I'm considering the Certified Economic Analyst credential but my background is applied policy and data analysis rather than formal economics. I have a master's in public policy with a quantitative methods focus but no dedicated economics coursework beyond intro micro and macro from undergrad. Trying to figure out whether I'm looking at a 3-month prep timeline or a 6-month one before I'm ready to sit the exam.
From what I've read, the CEA covers microeconomic theory, macroeconomic analysis, econometrics, and applied policy evaluation. The econometrics section I'm not worried about — I use regression modeling regularly at work. It's the intermediate micro theory and economic modeling sections that feel like genuine gaps.
I've been working through the CEA Practice Tests to get a sense of where my knowledge actually sits, and I'm averaging around 58% on the practice sets right now, with micro theory questions being the main drag. The passing threshold is around 70% so there's ground to make up but it doesn't feel insurmountable.
Anyone come to this credential from a policy background rather than a straight economics degree? Would love to hear how long prep took and whether there are specific resources you'd recommend for the intermediate micro content specifically.
The applied policy evaluation section is where your background will shine. That part of the exam is really about interpreting findings and understanding program evaluation methodology, which sounds like exactly what you do at work. Don't let the formal economics label intimidate you more than necessary.
Policy background is actually pretty common for the CEA. Your econometrics comfort is a big advantage — that section trips up a lot of people who came up through theoretical economics without much applied stats. I'd guess you're closer to 3-4 months, not 6.
58% starting point with a policy background is reasonable. Your applied skills will carry you on the empirical sections and once you fill in the theory gaps you should be in good shape. 4 months at consistent effort sounds realistic.
For intermediate micro, Varian's Intermediate Microeconomics is the standard recommendation and it's actually readable. I worked through the first 15 chapters in about 6 weeks at roughly 2 hours per day. That got me from about 55% on micro questions to around 78%.
Focus on consumer theory, production theory, and market structures — those three areas cover most of what shows up on the exam.