How to Apply for ECBA™, CCBA® and CBAP® Exam
How to Apply for ECBA™, CCBA® and CBAP® Exam
When you think about a global Business Analysis Association, the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®) comes to mind. IIBA® is a non-profit professional association with a vision to shape the practice of business analysis to achieve better enterprise outcomes.
One way they achieve this is by employing a robust certification process to verify relevant experience of practitioners and award them credentials after successfully passing rigorous certification tests.
Table of Contents
IIBA® Core Business Analysis (BA) Certifications
IIBA® has 3 core certifications that target 3 levels of Professionals, ranging from the entry level certification to the professional level certification. We will focus on how to apply for any of these courses.
Level 1 – Entry Certificate in Business Analysis™ (ECBA™)
ECBA™ recognizes individuals ready to develop their business analysis skills, knowledge and behaviors as practicing business analysis professionals.
Level 2 – Certification of Capability in Business Analysis™ (CCBA®)
CCBA® recognizes skilled BA professionals who have two to three years of practical business analysis work experience.
Level 3 – Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®)
CBAP® recognizes seasoned BA professionals who have over five years of practical business analysis work experience.
In addition to the core certifications, IIBA® also has a list of other Specialized Business Analysis Certifications for you to choose from.
Certification Process
In this section, I will walk you through an overview of the steps towards completing your ECBA™, CCBA® and CBAP® exam application. For a more detailed step by step picture guide, download a copy of our Business Analysis Application Guide here.
STEP 1 – Log into your IIBA Account
Firstly, visit www.IIBA.org to create an account for free or login to your account if you already have one. If this is your first-time logging in, you will receive an email to activate your IIBA profile and change password.
Step 2 – Pay Application Fee
Upon successful login, from the top of the page, select Certification and then from the drop-down menu select My Certifications. This will take you to the Certification Summary Page from where you can select your certification and pay the application fee.
Please note: the application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. Once you pay, you will see the requirements and be able to complete your goals and track your progress. Alternatively, you can log your hours in the BA Development Log either before you pay the application fee or after, however you will not be able to see your progress on the Certification Summary page until you pay the application fee.
We will advise you to use the BA Development log to document everything till you are sure before paying the application fee to enable you to review your documentation correctly.
Step 3 – Log Your Business Analysis Training Hours
Two of the three core Business Analysis Certifications require that you have prior work experience as a Business Analyst in addition to formal training and you will log in these hours at this stage. CCBA® and CBAP® require professional development hours + work history hours to qualify while ECBA™ require only professional development hours to qualify, it does not require work history.
ECBA™ and CCBA® Certifications require that you have a minimum of 21 hours of professional training within the last 4 years while CBAP® Certification requires a minimum of 35 hours within the last 4 years as well. All development activities must be formal and align with the BABOK® Guide v3.0
Step 4 – Log Your Business Analysis Professional Work Experience Hours
In addition to the Professional Education, CCBA® and CBAP® require that applicants should have some Business Analysis work experience under their belts before they can apply for the certification exam.
CCBA® requires a minimum of 3,750 hours (approximately 2-3 years) of business analysis work experience within the last 7 years that align with the BABOK® Guide. This work experience should include a minimum of 900 hours each in each of 2 Knowledge Areas OR a minimum of 500 hours each in each of 4 Knowledge Areas. For CBAP® Certification, the work requirement is a minimum of 7,500 hours (approx. 5+ years) of business analysis work experience within the last 10 years that align with the BABOK® Guide. Also, this should include a minimum of 900 hours each in each of 4 Knowledge Areas, for a total of at least 3,600 of the required 7,500 total.
CCBA® and CBAP® application also mandates that you supply 2 references for your application. The references can either be a CBAP ® recipient, a career manager or a client (internal or external). Ideally at least one of your two references will have known you for at least 6 months.
Step 5 – Review and Submit Application
You do not need to complete the entire application process in a seating. You can save your work and continue later but be careful to complete all within the active window for application. Once all your requirements (or goals) are met and you have reviewed them for compliance, you will be able to submit your application.
The submission process includes reading and agreeing to both the Terms and Conditions and the Code of Conduct found on the page. After you submit your application, you will be notified via email if your application is “approved” or “approved pending audit”. If what you get is “approved pending audit”, this means your application has been randomly selected for audit.
How to Manage an Audit
It is your responsibility to obtain and provide verification of any information in the application as requested by IIBA®. If your application audit is a pass, your application will be approved, and you will receive an email confirming your approval and instructing you to proceed to paying your exam fee.
If your audit does not pass, IIBA will provide further details on the reason via email and your application will not be approved. Note also that all fees paid so far will be forfeited. You may reapply after you have remedied the reasons for the audit not passing. You may also appeal the decision by contacting IIBA at certification@iiba.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
The CCBA® and CBAP® Application fee is non-refundable and non-transferrable so ensure you meet the requirements for your requested exam before starting the application process
No, you do not need to be an IIBA member to apply for certification.
There are many benefits to IIBA membership. These include, but are not limited to, discounted certification exam fees, discounted recertification fees, a free PDF copy of the BABOK® Guide, and much more.
Applicants and recipients may be randomly selected for audit to validate work experience, professional development and other information provided when they apply and/or recertify.
Applications are assessed immediately upon submission. You will not be able to submit your application unless you have met all the eligibility requirements. Once your online application shows that all requirements have been met, you will be able to submit your application. You will immediately receive an email stating that you are either approved OR approved pending audit. If you are approved, the e-mail will contain instructions on paying the exam fee so you can schedule it.
All exams are offered via remote online proctoring through PSI using your own computer. The CCBA® and CBAP® exams are also available at PSI test centres. You can select your option when you schedule your exam. Please review our Exam Information page.
No, BABOK® Guide v3 is the current version and the exam is still aligned to this version of the guide.