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass and ITS-DA Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Registration, Vouchers and Fee Mechanics
Two purchase routes appear in the verified facts, and they are not interchangeable.
Route 1: Pearson MindhubPro exam voucher
- Displays USD 127 web/member pricing for the exam-only voucher.
- The voucher is country-restricted and unavailable in some listed markets, so check availability before you buy.
- It expires 12 months after purchase. That expiry is a voucher deadline and is separate from how long the credential stays valid.
Route 2: CATC voucher with retake
- Priced at USD 133, US-only, and includes a retake.
- Proctoring may cost extra at the testing center.
- It is not usable at Pearson VUE centers or through OnVUE; it works only through the separate Certiport Authorized Testing Center channel.
Test-day conditions
OnVUE candidates must pass a system check and test under a live webcam proctor. At a CATC, expect photo and signature ID, an NDA, parental consent for candidates under 18, and a rule against personal paper or communication devices in the room. There is no degree requirement beyond command of the objective domains; see ITS-DA Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify for the eligibility picture.
Domain 1: Data Basics Cheat Sheet
The five domain names below are the official exam objective headings, and they describe what is tested rather than prescribing a curriculum. Data Basics is the foundation the other four build on.
Data Basics: what to know cold
Be fluent in how data is structured and typed, because later domains assume it.
- Date/time values: recognize them as their own data type and understand why they behave differently from plain text or numbers.
- Tuples: know what a tuple is and how it differs from other collection structures you would meet in Python.
- Tool awareness: know which of SQL, R, Python and Excel/Power Query is the natural fit for a given task.
- AI/ML roles in analysis: understand the basic role these play in the analytics workflow, at a conceptual level only.
For a deeper domain-by-domain walkthrough, the ITS-DA Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas expands each heading.
Domain 2: Data Manipulation Cheat Sheet
This is where the exam's tooling coverage is most visible. Current coverage includes SQL, R, Python and Excel with Power Query, which matches the additions Pearson announced in its May 14, 2025 update post about upcoming IT Specialist exam changes. That post still uses future-tense wording about a fall release, so no exact release date or exam version should be inferred from it.
Manipulation skills to rehearse
- SQL: querying, filtering, joining and aggregating tabular data.
- Python and R: reshaping, cleaning and transforming datasets in code.
- Excel/Power Query: importing, cleaning and shaping data through query steps rather than manual edits.
- Date/time handling: parsing, converting and calculating with temporal values, a frequent source of subtle errors.
Domain 3: Data Analysis Cheat Sheet
Data Analysis is where the more advanced statistical vocabulary appears. The verified scope names three multivariate techniques, and you should be able to say what each is for.
Techniques the objectives name
- Principal component analysis: reducing many correlated variables to fewer components that capture most of the variation.
- Cluster analysis: grouping observations by similarity without predefined labels.
- Association analysis: finding items or events that tend to occur together.
The machine-learning boundary
The outline covers the basic roles AI and machine learning play in analysis, but it explicitly excludes specific machine-learning algorithms. If you are spending study hours memorizing the internals of particular ML models, you are over-investing. Keep the focus on the analytical techniques named above and on interpreting results sensibly. For a sense of how demanding this material feels in practice, read How Hard Is the ITS-DA Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Domain 4: Data Visualization and Communication Cheat Sheet
This domain tests whether you can pick a chart that fits the data and spot one that misleads.
Visual forms and pitfalls named in scope
- Sankey diagrams: show flow between stages or categories, with band width reflecting quantity.
- Box plots: summarize distribution, spread and outliers across groups.
- Misleading charts: recognize distorted axes, cherry-picked ranges and visual choices that exaggerate or hide a pattern.
Communication matters as well as chart selection: the right visual should serve the audience and the question, not simply display everything available. When a question shows a chart, ask what claim it implies and whether the design supports that claim honestly.
Domain 5: Responsible Analytics Practices Cheat Sheet
This domain separates the exam from a pure tools test. It treats ethics and statistical honesty as testable knowledge.
Responsible-analytics checklist
- Privacy: handle personal data in ways that protect the people it describes.
- Small-sample anonymity: in small groups, individuals can be identified even when names are removed.
- Bias: recognize how data collection and analysis choices can skew results.
- Limits on generalization: conclusions drawn from one sample or context may not hold elsewhere.
Key Takeaway
Do not treat Domain 5 as a soft add-on. It is one of five official objective headings, and a candidate who masters SQL and Python but ignores privacy, bias and generalization limits leaves an entire domain exposed.
Scope Traps and Look-Alike Facts
Data Analytics is not the Databases exam
IT Specialist - Data Analytics is a separate exam from IT Specialist - Databases. Although both touch SQL, the analytics exam spans the five domains above, including visualization, multivariate analysis and responsible practice. Do not assume that preparation for one covers the other.
Know what is not published
- No official percentage weights: the exam header simply counts five domain lines. Any weighting chart is unofficial.
- No numbered exam revision: do not cite a version number as if it were official.
- No pass rate: Certiport does not publish one.
- Objectives are not curriculum: the five headings tell you what can be tested, not how to teach it.
Which Domain to Schedule When
The suggested readiness profile is about 150 hours of preparation, though that is a guideline and not a verified application requirement. If you spread it across a few weeks, sequence by dependency rather than by interest.
Data Basics, then Data Manipulation
- Lock in date/time and tuple behavior first; later errors trace back here.
- Spend the largest block on hands-on SQL, Python, R and Power Query practice.
Data Analysis
- Learn what principal component, cluster and association analysis each answer.
- Practice explaining results in plain language.
Visualization and Responsible Practices
- Review Sankey diagrams, box plots and misleading-chart patterns.
- Finish with privacy, small-sample anonymity, bias and generalization limits.
Finish with timed mixed practice at the 50-minute limit so the pace feels familiar; the ITS-DA practice tests are built for that kind of run-through. For a fuller plan, see the ITS-DA Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Validity, Recertification and Where the Credential Fits
How long it lasts
Credentials awarded on or after 2025-06-18 are valid for five years. Earlier awards remain nonexpiring. To recertify, you buy a new voucher and pass the then-current exam. Remember that voucher expiry (12 months after purchase on the MindhubPro route) is unrelated to credential validity: one is about when you must sit the exam, the other about how long the earned credential stands.
Career context
The credential signals practical grounding in data work across SQL, Python, R and spreadsheet tooling, plus the judgment to visualize and report responsibly. It tends to suit students, career changers and early-career analysts building a first verifiable data credential. Whether it pays off depends on your target roles, so weigh it using Is the ITS-DA Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026, and look at ITS-DA Jobs and the ITS-DA Salary Guide 2026 for market context rather than relying on any single number.
Quick-Answer FAQ
The verified estimate is 35-45 questions with a 50-minute maximum. It is a variable range rather than a fixed form count, so pace yourself by the clock.
A 700 on a 1-1000 scaled score. It is not a raw 70%, so you cannot convert it into a fixed number of allowable misses. Certiport does not publish pass rates.
No official percentage weights are published. The five headings are Data Basics, Data Manipulation, Data Analysis, Data Visualization and Communication, and Responsible Analytics Practices.
No. The USD 127 MindhubPro voucher is country-restricted and expires 12 months after purchase. The USD 133 CATC voucher with retake is US-only and cannot be used at Pearson VUE centers or through OnVUE.
Awards on or after 2025-06-18 are valid for five years; earlier awards do not expire. Recertification requires a new voucher and passing the current exam. Exact test windows are covered in ITS-DA Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.