Applying for CBAP 12-19-12

Applying for CBAP or CCBA CertificationPresented by:The Professional Development Committee Rochester Chapter IIBADecember 19, 2012

CBAP Contributors . . .Chris Gangai Bob LewisDon SolanMike PonomarevMichelle Walter

What well talk about . . .What? Successfully completing the ApplicationHow? Leverage the experience availableWhere? Apply onlineWho? Its your responsibilityWhen? Start when you are readyWhy? Must have an approved Application to sign up for exam

What is it?There are 2 certifications offered:Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) Each has its own Handbook and ApplicationThe experience requirements (in hours) is different for the 2 designations

Where is the application?Each Application and Handbook has its own area under the Certification tab on the IIBA web-site: http://www.iiba.org/ The Handbooks contain all the details to complete and submit the Applications For questions, send an e-mail to : [email protected]

How do I start?Read the Handbooks and decide which certification you are qualified forApplicants ARE NOT required to be IIBA members, however becoming a member upon submission will get you a good discount on the exam price. Open and read the Application for the certification you choose. You may want to print it for reference.Gather all your information ahead of time, including names and addresses.

How To Fill Out ApplicationThere are 5 parts to the Application:Confirm Personal InformationEducationWork Experience Professional Development ReferencesRecommendations:Start with References usually take the longest to returnUse a work sheet for your Work ExperienceThe Personal Information is pulled from you application, but is editableEducation is what it is only a high school education is requiredThere are 21 PDUs required for the Professional Development area

Tips to Completing the Application

Before starting the app, review the BABOK and keep notes as you go: To help familiarize yourself with what is considered BA work (M. Walter)To understand what knowledge area a particular task resides. (M. Walter)Make a personal matrix to help with filling out app and studying for exam (M. Walters).When describing what tasks you did for a particular BA job, use the wording from the BABOK (e.g. if you met with the customer to determine what they thought they needed, call it requirements elicitation using interviews.

Tips to Completing the ApplicationDo not choose or include items that are for a different knowledge area than you are claiming, and do not choose items whose verbiage are not consistent with the BABOK (M. Walter) IIBA does not indicate which knowledge area tasks are not approved IIBA BA choices, however they will evaluate your application suspiciously if you avoid every task that appears to be non BA related especially for older projects. (C. Gangai) If you cant remember exactly what you did from six years ago, use the BABOK to remind you of different tasks that you might have performed (M. Walter)

Tips to Completing the Application, contd.

Its difficult to remember all your actual tasks on a project from years past, unless you happen to record everything For older experience try marking experience based on tendencies for that period of time (e.g. supported testing or design). (C. Gangai)Confirm Personal InformationIf you were a BA full-time, make certain that your BA-hours do not exceed an estimate of what a full-time BA would actually work. (E.g., calculate estimated hours using the following formula: 1928 hours/year (allows for vacation time) * 80% (to allow for misc. non-BA work and such) = 1542 BA hours/year = 128 BA hours per month. This will help keep you from being audited. Using a 90% factor would be fine, too but 80% is probably quite safe.Make certain, even if you were working 100 hour weeks, that you dont show more than an average of 40 per week. The calculator most likely calculates the dates and hours and flags you for audit if you claim more than what is reasonable within a normal work-week.


Calculate work experience hours in Excel prior to entering into the application. In addition to the 7,500 hours, the application requires your work to be spread across multiple knowledge areas. Ensure your hours meet both requirements. (B. Lewis) When calculating the amount of time you do Business Analysis in a given week, take into account things you do that are not related to BA tasks (Example: Attending a department meeting). References take the longest to get back. Contact your references and get them going on writing their recommendations early to avoid delays (D. Solan, M. Walter, B. Lewis).


Use a start date that is before the allowable time window for work done. For instance, say that I worked for company X from 2000 2007. I plan to submit my CBAP application on January 1, 2013. When this is the case, your experience to qualify for certification can only begin in 2003. Heres the BA hours you worked while at company X: 2000 500 hours2001 700 hours2003 1000 hours2004 1000 hours2005 1000 hours2006 1000 hours2007 1000 hoursOn the application, put dates from 2003 2007, with 5000 hours.Contact references and get them going on writing their recommendations early in the process to avoid the app being held up by saving this until the end.


Find an old resume or job application that actually shows what dates you worked at which companies. (M. Walter)Document ALL BA work youve done in the past 10 years, even if you think you are way over the number of hours required. (M. Walter)Regarding the Exam: Use whatever study method was successful for you in High School/College. Obviously, it worked well enough to get you here Go with what you know! (M. Walter)Be prepared to be audited. Ensure you have a method to defend your work experience. Also if possible, enter more hours than required in case a portion of your work experience is deemed invalid. (B. Lewis)

How do I finish?Most sections and fields are editable, but the editor leaves a little to be desired. You may start and stop the online Application, but most screens will not let you save them until they are complete.DO NOT press the COMPLETE until you are completely finished with that section, and have check it over.

When do I start?It is a personal decision on how long to wait after completing you studies to take the test. Plan a comfortable amount of time to fill out the application, get it approved, and set a test date. Before submitting your application, plan out the next year as it relates to taking the exam. You need time to study for the exam. Also ensure you have enough time to retake the exam if you dont pass the first time. Applications are assessed and results emailed to applicants within 21 business days of IIBA receiving the complete application and the application fee The application fee is $125 USD and is not refundable (i.e. regardless of whether your application is approved or declined). The exam fee is $325 USD for IIBA members and $450 USD for non-members

HelpThe Rochester Chapter has several CBAP certified personnel who are willing and able to help with the Application TaskThe Handbooks have all the necessary information in them to complete the ApplicationQuestions can be directed to the IIBA: [email protected]

Q&ACertification FAQs are found under the Certification tabContacts for many of the projects worked on over the past 7 or 10 years are no longer available. How do I document this in such a way that I can still get credit for the hours performed? Please indicate the situation in the description field for the specific project in question.Are there any possible substitutions to the application requirements? No, you must meet all of the requirements as outlined in the CCBA Handbook or the CBAP Handbook (as applicable) to be eligible to write the respective exam. and many more!

Address any unresolved questions to Professional Development at: [email protected]

Applying for CBAP 12-19-12

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