CBAP Recertification in 2025

CBAP Recertification

CBAP Recertification requires 3 following aspects

1. Active IIBA membership

2. Active CBAP Certification Status

3. 60 Continuing Development Units (CDUs)

4. Payment of recertification fees

Let's find out how we can obtain 60 CDUs for CBAP recertification.

Continuing Development Units (CDUs) The CDU is the unit of measurement for approved learning and professional service activities. With a few exceptions, each hour spent in a scheduled, structured learning experience or professional activity typically results in one CDU. CDUs can be reported in quarter (1/4) hour increments.

CDU Qualifying Activity Categories

Category 1: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (Max. 30 CDUs)

Professional Development activities include the following:

• Classroom Course (courses, seminars, workshops)
• Chapter Event (meetings, events)
• Chapter Study Group
• Conference Workshop (keynotes, tracks, workshops)
• Online Course (courses, live webinars)

1. Classroom Course (courses, seminars, workshops)

One hour of classroom/contact time is equal to one CDU. Fractions of CDUs may be reported in quarter (¼) hour increments. Review the CCBA® and CBAP^® Recertification Process document for step-by-step instructions on entering these hours into your BA Development Log.

Courses can be obtained from an IIBA^® EEP or other education provider: IIBA^® Endorsed Education Providers (EEP)

To recognize courses that align with the BABOK^® Guide and satisfy the CDU requirements for maintaining certification, IIBA endorses education providers and their courses that meet the criteria. These are Endorsed Education Providers (EEPs). Not all courses offered by an EEP are endorsed by IIBA, and only endorsed courses automatically qualify in this category. These courses have already been assessed to ensure they meet the professional development criteria. A listing can be found in the Education and Training Providers section of the IIBA website.

Professional development activities taken through an EEP automatically qualify in this category.

Other Education Providers

CDUs may also be earned by attending classroom educational programs offered by other education providers. These are education providers and, specifically, courses that IIBA^® has not endorsed. They may qualify for CDUs if they meet the following criteria:

• The subject matter must be directly related to business analysis as per the BABOK^®
• It must be moderated/facilitated like a formal course (i.e., there must be a session moderator or a facilitator who leads the group/individual through the material).
• There must be a measurable learning objective(s) in terms of either changing behavior or improving skills, and they must be directly applicable to business analysis.
• It cannot simply be a presentation regarding a specific topic:
• There must be an opportunity for participants to interact with the material (e.g., be able to ask questions and make the learning meaningful) AND

1. 1. 1. 1. There must be an opportunity to practice the task or objective being presented.
         2. Since IIBA does not endorse the course as part of the EEP program, the CDU value submitted by the recipient will be validated by IIBA at the time of recertification. 

2. IIBA® Chapter Event (meetings, events)

3. IIBA® Chapter Study Group

IIBA® Chapters are authorized to issue CDUs for their chapter meetings, events, and study groups. Chapters must record recipients' attendance at these for at least the previous three years (in the event of an IIBA audit, participants will then be able to prove their attendance).

Chapters may issue proof of attendance to the attendees for their records, although IIBA does not mandate this.

Chapter meetings are presumed to contain 100% content aligned with the BABOK^® Guide and will earn CDUs at one CDU per contact hour. Chapters do not need pre-approval for educational events, for example, BA Professional Days. The content must be aligned with the BABOK^® Guide and may be audited by IIBA^®.

It is the recipient’s responsibility to request a receipt from the Chapter, which will indicate the number of CDUs allocated to the event and prove their attendance at the event.

4. Conference Workshop (keynotes, tracks, workshops)

IIBA® Building Business Capability (BBC) Conference, critical notes, tracks, and workshops are aligned with the BABOK^® Guide and will earn one CDU per contact hour.

NOTE: CDUs may also be earned by attending other organizations (e.g., Toastmasters) conferences, symposiums, events, and programs if the content is aligned with the BABOK^® Guide.

In this instance, the CDU value submitted by the recipient will be validated by the Certification program at the time of recertification. The documentation for these requires full details, including event, provider, date, hours of attendance, and full description and proof of attendance. Contact certification@iiba.org for more information.

5. Online Course (courses, live webinars)

Online Course criteria are the same as Classroom Courses and can be obtained from an IIBA^® EEP or other education provider. Please refer to A—classroom Course in this section for details.

Live webinars are also included under this activity and are recorded in this Professional Development category.

Category 2: WORK HISTORY (Professional Experience) (Max. 25 CDUs)

The business analysis work MUST be aligned to the BABOK^® Guide to qualify. IIBA^® will validate the CDU value and that the business analysis experience is aligned with the BABOK^® Guide when reviewing the recipient’s application during recertification.

1000 hours of business analysis work experience/history qualifies for 5 CDUs. 

Category 3: PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (Max. 30 CDUs)

These CDUs may be earned by participating in any of the professional activities as described under sub-categories A to F:

For article writing in categories A and B, the following guidelines apply:

• There will not be a strict minimum or maximum length defined for any article. The article must be substantially (80% or greater) aligned with the BABOK® Guide.
• The article may be published in a paper-based or electronic format. Still, the publisher must be different from the author and one that edits/reviews the article content before publication. This provision does not apply to sub-category A since these are refereed journals by definition. Generally, the requirement for a review/editor provision is specifically intended to avoid granting any CDU credit for a self-published blog, etc.

Category 4: VOLUNTEER SERVICE (Max. 30 CDUs)

CDUs in this category may be earned by giving back to the business analysis profession through volunteer service to a professional or community organization. This can include volunteer service to IIBA^® or an IIBA^® Chapter, working in person or remotely in a committee or working group.

This category also includes contributing expertise through a formal IIBA-led initiative or survey that awards CDUs for participation. E.g., “A Practice Analysis Study Survey”. In these cases, the number of CDUs that can be earned will be specific to the initiative.

Volunteer service to IIBA.

The recipient must attend at least 50% of the scheduled meetings during the submitted time to earn and claim the CDU value credit. The requirement may be waived by IIBA if deemed appropriate due to unusual circumstances.

*Anniversary year is defined as the year following the date the designation was awarded. Each subsequent anniversary year will follow accordingly. For example, the anniversary year for a recipient certified on July 31 would run from August 1 to July 31.

Volunteer service to a non-employer community or charitable group.

Category 5: SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING (Max.15 CDUs)

CDUs may be earned by participating in specified self-directed learning activities. As a general guide, one CDU is earned for each full hour of the activity. Self-directed learning activities involve personally designed research and/or study activities. Such activities may include informal discussions or coaching sessions with co-workers, clients, or consultants. It may consist of studying books, how-to manuals, internet resources, instructional resources, and archived webinars.

Qualifying self-directed learning activities must be relevant to business analysis as per the BABOK^® Guide, meet a specified purpose, and use knowledgeable resources.

Category 6: FORMAL ACADEMIC EDUCATION (Max. 30 CDUs)

CDUs may be earned by beginning and completing an academic course after earning the IIBA designation. The educational course must be started after the IIBA exam is passed. Academic courses must be offered for degree credit and be directly related to business analysis as per the BABOK^® Guide. The recipient must receive a passing grade in the course.

A single academic course credit is typically earned for every three hours of class/contact time. One academic course credit qualifies for 1 CDU; therefore, a typical 15-credit academic course qualifies for 15 CDUs (although the actual number of class/contact hours is equal to 45 hours).

You can purchase Success Guaranteed CBAP Recertification product here. 

Adaptive US is a world leader in CBAP Training. CBAP certification can provide a significant competitive advantage for professionals such as bankers to join the BA profession in countries such as Canada. Adaptive also provides BA and skills training through its BA Bootcamp.

CBAP certification is based on BABOK. A simplified version of BABOK is available here. You can also take a look at a few CBAP sample questions here.

CBAP certification comes from IIBA. Business analysis has been rated as one of the fastest-growing skills by the US Department of Labor.

For more information, please visit our Free CBAP Training page.