Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months
    How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months
    How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months
    Ebook76 pages1 hour

    How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months

    By Laura Brandenburg

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    On your journey to the CBAP® or the CCBA®, you may find your motivation lagging or have nagging questions about the application or examination process. This journalistic series of week-by-week articles answer many of your questions while also motivating you to work through these challenges. The author chronicles her trials, tribulations, and successes with honesty and transparency.

    You’ll learn:
    -How to stay motivated to get through the CBAP® or CCBA® application.
    -How to use different study methods to absorb the information in the Business Analyst Body of Knowledge® Guide and increase your chances of passing the exam the first time.
    -The most important question you absolutely must answer to make it through your journey.
    -How to leverage exam prep resources to build up your confidence.
    -What taking the CBAP® exam is really like.

    In addition to a step-by-step guide to earning your CBAP® or CCBA®, you'll receive some indispensable comic relief and a strong dose of inspiration.

    ***TABLE OF CONTENTS***
    -The Pre-Story: Three Years of Passive Resistance
    -Week 1: Deciding to Go For It
    -Week 2: Finishing the Dreaded Work History Section
    -Week 3: The Difference Between Getting It and Being Exam-Ready
    -Week 4: Finding My “Why”
    -Week 5: Reading the Introduction to the BABOK Guide
    -Weeks 6 and 7: Settling Into a Study Rhythm
    -Week 8: Scheduling the Exam
    -Week 9: I’m Smart, Why Do I Feel So Stupid?
    -Week 10: The BABOK Guide Makes So Much Sense When ....
    -Week 11: Taking the Full Practice Exam
    -Week 12, Part 1: Today is the Day!
    -Week 12, Part 2: Putting a “C” in My “BAP”
    -Looking Back on the CBAP Exam Simulators
    -The Post-Story: Looking Back on the CBAP
    -Appendix A: A Quick Guide to the CBAP/CCBA
    -How to Earn Your Professional Development Hours (PDs)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLaura Brandenburg
    Release dateFeb 18, 2015
    ISBN9780983861164
    How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months
    Author

    Laura Brandenburg

    Laura Brandenburg, CBAP is an internationally-recognized leader known for helping mid-career professionals start business analysis careers. Laura brings more than a decade of experience in the business analysis profession, filling such diverse roles as a full-time business analyst, consultant, and hiring manager. She brings all of these perspectives into her writing, presenting, coaching, and training to help you find transferable business analysis skills, expand your business analysis experience, and start your business analysis career with confidence.

    Related to How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months

    Related ebooks

    Project Management For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Nail Your Dream Job

      Jul 28, 2021

      Nail Your Dream Job
      7 min read

    • Article

      Q&A: Dorie Clark

      Sep 24, 2021

      What’s the most important advice you would give someone just starting out in their career to help them achieve a successful and fulfilling professional lifestyle? It’s essential to make sure you’re running your own race, rather than following the pat

      3 min read

    • Article

      Why It’s Time To Rethink Our Career Milestones

      Nov 7, 2023

      Once, work milestones were linked to climbing the career ladder – becoming a manager and hitting a certain pay grade – which explains why, at the age of 28, I challenged myself to secure three editorships before I turned 30. I wanted to cli

      2 min read

    • Article

      9 Complete Guide: 8 Mistakes You Must Avoid In Your Content Marketing Campaign In 2020

      Nov 30, 2020

      Complete Guide: 8 mistakes you must avoid in your content marketing campaign in 2020 Content being the king of all marketing activities worldwide, content marketing has gained popularity over time as one of the best investments a brand can make. It’s

      14 min read

    • Article

      Taking The LinkedIn Lead

      Jun 6, 2018

      Taking The LinkedIn Lead
      5 min read

    • Article

      HATE YOUR JOB? Here’s What To Do

      Mar 16, 2020

      Victoria Beckham once said she wanted to be more famous than Persil Automatic, a laundry detergent that is a household name in the UK. When she entered the music scene in the early 1990s as part of the Spice Girls many people wrongly assumed the grou

      2 min read

    • Article

      What Have You Learned From Business Mistakes?

      Oct 4, 2021

      Asif Ahmed Managing Director of Acclivity and author of The Finance Playbook for Entrepreneurs www.acclivity.co “When I first started out in business, I hadn’t fully appreciated the importance of having contracts in place to support every legal relat

      7 min read

    • Article

      How to Become a More Strategic Leader

      Sep 1, 2019

      MY CAREER AT FACEBOOK started in 2006 as its first intern. Three years later, I became a rookie manager at the age of 25. Today, I manage an organization of hundreds of people. This journey has brought countless new challenges, mistakes and lessons.

      5 min read

    • Article

      I Changed Careers, and So Can You

      Mar 11, 2022

      About half of America is unhappy in their jobs. A raise or talking with your boss can improve things — but, for many, the only answer is a new career. Changing careers is stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. My own career change — from psycholog

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Career In Coffee

      Dec 15, 2017

      My career in coffee started in a chain café when I was about 15 years old. Looking back now on the quality of the coffee I was making back then, I am pretty surprised that I actually took a liking to drinking it. At this point in time, I certainly di

      3 min read

    • Article

      Too Much, Too Quick

      Jul 11, 2019

      Too Much, Too Quick
      7 min read

    • Article

      It’s A Numbers Game

      Jun 23, 2022

      It’s A Numbers Game
      3 min read

    • Article

      MARKETING MINDS: The indelible Mark Ritson

      Jun 25, 2020

      WHEN DID YOU HAVE THAT ‘AHA’ MOMENT FOR YOUR VOCATION AS A TEACHER OF MARKETING? I never did. My interest was always in marketing, and I ended up becoming a professor because of this interest. This is important because I think a lot of marketing prof

      4 min read

    • Article

      How To Be Job Savvy

      Oct 11, 2017

      Do you ever stare at online ads thinking about the fact that you haven’t updated your résumé for three years? The idea of having to sell yourself with just words on a page can be quite daunting. Rest assured, being on the other side of the fence can

      4 min read

    • Article

      Roadmap to Greatness

      Aug 17, 2021

      Roadmap to Greatness
      2 min read

    • Article

      Lessons From A First-time CEO

      Jul 21, 2021

      Lessons From A First-time CEO
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months

    3.5/5

    6 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      How to Earn a CBAP or CCBA in 3 Months - Laura Brandenburg

      Introduction

      People of all professions choose to pursue certifications and other credentials for a variety of reasons. In many professions, certifications represent a de facto qualification, or minimum level of education required, for a job role or career. In others they are used to set apart the good from the great. In some, they represent a specific level of stature within a profession, separating the new entrants from the more senior professionals.

      In our profession, business analysis, we have both certificates and certifications. Most certificates are available to anyone, regardless of their professional level of expertise. Two certifications are offered by International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®). They represent the flagship certifications for the profession because they require you to demonstrate not only business analysis knowledge, but also business analysis experience. The Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) certification is intended to represent the qualifications necessary for a senior business analysis professional, and the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis™ (CCBA®) for an intermediate level business analyst.

      Neither certifications nor certificates are required to get started or move forward in a business analysis career. The choice to pursue either the CBAP® or the CCBA® is one that business analysis professionals elect to do voluntarily and is often a decision that represents a steadfast commitment to the profession. Others choose to pursue certifications to make themselves more marketable in a job search or consulting role. Still others begin pursuing certifications as an entry way into the profession and learn along the way that the experience requirements make certification part of their long-term, rather than short-term, professional development strategy.

      Why you choose to pursue a certification (or not) will be a personal decision, hopefully one grounded in your personal values, long-term career goals, and an awareness of your local job marketplace. As you’ll learn from reading my story, finding your why might be the most important step you take along your journey.

      This book shares my CBAP® journey. As I started, continued, and finished my journey I recorded each step publicly via weekly articles on my website, Bridging the Gap. Many, many readers commented on each step, offering encouragement, challenging my assumptions, and providing useful advice. I shared my thoughts, concerns, doubts, and motivations each week while not knowing if the steps I was taking would bring me to a successful outcome.

      What you have here is this original series of articles compiled together for easy reading, along with two new chapters – one looking at my professional life before the story started and one looking at my professional life about 2 ½ years after the story wraps up. I’ve also added a Quick Guide to the CBAP® at the end to draw together the practices that led to my successful completion of the CBAP®.

      Use this book as it makes sense for you – as an inspirational piece to refer back to on your own journey (for when the going gets tough!) or for insights on what it really takes to navigate this journey successfully and to prepare ahead of time (I was surprised many times). But do remember: your journey will be your own. I share my story not because it’s the only way, but because it represents one path to success. I hope by following me along my journey you are inspired to make the most of your own.

      WAIT! Something Special Just For You!

      So you want to move your business analysis career forward and possibly get your CBAP® or CCBA®.

      Do you know how this certification fits into your business analysis career plan?

      At Bridging the Gap, we offer a free business analysis career planning course, along with insider tips to keep you motivated.

      You’ll receive:

      A printable copy of our How to Start a BA Career Roadmap.

      A free step-by-step career planning course (in mp3 audio along with a PDF transcript).

      A planning guide to walk you through the planning process.

      Tap here to get the free course

      The Pre-Story: Three Years of Passive Resistance

      Before we jump into my CBAP® journey, let’s step back and look at Laura Brandenburg the business analyst professional back in the fall of 2008.

      After 8 years and 3 different business/systems analyst roles in 3 different companies (and 3 different states), and a director-level position managing BAs, PMs, and QAs, I find myself starting a consulting practice and a website about business analysis. In those 8 years, I’ve learned a few things:

      There is a profession called business analysis. It’s what I’ve been doing since my first role as a systems analyst. While inside my organization we thought we were creating a new role that didn’t exist anywhere else, it turns out there were a many, many others fulfilling similar roles in organizations everywhere.

      There’s more than one way to do business analysis. My reliance on use cases and user interface mock-ups as

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1