Which Business analyst certification to choose? – Frequently asked Questions (FAQ)

If you are planning to go for a certification as a business analyst, this article will help you answer the all important question, Which Business analyst certification to choose?

Should you go for CCBA or CBAP? Should you go for ECBA or not? Should you go for CCBA or AAC? This article will answer most of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on choosing a business analyst certification?

This article will answer most of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about choosing a business analyst certification.

In case, you don’t find the question, please write to us at info@techcanvass.com, will be happy to answer.

Should I go for CCBA or CBAP?

The question here can’t be CCBA Vs CBAP, why because the eligibility criterion is different. If you don’t have 7500 hours of business analysis experience, you don’t qualify for CBAP, period. So, the real question to ask is should I go for CCBA now or wait for couple of years to go for CBAP?

The answer really depends on your current situation. Does your career really need you to get a certification? Does your employer want you to get certified? Are you migrating to another country, which needs you have a certification to get a job there?

If answer to the above questions is YES, then you must go for CCBA or CBAP, whichever you are eligible for.

If answer to the above questions is NO, then you can very well wait for a few more years and then get CBAP certified. Please note, you don’t need to be CCBA certified to be eligible to appear for CBAP.

What are the eligibility criteria for business analyst certifications from IIBA – ECBA, CCBA and CBAP?

IIBA certifications have eligibility defined on the basis on number of hours spent doing business analysis activities. It does not care for designations. So even if you are not working as a “Business Analyst”, it is fine. As long as, you experience qualifies as BA activities, it is counted.

The next thing to understand is what qualifies as business analysis experience? The answer below will help you determine your eligibility.

I am working as a client coordinator? Does my work qualify as business analysis experience?

What qualifies as your BA experience is actually based on BABOK knowledge areas and tasks. BABOK defines business analysis activities in six knowledge areas. Here is a simple way to check this:

Note down the approximate number of hours you might have spent in each task for six knowledge areas, across all your projects. Add the number of hours for each knowledge areas. Now, compare it with the eligibility criteria defined below.

You can use a simple table as shown below to count your hours:

In this case, the total number of hours for requirements analysis and design definition is 242 hours. The same exercise can be done for each and every knowledge area and then use the following table to know your eligibility.

In case you face any issues, please write to us and our team will help you understand your eligibility at info@techcanvass.com.

I have been managing a team and interacting with customer on a regular basis? I should be eligible for CBAP or CCBA?

Project management is very different from business analysis. Even if you are working as a project manager, it does not ensure that you have BA experience. You need to look at the business analysis activities and check whether you have relevant experience.

Check the answer of previous question to know more. You can check out more on CBAP certification, CCBA Certification and ECBA Certification.

I am a fresher, which certification is suitable for me?

ECBA Certification from IIBA is the entry level business analyst certification. You don’t need to have any business analysis experience to be eligible for this certification. You will need to earn 21-hrs of PDs to be eligible for the certification exam.

I have 5 years of experience in Sales? Can I go for CCBA or CBAP certification?

No, sales experience does not qualify to be business analysis experience as stipulated by IIBA. So, it means that you can’t go for CCBA or CBAP but you are only eligible for ECBA certification.

You may like to read our blog post on moving from Sales to Business Analyst profile.

I am a data analyst and analyze data using Excel and even use advanced excel techniques like Pivot table? Which certification should I go for?

IIBA has recently launched a new certification in business data analytics (CBDA). You can choose to for it as it’s in your domain. IIBA has published a set of resources but has not yet published any book like BABOK. It is expected shortly.

I am working in Agile projects for last couple of years. Which is the right certification for me?

Agile analysis certification (AAC) is the new IIBA certification. It is recommended for professionals having 2-3 years of agile projects experience (Not a MANDATORY requirement).

You can also choose to go for Certified agile business analyst (CABA) from iSQI Germany.

Both of these certifications are Agile specific and go beyond Scrum.

About Techcanvass

Techcanvass is an IIBA Endorsed education provider (EEP) and an iSQI, Germany authorised training centre. We offer certification and skills based training programs for professionals. Our training programs are in the areas of business analysis, domain training and automation testing.

You can join our CBAP Certification, CCBA Certification, AAC Certification or ECBA Certification training programs. All these courses are IIBA endorsed and meet the eligibility criteria.