9 resources to consider for your PMI-PBA certification

The PMI Professional in Business Analysis Certification (PMI-PBA) certification is a credential for Professional Business Analysts. It is one of the certifications administered by the Project Management Institute. This credential certifies that the Business Analyst possesses the education, experience, knowledge, and skills required to successfully collect and manage product/project requirements using established principles, practices, tools, and techniques as needed.

The PMI-PBA certification is grouped into five domain and they are:

1. Agile Principles and Mindset
2. Value-Driven Delivery
3. Stakeholder Engagement
4. Team Performance
5. Adaptive Planning

It is vital you pay attention to each of the domains to acquire the in-depth understanding of the materials required to pass the examination.

This is a 240-minute closed-book examination with 200 multiple-choice questions.

I recommend the following resources if you are preparing to sit for this certification.

1. The PMI Guide to Business Analysis (Includes The Standard for Business Analysis).

This publication is the foundational guide to business analysis. It details the roles of a Business Analyst, the domains, processes, inputs, tools & techniques, and outputs. It includes helpful tips for requirements management, stakeholder management, and the overall contribution of the business analyst towards his/her project’s success.

This book is to PMI-PBA what the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) guide is to the PMP. Reading this book at least once while preparing for the certification will be a worthwhile investment.

2. Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide.

This is the official guide for Business Analysis professionals from the PMI. It is a complimentary publication to the PMI’s foundational standards and it features directions on practical approaches to business analysis practices on projects and programs. This guide was developed by leading experts in the field based on their years of practical, real-life experiences. It recognizes the importance of tailoring business analysis practices and techniques to the needs of the product/project. It also considers the importance of agility in projects and programs when necessary.

By reading this book at least once while preparing for the PMP-PBA certification, you will have an understanding of what the standard and expectations are from the PMI’s perspective.

3. PMI Professional in Business Analysis Certification from PM Training.

This is a Bootcamp-style On-Demand course that satisfies the 35-Contact hour requirement by a PMI Authorized Training Provider (ATP). Each module has practice questions to be used to cement your understanding of the course content. There is also a 400-page supplemental study material available if you purchase this course. You will also be able to track your progress with the course content, assignments, and test performance. 

The course is currently going for a discounted price of $348 USD from the $598 USD original price.

4. RMC Learning solutions PMI-PBA Certification Prep Bundles.

This course is available in 3 formats:

Self-Study

This is available as PMI-PBA Exam Prep

With this, you can purchase the PMI-PBA Exam prep book (Premier Edition) by Barbara A. Carkenord. There are practice tests at the end of each chapter to reinforce your understanding of materials. The books currently cost $47.00 USD down from the original price of $79 USD.

BA Fastrack

This is an online exam simulator for the PMI-PBA exam that gives you access to their 700+ question bank for $199 USD on a 1-year subscription or alternatively on a 6-month subscription.

PMI-PBA Exam prep system

This includes the Paperback book, Flashcard Notebook, and Online Software Subscription. This is for a total cost of $209.30 USD, down from $299 USD

• E-learning

This is a self-directed e-learning course that satisfies the 35-Contact Hour requirement to sit for the test. This package currently costs $699 USD. You are not under any pressure to complete the course in 4 or 5 days like the Boot Camp style format so you will be able to go over the materials on your schedule and as often as you want for a better understanding of the materials.

• Live Classes

This is a 4-5 day course to gain the knowledge requirement of the 35 Contact Hours. The price varies depending on your product choice. The advantage of this course is that it is interactive, with the opportunity to ask question about grey areas, network with people, and complete the course in record time

5. PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) Boot Camp by Global Knowledge.

This is available in 2 formats:

• 4-day Classroom Live – $2395 USD
• 5-day Virtual Classroom Live -$2395 USD

This course is aligned to the 35 Business Analysis processes, the 6 Process Groups, the 5 Domains, and the knowledge and skills with the interrelationships between them. It also satisfies the 35-Contact Hour requirement. There are practice tests available to test and reinforce your knowledge and understanding of the materials as you go.

6. PMI-PBA Certification Training by Watermark Learning.

This course is delivered by PMI-PBA credentialed seasoned Business Analysts. It satisfies the 35-contact hours to meet the educational requirements. They also provide access to 800 sample questions for a limited time if you purchase the course.

The course is available in 4 formats:

• Video on Demand (VOD)

This is a self-paced course. You can go over the materials as many times as you like. It comes with practice questions. You can also ask questions by sending emails to the course instructors. It is available for $995 USD.

• Virtual Classroom PMI-PBA Courses

This is a 4-day virtual Boot Camp led by instructors. It starts at 8 am and ends at 5 pm Central time each day. It comes with printed training materials, Study Tables, Laminated Business Analysis Task and Process Map, 90-day access to the question bank and 6 months access to the training portal. This is presently going for a discounted price of $1,895 USD.

• In-House

This is reserved for organizations or groups of individuals thinking of having the training delivered at a facility of choice. You should contact Watermark Learning directly to arrange for this package if you need it for your team or organization

• Self Study textbook

This is a very comprehensive textbook that contains rich materials needed to successfully pass the certification. It also includes tricks of the trade. There are practice questions at the end of each chapter and 100 simulated questions at the end of the book which covers the whole of the material based on approximate distribution by domain from PMI. The textbook comes with a Laminated Business Analysis Task and Process Map, and 5-day free access to the Watermark Learning’s PMI-PBA Online Study Exam.

 7. Flashcards

Another material I will recommend is creating Flashcards as you go through the study materials. I am a fan of creating this by myself. Doing this is part of your study because your understanding of the materials increases with the level of exposure and interaction you have with the materials. I personally see it as an important part of my study as it helps me to master lots of terms. 

You can buy ready-made flashcards from course providers or Amazon if you think creating your own flashcards will not be the most effective use of your time.

8. Domain Knowledge

It is important to understand the 5 domains and their associated Tasks. Also important is the understanding of the Knowledge and Skills used in the trade. Another thing is understanding the flow of the inputs, tools & techniques, and outputs (ITTOs). Understand this flow by going through the study materials, gaining mastery of what they are, and how they interrelate to one another.

9. Brain Dumps

Your testing experience will be easier by writing down important pieces of stuff you do not want to forget before your test. You should be able to do this between 10-15 minutes with practice on the sheets of paper you are provided (for center-based testing) and the whiteboard (for remote testing). 

The notes may come in handy during the course of your test.