Free EXIN Data Analytics Foundation Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the EXIN Data Analytics Foundation practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Which group of activities does EXIN include in the data analytics life cycle?

   1. A.Collecting, cleaning, analyzing and visualizing dataCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Collecting, encrypting, archiving and deleting data
   3. C.Procuring, licensing, exchanging and selling data
   4. D.Developing, deploying, monitoring and retiring models

   Explanation: The EXIN guide describes the life cycle as "collecting, cleaning, analyzing and visualizing data" to gain business insights. This identifies the activities rather than only the decision-support purpose.

   Reference: Preparation Guide EXIN Data Analytics Foundation (DAF.EN) — p. 4, Scope

2. 2Which data source consists of records generated by business purchases and payments?

   1. A.Customer feedback questionnaires
   2. B.Transactional dataCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Social media interactions
   4. D.Public demographic estimates

   Explanation: IBM lists "sales records, invoices and payment information" as examples of transactional data. These records arise from business transactions.

   Reference: What Is Data? — Data collection

3. 3An analyst needs to identify records with missing values before deciding how to treat them, without changing the values. Which action meets this goal?

   1. A.Flag the missing values for investigation.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Replace all missing values with zero.
   3. C.Remove every incomplete record immediately.
   4. D.Fill all missing values with the sample mean.

   Explanation: IBM lists "flag missing values for further investigation" as one possible handling approach. Flagging identifies the affected records without yet replacing or removing their values.

   Reference: What Is Data Cleaning? — Addressing missing values

4. 4Which use of data is an example of inferential statistics?

   1. A.Estimating a population proportion from a sampleCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Reporting the observed proportion in the sample alone
   3. C.Counting responses in a complete population census
   4. D.Selecting a probability sample from the population

   Explanation: OpenStax states that "inferential statistics allows a data scientist to draw conclusions about a population based on sample data." A population estimate based on a sample is an inference.

   Reference: Principles of Data Science: Statistical Inference and Confidence Intervals — 4.1 Statistical Inference and Confidence Intervals, introduction

5. 5What purpose distinguishes an exploratory graphic from one designed to present a selected finding?

   1. A.To discover patterns or anomalies in the dataCorrect answer: A
   2. B.To establish that each observed association is causal
   3. C.To make a selected subset representative of the population
   4. D.To communicate a single established finding as the final story

   Explanation: IBM says exploratory data analysis, often using visualization, helps analysts "discover patterns, spot anomalies, test a hypothesis, or check assumptions." An exploratory graphic helps reveal what the data may contain.

   Reference: What Is Exploratory Data Analysis? — What is EDA?

6. 6How can defining a business problem help at the start of a data mining project?

   1. A.It helps shape the data questions and project parameters.Correct answer: A
   2. B.It establishes the project's findings before data analysis.
   3. C.It determines which correlations are causal in the results.
   4. D.It substitutes general questions for the business context.

   Explanation: IBM states that defining the business problem "helps inform the data questions and parameters for a project." This guides subsequent choices without fixing the findings in advance.

   Reference: What Is Data Mining? — How data mining works, Set the business objectives

7. 7Which data collection method obtains customers' preferences as self-reported responses?

   1. A.A survey asking customers about their preferencesCorrect answer: A
   2. B.A transaction log recording customers' purchases
   3. C.A web log recording customers' page views
   4. D.A product-return record showing customers' actions

   Explanation: IBM says "customer feedback or research surveys can provide insights into preferences, opinions and trends." The survey directly elicits responses; purchase, browsing and return records capture actions.

   Reference: What Is Data? — Data collection

8. 8Why can duplicate records be a data quality concern before analysis?

   1. A.They can inflate the data set and distort the conclusions.Correct answer: A
   2. B.They are automatically counted only once in raw analysis.
   3. C.They cancel each other's effect on every calculated count.
   4. D.They imply that every observation is repeated equally often.

   Explanation: IBM explains that "Duplicates can inflate data sets or distort analysis, leading to inaccurate conclusions." Removing confirmed extra copies addresses that risk.

   Reference: What Is Data Cleaning? — Deduplication

9. 9How is the arithmetic mean of a set of observations obtained?

   1. A.By selecting the observation that appears most often
   2. B.By subtracting the minimum from the maximum
   3. C.By dividing the sum of the observations by their countCorrect answer: C
   4. D.By choosing the central observation after sorting

   Explanation: Statistics Canada defines the arithmetic mean as "the sum of all values divided by the number of values." The central sorted value is the median, while the most frequent value is the mode.

   Reference: Measures of Central Tendency — 4.4 Measures of central tendency

10. 10What is the primary purpose of an explanatory graphic created after an analysis?

    1. A.To communicate a finding to an intended audienceCorrect answer: A
    2. B.To investigate a data set before selecting a finding
    3. C.To search for unexpected groups without a communication goal
    4. D.To inspect many alternative plots to formulate a hypothesis

    Explanation: The Census Bureau distinguishes exploratory analysis from visualization used "when presenting findings to another audience." An explanatory graphic communicates an established finding to readers.

    Reference: Communicating With Census Data: Data Visualization — Introduction, purposes of data visualization