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Frequently Asked Questions for IIBA Certification
Application Process
Exam Registration
Exam Preparation
Examination
Recertification
Application Process
What are the precise prerequisites needed to obtain certification? (experience, examination, apprenticeship, training, fee, etc.)
Requirements for certification including the application process can be found in the CBAP® Handbook. In general, there are requirements for education, work experience, expertise in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®) knowledge areas, professional development, and references.
Are there any possible substitutions?
No, you must meet all of the requirements as outlined in the CBAP® Handbook to be eligible to write the exam.
Have you considered having a reduced total hour requirement for the applicants who possess a Bachelor's degree? Currently the formula says 7500 hours and at least a high school diploma, but it is safe to say that in this decade, 99.x% of people going for a CBAP® designation have at least a high school diploma...not all have a university degree however, and while the degree may not be directly related to business analysis principles, the attainment of a degree leads one to absorb fundamental analysis principles along the way.
While we do agree that this education is viable to any business analyst, this is the reason we have the requirement for Professional Development when applying for the CBAP® designation. Having said that, the focus is on the skills, experience and expertise gained from real-world BA work experience. The CBAP® requirements were developed based on the fact that working as a BA offers experience that cannot be gained in an educational setting, no matter what the area of study. In addition, the CBAP® exam has been developed in such a way as to require many years of BA work experience, not taking advanced education into account.
Will the IIBA® be very severe verifying experience?
Candidates and CBAP® recipients may be audited to verify/validate work experience and other information provided in the application.
What are the criteria used to validate experience?
Work experience must be Business Analyst-related, performing tasks as per the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®). See the CBAP® Handbook for complete guidelines.
Will there be a more “junior” version of the application and exam available soon for Intermediate BAs with less than 7500 hours of work experience?
IIBA® is looking at the possibility of a “junior” certification to support people entering the BA profession. However, we cannot provide a date for the rollout of such a certification at this point in time. As more information becomes available, it will be posted on the website and published in the IIBA® monthly newsletter.
Are there companies that formally recognize the CBAP® certification?
Yes, there are companies that formally recognize the CBAP® certification for their employees. A list of these companies will be posted on our website by the end of 2008. As the designation becomes more widely known, this list will certainly increase.
When is the exam being offered?
Dates, times, and locations of exams can be found in the Certification section of the IIBA® website.
How far in advance of the scheduled exam do you require candidates to submit their application?
Application deadlines can be found on the Exam Schedule page in the Certification section of the IIBA® website.
I noticed some exams are scheduled along with conferences. I would like to sit for an exam but not attend the conference. Is this possible?
Yes, you may take the exam and not attend the conference.
How do I sign up for the exam?
The exam is the final requirement for CBAP® certification and anyone desiring to take the exam must first apply for certification and pass the initial screening process. Once determined to be qualified to sit for the exam, the individual will be registered for the exam date they specified in their application.
For the Work Experience and Professional Development sections, is it acceptable for experiences to be provided in a spreadsheet?
For the time being, any format is acceptable as long as all information required in the application is provided.
My work experience includes tasks other than those meeting the CBAP® requirements. Should I include all my experience from the present back to my first business analysis (BA) experiences within the last 10 years?
Only BA specific work experience should be indicated in the application. During assessment, gaps are not considered as long as 7500 hours in the past 10 years are provided. However, overlaps in work experience are reviewed to ensure the number of hours is appropriately documented.
How can I provide experiences in the application that involve sensitive or company proprietary information?
Indicate in the application that the experience involved sensitive company information and then provide only as much information as possible without breaching the privacy.
I understand that training is not considered as acceptable hours towards the 7500 hours requirement for the application. I am currently teaching BA workshops and, during the course of most workshops, I work with clients on their projects as a mentor, performing a wide range of BA consulting services. This is above and beyond the actual class discussions and accounts for approximately five hours per week. Over time, this activity adds up and is spread across various organizations nationwide. Can I account for this time as work experience? If so, what is the best way to document the time?
Any general coaching provided during a training session would be considered training time. However, follow-up coaching and consulting outside of the training course for a student’s specific project would count. Combine all hours into one project and indicate it is time spent supporting students with their specific questions outside the course. As part of the contact information for this project you will need to provide the name of a person at your organization that can (1) verify you provided this service to students and (2) how much time you generally spend on this task.
Contacts for many of the projects I have worked on over the past 10 years are no longer available. How do I document this in such a way that I can still get credit for the hours performed?
Please indicate the situation (i.e., that you are not able to provide contact information for the person you reported to) and provide the name of a person who can verify your employment with that organization.
What qualifies for the 21 hours of required training in the past four years?
All endorsed courses qualify for the professional development requirement. Other courses may qualify but endorsed courses are guaranteed. Note that courses must be related to BABOK® knowledge areas or the underlying competencies.
Is it safe to assume that when the CBAP® Handbook refers to professional development hours (and credit hours in the application form), that it is referring to Professional Development Units? The reason I ask is that the order of magnitude between PDU's and CEU's is about ten fold. Meaning that 21 PDU’s = 2.1 CEU’s. The difference would be a single course or 10 courses.
For initial certification, the term IIBA® uses is Professional Development hours or PD hours when referring to the requirement. PDU is a Project Management Institute (PMI) term. On the application form for the professional development section, the applicant is asked to fill in the number of Credit Hours for the course. 1 hr of PD = 1 Credit Hour which usually equals 1 hour of classroom time. The EEP or training provider can confirm for the applicant how many credit hours they will give the applicant for taking the course. For recertification, the term IIBA uses is CDU. This Recertification Handbook has recently been posted on our website. CBAP® applicants are required to track their own CDUs at the moment.
Do the online courses hold as much weight as the classroom courses to meet the 21 PD hours requirement?
Online courses do hold the same weight as classroom courses for the PD requirement; however, you must ensure that you can provide proof of taking the course in case you are audited. Also, if the online course is endorsed by IIBA® (same as the classroom course) then it automatically qualifies towards the 21 hours of PD. If it's not endorsed, it does not automatically qualify and will have to be assessed at the time of application to ensure it meets the PD requirements.
What kinds of requirements are needed for trainers? Can they be outside vendors or internal to our organization?
There are no requirements for a trainer. Trainers can be external vendors or internal to an organization. You will need to provide proof of completion (if audited) and may be asked to provide a course overview if we have questions about the training.
Does training in Microsoft (MS) Project or Visio count towards the training requirement?
MS Project does not count since it is a Project Management tool and a BA does not need to know how to use it to complete a plan. Visio does count since most BAs use it for modeling/diagramming.
I just changed employers a couple of months ago so my current manager has only known me and my work for a short period, whereas my previous manager has known me for many years. Do I have to use my current manager as a reference or can I use my former manager?
Use the reference that is most familiar with you. Note that two references are required and must be included in your application package. The references must be submitted in separate, sealed envelopes with the reference’s signature across the seal.
If the application reviewers identify a non-BA task on their BA task list, how will they know how much time to deduct when the hours are totaled at the project level, not the task level?
Your experiences should be detailed as much as possible when listing tasks and deliverables. During the application assessment, the number of tasks and deliverables listed for a project are totaled and each task and deliverable in a project holds equal weight. The non-BA tasks and deliverables are divided by the total tasks and deliverables to determine the qualifying percentage of tasks and deliverables. This percentage is then multiplied by the total BA Hours submitted for the project to determine the total BA Hours that qualify. For example, 100 tasks and deliverables are submitted for a project but 10 tasks and deliverables are non-BA tasks and deliverables as per the BABOK®. As a result, 10% of the tasks and deliverables do not qualify. If 200 BA hours are submitted for the project, then 10% x 200 hrs or 20 hrs do not qualify and, only 180 hrs qualify for the project.
In the Personal section of the application form, what is meant by country code in the phone number?
Every country has a country code. For example the country code for Canada and the US is 1. In some cases you need to enter in the country code as part of the phone number.
Can I have an invoice prior to paying the application fee so my company can pay the fee?
Unfortunately, we do not invoice for certification application fees. Candidates are responsible for paying the IIBA® fee and working with their organization to obtain any reimbursement. We will provide the candidate with a receipt once we have received the fee and application.
After I submit my application how long will I have to wait to find out if I’m approved to sit for the exam?
We will notify you within one week that your application was received. We will assess your application within 21 business days for applications submitted online and 30 days for applications submitted by mail, from the time it was received, unless otherwise notified. Note that applications are processed for the most part on a “first come, first served” basis. However, there may be times when the applications are processed in order of application deadlines. For example, if your application is for a paper-based scheduled exam and another application is received with an application deadline for an earlier-scheduled exam, the second application will be assessed prior to yours.
Exam Registration
How do I sign up for the exam?
The exam is the final requirement for CBAP® certification and anyone desiring to take the exam must first apply for certification and pass the initial screening process. Once determined to be qualified to sit for the exam, the individual will be able to register for the exam date they specified in their application. Instructions on how to register for computer-based testing (CBT) of the exam or a paper-based scheduled exam can be found in the CBAP® Handbook.
How and when is the exam being offered?
The exam is offered by CBT and as a paper-based scheduled exam. Dates, times, and locations for both of these methods can be found under Exam Information.
Will there be International exams?
Yes, there are exams offered internationally. There are many CBT centers located outside of North America. For the complete list, visit the link on the Exam Information webpage.
How far in advance of the paper-based scheduled exam do you require candidates to submit their application?
Application deadlines for paper-based scheduled exams can be found on the Exam Information webpage in the schedule at the bottom of the page. For CBT exams, there is no application deadline per say. Once the application is approved, you can register online for an exam within a week. Seven days notice from the registration date is required for test centers in North America. Up to 60 days notice from the registration date is required for test centers outside of North America.
Once my application is approved and I am registered for an exam, when do I find out about the exam logistics such as exact location, room, directions, time, etc.?
For paper-based scheduled exams, approximately two weeks prior to the exam you will receive an email from the exam administrators (Castle Worldwide) confirming exam logistics. For CBT exams, once you have registered online for the exam, you will receive a confirmation notice via email with the exam logistics almost immediately.
I noticed some exams are scheduled along with conferences. I would like to sit for an exam but not attend the conference. Is this possible?
Yes, you may take the exam and not attend the conference.
What are the criteria for paying the IIBA® member exam fee?
In order to pay the $325 US (+ GST/HST for Canadian residents) IIBA® member exam fee rather than the $450 US (+ GST/HST for Canadian residents) non-member fee, you must be a current member of IIBA® OR, you must have applied to be a member and paid the membership fee at the time you submit your exam registration form and exam fee. In addition, your membership must cover your exam date. Otherwise, you must pay the non-member exam fee.
Once an exam date is specified on the application and my application is approved, what happens if I’m not able to sit for that particular exam due to work demands or I do not appear at the testing site? Will I have to re-apply? Will I lose my money? Can I choose to sit for a different exam within a specified period of time?
Upon application approval, if the exam date requested was for a paper-based scheduled exam, you will be registered for it and you will receive confirmation of the registration via email. Therefore, your exam date request is granted and you must write the exam as scheduled. For any cancellation or transfer out of the exam date specified, please email certification@theiiba.org as soon as possible. If notification is provided to IIBA® less than 30 days prior to the exam date, an administration fee of $55 U.S. will be charged to the candidate. For CBT exams, if you decide to reschedule your exam, you must pay the cancellation fee of $50 U.S. to Castle Worldwide before you can reschedule. If you cancel 5 days or fewer before the exam, or you do not pay the cancellation fee to Castle Worldwide, you will forfeit the exam fee you paid, and you must pay the full exam fee to reschedule.
Are there instances where exceptions might be considered for missing a scheduled exam?
Yes, there are situations that would be considered acceptable. Contact us directly at certification@theiiba.org describing your situation and we will make a decision. Please understand that we will require some sort of proof as part of this exception process.
If I’m not able to write the exam within the specified timeframe, do I have to reapply and pay again?
Fees will not be reimbursed if you do not write the exam within the time period.
What if the exam sitting specified in the application is full, there is not an alternate exam sitting and the next exam offering at the specified location is more than one year away. Can I be given longer than one year to write the exam from the time my application was approved so that I can write the exam the next time it is offered in my area?
IIBA® would consider this exception on a case by case basis. Having said this, it would only apply if the sitting is full and we do not offer another exam at that location in the year the individual applied.
Exam Preparation
We are currently reviewing vendors for a certification program. Would you have any suggestions on narrowing our search from the list of companies that you have on your website?
We are proud to have many Endorsed Education Providers (EEPTM) that have submitted their business analysis courses to IIBA® for review to ensure they are aligned to the BABOK®. We encourage you to investigate the EEP learning programs and determine for yourself which ones might best meet your certification program needs. IIBA® has no basis on which to recommend one EEP over another.
How can I prepare for the exam?
To prepare for the exam please refer to the BABOK® and the references found at the back of the BABOK®. The exam is also based on experience. You may also want to look at the Endorsed Education Providers (EEPTM) listing for any additional training you may require.
Can you tell me what material I need to review or course I should take to prepare for the exam?
There is no exam syllabus and we do not require you to take a prep course to qualify for the exam. As long as you meet the candidate requirements and your application is approved, you are eligible to write the exam. We do recommend that you read the BABOK® which is also posted on the website.
Is the BABOK® the primary document we should reference in studying for the exam? If not, what else can you recommend that we review?
The BABOK® is the document recommended. We also encourage you to read the CBAP® Handbook which details the requirements for the application process.
Will the exam be updated to reflect BABOK® 2.0 when the updated BABOK® is released?
The exam will not be updated until BABOK® 2.0 is released. Sufficient notice will be provided when the updated exam will be used.
One of the BABOK® chapters is incomplete. Will there be questions that will stand on that chapter?
All material in the BABOK® and referred to by the BABOK® is eligible to be tested in the exam (in addition to knowledge/expertise expected from senior BAs).
Do you have examples of exam questions?
No, we do not provide sample exam questions.
Examination
How many questions are on the exam?
The CBAP® exam has 150 questions.
What kind of questions are they?
All the questions are multiple choice with four possible answers from which to select. Some questions are based on "comprehension" (e.g., definition, recall, etc.) and others are based on "situational analysis" (e.g. given a scenario, which is the best course of action) where the applicant must do a bit of analysis to arrive at the answer. It is neither all of one type or the other but covers a range of Blooms taxonomy.
What is the exam based on?
The exam is based on the tasks identified in the BABOK®. While some information is contained in the BABOK®, it is not the sole source of questions on the exam. The BABOK® references other sources the candidate may find helpful.
How long will I have to complete the exam?
Candidates will be given three and a half hours to complete the exam.
Is the exam computer-based or paper-based?
The exam is a computer-based exam offered, as of September 1, 2008, at many test center locations worldwide. For a listing of CBT test center locations, visit the Exam Information webpage. We also offer paper-based scheduled exams as part of our Exam Hosting Policy so IIBA® Chapters, EEPs and companies can still apply to host the exam in their area. More information can be found on the CBAP® Hosting Policy webpage.
What is the minimum score necessary to pass the exam?
Cut scores are developed using psychometric procedures lead by Castle Worldwide. After each exam is developed the cut score is calculated based on the cumulative performance of test items. The IIBA Certification Body will not publicly reveal the cut score or the pass rate for any exam, although these will be monitored to ensure the effectiveness of the exam.
If I don’t have experience in Enterprise Analysis, should I apply and would I have a chance of passing the exam. Does it matter in which subject area I may have a lack of experience?
This information is found in the Exam Blueprint in the IIBA® Certification Presentation.
Can you clarify the breakdown of what is really necessary to pass the exam? Do you need to pass in each knowledge area or is it a cumulative total?
The exam score is based on a cumulative total.
Will the weight of the questions be indicated on the exam?
No, the Exam Blueprint in the presentation listed above shows the weight of each knowledge area covered in the exam.
How will I know if I passed the exam?
For CBT exams, candidates will be notified immediately once they have submitted their exam. For paper-based scheduled exams, candidates will be notified by IIBA® via email of their pass or fail status. This should take no longer than 30 days from the exam date. For those who fail the exam, they will be provided with additional information, specifically the Knowledge Areas that require their attention.
How many times can I take the exam?
You must wait three months from the date of your last exam before you are allowed to retake the exam. You are permitted to retake the exam only once within a one year period from the date of your exam eligibility letter.
If I don’t sit for the exam until more than nine months after receiving the acceptance letter and I fail, am I out of luck for retaking the exam?
That is correct. You must pass the exam within one year of the approval of your application. This includes the rule of waiting three months between exams. After the year time period has expired, you must once again complete the application process.
If I fail the exam, can I have the exam re-scored?
Yes, a request can be made to certification@theiiba.org to have the exam re-scored. The fee for this is $65 US and it must be received by IIBA® before the exam can be re-scored.
Recertification
Will training provider’s Professional Development Units (PDUs) count towards maintaining CBAP® status? Will attending chapter meetings count towards the recertification requirements?
Details on the requirements for recertification can be found in the CBAP® Recertification Handbook (pdf).
What happens if I am off of work due to illness or maternity leave during my recertification period?
IIBA® recognizes that hardships may arise. CBAP® recipients who are incapacitated due to illness, on maternity leave or who are military personnel called to active duty can request an extension to their recertification cycle. Requests can be made to certification@theiiba.org.