Certified Analytics Professional Questions
5S - -Correct Answer-workplace organization method promoting efficiency
and effectiveness; five terms based on Japanese words for: sorting, set in
order, systematic cleaning, standardizing, and sustaining
5 Whys - -Correct Answer-iterative process of discovery through repetitively
asking 'why'; used to explore cause and effect relationships underlying and/or
leading to problem
80/20 Rule - -Correct Answer-AKA the Pareto principle: roughly 80% of
results come from 20% of effort
Accuracy - -Correct Answer-quality or state of being correct or precise, or the
degree to which the result of a measurement, calculation, or specification
conforms to the correct value or standard
Activity-based costing - -Correct Answer-method of assigning costs to
products or services on the resources that they consume
Agent-based modeling - -Correct Answer-a class of computation models for
simulating actions and interactions of autonomous agents with a view to
assessing their effects on the system as a whole
Algorithm - -Correct Answer-set of specific steps to solve a problem
1
, 2
Amortization - -Correct Answer-allocation of cost of an item or items over a
time period such that the actual cost is recovered; often used to account for
capital expenditures
Analytics - -Correct Answer-scientific process of transforming data into insight
for making better decisions
Analytics professional - -Correct Answer-person capable of making
actionable decisions through the analytic process; also a person holding the
Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) credential
ANCOVA - -Correct Answer-acronym for analysis of covariance
ANOVA - -Correct Answer-acronym for analysis of variance
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - -Correct Answer-branch of computer science that
studies and develops intelligent machines and software
Artificial Neural Networks - -Correct Answer-computer-based models inspired
by animal central nervous systems
Assemble-to-Order (ATO) - -Correct Answer-manufacturing process where
products are assembled as they are ordered; characterized by rapid
production and customization
2
, 3
Assignment problem - -Correct Answer-The problem instance has a number
of agents and a number of tasks. Any agent can be assigned to perform any
task, incurring some cost that may vary depending on the task. It is required
to perform all tasks by assigning exactly one agent to each task and exactly
one task to each agent in such a way that the total cost is minimized. The
Hungarian algorithm is one of many algorithms that have been devised that
solve the problem. Other algorithms include adaptations of the primal simplex
algorithm, and the auction algorithm.
Suppose that a taxi firm has three taxis (the agents) available, and three
customers (the tasks) wishing to be picked up as soon as possible. The firm
prides itself on speedy pickups, so for each taxi the "cost" of picking up a
particular customer will depend on the time taken for the taxi to reach the
pickup point. The solution to the assignment problem will be whichever
combination of taxis and customers results in the least total cost.
Automation - -Correct Answer-use of mechanical means to perform work
previously done by human effort
Average - -Correct Answer-sum of a range of values divided by the number of
values to arrive at a value characteristic of the midpoint of the range
Batch production - -Correct Answer-method of production where components
are produced in groups rather than a continual stream of production
Benchmarking - -Correct Answer-act of comparison against a standard or the
behavior of another in attempt to determine degree of conformity to standard
or behavior
3
, 4
Benchmark problems - -Correct Answer-comparison of different algorithms
using a large test set
Bias - -Correct Answer-data calculated so that it is systematically different
from the population parameter of interest. General term that means "how far
your result is from the truth". Any kind of systematic error in an estimate. Also
known as underfitting.
Big data - -Correct Answer-data sets too voluminous or too unstructured to be
analyzed by traditional means
Box-and-whisker plot - -Correct Answer-a simple way of representing
statistical data on a plot in which a rectangle is drawn to represent the second
and third quartiles, usually with a vertical line inside to indicate the median
value. The lower and upper quartiles are shown as horizontal lines either side
of the rectangle
Branch-and-Bound - -Correct Answer-a general algorithm for finding optimal
solutions of various optimization problems. The basic concept underlying the
is to divide and conquer. Since the original "large" problem is too difficult to
be solved directly, it is divided into smaller and smaller subproblems until they
are solved. Guarantees convergence.
Business analytics (BA) - -Correct Answer-refers to the skills, technologies,
applications, and practices for continuous iterative exploration and
investigation of past business performance to gain insight and drive business
planning; can be descriptive, prescriptive, or predictive; focuses on
4