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BABOK® Guide and its Agile Extension

What is the Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide)?
The BABOK® Guide is the collection of knowledge within the profession of business analysis and reflects current generally accepted practices.
Our BA Practice Assessments for ECBA™, CCBA® and CBAP® are aligned with the BABOK® Guide.
What is the Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide?
Developed in collaboration with the Agile Alliance, the Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide provides guidance for agile practitioners, or anyone interested in leveraging effective agile business analysis to create better business outcomes that add real business and customer value.
Our BA Practice Assessments for the IIBA-AAC™ certification is aligned with the guide.
How can I get my own copy of the BABOK® Guide v3 or the Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide v2 ?
You can download them from the IIBA website, and are free of charge for members! Click on the various menus to find ways to obtain it. Both the BABOK Guide v3 and the Agile Extension v2 are also available from Amazon.
Are the BABOK® Guide v3 and the Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide v2 available in French?
The guides in French are not yet available, but translation efforts are in the works! Alternatively, you may refer to the translated terms from the glossary here.

Professional Development

What are Continuing Development Units (CDUs) and which professional activities qualify?
Individuals who have attained the CCBA® and CBAP® designations are required to complete the respective recertification programs. To satisfy the recertification requirements and maintain an active status, recipients must earn and report a minimum of 60 CDUs during each 3-year cycle, broken into 6 categories:

Category 1 - Formal Academic Education
Category 2 - Professional Development  
Category 3 - Professional Activities 
Category 4 - Self-directed Learning 
Category 5 - Volunteer Service to Professional or Community Organizations 
Category 6 - Professional Experience 

 You may refer to the CCBA® or CBAP® Recertification Handbook for more information on the specific categories.

What are Professional Development Hours (PDs) and which activities or coursework qualify?
Professional Development Hours (PDs)  is a term used to define the type of coursework required as one of the many requirements to write the CBAP®, CCBA® or ECBA™ exam.
Depending on the certification level, certain activities may or may not count towards professional development hours. Please refer to IIBA's FAQ page for more details to determine if the coursework you took qualifies.

Level 1 - ECBA™ 21 hours in the last 4 years
    - Classroom and online courses (e.g. EEP endorsed courses)
    - Webinars - live or recorded (e.g. IIBA webinars)
    - Conference track sessions, tutorials, keynotes & workshops
    - Chapter events (i.e. presentations, study groups, workshops, conference days)
    - Self-directed learning (i.e. reading/reviewing the BABOK® Guide v3)

Level 2 - CCBA® 21 hours in the last 4 years and 
Level 3 - CBAP® 35 hours in the last 4 years
    - directly related to business analysis, underlying competencies, or perspectives as defined in the BABOK® Guide,
    - be a session or course with a moderator, facilitator, or instructor who leads an individual or group through the material,
    - have a measurable objective(s) that apply directly to business analysis (for example, changing behaviour or improving skills),
    - include opportunities for students to interact and ask questions,
    - include opportunities for students to practice the task or objective being presented, and
    - include an assessment that identifies areas of improvement to the student.

Where can I find an IIBA Endorsed Education Provider (EEP™)?
The IIBA has put in place an accreditation program for training providers who offer business analyst courses, designed to improve your competencies and grow your career in business analysis. All courses endorsed by IIBA qualify for Professional Development (PD) hours required for ECBA™, CCBA®, and CBAP® are aligned with the BABOK® Guide. Refer to the IIBA’s reference page to find a provider near you or lookup our reference page for providers in Montreal.

Certification

What are the benefits for being certified, what's in it for me?
Having a CBAP®, CCBA® certification is a public affirmation of your current level of professionalism, and your continued commitment to the BA profession.If you are working in the role of business analysis, systems analysis, requirements analysis or management, project management, consulting or process improvement, and have an advanced level of knowledge and experience, you will want to consider the many professional benefits of earning the CBAP® / CCBA® designation. It demonstrates:
    - Your knowledge of the skills necessary to be an effective Business Analyst.
    - A proven level of competence in the principles and practices of business analysis.

Having a ECBA™ certificate includes demonstrating the required knowledge and competencies of a new practitioner of business analysis according to requirements designated by IIBA. If you are working as a business analyst or planning on becoming one, it demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the principles and industry best practices.
    - Personal satisfaction of accomplishing the first step in their BA careers.
    - Improvement of overall performance.
    - More market opportunities.

Having a IIBA-AAC™ certificate recognizes your ability to effectively execute analysis related work in an agile context. Earning this certification provides potential employers, a clearer indication of the competencies that you have developed. It demonstrates:
    - That you have developed an agile mindset in doing business analysis.
    - Your ability to apply the agile mindset consistently and as required at the different levels within an organization (Strategic, Initiative and Delivery).
    - How feedback loops work back and forth at the different levels of an organization for better business outcomes.

How do I get certified and how much does it cost?
IIBA certifications (CBAP®, CCBA®, ECBA™ or IIBA-AAC™) can help you become recognized for your skills, knowledge and expertise within the business analysis profession.
Getting certified is a multi-step process where applicants must
1. Apply and Pay for the Certification.
2. Register for the Exam .
3. Prepare for the Exam (How about joining a Study Group?).
4. Take the exam. 

Please refer to the Certification Handbook for additional details on the application/exam process and the Summary of Fees.

Which certification is right for me: ECBA™, CCBA®, CBAP® or IIBA-AAC™ ?
The IIBA offers competency-based certifications meant to guide your career path.  
To learn about the different certification levels, please refer to the IIBA's Certification Levels page. You may also refer to our Certifications Framework page.

Level 1 - ECBA™ Entry Certificate in Business Analysis
Level 2 - CCBA® Certification of Competency in Business Analysis
Level 3 - CBAP® Certified Business Analysis Professional

The IIBA-AAC™ - Agile Analysis Certification has no specific level. It is a competency-based certificate that recognizes your enhanced capabilities in agile analysis.

ECBA™, CCBA® and CBAP®, how do the 3 exams differ?
Yes, the exam for each level is different. The blueprint for each exam is available in their respective certification handbook on the IIBA website.  You may also refer to our Certifications Framework page or download our Cheat Sheet.
Level 1 - ECBA™ Exam Blueprint
- Knowledge-based examination
- Online proctored exam
- Basic multiple choice
- 50 questions 
- Knowledge based
- 1 hour to complete
Level 2 - CCBA® Exam Blueprint
- Scenario-based examination
- Computer based testing (CBT)
- Situations described in 2-4 sentences 
- Multiple choice answers
- 130 questions
- 3 hours to complete
Level 3 - CBAP® Exam Blueprint
- Case study-based examination
- Computer based testing (CBT)
- Longer cases (1-1.5 pages) of information
- Multiple questions about the case
- Multiple choice answers
- 120 questions
- 3.5 hours to complete
How does the application process work?
On the IIBA's FAQ page, you will find the entire step-by-step process for all certification levels. Alternatively, you may contact our Study Group Team for support or refer to and download our Conference Presentation held in October 2017. (Document available in French only)
Which template should I use to collect and collate my work experience?
You can use one of these templates as a guide to setting up your work experience records.
1. Template developed by Georges Bryson, VP Professional Development, Montreal IIBA Chapter.
2. Template developed by Watermark Learning.
3. Template developed by the New Zealand IIBA Chapter. (Download and save on your workstation to edit)
How do I prepare for the exam, what are my options?
It all depends on the individual as there is no "one size fits all". However, the IIBA's FAQ page offers preparation tips on how to study the BABOK® Guide or the Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide, review sample questions, finding an Endorsed Education Provider (EEP™), online practice exams, use study guides, participate in a local Study Group, etc. Google it up! You will find many good resources and additional tips on the internet :)
What about the exam day, how do I schedule it?
You can find everything you need to know about on the IIBA's FAQ page.
ECBA™ and IIBA-AAC™ are online proctored exams through PSI.
CCBA® and CBAP® are computer based tests at a Prometric test centre.
What is the difference between a Computer-Based and an Online Proctored exam?
An online proctored exam is supervised by a proctor who ensures the identity of the test taker and the integrity of the test taking environment by monitoring your computer and surroundings through your webcam whereas a computer-based exam (CBT) is a test done in person, delivered via a computer at a secure proctored test centre.
 
In which language are the exams offered and am I allowed to bring a dictionary?
As of now, the exams are only offered in English and Japanese (in Japan only). The testing center may allow certain testing accomodations but please validate with Prometric before booking your exam. You may also refer to this document for the regulations during the exams. 

Study Group

What are the benefits of attending a Study Group for certification preparation?
There are many benefits of attending and participating in study group sessions. Some of the benefits are: learning faster, filling gaps by comparing your knowledge with others, answer other members’ questions, learning new perspective, moving faster through materials, follow a schedule, or interacting with other members. If you are interested in attending one of our session, please contact our Study Group Team.