ANU Statistics: SAS Certification Exam Preparation Resources

22 March 2026 9 min read

Students in the Statistics program at the Australian National University (ANU) can draw on a range of on-campus courses and library resources when preparing for SAS certification exams. SAS is one of the most widely used statistical software packages in global data analytics and business intelligence, and its certification system is managed directly by SAS Institute, with levels including Base Programming, Advanced Programming and Statistical Analysis. According to the SAS Global Certification Program Guide released by SAS Institute in 2023, more than 200,000 professionals worldwide hold SAS certification, with an annual growth rate of around 8% in Australia. For ANU statistics undergraduates and postgraduates, mastering SAS and earning certification can directly strengthen their employability at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2023) and in the financial sector.

Mapping On-Campus Courses to SAS Certification

The ANU Statistics program offers several courses directly aligned with SAS certification exams. The syllabi of STAT3010 (Applied Statistical Methods) and STAT4030 (Statistical Consulting) explicitly include SAS programming content, covering about 70% of the exam objectives for the SAS Base Programming certification (A00-215). According to the Undergraduate Course Guide published by the ANU Mathematical Sciences Institute in 2024, STAT3010 includes a hands-on SAS exam at the end of the semester, with question types closely matching the official 60-minute timed SAS certification exam.

Course Mapping for the Base Programming Certification (A00-215)

The SAS Base Programming certification mainly tests the use of the DATA Step and the PROC Step. ANU’s STAT2001 (Introductory Statistics) introduces the SAS Studio environment in Semester 2, where students complete 8 computer-based assignments covering data import, variable creation and basic statistical analysis. The marking criteria for these assignments follow the Base Programming Exam Content Guide published by SAS Institute in 2022, in which DATA Step operations account for 45% and PROC Step output for 35%.

Supplementary Courses for the Advanced Programming Certification (A00-231)

For students aiming at the Advanced Programming certification, STAT8001 (Advanced Statistical Modelling) provides dedicated training in SQL and the Macro Language. The course includes 2 hours of SAS lab per week, and students complete 3 comprehensive projects, each involving at least 200 lines of SAS code. In the Spring 2024 semester, ANU Library added 15 computer workstations preloaded with SAS 9.4 M8, located on the third floor of Hancock Library.

Using Library and Online Resources

The ANU Library system offers three core types of resources for SAS exam preparation: print textbooks, electronic databases and remote access environments. According to the Digital Resources Annual Report published by ANU Library in 2024, borrowing of SAS-related collection materials grew by 12% in 2023, reflecting rising demand from students preparing for the exams.

Borrowing Print Textbooks

The QA76.73.S27 section on the fourth floor of Hancock Library holds two core textbooks: SAS Certification Prep Guide: Base Programming (SAS Institute, 2023) and SAS Programming for Statistical Analysis (Cody, 2022). The former has 672 pages, 12 chapters and 3 practice exams, covering all knowledge points of the A00-215 exam. Students can place holds through the ANU Library Search system, with a loan period of 14 days per borrowing.

Accessing Electronic Databases

ANU subscribes to two databases: SAS Online Documentation (provided via the ProQuest platform) and O’Reilly for Higher Education. The O’Reilly platform hosts more than 30 ebooks, including SAS Programming in 7 Steps (Janssen, 2023), with full-text search and chapter downloads. Students must log in with their ANU unified identity (uni ID); off-campus access requires a VPN connection.

Mock Exams and Hands-On Practice

Mock exams are a crucial part of SAS certification preparation. The ANU Statistics Department runs an on-campus mock test in weeks 8 and 12 of each semester, using the Practice Exam system officially licensed by SAS Institute. The system contains 50 multiple-choice questions and 2 programming questions with a 90-minute time limit, and automatically generates a weak-point report after scoring. According to the Simulated Exam Effectiveness Study published by the ANU Centre for Learning and Teaching in 2024, students who took the mock tests passed the official exam at a rate 23 percentage points higher than those who did not.

Online Practice Platforms

Students can access more than 200 official practice questions through the SAS Academy for Data Science platform. The platform is run directly by SAS Institute, and the ANU Statistics Department has an institutional partnership agreement with SAS, so students can register free of charge with their uni ID. The platform offers both chapter-by-chapter practice and full mock exam modes, with answer explanations and code examples for every question. When paying tuition across borders, some study-abroad families use dedicated channels such as Flywire tuition payments to complete the currency exchange.

Building Your Own Practice Datasets

The ANU Statistics Department provides 3 public datasets for practice: Health Survey 2023 (12,000 records), Australian Housing Data 2024 (8,500 records) and ANU Student Survey 2022 (4,200 records). These datasets are available for download on the ANU Data Commons platform in CSV and SAS7BDAT formats. Students can practise data cleaning, descriptive statistics, linear regression modelling and more.

Exam Registration and Fee Policies

SAS certification exams are administered by Pearson VUE at more than 5,000 test centres worldwide. The Pearson VUE test centre on the ANU campus is on the ground floor of the Marie Reay Teaching Centre, open Monday to Friday, with slots bookable from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The official exam fee for the Base Programming certification (A00-215) is USD 180 (approximately AUD 270), and the Advanced Programming certification (A00-231) is USD 250 (approximately AUD 375). According to the Certification Fee Schedule published by SAS Institute in 2024, full-time students in the ANU Statistics Department can apply for a 15% discount by providing their student ID number at registration.

Exam Format and Scoring Standards

Both certification exams are computer-based, last 90 minutes and contain 50-60 questions. Question types include single-choice, multiple-choice and code fill-in-the-blank items. The passing score is 70% for the Base Programming certification and 75% for the Advanced Programming certification. Results are shown immediately after the exam, and the official certificate is sent by email within 3-5 working days. Internal statistics from the ANU Statistics Department for 2023 show that 82% of students who took the on-campus mock test reached the passing score on their first official attempt.

Preparation Timeline and Learning Pathway

According to the SAS Certification Study Roadmap published by the ANU Statistics Department in 2024, students are advised to start preparing in week 3 of the semester, for a total preparation period of 10 weeks. Weeks 1-4: complete the SAS foundation module that accompanies STAT3010, investing 4 hours per week; Weeks 5-7: focus on official practice questions, completing 1 full mock exam per week; Weeks 8-9: target weak areas with intensive revision, using O’Reilly ebooks to fill knowledge gaps; Week 10: take the on-campus mock test and book the official exam.

Time Investment and Pass Rates

A 2024 follow-up study by the ANU Centre for Learning and Teaching shows that students who invested a total of 40-50 hours in preparation had a pass rate of 91%; those investing 30-39 hours had a pass rate of 74%; and those investing less than 30 hours had a pass rate of only 48%. The study is based on exam data from 187 ANU statistics students in the 2022-2023 academic year and is statistically significant (p<0.01).

FAQ

Q1: How long is the SAS Base Programming certification (A00-215) valid?

SAS certificates are valid for 5 years from the date of issue. According to the Certification Renewal Policy published by SAS Institute in 2023, certificates must be renewed by retaking the exam or completing 30 credit hours of continuing education (the SAS Continuing Education Program). The ANU Statistics Department offers 2 short workshops per semester that count toward continuing education credits.

Q2: Can students from non-statistics majors register for the SAS certification exam?

Yes. The SAS certification exam has no restrictions on candidates’ academic background. According to the Exam Eligibility Requirements published by SAS Institute in 2024, anyone aged 18 or older can register. Students from other ANU programs (such as business, economics or computer science) can also book the exam through the ANU Pearson VUE test centre, and no proof of statistics coursework is required at registration.

Q3: What is the pass rate for SAS certification exams?

According to the Global Certification Statistics published by SAS Institute in 2023, the worldwide first-attempt pass rate is about 65% for the Base Programming certification (A00-215) and about 58% for the Advanced Programming certification (A00-231). Internal data from the ANU Statistics Department for 2023 show that students who took the on-campus mock test had a first-attempt pass rate of 82%, 17 percentage points above the global average.

References

SAS Institute 2023 《SAS Global Certification Program Guide》
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023 《Labour Force, Australia, Detailed》
ANU Mathematical Sciences Institute 2024 《Undergraduate Course Guide》
ANU Library 2024 《Digital Resources Annual Report》
ANU Teaching Innovation Centre 2024 《Simulated Exam Effectiveness Study》
Unilink Education 2024 《Australia Student Certification Database》