How to Choose the Right BA Certification for You

by | Jun 21, 2017 | Education

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If you are a budding or even a professional business analyst (BA), you may wonder what certification options you have available. Getting to know your options will help you plan what you will do to get ready for your exam, including what type of CBAP certification training in Atlanta you need. Learn more about the options here.

IIBA Certification

The IIBA provides certification of any BA practitioners. IIBA provides 3 different certification levels to suit the needs of business analysis professionals at various different levels.

  • Level 1 – ECBA (Entry certificate in business analysis)
  • Level 2 – CCBA (Certification of capability in business analysis)
  • Level 3 – CBAP (Certified business analysis professional)

Primarily aimed at beginners to senior and seasoned business analysis professionals these certifications test the Business Analyst knowledge and skill of professionals at varied levels.

  • CBAP designation: Designed for senior BA professionals with at least five years of Business analysis experience in the field.
  • CCBA designation: Designed for mid level BA professionals, with at least 2.5 years of Business analysis experience in the field.
  • ECBA – Designed for entry level professionals new graduates and professionals looking to switch career to Business analysis field

Here’s a snapshot of the various certifications presented in a high level comparative manner:

IIBA Certification Schemes Overview

Parameter ECBA CCBA CBAP
Full Form Entry Certificate in Business Analysis Certification of Capability in Business Analysis Certified Business Analysis Professional
Caters to Recognizes individuals entering the field of business analysis Recognizes BA professionals who have 2-3 years of BA experience Recognizes BA professionals who lead and have over 5 years of BA experience
Target Audience Individuals entering the BA profession

New graduates

Professionals aiming to switch over to a BA career

BA professionals having 2/3 years of experience

Developing BAs, Hybrid BAs – PMs, Testers, QA, Change Manager, Tech Lead

Aimed towards BA professionals having 5 years of experience

Seasoned BAs, BA Consultants, Trainers, Business analysis , Systems analysis , Requirements analysis or management, Process management, Consulting

Eligibility · No Work Experience required

· No Knowledge Area expertise

· Minimum 21 hours of Professional Development Training in the past four years

Minimum 3750 hours of BA work experience aligned with the BABOK Guide in the last 7 years

Minimum 900 hours in each of two of the six knowledge areas or minimum 500 hours in each of four of the six knowledge areas

· Minimum 21 hours of Professional Development Training in the past four years

· Two references from a career manager, client or CBAP recipient

· Minimum 7500 hours of BA work experience aligned with the BABOK Guide in the last 10 years

· Minimum 900 hours in each of four of the six knowledge areas

· Minimum 35 hours of Professional Development Training in the past four years

· Two references from a career manager, client or CBAP recipient

PDU 21 in last 4 years 21 in last 4 years 35 in last 4 years
References Not needed 2 from a career manager, client or CBAP recipient 2 from a career manager, client or CBAP recipient
Focuses on · Requirements Analysis and Design Definition -24%

· Elicitation and Collaboration – 20%

· Requirements Life Cycle Management – 20%

· Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring – 5%

· Strategy Analysis – 5%

· Solution Evaluation – 1%

· Techniques -12.5%

· Underlying Competencies – 5%

· Business Analysis Key Concepts – 5%

· Business Analysis & the BA Professional- 2.5%

· Requirements Analysis and Design Definition – 32%

· Elicitation and Collaboration – 20%

· Requirements Life Cycle Management – 18%

· Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring – 12%

· Strategy Analysis – 12%

· Solution Evaluation – 6%

· Requirements Analysis and Design Definition -30%

· Strategy Analysis -15%

· Requirements Life Cycle Management – 15%

· Solution Evaluation -14%

· Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring – 14%

· Elicitation and Collaboration – 12%

Exam Pattern · 1.5 hours long

· 50 multiple choice questions.

· Basic multiple choice that test the candidate’s knowledge and understanding

· 3 hours long

· 130 multiple choice questions.

· The questions are scenario-based (i.e. candidate must do a bit of analysis to arrive at the answer)

· 3.5 hours long

· 120 multiple choice questions.

· The questions are longer cases (1 to 1.5 Pages of information).

· Multiple questions about the case.

Rewrite Twice within one year of approval with no wait time Twice

within one year of approval with no wait time

Twice

within one year of approval with no wait time

Exam location/ Mode Online Proctored exam via PSI from any location

http://it.psionline.com/exam-faqs/iiba-faq/

Prometric test center available in all major global cities

https://www.prometric.com/en-us/clients/iiba/Pages/landing.aspx

Prometric test center available in all major global cities

https://www.prometric.com/en-us/clients/iiba/Pages/landing.aspx

Rewrite /Retake fees 85 USD – Members

195 USD – Non Members

250 USD – Members

375 USD – Non Members

250 USD – Members

375 USD – Non Members

Application Fee 60 USD 125 USD 125 USD
Certification Fee 110 USD for Members

235 USD for Non Members

325 USD for Members

450 USD for Non Members

325 USD for Members

450 USD for Non Members

Recertification fees NA $85USD for members

$120 USD for non members

$85USD for members

$120 USD for non members

Membership Fees Region 1 – 125 USD – USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, UK

Region 2 – 85 USD – Singapore, Malaysia, Middle East Asian countries..

Region 3 – 55 USD – India, Pakistan, Thailand, Tanzania..

Additional Considerations

You should keep in mind, the program you choose, needs to reflect your overall goal in your career field. Take some time to get to know the various programs available so you can find one that best suits your needs. When you do this, you will be informed and be able to make an informed decision.

Regardless of the certification you choose you will need to take time for CBAP certification training in Atlanta. This will help ensure you are prepared for the exam and that you are able to pass it successfully. Choosing the right certification and right partner should depend on the following factors:

  • Faculty qualification and subject matter knowledge –
  • Support provided like IIBA application filing, Reference help etc
  • Past success rate – Take some time to weigh the options and decide on a right partner for your certification. Don’t consider the PD hours and cost as the only consideration for choosing this. A wrong decision on this can make your effort and investment upto 10 times more.

You can learn more about CBAP certification training in Atlanta and other types of training by visiting the Adaptive US website.