Sample CRCM test Questions

The following questions are representative of the types of questions you will find on the CRCM (Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager) exam.

a. A line of credit used for the borrower's business, secured by the borrower's primary  dwellingb. A revolving line of credit secured by the borrower's primary dwelling used to Improve the borrower's homec. An increase of a line of credit from $5,000 to $10,000 secured by the borrower's primary dwellingd. A loan to pay off a contract for a deed secured by the borrower's primary dwelling

a. Before the first EFT occurs b. Along with the first periodic statement c. Within three business days of account opening d. Within three business days of a customer's request for the EFT service

a. Internal auditb. Consumersc. Board of Directorsd. Compliance officer

a. File a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) with the IRSb. Discharge Teller #1 immediatelyc. Send a notice of adverse action to the bank's federal regulatord. File a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR)

a. All individual mortgage loans b. Grants or loans to fulfill CRA activity c. Non-public or confidential information that will be provided in the public file d. A copy of the agreement to the regulatory agency 24 months after the end of the term

1. a2. a3. c4. d5. b

Looking to prepare for the exam? ABA offers CRCM test Online Prep.

Best Big Data Certifications

Today’s organizations are looking for better ways to pull the information they need from massive volumes of data available to them. Big data system administrators store, manage and transfer large sets of data, making them amenable to analysis. Data analytics is the practice of examining the raw data to identify patterns and draw conclusions. Business intelligence involves the collection and organization of information to report on business activities, often pulling data from those very sets.

Along with the surge in big data interest comes a growing number of certifications to recognize the necessary skills in working with enormous data sets. The target audience is IT professionals with a background in analytics, data mining, business intelligence or data management, along with a knack for and interest in mathematics and statistics. Big data engineers are in reasonably high demand and usually command salaries of $101,000 or more, where data scientists average about $128,500 in salary.

We took a detailed look at certifications from INFORMS, Microsoft, MongoDB, Oracle and SAS. Check out the results from their informal search of various job boards to see which certifications employers really want. However, these results are a snapshot from a specific day, time and geography, so they may not reflect actual job demands in your locality when you search for yourself.

*Certified Analytics Professional

INFORMS is a membership-based association aimed at practitioners, researchers and instructors in analytics, as well as operations research and management sciences. The association reports about 12,500 members from nearly 90 countries, most of whom participate in various educational and networking opportunities via their INFORMS membership.

The organization also sponsors the vendor-neutral Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) certification. CAP focuses on seven domains of the analytics process:

Candidates must meet rigorous education and experience requirements, obtain confirmation from a supervisor (current or former) of acceptable soft skills, agree to a code of ethics, and pass one computer-based exam.

This credential must be renewed every three years by earning 30 professional development units (PDUs). INFORMS also requires a $100 annual maintenance fee beginning in the fourth year after certification.

Re-examination fee: $300 member, $400 nonmember

Exams administered by Kryterion. Candidates must be approved by INFORMS and pay for the test before registering with an test site.

Microsoft is part of the big data mix with its MCSE: Data Management and Analytics certification, which leans heavily toward SQL Server 2016 and emphasizes cloud environments and reporting. This credential replaces the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE): Business Intelligence, which retired on March 31, 2017.

The MCSE: Data Management and Analytics requires candidates to earn an MCSA certification and then pass an elective exam. The MCSA certifications to choose from are MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014; MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Administration; MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Development; MCSA: SQL 2016 BI Development; MCSA: Machine Learning; MCSA: BI Reporting; and MCSA: Data Engineering with Azure. There are 12 MCSE elective exams, which focus on a variety of cloud, big data analytics and BI topics, with machine learning now added to the MCSA certifications.

To maintain this certification, you must pass an additional elective test each year. Doing so adds an entry to your transcript that indicates your commitment to staying current on technologies and expanding your skill set.

Number of exams

Training courses available and recommended for all certifications but not required.

*Exam to be retired on June 30, 2019. Replacement test not yet released but should be available prior to that date.

MongoDB is both an open-source, NoSQL document-oriented database and the name of the company providing that technology. Because of its document-oriented NoSQL model, MongoDB is well suited for managing large amounts of loosely structured data, as is so often the case in big data projects.

MongoDB was deemed a leader in Forrester Wave: Big Data NoSQL, Q3 2016, and Gartner selected MongoDB as a challenger in its 2016 Magic Quadrant for Operational Database Management Systems. The database ranks fifth in overall database engine popularity as of March 2019.

The MongoDB NoSQL certification program recognizes developers and operations professionals who can create and run applications on MongoDB. The program offers two associate-level credentials: MongoDB Certified DBA and MongoDB Certified Developer. The company plans to eventually roll out higher-level certifications. The current exams are based on MongoDB V4.0.

MongoDB offers private, instructor-led classroom training as well as free online video training through MongoDB University. Each online course typically runs for 3-7 weeks and features video lectures, quizzes, weekly assignments, and a final test or project. Students may use the forums to interact and address each other’s questions; instructors and teaching assistants monitor forums and jump in when needed.

For database professionals interested in venturing into big data projects and NoSQL databases, the MongoDB certification is certainly a worthwhile goal.

MongoDB Certified Developer, Associate Level

Oracle has one of the largest certification programs in the world, and it has granted more than 1 million Oracle and Sun certifications.

Oracle offers its Business Intelligence (BI) certifications across several applications and platforms, such as Business Intelligence Applications 7 for CRM, Business Intelligence Applications 7 for ERP, and Business Intelligence Foundation 11g. To narrow down the field, they focused on the Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation Suite 11g Certified Implementation Specialist credential.

Candidates for this certification are intermediate-level professionals (architects, analysts, developers and administrators) who work with Oracle Business Intelligence Suite solutions, performing tasks such as installing, building, querying, configuring, and managing the platform and BI dashboards.

Although anyone can attempt the exam, the certification is designed for members of the Oracle Partner Network who sell and deploy the technology.

New exams and training courses based on Oracle BI 12c are also becoming available as those courses and exams are released to the public.

Recommended:

SAS is a multibillion-dollar global corporation that specializes in business analytics software and services. The company’s well-honed certification program offers nine credentials across programming, information and data management, advanced analytics, and business intelligence.

Three noteworthy SAS certifications are the SAS Certified Data Scientist, SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst Using SAS 9: Regression and Modeling, Business Intelligence Content Developer for SAS 9, and SAS Certified Big Data Professional Using SAS 9. They concentrated on the SAS Certified Data Scientist Using SAS 9.

Candidates for the Data Scientist certification should have in-depth knowledge of and skills in manipulating big data using SAS and open-source tools, using complex machine learning models, making business recommendations, and deploying models. Candidates must pass five exams to earn the SAS Certified Data Scientist credential.

SAS doesn’t require candidates to take certification courses as a prerequisite for exams, but the company offers an official curriculum for those who have the budget and need the extra preparation.

SAS “versioned” credentials, such as the SAS Certified Data Scientist Using SAS 9, do not expire. However, SAS may retire exams as new or enhanced software is released.

<td”>$180; Predictive Modeling test is $250

See the Certification Discount Packages webpage for discounts for faculty, staff, students, veterans and others.

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SAS Certified Advanced Analytics Professional Using SAS 9

See a list of courses that support Big Data and Advanced Analytics on the SAS Academy for Data Science webpage. Recommended Data Scientist training: SAS Certified Data Scientist (e-learning, $4,400; live instructor-led in Cary, North Carolina; 12 weeks, $16,000)

Exams include multiple-choice, short-answer and interactive questions (interactives are in simulated SAS environment). Exams available through Pearson VUE.

It was a real challenge to whittle down this year’s list of popular big data certifications. The Cloudera Certified Professional Data Engineer (CCP Data Engineer) missed a spot in the top five by a small margin. The company also offers CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer and CCA Data Analyst certifications. Given the company’s leadership status in software and services based on Hadoop, the CCP Data Engineer certification is worth your consideration.

Other notable certifications include the IBM Certified Data Architect, the EMC: Data Science (EMCDS), and those from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hortonworks, MapR and Teradata.

Check out Stanford’s Data Mining and Applications graduate certificate. Although it’s not a vendor-neutral or vendor-specific certification (it’s a college certificate), TechExams forum members like it in terms of popularity and job prospects. The certificate requires completion of three courses (nine college units) at a cost of $11,340 to $12,600. The Microsoft Professional Program (MPP) currently offers four tracks for online education with course completion certificates, including two relevant tracks: one on data science, the other on big data. These are worth checking out as well, and significantly cheaper than the Stanford certificate program.

There are many more. A quick Google search every month or two should reveal a growing list of big data, data analytics and BI certifications, and they think one or more of these is a smart way to spend your certification dollars.

Best Small Business Loans Of August 2023

In general, small business loans help businesses access the money they need to operate and grow. However, there are several types of small business loans, and it’s important to find the best fit for your needs.

SBA loans are small business loans that are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, including the SBA 7(a), 504, CAPLines, Export, Microloan and Disaster loan programs. These loans typically range from $30,000 to $5 million and come with low interest rates and extended repayment terms—up to 25 years. That said, qualification requirements are more demanding than for other loans not backed by the government, and the application process typically takes longer.

Common types of SBA loans include:

Terms loans are a traditional form of financing that’s repaid over a set period of time. In general, short-term loans range from just three to 18 months, whereas long-term business loans may be extended for up to 10 years. While some term loans are designed for specific uses—like financing equipment or inventory—term loans traditionally can be used to fund most large business-related purchases. Business term loans are typically available up to around $500,000, and annual percentage rates (APRs) start around 9%.

Unlike a term loan that’s paid out in a lump sum, a business line of credit is a set amount of money that a business owner can access on a revolving basis. This means the borrower can draw against the line of credit for a set period of time—usually up to five years. If the borrower pays back a portion of the line of credit early, they can access it again until the draw period ends.

Once the draw period is over, the borrower enters the repayment period and can no longer access the revolving funds. Rather than pay interest on the entire amount, as with a term loan, a business owner who accesses a line of credit is only charged interest for what they actually use.

Lines of credit are a good option for businesses that want to access cash on an as-needed basis for things like unexpected expenses and other cash-flow issues. Borrowing limits generally range from $2,000 to $250,000 and come with APRs from 10% to 99%.

Invoice factoring is the process of selling a business’ outstanding invoices in exchange for a lump sum cash payment. Invoices are sold to a third-party factoring company at a discount, so you won’t get paid for invoices in full. And, once you sell an invoice to a factoring company, the factoring company assumes responsibility for collections.

However, this form of financing can be an effective way to access cash quickly without having to wait the 30 to 90 days customers usually have to pay invoices. For that reason, invoice factoring is a helpful strategy when you need short-term financing or help managing cash flow. In general, invoice financing amounts can extend up to $5 million with APRs between 10% and 79%.

Merchant cash advances (MCAs) let business owners access a lump sum of cash by giving the lender—often a merchant services company—a portion of future sales receipts. In contrast to a traditional business loan, a merchant cash advance and related fees are repaid from the business’ individual sales or through automatic clearing house (ACH) payments on a daily or weekly basis.

Under this strategy, a business owner borrows a set amount of cash at a factor rate usually between 1.2 and 1.5. To repay the loan, the business must repay the advance with a set percentage of daily credit card sales over an estimated repayment term. A merchant cash advance may be a good option for businesses that experience a high volume of sales and need to access cash quickly—without qualifying for a traditional business loan.

Equipment financing is a form of small business loan that helps businesses purchase the equipment and machinery needed to start and maintain operations. This flexible financing can typically be used for everything from office furniture and electronics to manufacturing equipment.

Equipment loans are collateralized by the items being purchased, so the size of a loan depends on the value of the equipment and the size of the down payment. However, the best equipment financing companies offer terms and limits of up to 25 years and $1 million or more.

Interest rates on equipment financing may be lower than available through other types of financing and typically range from 8% to 30%. As with other small business loans, rates vary by lender and borrower creditworthiness.