Top Business Analyst Certifications

Business analyst certification

Overview

Business Analyst certifications help professionals grow in their careers but also help in expanding their business analysis knowledge. In today's fiercely competitive job landscape, acquiring a certification can provide a substantial advantage over other applicants.

In this blog, we are going to provide details on the best business analyst certifications. We will also provide all the details about these certifications including eligibility criteria, benefits, cost, exam pattern and more.

Are Business Analyst Certifications worth it?

What is the value of certifications for Business Analyst professionals? Let me share some data points to help you understand the value of the certifications.

• BAs who hold at least one BA Certification earn 8% higher compared to non-certified professionals. (Source: Global State of Business Analysis survey)
• 32% professionals experienced certification benefits within a month of getting certified. The %age increased by 5% over the previous year. (Source: Global State of Business Analysis survey)
• 82% of surveyed professionals confirmed that business analysis role is being recognized and valued in their organizations. (Source: Global State of Business Analysis survey)
• Business Analyst certifications play a vital role in establishing one's credibility and expertise as a professional, enhancing reputation. This is particularly advantageous when collaborating with clients and stakeholders.

Best Business analyst certifications

Here are the most reputed business analyst certifications in 2024. These certifications are recognized worldwide.

CBAP

CBAP certification is a business analyst certification for experienced business analysts. This is arguably the most reputed certification for business analysts in the world.

Who can go for it?

CBAP Certification is for experienced business analysts. CBAP® recipients are the leading, senior members of the BA community.

Who awards this certification?

CBAP is awarded by International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), Canada.

CBAP Eligibility Criteria

Here are the eligibility criteria for this certification:

• You need to have a minimum of 7,500 hours of Business Analysis work experience within the past 10 years. (You can consider this in order to be approximately 5 years of business analysis experience)
• Within this experience, you need to have at least 3,600 hours of the 7,500 hours of Business Analysis work experience in 4 out of the 6 Knowledge Areas defined in BABOK® Guide Version 3. Each of the 4 areas must have a minimum of 900 hours of experience
• You must have completed a minimum of 35 hours of Professional Development within the last 4 years
• You need to provide two references from a Career Manager, Client, or a Certified Business Analysis Professional
• You must agree to the Code of Conduct
• You must agree to the Terms and Conditions

CBAP Exam details

CBAP exam comprises of 120 multiple choice questions (MCQs) to be completed in 3.5 hrs. CBAP exam questions are case study and scenario based and expects you to have extensive knowledge of Business analysis practices and knowledge areas.

You can take the exam online from home.

How to prepare for CBAP?

CBAP examination is not easy and requires good preparation which includes a comprehensive training on Business Analysis body of knowledge (BABOK) and practice with a good question bank.

Techcanvass is an IIBA Premier Endorsed education provider (EEP) and has been conducting CBAP preparation course for 8+ years.

---

CCBA

Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA) is a certification for experienced business analysts. The CCBA certification enables you to learn best practices and formal business analysis skills, which can help you enhance your career prospects and differentiate yourself from other business analysts.

Who can go for it?

The CCBA certification is designed for experienced business analysts who are looking to enhance their skills and knowledge in the field.

Who awards this certification?

This certification is awarded by International institute of business analysis (IIBA), Canada.

CCBA Eligibility Criteria

Here are the eligibility criteria for this certification:

• You must have a minimum of 3,750 hours of business analysis work experience in the last 7 years.
• You must have a minimum of 900 hours in two of the six knowledge areas or 500 hours in four of the six knowledge areas.
• You must have a minimum of 21 hours of professional development in the last four years.
• You need to provide two references from a Career Manager, Client, or a Certified Business Analysis Professional
• You must agree to the Code of Conduct
• You must agree to the Terms and Conditions

CCBA Exam details

CCBA exam comprises of 130 multiple choice questions (MCQs) to be completed in 3 hrs. CCBA exam questions are designed to test your ability to apply the BABOK v3 concepts and framework.
You can take the exam online from home.

How to prepare for CCBA?

CCBA examination is not easy and requires good preparation which includes a comprehensive training on Business Analysis body of knowledge (BABOK) and practice with a good question bank.

Techcanvass is an IIBA Premier Endorsed education provider (EEP) and has been conducting CCBA preparation course for 8+ years.

---

PMI-PBA

The Project Management Institute (PMI) provides the Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) certification program, which is a worldwide recognized credential for business analysts. This certification emphasizes recognizing business needs and issue-solving while demonstrating skill in business analysis principles and methods.

Who can go for it?

The PMI certification is intended for those with experience and competence in business analysis, ensuring effective problem-solving and stakeholder communication.

Who awards this certification?

PMI-PBA is awarded by Project Management Institute (PMI).

Project Management Institute (PMI)

Here are the eligibility criteria for this certification:

I. Educational Background:

a. Secondary Degree (e.g., High School Diploma or Associate's Degree):

• You should have at least 60 months (5 years) of work experience as a business analysis practitioner.
• This experience must have been gained within the last 8 years.
• You need to accumulate 35 contact hours in business analysis practices through formal education or training.

II. Bachelor's Degree or Higher:

• You should have at least 36 months (3 years) of work experience as a business analysis practitioner.
• This experience must have been earned within the last 8 years.
• Similar to the secondary degree, you need to accumulate 35 contact hours in business analysis practices through formal education or training.
• OR
• Bachelor's or Postgraduate Degree from a GAC Accredited Program (Bachelor's or Master's Degree or Global Equivalent):
• You must have a minimum of 2 years (24 months) of unique, non-overlapping professional business analysis experience.
• Additionally, you need to complete 35 contact hours of formal education related to business analysis practices.

Exam format:

• The PBA exam is a computer-based test that consists of 200 multiple-choice questions.
• You have 4 hours to complete the exam.

PMI-PBA Exam details

PMI-PBA exam comprises of 200 multiple choice questions (MCQs) to be completed in 4 hrs.

How to prepare for PMI-PBA?

You must have an organized plan to prepare for the PMI-PBA (Project Management Institute-Professional in Business Analysis) certification. Here is how to prepare for the certification exam:

• Know the Content of the Exam: Become acquainted with the PMI-PBA Exam Content Outline. It outlines the knowledge domains, tasks, and domains covered in the test. Planning, analysis, monitoring, evaluation, traceability, and needs assessment are all included.
• PMI-PBA Official Guide: Make use of PMI's PMI-PBA Handbook and the PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline.
• Study aids and textbooks: Invest in project management and business analysis-specific textbooks.
• Online Education: Enroll in PMI-PBA preparation classes; these courses typically include study guides, practice questions, and advice.
• Mock exams and practice tests: Take advantage of practice tests to gauge your preparedness by simulating the real testing scenario. These aid in pinpointing weak points for additional research.
• Real-World Application: Make an effort to incorporate the ideas you're learning into projects at work or real-life situations. Application in real life frequently improves comprehension.
• Make a Study Schedule: You must have a solid study plan before you start your exam preparations.

Remember that the PMI-PBA certification exam preparation is different for everyone. So, the amount of time required may be different for everyone.

---

AAC

The Agile Analysis Certification (AAC) is a BA certification for professionals who want to learn more about agile business analysis. It is offered by the IIBA and covers topics such as agile requirements engineering, user stories, and acceptance criteria.

Who can go for it?

IIBA does not have any eligibility criteria for AAC Certification. This means anybody can go for it. However, IIBA recommended having couple of years of experience in the software development and agile domain.

Who awards this certification?

This certification is awarded by International institute of business analysis (IIBA), Canada.

AAC Eligibility Criteria

Here are the eligibility criteria for this certification:

• While there is no specific requirement of experience in agile or business analysis, the IIBA recommends it for BA professionals with 2-3 years of agile-related experience.
• There is no requirement for any Professional Development (PD) hours to be eligible for the AAC Certification examination.
• You must agree to the Code of Conduct
• You must agree to the Terms and Conditions

AAC Exam details

The exam consists of 85 multiple-choice to be completed within a time limit of 2 hours. The IIBA AAC exam is closely aligned to the Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide and focuses on testing your ability to answer questions based on real-world scenarios.

How to prepare for AAC?

To prepare for the exam, you need to go through the Agile extension v2 guide which comprises of three horizons and 24 techniques. Once you go through the guide, you need to start taking tests and other drills to check if you have understood the concepts and can apply them. All the questions are scenario based so applying the concepts correctly is important. Practicing with chapter-based questions and full-length simulations is important.

Techcanvass offers Agile Analysis Certification (AAC) preparation course. Our training program is designed to help you prepare for the certification. This AAC Training program is available as live online training as well as self-paced course.

---

Agile BA

The two-level APMG Agile Business Analyst certification programme is intended to give professionals broad knowledge and abilities in utilizing agile approaches for business analysis. This certification provides a thorough understanding of agile concepts and how business analysis uses them. This programme develops applicants' skills to lead successful business solutions with agile frameworks by means of a structured curriculum that is divided into two levels.

Who can pursue this Certification?

Obtaining the APMG Agile Business Analyst certification may be of interest to professionals who wish to advance their skills in business analysis in agile settings. For example, this certification is beneficial for:

• Product owners
• Project managers
• Business analysts
• Professionals working on software development or business transformation projects.
• Professionals who want to hone their business analysis skills and broaden their knowledge of agile approaches.

Who awards this certification?

APMG Agile Business Analyst certification is awarded by the globally recognized accreditation- APMG International. Hence, to provide the best standards in certification programmes, APMG uses thorough exams to confirm candidates' abilities.

APMG Eligibility criteria

In order to seek the APMG Agile Business Analyst certification, here is what you should know about the eligibility criteria:

• Candidates must possess a fundamental understanding of agile principles
• A solid foundation in business analysis
• Prior credentials are not specifically required, but it is helpful to be familiar with agile approaches.

APMG Exam details

Here are the exam details of both the Foundation level and the Practitioner Level

Foundation Level:

• Format: Totally Knowledge-based
• Online proctored exam with closed books.
• Number of questions: There are 50 multiple-choice questions that you have to answer.
• Duration: 40 minutes to answer.
• Exam costs come to about $260 USD.

Practitioner Level:

• Format: Purely scenario-based
• Open book, but the only proctored exam you may use is the DSDM Handbook Online.
• Number of questions: You will be given 80 multiple-choice questions to answer
• Duration: Two hours and forty minutes
• There are four sections of questions, each with twenty questions.
• Every segment assesses your knowledge of and proficiency with applying particular DSDM and Agile components.
• The initial premise is expanded upon in each section, so the tension in the story increases.
• The test was challenging. In terms of difficulty, it is similar to PMI tests.
• Exam costs come to about $380 USD.

How to prepare for APMG exam

Here are few tips on how you can kickstart your APMG exam preparation:

• Thorough Study: Recognise the goals, objectives, and study materials supplied by APMG or authorized training providers.
• Practice with scenarios: To enhance your decision-making abilities, practice with case studies and situations that are similar to acquaint yourself with scenario-based inquiries.
• Time management: To efficiently manage your time throughout the exam, practice time-bound assignments.
• Mock Exams: To gauge your preparedness and pinpoint areas for development, take practice exams that replicate the real exam setting.
• Review and Revise: To improve your comprehension, go over the course content again and pay close attention to the more difficult subjects.

---

ECBA

The Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) is an entry-level business analyst certification. It is designed to demonstrate your basic knowledge of the BA profession and the BABOK Guide (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge).

Who can go for it?

This is an entry level business analyst certification for professionals from across the sectors. People from various educational backgrounds can enroll in this course, whether or not they have an IT background.

Who awards this certification?

ECBA is awarded by International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), Canada.

ECBA Eligibility Criteria

Here are the eligibility criteria for this certification:

• There are no formal education or experience requirements for the ECBA certification.
• However, to pursue the certification, you must ensure you register an account with IIBA and agree to the IIBA's Code of Conduct and Terms of Service.

ECBA Exam details

The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice to be completed within a time limit of 1 hour.

How to prepare for ECBA?

If you want to transition to a Business Analyst, you need to learn formal Business Analysis skills and get ECBA Certified.

Our IIBA Endorsed ECBA Certification training is designed to help you achieve both. It is a dual-purpose course that will help you learn formal BA skills as well as prepare you for ECBA Certification along with that it also offers Job interview preparation, One-on-One feedback sessions, Business Analyst Interview Audiobook and more that will assist you in securing your dream job. Enroll now to avail an early bird offer.

How to choose the right certification?

You need to consider 3 factors to choose a business analyst certification suitable for you. Here are these four factors:

A. Career Objective

This is the most important consideration. You need to choose a certification for the right reason.

For example, An experienced business analyst may choose to go for CBAP certification for strengthening his/her profile. A business analyst may choose Agile Business Analyst certifications for gaining the capability to work in an Agile environment.

B. Eligibility Criteria

Check the eligibility criteria for each certification. You need to meet all the eligibility criteria to appear for the certification exam.

C. Certification Credibility

You should select a certification which is well respected across the world. Certification credibility comes from the credibility of the Organization offering the certification and the certification itself. Our list of top certifications considers both these factors.

Conclusion

Building a career in 21st century needs learning new skills based on the industry trends. This is true for every professional including Business Analysts. Certifications play an important role in it, as discussed above.

Techcanvass is an IT certifications training organization for professionals. We offer not only the certifications listed in this article but also domain training courses and other short courses.