As a professional business analyst, project manager, or someone exploring the field, you’ve likely encountered various business analysis certification options in your research. One standout option is the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA®), offered by the globally respected Project Management Institute (PMI), which also oversees the PMP certification.
Like project managers, business analysts have become indispensable for projects and enterprise management, helming all requirements management processes and lifecycles within organizations. Earning the PMI-PBA certification not only validates your expertise but positions you as a key contributor in your organization. It enhances your skill set, helping you differentiate yourself in the job market and accelerate your career.
Since most PMI® certifications require relevant work experience for exam eligibility, the PMI-PBA certification mandates that you complete an application process detailing your business analysis work experience before you can sit for the exam.
In this article, I will guide you through the PMI-PBA application process and answer common questions related to the exam, ensuring your certification journey is as seamless as possible.
Additionally, if you need help clearing your PMI-PBA application, we offer a fully personalized PMI-PBA application review and rewrite service that ensures you pass the application process without any hiccups.
PMI-PBA vs PMP: Making the right choice for your career
The first thing to understand is that you can take any of the other PMI certifications without first getting the PMP. However, in some cases, you may benefit from earning the PMP before pursuing other certifications, such as the PMI-RMP or PgMP. This does not apply to the PMI-PBA, though, and you can still earn the PMI-PBA before obtaining your PMP.
If you are already working in the business analysis field and want to broaden and deepen your BA knowledge, achieving the PMI-PBA would be the perfect next step for you. The PMI-PBA certification covers all the processes and tools involved in managing requirements in a project situation, from determining stakeholder and organizational needs to fully developing and releasing a solution for the end user.
In essence,
PMP primarily focuses on project management, covering all stages from initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and control to closing projects. It's ideal for project managers or those who lead and manage projects from start to finish.
The PMI-PBA targets professionals who take accountability for business requirements management, with core responsibilities that involve defining, managing, and communicating business requirements. It's best for professionals interested in developing expertise in business analysis and who can bridge the gap between stakeholders and project teams.
PMI-PBA Eligibility Requirements
All PMI certifications require that you have work experience in that domain before you apply for the certification on their website.
For the PMI-PBA, you need to meet both educational and experience requirements.
1. If you have a Bachelor's Degree or Global Equivalent, then you need 36 months of business analysis experience and 35 contact hours of education in business analysis.
OR
2. If you have a secondary degree only (high school diploma, Associate's degree, or global equivalent), then you need 60 months of business analysis experience and 35 contact hours of education in business analysis.
Usually, the 35 contact hours required for the certification can be acquired through training companies offering PMI-PBA exam prep programmes or courses. Additionally, the business analysis experience shown on your application should be within the last 8 years. Any experience before this time period will not count towards meeting experience requirements.
One important point to note is that if you have a Bachelor's or postgraduate degree from a GAC-accredited program (bachelor's or master's degree or global equivalent), then the requirements drop to just 2 years of business analysis experience instead of 3. However, you must still acquire 35 contact hours to apply for the certification.
Step-by-Step Guide to Filling the PMI PBA Application
We've outlined all the steps you need to follow to complete the PMI-PBA application correctly and accurately. However, you will need to pay special attention to the step of documenting your business analysis experience.
#1 Account registration and getting to the application form
To be able to apply for the PMI-PBA certification, go to PMI.org and register an account. Account registration is free, simple, and straightforward. They'll ask for basic information such as Name, Email, Country, and Password to set up the account.
Once you register an account, log in and go to the PMI-PBA certification page. You will see an 'Apply now' button, which will take you to the PMI-PBA application portal.
Once you begin the application process, you will also be able to see it open on your account dashboard (as seen in the image below).
PMI-PBA Application Sections
The PMI PBA certification section has 3 parts: Education (requires Academic and Professional Education details), Experience and Exam Details.
#1 Filling Academic Education
In the academic education field, you should enter the highest level of education acquired (High School Diploma, Associate's degree, Bachelor's or Master's Degree, PhD).
You will also need to enter the country of education and the institution's name.
#2 Filling and completing Professional Education
Professional education information is related to the business analysis course or programme in which you enrolled. Once you complete the training, your training company will provide you with a 35 contact hours certificate, and you will need to enter those details in these fields. These include information such as course title, course provider name, course start and end date, and the qualifying hours (typically, this will be 35 hours).
The following are the types of courses you can take to fulfill the exam application requirements.
PMI-PBA Training provided by training companies.
Self-paced/e-learning courses.
PMI chapters or communities of practice
Employer/company-sponsored programs
PMI Approved Training Providers (ATPs)
Distance-learning companies, including an end-of-course assessment
University/college academic and continuing education programs
#3 Business Analysis Experience
This is the most important part of your application and will determine if you will pass the PMI-PBA application process. Therefore, you must take this part very seriously and ensure that you document your business analysis experience using the correct format and language.
These are the following fields which need to be filled in the experience section of the form:
Business Initiative or Project Title
The organization where the project was carried out
Job Title (e.g. Business Analyst)
Functional Reporting Area: the organizational department where the project was carried out.
The primary focus area of the organization.
The project approach used (Traditional, Agile, or Hybrid).
Project Team size
Project Budget
Project Start and End dates
Project Description: A high-level summary of your experience includes the project objective, outcome, role on the project, and responsibilities and deliverables. According to PMI, the standard response is between 200 and 500 words, although people have written more than 500 words of description. Be as concise as you can since someone will read your application.
Note: PMI removes the overlapping months when two projects are done simultaneously and counts only the non-overlapping months towards the experience timelines.
Tips to document your business analysis experience in the application
Understand what PMI considers a valid business initiative/ project.
Include projects where you've played the role of a Business Analyst or carried out Business Analysis activities.
Emphasize how the outcomes that the initiative achieved for the organization or users.
Minimize overlapping projects to allocate more time to each one.
Use the terminologies, keywords, processes and tools as outlined in the PMI Guide to Business Analysis.
Align your responsibilities with the work done in 5 Business Analysis domains:
Needs Assessment
Planning
Analysis
Traceability and Monitoring
Evaluation
You don't need to allocate hours to specific domains anymore. Rather, just provide a list of activities performed in each domain.
Ensure you bring out activities related to stakeholder management and how you helped them uncover business needs.
Explain how you led the discovery, analysis, and overall management of the requirements for a project.
Focus on business analysis tasks, not project management activities. It's easy to mix them up and make mistakes.
Keep the objectives of your project easy to read and understand.
Start from the current project and work backward until you've reached the total months required.
Note that business analysis experience is required in each domain area when all projects are totalled, but not necessarily in each project.
Avoid overly technical jargon; focus on your role in facilitating business outcomes.
Minimize technical jargon and emphasize your role in driving business outcomes.
Use an app like Grammarly to check spelling and grammar.
Your project descriptions must be within the recommended word ranges.
Thoroughly review the application before submission.
#4 Exam Details Section
In this section, you will need to enter and verify general information related to the exam, such as:
Your exam location, i.e. the country where you are planning to take the exam.
Name and address matching on your government-issued ID card (Passport, Driver's license, etc.)
Your name exactly as you want it to appear on your certificate.
Your email address
Your phone number
The country in which you will take your exam.
You'll also be asked if you'd like to request any exam accommodations, such as special arrangements or requests, to ensure a smoother exam process. However, PMI reviews all accommodation requests on a case-by-case basis, and applicants must submit documentation to justify their need for special arrangements.
What Happens After Submitting Your Application?
Once submitted, your PMI PBA application will undergo a PMI application review process. PMI's application assessment usually lasts 5 working days, and it can result in the following outcomes:
PMI will approve your PMI-PBA application
PMI will choose your application for an audit, and you will need to send them the necessary documentation.
PMI will reject your application, and you will need to reapply.
#1 PMI Approves your application
If PMI approves your application, then you can proceed with scheduling to take the certification exam. You will see the 'Pay for exam' option enabled on your dashboard.
You'll have one year (365 days) to take the PMI-PBA exam from the date your application is approved.
#2 PMI will choose your application for an audit
PMI conducts random audits on applications to verify the accuracy of the information and if the candidate meet the certification requirements. To successfully clear the audit, you'll need to provide the following documentation to PMI:
Names and Email Addresses of references who will corroborate your experience.
Business Analysis course completion certificate from your training provider.
Copy of your academic degree or diploma certificates.
You will have 90 days to submit the documentation to PMI, and your references will need to provide their digital signatures in the application's experience verification section.
There is no way to avoid a PMI audit, and usually, you will receive an audit selection email from PMI the same day you submit the application.
It's important to recognize that an audit does not mean that PMI will be rejecting your application. A lot of people undergo the audit and get approved, but there are also several individuals who fail the application process after completing the audit.
#3 PMI rejects the application
If PMI rejects your application, they will provide you with a reason why they are rejecting it and will give you an opportunity to reapply with a corrected application.
PMI-PBA certification vs. PMP: Understanding the Differences
#1 What is PMI?
The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a globally recognized organization that governs various certifications, including the PMI-PBA and Project Management Professional (PMP®). PMI has long been the leader in project management certifications, but it also acknowledges the increasing importance of business analysis in modern projects. That's where the PMI-PBA comes in—tailored specifically for those specializing in business analysis, while the PMP is focused more on general project management.
#2 Why Choose PMI-PBA Over PMP (or Vice Versa)?
If your career revolves around the business analysis aspect of projects, such as identifying needs, shaping solutions, and delivering value, then PMI-PBA is the certification for you. However, PMP may be more appropriate if your focus lies in managing the entire project lifecycle. Understanding these differences can help you decide which path best aligns with your career goals.
#3 Is PMI-PBA valuable?
PMI-PBA is a certification created by PMI that also governs the PMP certification. PMI's established global credibility, coupled with the difficulty of obtaining its certifications, has helped PMI-PBA earn one of the top spots in the area of business analysis education and certifications.
In the past year alone, from 2022 to 2023, the number of PMI-PBA certification holders has grown by 21.18%, increasing from 6,025 to 7,301.
This means there is rising popularity for the PMI-PBA certification because it is the only certification that covers the use of business analysis practices in a project environment.
#4 What is the PMI-PBA exam content?
The PMI-PBA certification exam is based on the PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline, which is akin to an exam syllabus. It tests candidates across five domains: Needs Assessment, Planning, Analysis, Traceability and Monitoring, and Evaluation, in the following proportions.
As a PMI-PBA certification aspirant, you must align your studies with the syllabus covered in the exam content outline.
According to PMI's Pulse of the Profession report, organizations with certified business analysts see a higher percentage of projects meeting their original goals and business intent.
#5 What is the PMI-PBA exam format?
You will need to answer 200 multiple-choice questions in the exam within 240 minutes (4 hours). Only 175 of these questions are scored, while the remaining 25 are pre-test questions. These 25 questions do not count towards your exam score and are used solely to test questions for future consideration. You will not know which of the 25 questions are pre-test, so answering all questions is advisable.
Most exam questions are scenario-based, and you will need to determine the best response as a business analyst, given the situation described in the scenario.
#6 What is the passing score for PMI-PBA?
Like all other PMI exams, PMI does not disclose the exact passing score for the PMI-PBA exam. Instead, PMI uses an overall and domain-specific rating scale with four levels: Above Target, Target, Below Target, and Needs Improvement.
You have passed the exam if you achieve the Above Target or Target range. While practicing mock exams, it's worthwhile to consistently achieve a passing score of 70-75% to feel confident about taking the exam.
#7 How difficult is PMI-PBA?
We analyzed the experiences of people who took the PBA exam from 2019 to 2024 and found that most reported it to be more challenging or even rated it higher in difficulty than the PMP. The majority of the test questions are situational, requiring you to analyze long scenarios and choose the best response as a business analyst.
Unlike straightforward memorization of processes, inputs, and outputs from the PMI Guide to Business Analysis, which is very hard for anyone, the exam demands a deeper understanding of business analysis principles and the logical application of tools and techniques to given situations. Following the exam tips of previous students can help you focus on key areas and improve your chances of success.
#8 How many PMI-PBA certified?
As of December 2023, there are 7,301 people who hold the PMI-PBA credential. At the end of 2022 and 2021, there were 6,025 and 5,386 certified professionals, respectively, showing growth rates of 21.18% from 2022 to 2023 and 11.86% from 2021 to 2022.
Data on certified professionals is not available for 2024.
#9 How to Prepare for the PMI PBA Examination?
To prepare for the PMI-PBA, we strongly recommend that you learn and understand the content found in these 2 books:
The PMI Guide to Business Analysis is similar to the structure of the PMBOK6 and follows a process-based approach to Business Analysis. It covers the Business Analysis Knowledge Areas and Process Groups, which you need to know well for the exam. Additionally, going through the Business Analysis for Practitioners Guide will provide a solid foundation for understanding the practical application of business analysis within project environments.
In addition, use exam simulators, which are available online on various platforms, and practice with at least 1,000 questions or more. Since the exam tests your understanding of Business Analysis beyond what any textbook covers, you need to ensure you fully understand all principles, processes, models, and related concepts.
Optionally, if you don't have Agile experience, you can read through the Agile Practice Guide if you lack Agile project management knowledge or experience.
If you are able to study these resources properly, you should be pretty well prepared to pass the exam on the first try. Studying more resources beyond this may be overkill.
#10 I don't have a Business Analyst title. Can I apply for the PMI-PBA certification?
PMI does not require you to have a Business Analyst title to take the PMI-PBA exam, as long as you perform business analysis tasks and responsibilities as part of your job. According to PMI, project or program managers who engage in business analysis tasks and individuals who work with project teams and manage requirements or product development are eligible to sit for the PMI-PBA exam.
#11 What is the PMI-PBA exam fee?
The PMI-PBA exam fee for PMI members is $405 USD, while for non-members, it is $555 USD in the US. In other countries, the exam prices are displayed in the local currency, and the prices may be adjusted to align with the purchasing parity of that country. For example, exam fees in India are ₹23288 for members and ₹45510 for a non-member.
#12 How long does it take to prepare for the PMI-PBA exam?
Once PMI approves the PMI-PBA application, the eligibility period to take the exam is 1 year. However, most test takers have reported that they took 2-3 months of preparation time to review all the materials and feel confident about their readiness. Allocate between 100 to 180 hours for exam preparation, and aim to study consistently without long breaks in your routine.
Some people may take longer due to professional or personal commitments. Therefore, create a realistic plan to achieve your certification and avoid unnecessary stress.
If you're feeling stuck with your PMI-PBA application, feel free to reach out to us through our PMI-PBA Application Review and Rewrite Service. We’ll gladly provide expert guidance and support to help you breeze through the application process and turn your project management dream into reality.
CareerSprints.com offers a PMP Application Review and Rewrite Service, widely considered the most reliable on the internet. This service has helped hundreds of applicants overcome the challenges of the PMP application process. We also assist with rejected PMP applications and provide expert advice for navigating PMP application audits.
Additionally, with our PMP Blended Programme, the application review and rewrite is included as a free service. Additionally, we provide 35 contact hours you need for the application, all necessary materials, videos and tests and fully personalized PMP coaching until you are completely ready for the exam. The PMP Blended programme is our flagship program that has helped hundreds of students pass the PMP certification exam on the first try.
If you have further questions about PMP application reviews or the PMP Blended Programme, you can also email us at info@careersprints.com.
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