Do I need to be CCBA Certified before I can go for CBAP certification?
No, there is no such requirement. You need to meet the CBAP eligibility criteria. The details are provided in answer to the next question.
What is the CBAP eligibility criteria? Am I eligible for CBAP?
The primary criterion for being eligible for CBAP is the business analysis experience. However, IIBA does not mandate that you need to have the Business analyst designation. You can be doing business analysis activities in any capacity and can still meet the CBAP eligibility criteria.
- • Complete a minimum of 7,500 hours of Business Analysis Work experience in the last ten years.
- • Within this experience, a minimum of 900 hours completed in 4 of the 6 BABOK® Guide Knowledge Areas, for a total of at least 3,600 of the required 7,500 total.
- • Complete a minimum of 35 hours of Professional Development in the last four years.
- • Provide two references.
What are these two references? Who can I provide as references?
You need two references as one of the eligibility criteria. These references could either be a career manager, a client (internal or external), or CBAP® recipient. IIBA will only ask for an endorsement from your references if your application is selected for a random audit.
These references must meet the following conditions:
- • At least one of the references must be a current contact.
- • All references must have known the applicant for at least six months.
- • IIBA defines a career manager as the person who is responsible for providing and preparing the applicant's annual performance review.
- • Project managers cannot be references unless they are also the applicant's career manager. The reference form must indicate they fill both roles, or the reference will not qualify.
How do I earn 35-hours of professional development (PDs)?
You can earn the 35 PD hrs by attending a course from an IIBA Endorsed education provider (EEP) like Techcanvass. The course could be attended online, in the classrooms, or in self-learning mode.
What is the validity of these 35 PDs? Do I need to use them immediately?
These PDs are valid for four years from the date of completion of course or work, which earned you these 35 hours. IIBA will ask for the completion date from you, which you can get from the Training Academy from where you completed this course.
What is the CBAP certification fees?
The CBAP certification fees comprise of three parts – membership fees, application fees and exam fees. So, the total fees for CBAP varies from $505 to $575. The variation in the fees is because of the membership fees which depends on your country of residence.
You can find a more detailed explanation on our Certification cost page.
Where can I take the CBAP Certification exam?
CBAP exam can be taken online from Jan 2020. Now, you don't need to go to any test centres to take the examination. The exams are online proctored exam and can be taken from home. You need to have a personal computer with Internet connectivity, a camera, and an unobstructed sitting area. Check IIBA.ORG for more details.
What is the CBAP exam format?
As per IIBA website, The CBAP® exam is 3.5 hours long and consists of 120 multiple choice questions. The questions are case study-based (i.e. longer cases (1-1.5 pages) of information) with multiple questions about the case.
From CBAP examination perspective, which of the chapters are most important?
The CBAP exam questions are almost evenly distributed across the knowledge areas. As per IIBA website, the number of questions from each chapter would be as per the following distribution:
| Business analysis planning and monitoring |
14% |
| Elicitation and collaboration |
12% |
| Requirements life cycle management |
15% |
| Strategy analysis |
15% |
| Requirements analysis and design definition |
30% |
| Solution evaluation |
14% |
What kind of questions are asked in the CBAP examination?
The certification exam comprises of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with only one correct answer. All the questions are scenario or case study based.
It's highly unlikely that there will be any recall-based questions. Some of the questions are case study based. The case study maybe 1 page long, and 3 to 5 questions will be based on the case study.
You need to have a good grasp of the BABOK concepts and be able to apply these concepts to be able to clear the exam and earn CBAP.
How can I try some sample questions and understand the type of questions asked in the actual exam?
What happens if I fail in the exam? What if I don’t clear the exam?
You can retake the exam at the cost of $250. But make sure that you prepare well for the exam so that you don't waste your money.
What is the validity of CBAP certification? Does it expire? When do I need to re-certify?
The CBAP certification is valid for three years. You need to get certified every three years. There is a need to appear for the examination, but you need to collect and earn 60 CDUs to earn the certification every three years.
You can get more information, visit our CBAP recertification