Free CBAP sample questions

Correct answer: Data flow diagram

BABOK v3 technique 10.13 Data Flow Diagrams shows where data comes from, which activities (processes) transform it, the data stores where it is held, and the external entities that receive the output. That matches modelling how information is input, processed, stored, and output. A network topology map shows the physical layout of servers, workstations, and devices, not the flow and transformation of data. A data dictionary and glossary define data elements and terms. A prototype is a partial model of the solution, used to elicit or verify requirements (BABOK glossary).

Correct answer: Risk management

Risk management is the overall process. The PMI Lexicon defines it as the activities used to identify, analyze, respond to, and monitor risks. BABOK v3 covers it in technique 10.38 Risk Analysis and Management. It includes deciding how much risk the organization will accept, its risk tolerance (task 6.3 Assess Risks considers stakeholder and organizational risk tolerances). Risk identification and risk analysis are single steps inside risk management. Risk communication shares risk information, but it does not set tolerance or prioritize risks.

Correct answer: Define measurable evaluation criteria, such as a target average handling time, for judging the change

Validation checks that requirements will deliver the expected value. A measurable target, such as an average handling time, lets stakeholders judge that value after go-live. Checking notation and templates is verification.

Correct answer: SMART

In BABOK v3, a business goal is usually stated qualitatively. A business objective is an objective, measurable result that shows the goal has been achieved (BABOK glossary). When business goals and objectives are defined (task 6.2 Define Future State), the objectives are checked against the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bounded. Functional decomposition breaks a problem into parts. POLDAT is a framework covering process, organization, location, data, application, and technology. Root cause analysis looks for the underlying causes of a problem. None of these tests whether an objective is well formed.

Correct answer: Waterfall model

In the waterfall model, each phase (for example requirements, design, build, and test) is completed and signed off before the next phase starts. It is the classic predictive approach. The Business Analysis Standard (4.2) says that predictive approaches plan the work up front, and it recommends them for work that can be completed sequentially. The spiral model and evolutionary models are iterative: they repeat cycles and refine the solution, so phases overlap or recur. 'Procedural model' is not a recognised life cycle model.

Correct answer: Identify the policies as a potential constraint and review with management

The BABOK v3 glossary defines a business policy as a non-practicable directive that controls and influences the actions of an enterprise. It defines a constraint as an influencing factor that cannot be changed and that limits the possible solutions. A requirement that conflicts with an existing policy is therefore limited by a potential constraint. The business analyst records it and reviews it with management, who have the authority to decide whether the policy stands or the requirement changes. Changing the requirement or the models alone, requesting a policy change, or writing a new requirement to change the policy are all decisions that the BA should not make without the decision makers.

Correct answer: Balanced scorecard

The balanced scorecard (BABOK v3 technique 10.3) is a strategic planning and management tool. It sets targets and measures across several perspectives: financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth. The IIBA task card for Define Future State lists it as a frequently used technique. There it defines the measures used to judge whether the change achieves its objectives. That fits a change that aims at both product quality and operational cost. A business case justifies a course of action. Financial analysis looks only at financial costs and returns. Decision modelling describes how business decisions are made. None of these defines a balanced set of performance metrics.

Correct answer: To convey information clearly and in an understandable fashion

In BABOK v3 task 4.4 Communicate Business Analysis Information, a requirements package (a kind of business analysis package; BABOK glossary) is put together so that stakeholders share an understanding of the information. The primary goal of developing a package is to convey the information clearly, in a format that the audience can understand and use. The format and level of detail are chosen to suit that audience. Reporting cost, schedule, and risk, building the work breakdown structure, and grouping work for the project team are project management activities. They are not the purpose of a requirements package.

Correct answer: 90%

Closure has 30 transactions and 6 rejects. The checklists remove its 3 documentation rejects. That leaves 3 rejects, so 27 of 30 succeed, which is a 90% success rate.

Correct answer: Understandable

BABOK v3 task 7.2 Verify Requirements lists the characteristics of requirements and designs quality: atomic, complete, consistent, concise, feasible, unambiguous, testable, prioritized, and understandable. 'Understandable' means that the requirement is represented using terminology common to its audience. 'Unambiguous' is a different characteristic: the requirement is stated so clearly that it is plain whether a solution does or does not meet the need. Urgency is a requirements attribute used to manage requirements, not a quality characteristic. A user requirements document (URD) is a type of document.