CBAP Certification – Is There A Direct Route?
One looming question for practically everyone who is serious about furthering their Business Analyst career is whether or not to pursue a CBAP certification. Ultimately this is a personal decision; however, there are a couple of facts that are universally true concerning business analyst certification. First, this is not an easy path. It takes quite a bit of time, money and effort to meet the general requirements of the CBAP. However, most that see it through to the end are happy they did so. Secondly, there is no 1 path that will take you to CBAP certification. There is leeway in what BABOK Knowledge Areas that you focus on and there are multiple ways to get your Professional Development units.
Hopefully, this article will provide you a detailed overview of steps necessary to achieve your CBAP certification.
CBAP Certification – Am I Ready?
1) Understand the basic requirements for qualifying to take the CBAP.
- Minimum 7500 hours of BA work in the last 10 years. This work must be aligned with the BABOK guide.
- Minimum 900 hours in 4 out of 6 BABOK Guide Knowledge Areas.
- Minimum 21 hours of Professional Development aligned with the BABOK Guide in the last 4 years.
- Education requirements of high school diploma or equivalent.
- Two professional references.
- Signed Code of Conduct.
- Passing the CBAP exam.
If you don’t meet some of the professional requirements, you might want to consider an intermediate certification from the IIBA of Certification of Competency in Business AnalysisTM (CCBATM).
2) Understand what is on the CBAP test.
Each test is comprised of 150 multiple choice questions, with 4 possible answers each. You will have 3.5 hours to take the test.
Prepare appropriately for the different knowledge areas:
- Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring: 19.33%
- Elicitation: 14.0%
- Requirements Management and Communication: 16.0%
- Enterprise Analysis: 15.33%
- Requirements Analysis: 19.33%
- Solution Assessment and Validation: 16.0%
If you take the computer based test, scoring is immediate, and you will know how you did.
3) Submit your CBAP application.
You want to be sure you qualify to take the CBAP prior to doing a ton of studying, so make sure all your bases are covered by submitting your application now. The BA Mentor has a ton of great information on preparing for the CBAP. A great resource for this step is a spreadsheet they offer to help organize your CBAP exam application information.
4) Once approved, schedule your CBAP Exam.
You will probably want to schedule this a couple months out. This will depend on how much studying you need to do and/or how much time you will be able to devote to studying prior to taking the CBAP. If you misjudge your window, you can reschedule your exam. If you fail your exam, you can schedule to take it again within one calender year of your application.
Get ready for that test!
5) Study, practice, study, practice!
This is the crucial time in preparing for the CBAP. There are tons of ways to get ready for the exam, from flash cards, to study guides to exam simulations. Think back to school – what study methods benefited you most? I think one of the best ways to prepare as well as raise your confidence level heading into the test is to take CBAP practice tests. The folks over at BA Mentor offer some great resources, from prep study courses to CBAP practice exam simulations. You can click on those links to see what all they have to offer. Also there are a couple of good guides over at Amazon like CBAP / CCBA: Certified Business Analysis Study Guide
6) Now it’s time to take the last step in your CBAP certification. Take and pass the CBAP exam with flying colors!
Once you have put in the time to fulfill all the professional requirements as well as studied hard and taken the practice tests, sitting for the actual exam will be a breeze because by following this guide, you will be ultra-prepared. Congratulations!
Now take a few days to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Once you have achieved your CBAP certification it will be necessary to recertify every 3 years, but don’t sweat it as you’ve already made it through the difficult stretch.
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[...] How do you make your business analyst resume more marketable? Do you broaden your work experiences? Do you ask your boss for more responsibilty? Do you take training classes? Do you try to get your CBAP certification? [...]