Is it very similar to the PMP exam or is there any overlap between generic PMP questions and the PMI-PBA questions? What practice tests would you recommend for the PMI-PBA exam? I looked at the training partners section of the website but PMI-PBA isn't even listed as a speciality on it, and I talked to an agent about it but didn't get much information about the exam other than what's already on the website (4 hours, 200 questions). There are currently no sample questions available on the PM website for the PMI-PBA exam. I was also wondering if there is any overlap between PMI and IIBA and if I ought to be using the BABOK to study as well or if I ought to avoid it altogether. Saving Changes...
Annalisa Lochan: I took the PMI-PBA exam back in 2019. As far as I can recall, the level of difficulty was similar to the PMP but the questions were of course more focused on business analysis with some questions similar to those of the PMP. At the time, I did share my PBA journey in my blog, so you might be able to find some answers to your questions there. Here is the link:
The course I took on Udemy might have been discontinued but I am sure you can find many other good courses there if you need to take a course to satisfy the educational requirements. For simulation exams, I did use iZenbridge but that was more than 4 years ago.
Hope this helps. Go through the info and the blog, and let me know if you have further questions. Will be happy to help!
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1 reply by Annalisa Lochan
Jan 24, 2024 11:28 AM
Annalisa Lochan
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Thanks Rami, I read your blog and it was very helpful. I took a course through the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies to satisfy my contact hour requirements - which was heavily based on IIBA practices versus PMI practices and used the BABOK instead of PMBOK; I have never taken the PMP exam (only the CAPM); do you recommend doing the PMP exam before the PMI-PBA exam?
Your preparation tips are really helpful and gave me a good spot to start. I'm still hesitant about the lack of available sample questions on the PMI website, but i'm hoping iZenbridge will satisfy that.
Annalisa Lochan: I took the PMI-PBA exam back in 2019. As far as I can recall, the level of difficulty was similar to the PMP but the questions were of course more focused on business analysis with some questions similar to those of the PMP. At the time, I did share my PBA journey in my blog, so you might be able to find some answers to your questions there. Here is the link:
The course I took on Udemy might have been discontinued but I am sure you can find many other good courses there if you need to take a course to satisfy the educational requirements. For simulation exams, I did use iZenbridge but that was more than 4 years ago.
Hope this helps. Go through the info and the blog, and let me know if you have further questions. Will be happy to help!
Thanks Rami, I read your blog and it was very helpful. I took a course through the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies to satisfy my contact hour requirements - which was heavily based on IIBA practices versus PMI practices and used the BABOK instead of PMBOK; I have never taken the PMP exam (only the CAPM); do you recommend doing the PMP exam before the PMI-PBA exam?
Your preparation tips are really helpful and gave me a good spot to start. I'm still hesitant about the lack of available sample questions on the PMI website, but i'm hoping iZenbridge will satisfy that.
Thank you again!
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Jan 24, 2024 1:55 PM
Rami Kaibni
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Annalisa, given that you currently have the CAPM, and your work is focused on business analysis, then I recommend as a next step to take a Business Analysis certification either PMI-PBA or CBAP and then after doing so, you can think of the PMP which I encourage you to pursue at some point.
Be mindful that the PMI-PBA and CBAP exams and material are different in many ways so you can't rely on BABOK for your PMI-PBA exam. The PMI-PBA is more project focused while the CBAP is more enterprise focused so if you're working in an enterprise setting, CBAP might be a better option for you but if your work is more project focused, then PMI-PBA would be a better choice.
Regarding RMC, they are a decent organization and their resources are reliable. I did use their resources for the PMP exam back in 2016 and they were great. I also heard from many candidates that their resources for the PMI-PBA exam were also good but I didn't personally use them. As far as iZenbridge, I do recall their simulation practice exams were good at the time and did help me have a better understanding of the concepts.
If you opt to do the CBAP, you can find my CBAP Journey tips in my blog as well. Below is the link:
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 24, 2024 11:28 AM
Replying to Annalisa Lochan
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Thanks Rami, I read your blog and it was very helpful. I took a course through the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies to satisfy my contact hour requirements - which was heavily based on IIBA practices versus PMI practices and used the BABOK instead of PMBOK; I have never taken the PMP exam (only the CAPM); do you recommend doing the PMP exam before the PMI-PBA exam?
Your preparation tips are really helpful and gave me a good spot to start. I'm still hesitant about the lack of available sample questions on the PMI website, but i'm hoping iZenbridge will satisfy that.
Thank you again!
Annalisa, given that you currently have the CAPM, and your work is focused on business analysis, then I recommend as a next step to take a Business Analysis certification either PMI-PBA or CBAP and then after doing so, you can think of the PMP which I encourage you to pursue at some point.
Be mindful that the PMI-PBA and CBAP exams and material are different in many ways so you can't rely on BABOK for your PMI-PBA exam. The PMI-PBA is more project focused while the CBAP is more enterprise focused so if you're working in an enterprise setting, CBAP might be a better option for you but if your work is more project focused, then PMI-PBA would be a better choice.
Regarding RMC, they are a decent organization and their resources are reliable. I did use their resources for the PMP exam back in 2016 and they were great. I also heard from many candidates that their resources for the PMI-PBA exam were also good but I didn't personally use them. As far as iZenbridge, I do recall their simulation practice exams were good at the time and did help me have a better understanding of the concepts.
If you opt to do the CBAP, you can find my CBAP Journey tips in my blog as well. Below is the link:
Hi there! I'm late to the conversation. I took the PBA exam in 2018 to gain the hybrid expertise from the BA side. I'm not a PM but have done small projects so I was familiar with questions regarding project management but lacked the official knowledge for Business Analysis. I took courses for PMI PBA at Watermark and I studied the BABOK book. In my opinion the, utilizing the BABOK book helped me more to pass the PBA exam.
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1 reply by Annalisa Lochan
Mar 18, 2024 12:28 PM
Annalisa Lochan
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Thanks so much! How much I'd rely on BABOK vs PMBOK was one of my main concerns.
Hi there! I'm late to the conversation. I took the PBA exam in 2018 to gain the hybrid expertise from the BA side. I'm not a PM but have done small projects so I was familiar with questions regarding project management but lacked the official knowledge for Business Analysis. I took courses for PMI PBA at Watermark and I studied the BABOK book. In my opinion the, utilizing the BABOK book helped me more to pass the PBA exam.
Thanks so much! How much I'd rely on BABOK vs PMBOK was one of my main concerns. Saving Changes...
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