A Quick Look at the Knowledge Areas for the CBAP Exam

In this brief blog, we will cover what you need to know to pass the CBAP Exam.

At the heart of IIBA certification is demonstrated knowledge of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®).

The knowledge areas (groups that are related to a set of tasks or techniques) you will need to know for your Certified Business Analyst Practitioner (CBAP) Exam. We’ll give you a quick synopsis of the each of these areas.

Business Planning and Monitoring is the knowledge area that covers how we determine which activities are necessary to perform in order to complete a business analysis effort. This includes identifying stakeholders, section of BA techniques, process for managing requirements, and how to assess the progress of work. BA Planning is a key input to the project plan and the Project Manager’s responsibility is to coordinate activities with the needs of the rest of the project team.

Requirements Management and Communication is how we manage conflicts, issues and changes. This is to make sure the stakeholders and the project team stays within agreement on the scope of the project. Managing formal approvals, baselines, tracking of requirements documents and verifying scope is a big part of this knowledge area.

Enterprise Analysis is how we take a business need, refine and clarify the definition of that need and defining a solution scope that can be implemented by the business. This is the area where we define the problem and the analysis, develop a business case, do feasibility studies and define the solution scope.

Requirements Analysis describes how we explain the solution definition in order to provide the project team the details needed to design and build the solution that meets the business and stakeholders needs. The stated requirements are analyzed to review for correctness, assess the current state of the business to identify and recommend improvements.

Solution Assessment and Validation is the role of the BA once the project team is ready to propose a solution. This is the area where the proposed solution is assessed to determine its fit with the business needs as well as the review of gaps and shortcomings and determination of any necessary changes.

Underlying Competencies describes the behaviors, knowledge and characteristics of skills needed to support the role of the Business Analyst. These areas include analytical thinking and problem solving, behavioral characteristics, business knowledge, communication skills, interaction skills and software application skills.

Think you know what you need to know to pass the CBAP Exam? Our CBAP Certification course is a deep dive into each of these areas. As we cover each of these six subject-matter areas, we’ll share the essential information you need to know for the CBAP examination and give you the tools you need to successfully pass.