The most commonly asked questions about certification. This includes ECBA™, CCBA®, CBAP®, IIBA®-CBDA, IIBA®-AAC, IIBA®-CCA, and IIBA®-CPOA. Select the question that interests you to reveal the answer. Please note, for questions or support in French Canadian or other languages, please contact IIBA's Customer Support team by email at info@iiba.org
Certification levels demonstrate key milestones of competency development, support shared expectations among business analysis professionals and employers, and help in setting goals for developing competencies. As individuals move along with their career progression and maintain their certification, their competencies will continue to grow and develop.
Certifications have eligibility requirements and maintenance requirements for continuing certification. Certificates do not have these requirements, and once attained, do not expire. All IIBA credential holders are encouraged to engage in continuing development activities.
No, you do not need to be an IIBA member to apply for certification or recertification.
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 IIBA publications such as the BABOK® Guide and the Business Analysis Standard®, access to IIBA’s KnowledgeHub and AI Assistant, free or discounted rates for IIBA Chapter Events, Professional Development Days, and Study Groups, and much more.
Credential holders who do not recertify on time are given a grace period to record their CDUs, pay the recertification fee and submit the application without penalty. The grace period is four months for IIBA®-AAC and IIBA®-CBDA and one year for CCBA® and CBAP®.
Credential holders who do not meet the requirements within the suspension period become Uncertified.
For those who become Uncertified, refer to the recertification handbook for information about the reinstatement period and time-sensitive deadlines. Contact certification@iiba.org with questions.
The Certification of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA) is for business analysis practitioners with two to three years of experience. The eligibility requirements to sit for the exam are:
The 3,750 hours of business analysis work experience must align with the six Knowledge Areas (KAs) of the BABOK® Guide and include:
Refer to the CCBA Step-by-Step Application Process Guide for guidance on entering and submitting this information.
The 21 hours of Professional Development must align with the BABOK® Guide Knowledge Areas, be completed within the last four years before applying for certification, and follow these learning and assessment standards:
Refer to the IIBA Endorsed Education and Training Providers page for pre-approved courses that automatically qualify towards the professional development requirements.
Yes! IIBA endorses education and training delivered by EEPs and Academic Members to support the ongoing development of business analysis professionals.
Refer to the IIBA Endorsed Education and Training Providers page for pre-approved professional development and exam prep courses that automatically qualify.
References can either be a CBAP® recipient, a career manager or a client (internal or external) who have known you for at least 6 months. Work references would be your Manager or anyone in the organization who can confirm the work completed and submitted on an application.
The first step is to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements described in the CCBA Handbook. Then refer to the CCBA Step-by-Step Application Process Guide for guidance on how to complete and submit the CCBA Application in the My IIBA portal.
The Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) is for business analysis professionals with five or more years of experience. The eligibility requirements to sit for the exam are:
The 7,500 hours of business analysis work experience must align with the six Knowledge Areas (KAs) of the BABOK® Guide and include:
Refer to the CBAP Step-by-Step Application Process Guide for guidance on entering and submitting this information.
The 35 hours of Professional Development must align with the BABOK® Guide Knowledge Areas, be completed within the last four years before applying for certification, and follow these learning and assessment standards:
Yes! IIBA endorses education and training delivered by EEPs and Academic Members to support the ongoing development of business analysis professionals. Refer to the IIBA Endorsed Education and Training Providers page for pre-approved professional development and exam prep courses that automatically qualify.
References can either be a CCBA®/ CBAP® credential holder, a career manager, or a client (internal or external) who has known you for at least six months. A work reference would be your manager or anyone in the organization who can confirm the work completed and submitted on an application. References must provide a work email address.
The first step is to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements described in the CBAP Handbook.
Then refer to the CBAP Step-by-Step Application Process Guide for guidance on how to complete and submit the CBAP Application in the My IIBA portal.
Enter the information that you have and your organizational contact’s name, phone number, and email for validation that you took the course.
Once all requirements have been met, you will be able to submit your online application. You will immediately receive an email stating that your application is Approved OR Approved Pending Audit. If Approved, you are then Exam Eligible, and will receive an email with instructions for exam payment and scheduling.
Audits are conducted on a random basis. If your application is "Approved Pending Audit", you must complete the audit process. You will be required to submit your Professional Development documents for validation, and your References will be contacted.
When your application passes the audit, you will receive an email confirming the approval and next steps on how to purchase the exam.
An extenuating circumstance is an event or hardship that would lead you to request an application extension and is the only reason that application extensions may be granted. Refer to the IIBA Extenuating Circumstance Policy for the requirements and procedures for extension requests.
You have one year from the time your application is approved to take the exam.
The exam fee payment cannot be transferred to a new application. The payment is tied to the application in which it was made.
If the application expires and the one-year exam period has not expired, you may request a refund of the exam fee. You have 12 months from the day IIBA received the exam payment to request a refund. After such time, payments are forfeited. To request a refund of your exam or exam rewrite fee:
To start a new application, you would then need to repay the application fee, reverify that you meet the requirements, and repay the exam fee.
In the description field, state that the work involved sensitive/proprietary information and then provide only as much information as possible without breaching privacy.
You will be able to reuse the work experience and professional development from your past certification application provided they meet the eligibility requirements for the next level.
Two years of work in the relevant specialty area is recommended but not required. Refer to the certification pages for more information about AAC, CBDA, CCA, and CPOA.
Refer to the relevant Certification Handbook for information about the certification and how to proceed in the My IIBA portal.
Although there are no prerequisites for the specialized certifications, we highly recommend business analysis experience and some experience working in the specialized area. Refer to the certification pages on the IIBA website for details.
Application, exam, and recertification fees are provided on our Certification Fees page.
The application fee is non-transferable and non-refundable. The application fee must be paid first, and your hours submitted to be approved. The exam fee is paid after the application is approved.
From the day IIBA receives payment for your exam, you will have 12 months to schedule and take your exam. It is only within that time that you can request a refund.
For ECBA only, a $50 administrative fee will be applied to the refund. There will be no refunds after 12 months and you will forfeit the exam fee payment. There is a fee associated with each exam attempt. The exam rewrite fees are not included with the initial exam fee.
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 Centers. You can select your preferred option when you schedule your exam. Please review our Exam Information page for details.
It really depends on the individual. Your level of experience and knowledge will impact the amount of studying time required, as will your familiarity with the IIBA publication on which the exam is based. Refer to the exam preparation suggestions on each Certification page and the Study and Learning Options provided in each Certification Handbook.
Although IIBA is a not a training provider and does not provide course recommendations, we have Endorsed Education and Training Providers with pre-approved courses that have been assessed and validated by IIBA. Visit the Endorsed Education and Training Providers page to find an endorsed provider and/or exam prep course that meets your needs.
In addition, for the Certificate in Cybersecurity Analysis (IIBA®-CCA), IIBA® and IEEE Computer Society have partnered to offer an e-learning course. Visit the Cybersecurity Analysis Certification page to learn more.
As well, the Certificate in Product Ownership Analysis (CPOA) offers digital access to online modules featuring interactive knowledge checks and quizzes. To learn more, visit the Certificate in Product Ownership Analysis page.
Please review our Exam Information page and the relevant Certification Handbook.
Information about testing accommodations is available on the Exam Information page, under Candidate Frequently Asked Questions. To request accommodations, please contact certification@iiba.org.
Please review the Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy on our Exam Information page.
If you require an exam rewrite based on your exam result, you will receive an email from IIBA within 48 hours of your exam day, detailing how to pay for and schedule your exam rewrite.
Once you have scheduled your exam at a test center, you will receive a confirmation email with the exam logistics. In addition, you will receive an appointment reminder email two days before your exam day.
If you experience an error while trying to schedule your exam, please contact certification@iiba.org.
No, this will not affect your admission into the exam.
Yes, it will affect your admission into the exam. Your first name and last name must match exactly in three places: your identification, IIBA and the testing administrator. There can be no differences. If your name does not match your identification, you must notify IIBA. Only IIBA can make the required update for you and can be contacted at certification@iiba.org. All updates must be done at least one week before your scheduled exam, or you will not be able to take the exam.
If you are not admitted to the exam due to inadequate identification, you will be required to pay a fee to IIBA in order to reschedule your exam.
The ID must be the original document, current, signed and in western characters.
The following identification is ACCEPTED:
Refer to the IIBA Guide to Online Proctored Exams for information on how to prepare, including technical requirements, the System Compatibility Check, and the Tutorial Test, which is available after you schedule your exam and further checks system requirements.
If you miss your scheduled exam date and time without cancelling or rescheduling in advance, you will be considered a no-show and will forfeit the exam fee or exam rewrite fee you have paid (unless there is an extenuating circumstance). You will need to repay the exam fee or exam rewrite fee to schedule and sit the exam.
If you arrive late, you will be considered a no show. You will not be permitted to write the exam and will forfeit the exam fee or exam rewrite fee. Lateness is defined as follows:
Please refer to the Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy on our Exam Information page.
In addition to being offered in the Online Remote Proctored format, the CBAP® and CCBA® exams are also offered at PSI Test Centers. These are the ONLY two IIBA exams offered at Test Centers.
Check-in at Test Centers includes a required metal detection wanding inspection by trained Test Center Administrators (TCAs). This protocol is designed to ensure that no unauthorized devices or items enter the testing area. Those who decline the wanding protocol (and have not been granted an exemption) will be required to reschedule their exam.
For those with metal implants the wand may indicate an alert, and a standard physical security check will follow. If there is an alert upon rescan, and there is no item to disclose, testing can proceed with close monitoring. If a prohibited device is found and the test taker does not provide an explanation, PSI’s security team will determine whether the test taker can sit for the exam.
The wands are American Heart Act Certified. Per PSI, they will not interfere with or harm the operation of any medical device. If test takers opt for an exemption, they must bring documentation from a healthcare provider to the Test Center.
Watch the PSI Test Center Experience video.
Review this Candidate FAQ on the IIBA Exam Information page:
Rather than provide scores or scoring percentages for our certification exams, IIBA provides performance indicators. This is common practice in the professional credentialing industry and is intended to help candidates target gaps and set goals for performance improvement.
You will see your exam result immediately after you submit your exam. Confirmation of your exam result will be emailed to you by IIBA within 48 hours.
Your profile will be updated within 48 hours. You will receive a confirmation email from IIBA.
All IIBA certification exams are available in English. In addition, IIBA offers the ECBA exam in five additional languages: Japanese, French, French Canadian, Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese. The CBAP exam is offered in English and Japanese. Candidates are expected to be proficient in the language in which their exam is delivered.
IIBA continues to expand translations of its publications and related content to additional languages for accessibility worldwide.
Please refer to the Recertification Handbook for details about maintaining your certification:
You do not need to include documentation of your CDU activities unless you are selected for audit.
We recommend that you keep a copy of the supporting documentation for all CDUs until you receive confirmation of your recertification from IIBA. A list of the required supporting documentation and acceptable formats can be viewed in the Recertification Handbooks under Audits and Audit Documentation.
An extenuating circumstance is an event or hardship that would prevent you from completing your recertification and is the only reason that recertification extensions may be granted. Refer to the IIBA Extenuating Circumstance Policy for the requirements and procedures for extension requests.