100+ Free OpenEDG PCAD Practice Questions

PCAD (Certified Associate Data Analyst with Python) is OpenEDG / Python Institute's associate-level certification — more advanced than the entry-level PCED — validating end-to-end data analysis skills with Python and SQL. The active version is PCAD-31-02 (released July 2025). Topics span data acquisition, cleaning, statistical analysis, supervised and unsupervised machine learning, and visualization. It is independent of any vendor and forms a stepping stone toward the professional-level PCPD.

PCED (Certified Entry-Level Data Analyst with Python, PCED-30-01) is the entry-level credential — 30 questions in 40 minutes, $59, focused on Python recap, NumPy, basic Pandas, simple visualization, and descriptive statistics. PCAD is the next level up — 48 questions in 60 minutes, $195+, covering the full data analysis lifecycle including SQL, OOP, scikit-learn modeling pipelines, hypothesis testing, and dimensionality reduction. PCAD assumes PCED-level Python comfort plus more advanced data and ML skills.

48 items (single-select and multiple-select, including scenario-based) in 60 minutes. Five blocks with explicit weightings: Data Acquisition and Pre-Processing 29.2%, Programming and Database Skills 33.3%, Statistical Analysis 8.3%, Data Analysis and Modeling 18.8%, and Data Communication and Visualization 10.4%. Cumulative score must reach at least 75% to pass. Delivered remotely via the OpenEDG Testing Service (TestNow) with online proctoring.

PCAD-31-02 voucher options via the OpenEDG store start at $195 (single-shot exam). Bundled options: $215 with retake, $225 with practice test, $245 with retake plus practice test. The voucher is valid for one year from purchase. Compared to other associate-level data analyst certifications, PCAD is competitively priced and includes optional bundled practice tests.

PCAD is associate-level (intermediate). Candidates with PCED- or PCEP-level Python comfort plus 6-12 months of practical Pandas/SQL/scikit-learn experience usually pass with 60-100 hours of focused study. The Programming & Database block (33.3%) and Data Acquisition block (29.2%) together comprise nearly two-thirds of the exam — practical fluency with Pandas and parameterized SQL is the biggest study leverage. The statistics block is small (8.3%) but trips candidates without scipy.stats / statsmodels exposure.

Free OpenEDG / Python Institute courses on edube.org cover the syllabus; supplement with the official Python documentation, the Pandas user guide, the scikit-learn user guide, and the statsmodels documentation. Build at least one end-to-end Jupyter notebook per study week — ingest data, clean and validate, EDA, model, evaluate, visualize, narrate. Practice 200+ questions across all five blocks; aim for 85%+ on practice exams before scheduling.

No — PCAD has lifetime validity, like other OpenEDG / Python Institute credentials (PCEP, PCED, PCPP). There is no recertification or continuing education requirement. The certification version (PCAD-31-02) reflects the syllabus you tested against; if OpenEDG releases a new version (e.g., PCAD-31-03), your existing credential remains valid even though new candidates would test against the newer syllabus.

Highly recommended but not required. PCED ($59) covers Python and basic data analysis at an entry level — solid foundation for PCAD. If you already have several months of practical Pandas/SQL/scikit-learn experience, you can go directly to PCAD. If you are coming from general programming with limited data work, take PCED first to validate the foundations and avoid stretching across two unfamiliar domains at once.