Agile Business Analyst Certification – IIBA AAC

IIBA AAC Certification Overview

The IIBA Agile Analysis Certification or IIBA AAC, offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), is designed for professionals who would like to get into Agile Business Analysis role.

It equips professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in agile business analysis, making it a coveted credential in the field. Become a Certified Agile Business analyst by cracking this certification.

In this article, we will discuss all the details like eligibility, cost, exam pattern and preparation strategy.

What is IIBA AAC Certification?

The IIBA AAC Certification is a prestigious credential that validates an analyst's proficiency in performing business analysis tasks within the agile framework. This certification program focuses on the practical application of agile principles to the domain of business analysis and addresses the increasing need for collaboration between professionals in both the business analysis and agility sectors.

Key aspects of the certification:

The AAC Certification encompasses several key aspects that set it apart –

i. Aligned with International Standards:

Aligned with the International Standards Organization (ISO) and ISO/IEC 17024 Conformity assessment, this certification program meets globally recognized standards, ensuring its credibility and relevance.

ii. Recognizes agile analysis proficiency:

The IIBA AAC Certification acknowledges the ability to effectively execute analysis-related work within an agile context. It validates professionals' competence in applying agile practices to enhance business analysis outcomes.

iii. Augments business analysis skills:

By pursuing the AAC Certification, professionals enhance their business analysis skill set and expertise. They stay up-to-date with best practices and industry trends, ensuring they remain at the forefront of agile business analysis.

iv. Agile perspective in business analysis:

This certification places a strong emphasis on applying an agile perspective within the broader framework of business analysis. It equips professionals with the necessary tools to adapt to the dynamic nature of agile projects.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the AAC Certification examination, as per the IIBA website, are as follows:

• 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. Having experience in agile practices and working in a business analysis context would be beneficial for candidates.
• There is no requirement for any Professional Development (PD) hours to be eligible for the AAC Certification examination.

Certification Cost

AAC Certification cost comprises two parts – the Membership Fees and the Exam Fees. The membership fees depend on your country of residence.

The certification fees details for AAC are provided in the table below :

AAC Cost Head	Region I	Region II	Region III
Membership fees	$139	$89	$55
Exam Fees (Members)	$250	$250	$250
Exam Fees (Non-members)	$400	$400	$400
Exam Re-Write Fee (Members)	$195	$195	$195
Exam Re-Write Fee (Non-members)	$350	$350	$350

Region I Countries: USA, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates & more..

Region II Countries: Singapore, Taiwan, South Africa & more..

Region III Countries: India, Argentina, Pakistan & More..

To check your specific country's membership fees, visit IIBA membership pricing page

Validity and Recertification

According to the IIBA,

• The Agile Analysis Certification (AAC) is a professional certification that requires recertification every year.
• The term of the certification is one year, during which the certification holder must earn 20 Continuing Development Units (CDUs) to maintain the validity of their certification.
• If recipients earn more than the required 20 CDUs in a year, they can carry over up to 5 extra CDUs to the next year. This lets them accumulate additional credits for their future recertification.
• If the certification holder fails to recertify within the one-year term, they will have a grace period of 4 months to complete the recertification process.
• The AAC Certification renewal fee is $30 for IIBA members and $50 for non-members.

AAC Exam Syllabus

• 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.
• The exam is a competency-based certification exam that recognizes the development of enhanced capabilities in business analysis professionals with two to three years of experience executing analysis-related work in an agile context.
• The exam consists of 85 multiple-choice, scenario-based questions.
• Candidates are required to complete the exam within a time limit of 2 hours.
• The exam is computer-based and administered through Prometric testing centers.

The exam is divided into four knowledge areas (domains), with each area having its own assigned weightage. The specific weightage for each knowledge area is provided below

Knowledge Areas	Weightage
Agile analysis mindset and agile principles	30%
Strategy Horizon	10%
Initiative Horizon	25%
Delivery Horizon	35%
Agile Analysis Techniques	Includes in every Horizon

Is IIBA AAC worth it?

The IIBA AAC is worth considering for business analysts, especially in light of the statistical evidence provided by the 2022 Global State of Business Analyst Report.

According to the report:

• Agile approaches are now practiced by 87% of business analysis professionals, showcasing the growing adoption of agile practices.
• Furthermore, there has been a remarkable 37% increase in agile practices from 2017 to 2022.

These statistics highlight the significant relevance and impact of agile methodologies in today's business landscape. As a result, obtaining the AAC Certification can help professionals stay competitive and demonstrate their expertise in the agile analysis domain.

Apart from the statistical evidence, there are additional reasons why this certification holds substantial value. These include:

I. Demonstrates competencies to employers:

Achieving this certification provides potential employers with a clear indication of the competencies and abilities professionals have developed in the agile analysis domain.

II. Financial benefits:

According to IIBA's survey, Business Analysts with the IIBA AAC Certificate earn up to 26% higher salaries, highlighting the financial benefits of this certification.

III. Enhanced skills and productivity:

The program enhances the ability of business analysts to manage changing priorities and respond quickly to market demands.

Certified analysts contribute to team productivity and enable faster delivery speed.

IV. Career growth and opportunities:

With this Certification, business analysis professionals can ensure they possess the necessary mindset and tools for success in agile environments.

This certification can potentially open doors to career growth, such as transitioning into a Product Owner role.

By considering both the statistical evidence and the additional reasons, it becomes clear that the IIBA AAC Certification is worth pursuing for Business Analysts.

AAC Certification Exam Preparation

How to prepare for AAC Exam

IIBA Agile Analysis exam is based primarily on Agile Extension guide to BABOK v2. This book is published by IIBA. Details of the certification exam and syllabus is described in IIBA Exam syllabus section above.

You can prepare for the certification exam by using the following step by step approach.

Step 1: Become an IIBA member and get hold of the Agile Extension guide as well as BABOK guide.

Step 2: Go through the first chapter. If you are new to Agile Analysis, you need to read it more than once.

Step 3: Practice with the mock tests for each chapter.

Step 4: Repeat the step 2 and 3 till you finish all the chapters. When you will be reading these chapters, you may need to refer to a few sections in BABOK.

Step 5: After you finish all the chapters, practice with full length tests, at least 2 tests to ensure that you are thorough with your preparations.

Step 6: Book the exam one week in advance and get ready for the real test.

IIBA AAC Preparation Training

Techcanvass offers AAC Certification Preparation course covering the complete syllabus. The course also comes with a question bank with chapter wise and full length tests.

Our course is an IIBA approved course for 16-hrs PDs and comes with interactive crosswords puzzles, mock questions, study guide and more to help you master the concepts and prepare for the certification exam.

Upon completion of the AAC Certification course, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge required to become an expert in agile analysis, and be ready to take on challenging roles in agile development projects.

IIBA AAC Exam Preparation Resources

Here are some preparation resources for the IIBA AAC Certification.

• AAC Sample Questions - https://techcanvass.com/iiba-aac-exam-questions.aspx
• Flashcards - https://techcanvass.com/AAC-Flash-Cards-Drills.aspx
• Agile Analysis Training (Video) - https://youtu.be/enOdKALVynI
• Agile Analysis certification preparation Training - https://techcanvass.com/Courses/Agile-Analysis-Certification-Course-IIBA.aspx

IIBA AAC Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

	What is IIBA AAC?
	Agile Analysis Certification (AAC) is IIBA’s certification for validating your competency in the Agile business analysis domain.
	How do I prepare for IIBA AAC?
	IIBA AAC examination is multiple-choice (MCQ) type test comprising of 85 questions. The duration of the exam is 2 hrs. 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.
	Is there a BA role in agile?
	In the agile world, business analyst role is not documented but that mean that agile approaches do not need Business analysts. For example, in Scrum, there are three roles – Scrum Master, Product Owner and Scrum Team. The product owner is pretty much a Business analyst function. Product Owners are responsible for eliciting, managing, and prioritizing the requirements. Business analysts are also part of the Scrum team where they work with the product owners for capturing requirements and work with the developers to get the requirements implemented.
	Which agile certification is best for business analyst?
	IIBA Canada and iSQI Germany offer Agile Analysis Certification (AAC) and Certified Agile Business Analyst (CABA) Certifications. Scrum alliance and Scrum.Org offer Product Owner certifications. The decision to choose a certification depends on eligibility criteria (whether you meet that or not), your specific requirements and the reputation of the certifying body.
	Who can do agile certification? What are the agile analysis certification eligibility criteria?
	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.
	Is agile business analysis more important than normal business analysis?
	Business analysis is a practice which is applicable in all the approaches – whether waterfall or agile. Business analysis practice comprises of skills like requirements elicitation, requirements analysis and modelling, preparation of specifications, verification, and validation. These skills are generic and applies to all the type of projects. Though, more and more new projects are using agile approaches so learning the finer points of Agile approaches and how business analysis practice is applicable in agile, is important and needed.