What is the CBAP Certification & Training and How Does It Work

CBAP is the most coveted certification in the business analysis field at this point in time. Everyone wants to be a CBAP certified business analyst. However, it’s not such an easy feat and requires plenty of work and dedication. Considering the fact that the business analysis field is growing at a rapid rate there is definitely a need for advancements in this career. We suggest you to keep reading this article and to visit Adaptive US if you want to learn more about CBAP certification and training process.

What is the CBAP certification?

The international institute of business analysis was first started as a non-profit organization with the aim of promoting the growth and expertise of business analysis. That is when this certification was put in place back in 2006. It was a way to test and certify business analysts who are not only knowledgeable but also qualified.

The organization also created the business analysis body of knowledge otherwise referred to as BABOK. It’s a guide containing all the information on the acceptable knowledge and practices in the BA field. The same people created the certified business analysis professional certification.

The CBAP certification process was specifically derived from a particular BA task analysis study that was carried out in 2006. They formed a committee of experts who went ahead to develop the questions that are used in the examinations to test the knowledge and application of business analysis. There is a rigorous application process involved followed by an exam. This ensures that only experienced and knowledgeable BA practitioners are certified. To help professionals clear the exam Knowledgehut gives CBAP training and such training sessions are conducted by industry experts, therefore, prove very helpful in the certification process. Currently, there are 6,041 recipients who already have a certification with an active status.

What are the eligibility criteria for CBAP certification?

Mostly, professionals who want to receive this certification are required to be well experienced in the fields of business and requirement, solution assessment & validation and elicitation. Furthermore, they have to meet the following certification requirements;

• A minimum of 7500 hours of work experience in BA and this should be aligned with what’s within the BABOK Guide in the last 10 years.
• Demonstrated experience of a minimum of 900 hours in four of the six knowledge areas
• Minimum of 21 hours of BA professional development within the past four years
• Two references provided by a career manager, a client or even a CBAP recipient
• Minimum high school education
• Signed code of conduct

What is the application process?

The first thing to do is to validate whether you qualify to receive the CBAP certification. Afterward, you can now begin the application process. The complete process is not really complicated and will take you a matter of minutes. These are the steps involved;

Apply for the CBAP exam

This is usually the first step and is done online. You will find an application form online which you have to fill. The applicant needs to justify the 5 years of BA work experience, the 900 hours in four of the six knowledge areas and the required 21 hours of professional development in the past 4 years.

There is an application fee of $125 USD that you have to pay. Remember the money you pay is not refundable even when your application is rejected. Filling out the form is a critical moment and you have to be extremely careful with the information you provide. IIBA takes time to assess each application and therefore it’s important that you make sure all the eligibility criteria are fulfilled.

In the case where an application is rejected, applicants have to wait for three months before they can apply once again. The second time they will have to rectify any causes of the initial rejection.

Pay the CBAP exam fees and register

What follows after the application has been accepted is paying the CBAP exam fees. The IIBA members pay $325 USD while the non-members pay $450 USD. There are various ways to pay the fee including through PayPal, credit card, cheque or money order.

After the fee is paid, the candidate will have to register at the Prometric Computer-based testing center in order to be allowed to choose an exam venue. You also get to choose the day and time.

Prepare and appear for the CBAP exam

Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) is believed to be the best and the most reputed business analyst certification. Your career can be greatly benefitted once you get CBAP Certified. Though CBAP exam is not an easy exam. It is based on the IIBA Guide Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK). It requires thorough knowledge and understanding of BABOK knowledge areas, its concepts, techniques, and real-life applications. The CBAP is a three- and half-hour examination with 120 questions. The questions are scenario and case-study-based. It tests your knowledge of business analysis practices in real life.

You must follow a structured approach to prepare and succeed at CBAP Exam. Here are the steps to prepare for CBAP:

• Join a CBAP Preparation course to earn 35-hour PDUs and master BABOK.
• Get hold of BABOK
• Read the chapter one by one (Align to the CBAP course coverage)
• Take practice tests to assess your knowledge
• Read the answers and explanations and assess the gap in understanding
• Repeat the tests till you score 70% and more consistently
• Once you finish all the chapter tests, take up full-length tests
• Try at least 3 tests
• Your score should be 70% on full-length tests
• Schedule the exam

How long should you take to prepare for the exam? Well, it depends on the number of hours you can spare per week. Broadly, people take anywhere between three to six months to prepare and succeed in the exam.

CBAP exams can be taken online or from a PSI test center.