Which Business Analyst Certification is Right for YOU?
There are a few business analyst certification options in the industry now which have developed during the last 10 years or so. It is great for business analysts because it is developing this profession in the industry and bringing it up to par with Project Management and other professional careers. Every year that goes by, these business analyst certification credentials are becoming more prominent and better known. It is great idea to get certified as a professional business analyst.
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IIBA ® Certified Business Analyst Professional CBAP ® designation
This Business Analyst Certification requires a lot of pure business analysis experience and is heavily based on practical hands-on experience in a wide variety of knowledge areas. It is like the creme-de-la-creme of business analyst certification designations. It was the first Business Analyst certification developed by the International Institute of Business Analysis, better known as the IIBA®. This certification is best tackled with the support of relevant Business Analysis courses. Learn more about the CBAP® Business Analyst certification requirements.
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IIBA® Certified Competent Business Analyst CCBA® designation
They have recently (in the last few years) launched a mid level Business Analyst certification, called the Certified Competent Business Analyst (CCBA ®). Both of these IIBA certifications mentioned here are based on knowledge coming from the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK ®). These certifications are being compared to the PMI project management certifications in terms of level of professionalism and level of experience required. They are both very good certifications to pursue if you are based in the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore and some other predominantly English speaking countries.
Choose the IIBA ® CCBA ® or CBAP ® certifications if:
- You want a dedicated Business Analysis institute to endorse your certification. The IIBA® is becoming the most recognised Business Analysis institute in the world and many large corporations are starting to integrate the BABOK® and Competency models into their organisations.
- You are a mid- to senior level business analyst (with a minimum of 2.5 years experience) and want a career path to develop into a Professional Business Analyst.
- You want to be one of only a few in the world! There are still less than 4200 CBAP® certified business analysts in the world, which makes it a very exclusive certification to have which gives you the competitive advantage when it comes to job interviews!
- You don’t need to attend special courses prior to attempting one of these exams. You simply study the BABOK®. Learn more about the CBAP® and CCBA® business analyst certification requirements.
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Disadvantages to keep in mind:
- For both these certifications the Business Analyst have to learn the BABOK® in its entirety. This can be very daunting and time intensive for business analysts to do.
- There is no suitable IIBA certification for entry level business analysts. You need at a minimum 2.5 years of pure proven Business analysis experience to attempt the CCBA® exam.
Other certifications exist too but the above 2 options are your most prominent certifications for Business Analysts today!
ISEB Business Analyst Certifications
These certifications are developed by the educational stream of the British Computer Society’s(BCS) ISEB. They have a good variety of Business Analysis courses and you can roll it up into a Diploma if you so choose. This BA certification is well known in the UK and hence a good solid path to follow in terms of certifications if you live in the UK. A good idea is to search your local country’s job search websites and see whether they know about the ISEB. Another popular qualification is the CPRE certification, check that out too.
Choose the ISEB Business Analyst certifications if:
- You want to pick specific topics to learn about and get certified in topic by topic fashion. Learn more about ISEB BA Courses.
- You are new to business analysis or haven’t really ever had any formal Business Analysis training before.
- You are based in the UK or a country that recognises the ISEB range of Business Analyst certifications more than any other certification.
- You are able to attend online or class room based courses prior to sitting the certification exam. Make sure you work through sample exam questions for the ISEB certifications.
Disadvantages of ISEB certifications to keep in mind:
- It is not based on one single source of business analysis reference materials.
- Most business analysts who would need to attend an ISEB endorsed class room based course prior to attempting the exams. This can become quite costly.
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