Frequently Asked Questions

Each DASCA certification has specific eligibility requirements based on your education and professional work experience. Check which credential suits you best here.

Please refer to the candidacy tracks on the respective certification pages to check the eligibility criteria. Alternatively, you can also check which credential suits you best here.

Technically yes. The DASCA QualiFly™ program can serve you well here!

Please click here to check if your last qualification/ degree is from a DASCA-recognized or a DASCA-accredited institution. In other words, if you are an alumnus of a DASCA-recognized or a DASCA-accredited institution, the work-experience requirement for a DASCA certification may be significantly lessened, or even waived!

If you are a student or alumnus of a DASCA-recognized/ accredited institution, you may be eligible for the QualiFLY™ discount. Check here if you QualiFLY™.

In response to our disapproval of the applicant’s candidature on eligibility grounds, the applicant must fill in the Candidacy Reconsideration Request Form available here for reconsidering the eligibility for any DASCA certification program applied for. Along with this form, the candidate must submit a letter stating the exact reason for reconsideration. The form and the letter must be submitted together within 5 business days after candidature disapproval notification. Attach the required documents along with the form and submit it here.

You get 180 days from the date of registration confirmation to complete the entire process. So, this is the time you have to prepare for, take, and pass your DASCA certification exam. The result is shown immediately after you submit your exam. The result report is shared within 96 hours on your myDASCA dashboard. Once you pass your certification exam and complete other requirements (applicable for the PDS™ certification program), a digital badge is issued to you by CredBadge as proof that you are certified. The DASCA credential kit – carrying your certificate and lapel pin – will be shipped to your address within 3-4 weeks.

You can only switch programs within 24 hours of completing your registration.

To switch programs, please contact us.

The submission of an application indicates that you agree to comply with the terms of the auditing process. If your application is picked for an audit, a notification is sent to you carrying the necessary details of the process, required documents, and timelines. You need to fill out the Candidacy Audit Response Form available here and submit it with the required documents mentioned in the form here.

Your study material – the DASCA Exam Preparation Kit – will be shipped to the address that you provide us while completing your registration. Please ensure that your information is correct and complete.

You do not have to pay any additional amount for the DASCA Exam Preparation Resources.

No. The DASCA Exam Preparation Resources is not intended for the open market, and its availability and access are restricted to only authorized users, including candidates pursuing DASCA certification programs.

Your exam window will open 45 days after registration completion. You can then go ahead and schedule your examination.
Do note that from the day of registration, you have a period of 180 days to prepare for and take your DASCA certification exam. If you are a PDS™ candidate, you have one year to do so.

All DASCA exams are proctored online, and you can take them at your convenience after your computer and surroundings are ExamStrong™ verified.

The examinee must carry two valid forms of ID from the list below. Please note that both IDs can either be primary IDs or one primary and one secondary ID.

Primary ID

The primary ID must be an original and valid, containing both, the examinee’s photo, and signature.

• Government-issued driver’s license
• Passport
• Military ID
• State/ Country ID card
• Employee/ School ID

Secondary ID

The secondary ID must be original and valid, containing the examinee’s name and signature, or the examinee’s name and a recent photo.

Please Note: All IDs required must be issued by the country in which the candidate is testing. If the candidate does not have a qualifying primary ID issued from the country they are testing in, an International Travel Passport from their country of citizenship is required, along with a secondary ID.

The first and last name that the candidate uses to register must match exactly the first and last name on both of the IDs that are presented on test day.

The DASCA certification exams are multiple-choice based, each exam lasts for 100 minutes. Each question has four choices, with one or more options being the correct answer. It is not necessary to answer every question before moving on to the next. You can always review, return, or alter the answer to questions you have already answered. Be sure to scrutinize the answers to each question before submitting it. Besides, if you're a PDS™ candidate, you should be aware that the three non-exam components are seperate.

The following are the number of questions to be answered for each DASCA certification exam:

You are not allowed to use any electronic devices during the examination. Please read our examinee conduct policy here.

No. The exam is proctored live and must be completed all at once without any breaks.

You should reach the chosen exam room/location at least 60 minutes before the scheduled time to ensure the exam room and the computer are thoroughly checked, verified, and approved by the DASCA-authorized testing body.

If you cancel the scheduled examination appointment, you can immediately reapply from your myDASCA dashboard by paying a nominal fee of US $50.

You can reschedule your exam from your myDASCA dashboard 72 hours before your scheduled examination. If you want to reschedule your exam within 72 hours of your examination date, you can do so by paying a nominal fee of US $50.

Though scoring 65% marks in a DASCA certification exam may be generally sufficient, but unlike typical university academic tests with standardized and fixed qualifications, passing grades, or numeric scores, the DASCA certification qualification criteria are dynamic – they vary across time and examinee batches. Also, they hinge on a statistical measure of the scores obtained by the global 85 percentile of the examinees in a given time period.

You can view your result immediately after submitting the online test. Your test results will also be published on your myDASCA dashboard within 96 business hours of completing the exam.

You will also receive an email with the Unique Credential code to showcase your digital badge within 3-4 days of passing the exam. The official DASCA credential kit will be issued and delivered to you within 3-4 weeks.

If you fail in your first attempt, you will be required to pay a nominal fee of US $50 via your myDASCA dashboard to retake the exam. Please note that you can apply to reappear right after your examination result gets published.

Examinees missing a scheduled exam because of emergencies, should directly contact DASCA to report matter.

The following reasons for missing out on, or not showing up for a scheduled DASCA Certification examination have been defined as acceptably genuine, and deemed as justified for grant of Retake permissions if requested:

• If examinees have been unfortunately affected by Covid infections, or are under quarantine or are facing immobility due to Covid-related restrictions or disruptions.
• If examinees themselves or any of their immediate family members meet a serious accident, or develop a sudden medical condition demanding serious attention.
• If there is a bereavement in the family.
• If examinees are summoned by courts, or are drafted on juries, or are required for some urgent national duty.

Examinees forced to miss out on their scheduled DASCA exam for any of the above-mentioned reasons are required to contact DASCA and request for a Retake by submitting doctor’s or hospital certificates etc., as proofs of the emergency encountered.

Renewal is mandatory to keep your certification live and current. You are required to renew your Credential before the Standard credential renewal deadline. When you renew, you show your continuing competence and commitment to the profession. DASCA will send you reminder emails for renewal of your credential, wherein you simply have to click the links mentioned in these communications, or log into your myDASCA account and register for renewal. In order to receive email reminders from DASCA, please make sure to keep your email address current. Please note that training is not mandatory for renewal and you only have to register and complete a short–duration online refresher learning program as per the latest Data Science/ Big Data Analytics/ Big Data Engineering Body of Knowledge (DASCA-DSBoK™).

The table below shows the validity of DASCA credentials

The recertification can benefit you in the following ways:

• Recertification helps you to stay relevant in the field.
• It helps you stay abreast of all industry updates from some-top-of-the-line publications
• You can get the opportunity to network with Data Science/ Big Data Analytics/ Big Data Engineering professionals across the world and share with them best practices, proven methodologies and many more.
• You can enjoy discounts on events or conferences and many more.

If you wish to recertify or renew your credential you need to pay a credential renewal fee depending upon the certification and its current status.

DASCA will send you reminder emails for renewal of your credential, wherein you simply have to click the links mentioned in these communications, or log into your DASCA account and register for renewal. In order to receive email reminders from DASCA, please make sure to keep your email address current. Please note that training is not mandatory for renewal and you only have to register and complete a short–duration online refresher learning program as per the latest Data Science/ Big Data Analytics/ Big Data Engineering Body of Knowledge (DASCA-DSBoK™).

The DASCA credentials have a convenience period (grace period) for renewal and also have provisions for reactivation and revival. Kindly visit www.dasca.org for more details on our policies.

Recertification:

Recertification is the process of renewing one's certification. Recertification implies that you are building upon your knowledge, growing as a professional and increasing your experience daily. Recertification is the process where the candidate who already holds the said certificate, retakes the same at the end of the certification validity period.

Upgrade:

Upgradation is the process of replacing an existing certification with a better, improved and more relevant certification.

An ABDE™ Credential can be upgraded* to SBDE™, ABDA™ to SBDA™, and SDS™ to PDS™ subject fulfillment of the candidacy norms by the credential-holder, and upon successful completion of the prescribed online fast-track learning program as per the latest DASCA-DSBoK™ along with a small online assessment.

The fees for the upgrade are as follows:

The DASCA certificate holder should upgrade or renew his/her credential within the standard renewal period. In case he fails to do so, we also have a 60 day convenience period for renewal.

For more details kindly visit www.dasca.org

Payments can be made via debit or credit cards. We accept a range of cards including Visa, American Express, MasterCard among others. Payment for company-sponsored applicants can be done via electronic checks or wire transfers, and further information may be sought by writing to us.

For withdrawal requests made within 24 hours from payment, the total fee paid will be refunded after deducting the processing charges of US$ 80. However, no refund will be processed for withdrawal requests after 24 hours.

No. Payments must be made in a single installment.

Examinees canceling their exams and want to re-take the exam are required to pay a nominal fee of USD 50 from their myDASCA dashboard.

There will be no additional cost incurred by you for displaying your digital badge; Storing, managing, and broadcasting your credential is free.

Using CredBadge's sharing options, you can directly share your digital badge on professional networking sites, personal websites, e-mails, and popular social media platforms. Each digital badge has a unique URL that can be embedded.

Follow the step-by-step instructions here:

• Log in to your myDASCA dashboard.
• Click on "View Result" on the Home Page, then select "Share your Credential."
• You will be redirected to our digital badging partner, CredBadge.
• Sign in to CredBadge account using your myDASCA account's registered email, password, and DASCA Registrant ID.
• Click on the CredBadge URL.
• Select the social media icon on the lower left corner (LinkedIn, Facebook, X, website, or email).

Broadcast your achievements. Get the recognition you deserve!

Yes, you will receive both – a digital badge and a hard copy of your certificate. The official Credential Kit will be shipped to your registered shipping address within 3-4 weeks of you successfully passing the exam.

You can notify your employer about your credential award by logging in to your myDASCA dashboard and click on Notify My Employer button to add the email address of the individual you want to notify. DASCA will send an email to that person about your DASCA credential award.

To get a duplicate certificate in the event of losing your original certificate, you must generate a service request from your myDASCA dashboard. An additional fee of US $100 will have to be incurred by you.

You will get shipment and tracking notifications from the outsourced logistics vendor as soon as your DASCA Certification Preparation Kit and Credential kit, is shipped.

If you've received a shipment delivery e-mail but still have not received your DASCA Certification Preparation Kit or your Credential kit, we advise you to:

• Lodge a complaint with the specified carrier service.
• Write to us.

Note: The Logistics team can provide documentary proof issued by the shipper after completing the delivery to your shipping address. This Proof of Delivery shall be the only document accepted by DASCA to confirm the delivery. We regret in advance that we will not be able to entertain or take any complaint after we receive the Proof of Delivery of a shipment.

In case your DASCA Certification Preparation Kit has been delivered to an incorrect address, please lodge a complaint with the carrier using the tracking details provided by DASCA Logistics.

If you are not available to accept the shipment delivery, the shipper may deliver the Certification Preparation Kit at your mentioned address after verification.

Yes, you will be able to change your shipping/ mailing address after you have paid the certification fee till the time your Certification Preparation Kit is shipped. Once your preparation kit is shipped, you will not be able to change your address. So please ensure that you provide us with the correct address to avoid any hassle at the time of delivery of your DASCA Certification Preparation Kit.

Yes, it may be possible. Please refer to the shipping details shared by the logistics team and contact your carrier to check the the possibility of rescheduling your shipment delivery date.

If you have received damaged books or the wrong set of books in your DASCA Certification Preparation Kit, please write to us within 24 hours of receipt of your kit. We regret to inform you that we will not be able to entertain or accept any complaints after 24 hours.

You may have to pay the customs duties and other levies – if any – in your country. As a recipient, you are responsible for the clearance of the DASCA Certification Preparation Kit or the Credential Kit consignment.

*Note

DASCA or its partners/representatives will not be responsible for any delays due to delivery carrier factors, weather, natural calamities, international customs regulations, holidays, customer error, or any other unforeseen events beyond the control of the shipper.