Business Analyst Certification & Prep Courses Completed

In April 2020 I received my Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) from the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), a worldwide-renowned entity in the field of business analysis. Completion of this certificate included:

• Application and approval for certification via IIBA;
• Reading and extensive study of the BABOK (V3) Guide;
• 24 Professional Development hours (hours of dedicated study from an approved list of seminars, courses, applicable work/education history, etc.); and
• Passing a 50-item remote-proctored certification exam.

To both complete my Professional Development hours and help prepare me for the exam, I elected to complete the ECBA Prep Course from SkillCert Consultancy. This IIBA-endorsed course offers the required 24 Professional Development hours (validated upon completion) in an all-digital, at-your-own-pace format accompanied by large banks of practice test questions, all for just $200. I completed the course, but was extremely unsatisfied with the experience.

The course content was thoroughly plagued with extremely poor translation (though I'm uncertain of the language of origin) and inconsistent presentation, resulting in nearly unintelligible content. A large portion of the practice questions were so poorly constructed that they more often caused confusion than offered aid.

Regardless, three positives stemmed from this otherwise-infuriating experience:

1. I had a pleasant conversation with a SkillCert Consultancy staff member, and was refunded my money;
2. I completed the course in its entirety and was validated for the desired 24 Professional Development hours; and
3. I was hit with the harsh reality that I had much more to study and learn.

To make up ground, I turned to Udemy, which at the time offered the greatest number of seemingly helpful IIBA ECBA prep courses and practice tests. For less than $20 each (on sale at the time), I completed each of the following Udemy courses:

• Clear ECBA exam on your first try!
• IIBA ECBA proficiency-based mock test 2020
• IIBA ECBA Business Analysis Certificate - Practice Tests 1, 2, and 3

Though generally satisfied with all five courses, I specifically recommend the first two. "Clear ECBA exam on your first try!" operates like a highly streamlined study guide, complete with thorough visual detail, to make your study of the BABOK more efficient and effective to the test parameters. "IIBA ECBA proficiency-based mock test 2020," of all the mock tests I encountered, offered an experience that most closely resembled the actual exam; the questions aren't the ones you'll encounter on your exam, naturally, but they are structured and exercise your brain in a very similar way.

In short, though the exam was stressful and the process of accumulating the required hours came with challenges. However, IIBA's processes and procedures are highly polished, the exam itself felt appropriate, and there are ample resources available that helped me officially make the leap from aspiring novice to certified business analyst.

Here's what I'm adding to my official "Shawn Learns Things" list of accomplishments (a.k.a. my far-too-detailed-to-be-a-real digital curriculum vitae):

International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) - Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA): April 2020

• SkillCert Consultancy ECBA Prep Course completed
• 24 prerequisite Professional Development Hours completed
• ECBA certification exam passed
• Additional studies included ECBA prep courses from Udemy, extensive BABOK study, and observation of multiple IIBA chapter seminars (recorded, YouTube)