WHAT BUSINESS ANALYSIS CERTIFICATION SHOULD I DO AND HOW DO I GO ABOUT IT?
This short article outlines what the IIBA® certifications mean, which certification you should apply for and how to go about it.
This summary covers the three most prominent exam based IIBA® certifications which were recently re-launched by the International Institute of Business Analysis namely, the ECBA™, the CCBA® and the CBAP®. Consider working towards one of these professional certifications and enjoy the gratification of being able to add it to your Professional LinkedIn Profile amongst so many other amazing unexpected career benefits.
Let’s look at each of these certifications one by one.
ECBA™ – ENTRY CERTIFICATE IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS
WHAT IS THE ECBA™?
This certification is the brand new entry-level certificate that is now accessible to people with no practical Business Analysis work experience. Formally the ECBA™ is known as the Entry Certificate in Business Analysis.
WHO SHOULD DO THE ECBA™?
People who want to either become Business Analysts or people who want to solidify their limited formal Business Analysis experience and knowledge.
Some people who have perhaps not done Business Analysis as a formal role before but might have a lot to do with projects and often perform some Business Analysis tasks. This is great way to gain confidence as a Business Analyst and an excellent addition to your resume.
Finally, some Business Analysts want to start from the lowest level of certification and work their way up to the highest IIBA® certification, namely the CBATL™ or Certified Business Analysis Thought Leader.
This is a great way for people to prove their knowledge of Business Analysis to employers and to demonstrate that they are serious about their new Business Analysis career.
What is required to achieve this ECBA™ Certificate?
To be able to achieve this entry-level certificate, you are required to do the following:
STEP 1: Earn 21 PD hours
Every person who wants to apply for the ECBA™ must prove to the IIBA® during their application that they have done some relevant and endorsed professional development. (See how you can earn your 22 PD hours quickly and easily below).
STEP 2: Sign a Code of Conduct form
As part of your application with the IIBA®, you will be asked to sign a Code of Conduct form.
STEP 3: PASS THE 1-HOUR, 50 multiple-choice exam
Once you are approved by the IIBA® to sit the exam, you will be required to study the relevant topics in the BABOK® v3.0 Guide before attempting to pass the exam. (See how you can study for the BABOK® v3.0 exam effectively below.)
CCBA® – CERTIFICATION OF CAPABILITY IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS
What is the CCBA®?
This certification is the first level of the IIBA® certifications that requires some work experience prior to being allowed to undertake the certification exam. It is also a professional designation based certification as opposed to a certificate. This certification is more formally known as: Certification of Capability in Business Analysis.
Who should do the CCBA®?
Business Analysts who have between 2.5 and 5 years of practical Business Analysis work experience, which they have gained during the preceding 7 years of work life. This experience doesn’t necessarily require you to have had the role title of “Business Analyst” but it does require the experience to be aligned to the BABOK® v3.0 Guide’s relevant knowledge areas.
People who are working towards achieving the CBAP® designation are well suited to work towards this certification as an interim step on the way to achieving the next level of certification. It is great way to get recognition for your expertise as a Business Analyst and is well recognized by employers’ world-wide.
What is required to achieve this CCBA® Certification Designation?
To be able to achieve the CCBA® designation, you are required to do the following:
STEP 1: Earn 21 PD hours
Every person who wants to apply for the CCBA® certification exam must first prove to the IIBA® as part of their application that they have done some relevant and endorsed professional development. (See how you can earn your 22 PD hours quickly and easily below).
STEP 2: Sign a Code of Conduct form
As part of your application with the IIBA®, you will be asked to sign a Code of Conduct form.
STEP 3: References
Two references needs to be provided from a career manager, client or Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) recipient.
STEP 4: Pass THE 3-hour, 130 multiple-choice exam
Once you are approved by the IIBA® to sit the exam, you will be required to study the relevant topics for the CCBA® exam in the BABOK® v3.0 Guide before attempting to pass the exam. (See how you can study for the BABOK® v3.0 exam effectively below.)
CBAP® – CERTIFIED BUSINESS ANALYST PROFESSIONAL
What is the CBAP®?
This certification is the highest level exam based IIBA® certification that requires work experience prior to being allowed to undertake the certification exam. It is also a professional designation based certification as opposed to a certificate. This certification is more formally known as: Certified Business Analyst Professional
Who should do the CBAP®?
Business Analysts who have 5 years or more of practical Business Analysis work experience, which they have gained during the preceding 10 years of work life. This experience doesn’t necessarily require you to have had the role title of “Business Analyst” but it does require the experience to be aligned to the BABOK® v3.0 Guide’s relevant knowledge areas.
People who are working towards achieving the CBAP® designation are well suited to work towards this certification as an interim step on the way to achieving the next level of certification. It is great way to get recognition for your expertise as a Business Analyst and is well recognized by employers’ worldwide.
What is required to achieve this CBAP® Certification Designation?
To be able to achieve the CBAP® designation, you are required to do the following:
STEP 1: Earn 35 PD hours
Every person who wants to apply for the CBAP® certification exam must first prove to the IIBA® as part of their application that they have done some relevant and endorsed professional development. (See how you can earn your 35 PD hours quickly and easily below).
STEP 2: Sign a Code of Conduct form
As part of your application with the IIBA®, you will be asked to sign a Code of Conduct form.
STEP 3: References
Two references needs to be provided from a career manager, client or Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) recipient.
STEP 4: Pass THE 3.5 hours, 120 multiple-choice exam
Once you are approved by the IIBA® to sit the exam, you will be required to study the relevant topics for the CBAP® exam in the BABOK® v3.0 Guide before attempting to pass the exam. (See how you can study for the BABOK® v3.0 exam effectively below.)
HOW TO GET STARTED EASILY
Earn 22 PD Hours / CDUs whilst getting ready for the ECBA™ or CCBA® exam:
Business Analysis Excellence offers the BABOK v3.0 Core Practitioner Online course, which upon successful completion will count for 22 PD Hours. This is also an excellent BABOK v3.0 Guide preparation course to do!
Click here for more information about this popular course.
Earn more than 35 PD Hours / CDUs whilst getting ready for the CBAP® exam:
Business Analysis Excellence Pty Ltd offers an online Advanced Training Program, which consists of IIBA® Endorsed Training courses, 1:1 Coaching by a CBAP® certified coach and additional IIBA® Certification application support.
You will earn more than 62 PD Hours / CDUs when you have completed the Advanced Training program.
Click here for more information about this online program.
SEE WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY
“The BABOK can be an intimidating document to digest. This course summarized the key areas to focus on extremely well. In particular, the interactive presentations and the quizzes were user-friendly and easy to follow. I was skeptical going in but decided to purchase the course as online/self-paced is my preferred learning style. My expectations were universally exceeded and I will be recommending this course to all BA’s I know. “
K Alexander, Advanced Training Program Student, Australia
“…Tutor feedback and interactions exceeded my expectations…”
Paulina W, United States
“I was able to use this course at work to great effect, beginning immediately with lesson 1 and continuing through lesson 12. I was solving problems I didn’t know existed! The course lesson layout and material were great and very practical at work!”
Andy M, Online Business Analysis Practitioner Student, Canada
“The case studies let me understand the techniques in detail. My tutor appreciated me and she encouraged me to perform better each time when the assignments are submitted. The lessons allowed me to learn the topics as much detail and practical as possible so that I could start applying the knowledge and techniques in my current and future projects. I would definitely recommend this course to my colleagues who want to become CBAP certified.”
Online Business Analysis Practitioner course student, Veerakumar Ganapathy, Australia
“The content was aligned with the BABOK which made an excellent reference point. The course format was excellent and made learning the material a pleasure. I chose this course and provider for a number of reasons: provider’s reputation, IIBA endorsed trainer, quality of learning material and easy of delivery. I have now completed the course and my business analysis and process modeling skills have improved. I recommend you start the course of your choosing as soon as you can and learn new skills.”
Online Business Analysis Practitioner course student, Linton Passmore, IBA Consulting, Australia
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ECBA Certification Australia
The ECBA is the lowest level of certification awarded by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) above ordinary individual membership. Even though it is not a high ranking qualification, it is still an essential one for anyone hoping to establish a real career in the field of business analysis.
Why would you want to be a business analyst? It’s an important profession that performs an important task, and moreover it is a field of work where credentialed professionals are still quite a rarity, especially in Australia.
Why It is Hard To Find An ECBA Certified Business Analyst in Australia
To give you an idea of just how rare it is to find a Business Analyst in Australia with IIBA qualifications, if you took 10,000 random Australians and put them together in a room (it’s a really big room!) the chances of any one of them possessing an IIBA qualification would be very close to zero. This would still be true if you repeated the experiment multiple times with different people.
The reason for this rarity is because at the time of writing there are fewer than 25,000 individual members of the IIBA worldwide. Less than 2,500 individuals possess the ECBA qualification (this may have changed by the time you read this), and less than 10 have achieved the ECBA+ qualification. Yes, that’s right. If you actually go on to earn the ECBA+ qualification, there’s a really good chance you’ll be a member of a group that has a population still in double digits.
Holding any kind of IIBA qualification, even if it is only the ECBA, sets you apart from the crowd and identifies you as special. To put it simply, earning IIBA qualifications is very similar to the difference between an ordinary accountant and a CPA. Anyone with a degree in accounting can work as an accountant, but CPAs can earn more and are held in higher esteem because of the extra effort required to earn that CPA status.
We Provide The Easiest Path To Obtaining Your ECBA Certification
Getting qualified as an ECBA is not a struggle in any case, but to get there you’ll need to complete a minimum of 21 Professional Development hours (these are hours of study completed with IIBA Endorsed Education Providers, hours in attendance at IIBA Webinars, participation in IIBA approved conferences, and other similar activities), and you’ll need to pass the ECBA exam.
Passing the ECBA exam requires you to successfully answer 50 multiple choice questions in the one hour time limit of the exam. The exams are carried out at authorized testing centres with exceptionally strict rules.
To prepare for your exam and meet the minimum PD hours requirement, your best option is to complete a formal course of study with an IIBA Endorsed Education Provider.
In Australia, you will get the best value ECBA training from Business Analysis Excellence, a Melbourne based company offering online training and classroom training especially designed to help you be best prepared for your exam. Every hour of study you complete with us can be credited toward your required 21 PD hours.
Studying with us is great value because not only do we provide the most affordable price, but also we offer great benefits to our students including 12 months of access to a personal Business Analysis coach, 12 months of unlimited access to our entire library of learning resources, expert instructors with extensive field experience as Business Analysts, and an innovative learning system that will help you fast track your way to better results.
Find out more by getting in touch with Business Analysis Excellence. We’ll be pleased to answer any questions you may have and to provide you with more information about our courses.
Business Analysis Excellence provides various online training courses for business analysts including Babok Courses, Short BA Courses, Agile BA Courses, CBAP Courses & IT Business Analyst Courses. Also, there are few IIBA ertifications available around the world including CCBA Certification, CBAP Certification, BABOK Certification, IIBA Certification & Business Analyst Certification to progress their career as a Business Analyst. To find out more, get in touch and ask us anything. We are happy to answer your questions & to provide more information you need about our courses.
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