How to Pass CBAP

I attempted the CBAP exam on April 12, 2011 and passed. There are probably many different ways to pass the exam, I want to record what I did for those looking for advise on passing the exam.






  1. Took classroom CBAP bootcamp training. This is not absolutely necessary, you can do without it. I took it because I needed the CDU to meet the professional development requirements. Refer to the IIBA website for application instructions http://www.theiiba.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CBAP_Designation&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7490



  2. Used the CBAP study guide as supplemental text book to the BABOK. I got this one by Watermarklearning http://www.watermarklearning.com/CBAP-Guide/ Since I haven't seen others I don't know how this compares to them. I find this studyguide helpful because it highlights the important concepts that you should know for the exam. The test at the end of each chapter and the simulation exam at the end of the book are all helpful for testing your knowledge



  3. Bought the study exam from Watermarklearning. This is cleary one of the best simulation exam available on the market to date https://watermark.securedscribe.com/Exam/index.php?exam=CBAP In general, the way questions are asked is similar to the real exam. I have tried the BAmentor exam domain too, but have mixed feelings on whether to recommend it. They tend to take one sentence randomly out of the BABOK and make it into a question. The problem is the sentence makes no sense without the context. It does help you to study overall, but be aware that some of the questions are very confusing.



  4. Know all the tasks. Know the inputs for each knowledge area. The output for each task is a no-brainer: you can figure out the output from the task. By knowing all the inputs for the knowledge area and the outputs of each task in the knowledge, you can figure out the inputs for each task within the knowledge area, because the input should be a subset of the inputs for the entire knowledge area plus some of the outputs produced by the tasks within the knowledge area.



  5. You don't need to know the techniques used for each task, but you should know the techniques used in some crucial tasks whose outputs are used by multiple other tasks, e.g. business need, business case, business analysis approach, etc.



  6. Come up with a table listing inputs, task name, elements, outputs, techniques for each task. The purpose of doing this is to have a easy way of accessing all information related to a task. By using this table repeatedly when doing pratice exams, you will get to know the material better.


  7. Read BABOK three times; start make your own highlights the second time through it; you can just read the highlights the third time. You will gain a different level of understanding each time going through it.


  8. When paying for the exam fee, be aware of the currency exchange rate. I had to write another cheque to make up for the difference which caused delay in registering for the exam.


  9. Bring ear plugs to the exam. The exam site I used was very noisy and I had to cover my ears throughout the exam.


  10. Don't dwell on one question for more than 10 minutes if you are not sure about the answer.

  11. Look up Brian Hunt's blog on passing the CBAP exam on the internet. He has posted a lot of very useful study material.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 5, 2012 at 5:04 AM

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