I am just getting back to work after sitting for the first IIBA Certification Exam! I wanted to share my experience with those of you who may be considering applying for this certification. The exam was given in Orlando, Florida to coincide with the World Congress for Business Analysis conference. 16 BAs were accepted to sit for the exam. As you can imagine, we were all very excited and a little nervous about being the first group to attempt certification.
The application process is spelled out in a candidate handbook, available on the IIBA web site www.theiiba.org. A candidate must have 5 years experience (7500 hours) in business analysis during the last 10 years. Each candidate must also provide two professional references and complete the application process.
While I cannot tell you anything specific about the exam questions (all testers must sign a confidentiality agreement), I can tell you about the experience and the rules around taking the exam (or "writing" the exam for those of you who are outside of the United States).
The exam is 150, multiple choice questions pertaining to the knowledge areas documented in the IIBA BA Body of Knowledge. Each question has four possible answers and the tester is to select the best answer. The questions were written by business analysis practitioners and approved by a professional psychometrician (a person who is an expert in testing). We were given 3 ½ hours to complete the exam and it was proctored by a professional examination company, Castle Learning.
The resources available to study for the exam are significant. In addition to the body of knowledge itself, there are over 80 books listed in the body of knowledge that contain business analysis task descriptions. Obviously, most of us will not have read all of these books, but I would recommend that you be familiar with at least a couple of them in each major topic area. There are also many study groups forming in the local IIBA chapters. My study group is great!
Questions are weighted by knowledge area as follows (based on a task survey conducted earlier this year): Enterprise Analysis - 22%, Requirements Planning and Management – 22.8%, Requirements Elicitation – 18%, Requirements Analysis and Documentation – 20%, Requirements Communication – 10%, Solution Assessment and Validation – 5.8%. Many of the questions are very challenging because as BAs our answer is often “it depends”! I drew on my knowledge and experience to evaluate each question and attempt to choose the correct answer. I will let you know how I did.
November 16th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
Congrats Barbara! I’m sure you did great. You’ve re-inspired me to crack open the BABoK again.
November 17th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Thanks so much. You made my day!
November 20th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your experience. I’m fairly new to this BA business, but I’d like to be certifiable. Maybe after a few years!
November 21st, 2006 at 11:22 am
Barbara, I’m glad you were able to sit for the exam and share your experience. I have been following the newly created IIBA establishment and I’m also involved in the PMI Project Management arena that uses the PMBOK. I hope to sit for the exam when it gets closer to my state location. Please come back and tell us how you did. I’m in the process of finishing up my B2T Certification Final for BA and also preparing to sit for the PMI Certification in Project Management. Have a good one.
December 26th, 2006 at 1:53 am
Hello Barbara,
Many congratulations on your success, and I wish many more to come your way. Well I am new to the site, but eager to go for preparation and then certification, as my current job addresses the BA responsibilities.
I wud surely be delighted if I can be further assisted in how to apply for the preparation and then certification.
Once again, Heartfelt Congratulations Barbara.
Thanks & Regards
Syed Mumshad Ali
March 10th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Hi, This article has very useful information, it will be helpful for many certification exam aspirants. Actually one of my friends first read this article and asked me to visit this page. It's really amazing to read this description of this article. Thank you so much for your help and for your efforts. Thanks, Steve http://www.eplanetlabs.com
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:52 am
Hi Barbara ! This is Bhawani from Cisco India. Your article on IIBA certification was very useful as I have been browsing through the IIBA website and couldn't get some of the important information (eg. examination pattern) from there. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences with us. Barbara I have some specific questions it'll be great if you can answer them. 1.) How do people outside US and Canada apply for the certification? 2.) What's the certification fee? 3.) How do you think taking this exam will help you professionally You can also write to me at bhsrivas@cisco.com Thanks again Have a great 2008 Bhawani
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 am
Bhawani,
Thanks for your questions. The certification process is continually being improved so I would recommend that you download the current application instructions from www.theiiba.com to get the latest rules and fees.
I do think the certification will be recognized by employers. It shows that you have significant work experience in business analysis that has been reviewed by an independent industry expert group.
Good luck!! Barb
July 14th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I am a PMP and working with software and ERP Projects for many years. I am planning to apply for the BA certification. Could you please inform me if there is a preparatory course provided in Canada?
July 14th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Contact the good folks at Achieve Blue, www.achieveblue.com . They may be offering one soon.