Introduction
The world is progressing, so the requirements for building a career are also changing. According to the International Institute of Business Analysis, Business analysis is the practice of facilitating change in an organization by identifying needs and recommending solutions that add value to stakeholders. Business analysis enables a company to comprehend its needs and the logical argument for change and design and describe value-added solutions.
In simple words, Business analysts act as a bridge between IT and the business through data analytics to determine the changes and modifications required in an organization and deliver solutions to executives and stakeholders. A business analyst is responsible for gathering, synthesizing, and analyzing information from various sources. The business analyst is responsible for eliciting stakeholders’ actual needs, which frequently entails investigating and clarifying their needs to determine underlying issues and causes. Also, business analysts add value to the company by delivering solutions that will profit an organization. In this article, you will find the best certification for business analysts to boost their careers and ensure job roles in leading companies.
Why choose business analyst as a career path?
A business analyst fills the gap between IT and an enterprise and it is a need of every tech/ digital company nowadays. By bridging the customer-developer gap in digital transformation projects, business analysts facilitate digital transformation. Besides the demand for business analysts, so more benefits come with it. To meet today’s business needs, the field of business analysis is rapidly expanding and evolving. Companies are now admiring the skills of business analysts and proficiently hiring them. According to the BA Times, the number of business analyst jobs in the United States will increase from 364,000 to 2,720,000 by 2020.
With an average entry-level salary of $68,000 per year, business analytics is a hugely profitable role in IT. According to PayScale, business analysts earn an average salary of $40,000 to $100,000 per year throughout their careers. If you want to advance your business analyst career or change careers, here are ten certifications to take into account.
As the name suggests, it is an early-level certification in business analysis. ECBA covers the BABOK Guide’s foundational knowledge on business analysis and demonstrates that you have the core knowledge and competencies for the in-demand field of business analysis. You can take this certification if you want to start your career as a business analyst.
As the name suggests, it is an early-level certification in business analysis. ECBA covers the BABOK Guide’s foundational knowledge on business analysis and demonstrates that you have the core knowledge and competencies for the in-demand field of business analysis. You can take this certification if you want to start your career as a business analyst.
Exam Format & Duration: The ECBA exam consists of 50 knowledge-based multiple-choice questions that must be completed in one hour.
Exam Delivery: It can be online via proctor format or at the PSI test center
Passing Criteria: For any certification exams, IIBA does not provide scores or scoring percentages. Performance indicators are provided to assist candidates in focusing their preparation for an exam retake.
Certification Fee/Retake Fee: Go through the certification cost
Recertification: Refer to IIBA recertification policy
Exam Domains:
- Business analysis and the BA professional- 2.5%
- Business analysis key concepts- 5%
- Underlying competencies- 5%
- Techniques- 17.5%
- Business analysis planning and monitoring- 5%
- Elicitation and collaboration- 20%
- Requirements life cycle management- 20%
- Requirements analysis and design definition- 25%
CCBA an associate-level certification and typically for one who has work experience of more than 2 years as a business analysis practitioner. It acknowledges your capability to manage larger and/or more complex projects.
Exam Format & Duration: The exam consists of 130 scenario based-based multiple-choice questions that must be completed in 3 hours.
Exam Delivery: It can be online via proctor format or at the PSI test center
Passing Criteria: For any certification exams, IIBA does not provide scores or scoring percentages. Performance indicators are provided to assist candidates in focusing their preparation for an exam retake.
Certification Fee/Retake Fee: Go through the certification cost
Recertification: Refer to IIBA recertification policy
Exam Domains:
- Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring- 12%
- Elicitation and Collaboration- 20%
- Requirements Life Cycle Management- 18%
- Strategy Analysis- 12%
- Requirements Analysis and Design Definition- 32%
- Solution Evaluation- 6%
The Certified Business Analysis Professional designation is a professional certification for people with extensive experience in business analysis (BA). It demonstrates that you have the knowledge, competencies, and experience to be a highly effective business analyst.
Exam Format & Duration: The exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions that must be completed in 3.5 hours.
Exam Delivery: It can be online via proctor format or at the PSI test center
Passing Criteria: For any certification exams, IIBA does not provide scores or scoring percentages. Performance indicators are provided to assist candidates in focusing their preparation for an exam retake.
Certification Fee/Retake Fee: Go through the certification cost
Recertification: Refer to IIBA recertification policy
Exam Domains
- Business analysis planning and monitoring-14%
- Elicitation and collaboration- 12%
- Requirements life cycle management- 15%
- Strategy analysis- 15%
- Requirements analysis and design definition- 30%
- Solution evaluation-14%
Business data analytics is a discipline that employs a specific set of techniques, competencies, and methodologies to conduct ongoing exploration and investigation of business data. This certification enhances your skills in performing business analysis on analytics initiatives. The certification assists organizations in identifying skilled business data analytics professionals who are in high demand.
Exam Format & Duration: The exam consists of 75 multiple-choice, scenario-based questions that must be completed in 2 hours.
Exam Delivery: It can be online via proctor format or at the PSI test center
Passing Criteria: For any certification exams, IIBA does not provide scores or scoring percentages. Performance indicators are provided to assist candidates in focusing their preparation for an exam retake.
Certification Fee/Retake Fee: Go through the certification cost
Recertification: Refer to IIBA recertification policy
Exam Domains:
- Identify the Research Questions – 20%
- Source Data – 15%
- 16% – Analyze Data
- interpreting and reporting results – 20%
- Using Results to Influence Business Decisions – 20%
- Organizational Strategy for Business Analytics – 9%
The Certification addresses both the need and the desire for the agile and analyst communities to collaborate and transform project delivery. Moreover, this certification allows the business analyst to implement an agile perspective in the business analysis framework.
Exam Format & Duration: The exam consists of 85 multiple-choice, scenario-based questions that must be completed in 2 hours.
Exam Delivery: It can be online via proctor format or at the PSI test center
Passing Criteria: For any certification exams, IIBA does not provide scores or scoring percentages. Performance indicators are provided to assist candidates in focusing their preparation for an exam retake.
Certification Fee/Retake Fee: Go through the certification cost
Recertification: Refer to IIBA recertification policy
Exam Domains:
- Agile Mindset – 30%
- Strategy Horizon – 10%
- Horizon initiative – 25%
- Delivery Horizon – 35%
The Product Ownership Analysis certification program recognizes the integration of Business Analysis and Product Ownership with an Agile mindset to boost value. The program allows students to learn the fundamental concepts required to create successful products.
Exam Format & Duration: The exam consists of 85 multiple-choice, scenario-based questions that must be completed in 2 hours.
Exam Delivery: It can be online via proctor format or at the PSI test center
Passing Criteria: For any certification exams, IIBA does not provide scores or scoring percentages. Performance indicators are provided to assist candidates in focusing their preparation for an exam retake.
Certification Fee/Retake Fee: Go through the certification cost
Recertification: Refer to IIBA recertification policy
Exam Domains:
- Use Foundational Concepts- 10%
- Increase Customer Intimacy- 15%
- Team Involvement- 15%
- Make an Impact- 15%
- Deliver Often- 15%
- Learn Quickly- 15%
- Obsess Over Value- 15%
The salesforce business analyst certification is intended for individuals who have experience in salesforce and business analysis. This certification provides an understanding of business needs, requirements capturing, and collaborating with stakeholders to support the development of Salesforce solutions that drive business improvements.
Number of Questions: 60 questions- 5 unscored
Time Limit: 105 minutes
Exam Format: Multiple-choice & Multiple-select questions
Exam Delivery: Pearson VUE. Both testing centers and online delivery are available
Passing Criteria: Passing score is 72%
Certification Validity: refer to salesforce certification renewal
Languages: English, Japanese & Simplified Chinese
Certification Cost: $200 plus applicable taxes
Retake policy/ fee: $100 plus applicable taxes- go through the retake policy
Exam Domains:
- Customer Discovery: 17%
- Collaboration with Stakeholders: 24%
- Business Process Mapping: 16%
- Requirements: 17%
- User Stories: 18%
- User Acceptance: 8%
This certification makes you expand your skills in the business analysis field. If you collaborate with stakeholders to define requirements, shape project outputs and drive desired business outcomes, the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) certification will highlight your valuable skills.
Certification Cost: The certification cost is $405 for members and $555 for non-members.
Date of Retirement/ Validity Period: To keep your PMI-PBA certification, you must earn 60 professional development units (PDUs) in business analysis topics every three years.
Test Format & Duration: The exam consists of 200 questions, and you will have 4 hours to complete it.
Passing Criteria: No specified passing score
Exam Domains:
- Needs Assessment (5 tasks) 18%
- Planning (6 tasks) 22%
- Analysis (8 tasks) 35%
- Traceability and Monitoring (5 tasks) 15%
- Evaluation (4 tasks) 10%
This credential provides a fundamental understanding of solution concepts, design, or development. The knowledge gained through this certification ensures proficiency in definitions and background about business processes modeling and improving, collecting and analyzing requirements, designing business solutions, and working in the area of innovation. Business and system analysts, requirements engineers, product owners, and product managers can all benefit from the Foundation level.
Certification Cost: The certification cost is different in every country- go to the exam cost
Date of Retirement/ Validity Period: 3 years
Test Format & Duration: The exam consists of 40 questions, and you will have 60 minutes to complete it.
Passing Criteria: –
Exam Domains:
The Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE) is a personal certification for people who work in Requirements Engineering, Business Analysis, and Testing. It will broaden your professional knowledge and assist you in becoming more successful in your career.
The Foundation Level is designed for the advanced beginner in Requirements Engineering and covers the fundamentals of the subject. Everyone involved in Requirements Engineering, Business Analysis, software, and system development who is quality and professionally competent must seek it.
Certification Cost: The certification cost is different in every country- go to the certification bodies
Date of Retirement/ Validity Period: Lifetime
Test Format & Duration: The exam consists of 45 multiple-choice questions, and you will have 75 minutes to complete it.
Passing Criteria: 70%
Exam Domains: Go through the syllabus
The Advanced Level is intended for CPRE Foundation Level certificate holders who want to expand their knowledge of specific Requirements for Engineering and Business Analysis activities
Certification Cost: The certification cost is different in every country- go to the certification bodies
Date of Retirement/ Validity Period: Lifetime
Test Format & Duration:
Exam for practitioners
The exam is a multiple-choice exam that lasts 75 minutes. Non-native speakers may be granted a 15-minute extension upon request. The exam is usually taken immediately after completing a training course, but it can also be taken later if desired, for example, in a test center.
Exam for a specialist
The exam consists of a written assignment in which you must represent a realistic project situation from your workplace and demonstrate your ability to apply the acquired RE knowledge.
Passing Criteria: No defined passing criteria- The certification body will send you the results of the multiple-choice test and the corresponding Practitioner certificate, or the results of the written assessment and the corresponding Specialist certificate, within four weeks.
Exam Domains:
For the expert level, you have to fulfill the following prerequisites:
- At least three CPRE Advanced Level certificates must be held by the candidate.
- Other forms, such as university lectures related to RE, certain certificates linked to other education schemes (e.g. CBAP, BCS Diploma in Business Analysis), or a substantial publication, can be substituted for up to two certificates.
- At least three years of full-time equivalent experience as a Requirements Engineer in various roles and projects.
- Activity as a trainer or coach in the field of Requirements Engineering
Certification Cost: The certification cost is different in every country- go to the certification bodies
Date of Retirement/ Validity Period: Lifetime
Test Format & Duration:
Exam for practitioners
The exam is a multiple-choice exam that lasts 75 minutes. Non-native speakers may be granted a 15-minute extension upon request. The exam is usually taken immediately after completing a training course, but it can also be taken later if desired, for example, in a test center.
Exam for a specialist
The exam consists of a written assignment in which you must represent a realistic project situation from your workplace and demonstrate your ability to apply the acquired RE knowledge.
Passing Criteria: No defined passing criteria- The certification body will send you the results of the multiple-choice test and the corresponding Practitioner certificate, or the results of the written assessment and the corresponding Specialist certificate, within four weeks.
Exam Domains:
No syllabus or training course for expert level.
Conclusion
The article gives you an in-depth guide for both foundational and advance level business analysis certifications. In short, business analysts should strive for these certifications for boosting their careers as well as achieving higher positions. These certifications come with a lot of benefits including advanced skills, jobs in well-reputed organizations, and high salaries. So buck up, and boost your career with these top certifications.
Frequently Asked Questions- FAQ's
The shortest answer to this is YES! The business analysis career is growing and advancing at a very high pace. Moreover, it provides you with continuous learning, overcoming challenges, and business solutions. Also, business analysis is a good career choice in terms of salary.
With an average entry-level salary of $68,000 per year, business analytics is a hugely profitable role in IT. According to PayScale, business analysts earn an average salary of $40,000 to $100,000 per year throughout their careers.
No! A business analyst does not do coding. They provide business solutions. Coding is the job of developers.
Business analyst skills are a blend of hard and soft skills. If you want to be a successful business analyst, you should always work on your interpersonal and intrapersonal skills as your technical abilities.
Such certifications give the edge to candidates over other business analysts by showcasing their advanced skills and competitiveness. Although each business analyst brings their own unique set of skills and experiences to the table, earning a certification is an excellent way to demonstrate your knowledge.
- IIBA Certified – Business Analysis Entry Certificate (ECBA)
- BCS Certified – Business Analysis Foundation Certificate
- IQBBA Foundation Level Business Analyst Certification (CFLBA)
- IREB Certified- Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE) – Foundation Level
They can work full-time, part-time, freelance, or as contract workers in a wide range of professions. It all depends upon the company policy whether they need remote or on-site. Moreover, because of the Covid-19 situation now companies are hiring for remote jobs.
You must a bachelor’s degree in a related field while become a Business Analyst. There is no specific degree required to be a Business Analyst. If you want to work in business analysis, you should have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as business administration.
Business analyst fills the gap between IT and the company. By bridging the customer-developer gap in digital transformation projects, business analysts facilitate digital transformation. They provide business solutions. So, to fulfilling the gap between IT and business, companies are hiring business analysts frequently.
A job is stressful or not depends on many factors. The most important is the type of working environment and the company you’re working in. if you’re working more than your required hours then it can be stressful. A business analyst job, according to Forbes, is “typically less stressful than high-demand finance jobs.”
- Analytical and Critical Thinking
- Analytical and Critical Thinking
- Cost-Benefit Analysis and Negotiation
- Decision-Making Capabilities.
- Programming Languages
- Report and dashboard creation
- SQL and Databases
Totally Yes, some business analysts choose to specialize in information technology and become business systems analysts, while the vast majority are generalists with backgrounds in business administration and related fields.