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PMI-PBA Practice Exam — PMI-PBA: PMl Professional in Business Analysis

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Exam information

I. Basic Information

1. Mainland China

Exam Language: Bilingual Chinese and English (original English questions on top with Chinese translations below). No separate language proficiency certificate is required.

Exam Fees: First-time exam: RMB 3,900 (approx. 540 USD, exchange rate subject to the rate on the registration date); Retake exam: RMB 2,500

Exam Dates (2026): March 14, June 14, September 12, December 5 (4 annual paper-based tests)

Exam Duration: 240 minutes (4 hours), 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, no mandatory breaks

Official Websites: China International Talent Exchange Foundation: http://event.chinapmp.cn; PMI China: www.pmichina.org


2. International Candidates (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan)

Exam Language: English (Chinese version is available in selected regions)

Exam Fees: First-time exam: PMI Member 405 USD, Non-Member 555 USD; Retake exam: PMI Member 275 USD, Non-Member 375 USD

Exam Dates: Flexible booking; computer-based tests are available on non-public holidays. Candidates may choose on-site test centers or online remote proctoring.

Exam Duration: 240 minutes; self-selected time slots for computer-based tests

Official Websites: PMI Global: www.pmi.org; Pearson VUE: www.pearsonvue.com/pmi




II. Eligibility Requirements (All requirements must be met simultaneously)

1. Education Background

- Hold secondary education qualification (high school, associate degree or equivalent global academic credential) or above.

- No major restrictions. Candidates must be at least 18 years old with full capacity for civil conduct.


2. Business Analysis Experience Requirements

- Standard Path (High school, associate degree or equivalent qualification)

Business Analysis Experience: A minimum of 5 years (60 months / 7,500 hours) of relevant business analysis work experience accumulated within the past 8 years. The experience shall be applied to formal projects, programs or portfolios, including at least 2,000 hours working within project teams.


- Shortcut Path 1 (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent global academic credential and above)

Business Analysis Experience: A minimum of 3 years (36 months / 4,500 hours) of relevant business analysis work experience accumulated within the past 8 years, applied to formal projects, programs or portfolios.


- Shortcut Path 2 (Holders of GAC-accredited degrees)

Business Analysis Experience: Candidates who hold a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree from a PMI Global Accreditation Center (GAC) accredited program only need a minimum of 2 years (24 months) of business analysis experience.


3. Special Experience Exemption Rules

- Holders of valid PMI certifications (PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, etc.) for more than one year may deduct the required length of business analysis experience in accordance with relevant rules.

- A diploma from a PMI Global Accreditation Center (GAC) accredited program can deduct 1 to 2 years of the required business analysis experience.


4. Training Requirements

- Complete 35 hours of formal specialized business analysis training provided by PMI Authorized Training Partners (ATPs).

- The training covers the full business analysis lifecycle, including core modules: requirements assessment, stakeholder engagement, requirements elicitation, requirements analysis, traceability management, solution evaluation and other key contents.




III. Exam Format

1. Mainland China

- Exam Type: Paper-Based Test (PBT) is the only option. Candidates must take the exam at designated test centers.

- Registration Procedures:

 1. English Application: Complete account registration and eligibility review on the official PMI website (www.pmi.org). Standard review takes 3–5 working days; the period will be extended to 5–10 working days if selected for random audit.

 2. Chinese Application: Batch registration opens on the website of China International Talent Exchange Foundation, generally 1–2 months before each exam. Candidates need to compete for limited test center quotas.

 3. Payment Rule: Full payment must be completed within 48 hours after eligibility approval. The application will become invalid if payment is overdue.

- Batch arrangement: Registration opens gradually by city tiers. The first batch covers first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, followed by other regions.


2. International Candidates (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan)

- Exam Type: Computer-Based Test (CBT) booked via Pearson VUE. Candidates may choose on-site test centers or online remote proctoring.

- Score Release: Results are released within 24 hours after the exam, much faster than paper-based tests which take 4–8 weeks.

- Special Arrangements: Candidates may apply for special exam accommodations (e.g. extended exam time) in advance.


3. Exam Content & Question Types

- Total questions: 200 single-choice questions (including 25 unscored pretest questions randomly distributed across the exam)

- Scored questions: 175 items. All questions are scenario-based to assess practical business analysis capabilities.

- Six content domains & weightings:

 1. Requirements Assessment (18%)

 2. Stakeholder Engagement (20%)

 3. Requirements Elicitation (19%)

 4. Requirements Analysis (21%)

 5. Traceability and Monitoring (15%)

 6. Solution Evaluation (7%)

- Passing Standard: PMI sets the passing score via psychometric analysis and does not publish the exact passing percentage. A target accuracy rate of above 70% is recommended for exam preparation.




IV. Results & Certification Maintenance

1. Score Release & Inquiry

- Mainland China Paper-Based Test: Results are available on the PMI official website 4–8 weeks after the exam. Only PASS / FAIL is displayed with no specific scores.

- International Computer-Based Test: Results can be viewed in your PMI account within 24 hours after the exam.

- Domain Rating: Performance across six domains will be rated from Grade B to Grade A; there is no 3A top rating for this exam.


2. Certificate Issuance

- Electronic Certificate: Available for download in your PMI account approximately 6–8 weeks upon passing the exam.

- Physical Certificate: Application for postal delivery is available at the candidate’s own expense.


3. Certification Maintenance (PDU Requirements)

- Certification Validity: 3 years

- Total PDU Requirement: Earn 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) within each 3-year cycle:

 - Minimum 30 PDUs related to business analysis practices

 - Maximum 30 PDUs for other general project management topics

- Ways to earn PDUs: Attend training courses and seminars, read professional publications, publish articles, participate in practical business analysis projects and other qualified activities.

- Renewal Fees: PMI Member 60 USD, Non-Member 150 USD. Complete renewal before the certificate expiration date.




V. Important Notes

1. Admission Documents

- Mainland China Candidates: Present the original valid ID card and printed admission ticket.

- International Candidates: Present the original valid passport and Pearson VUE appointment confirmation letter.


2. Exam Room Rules

- Electronic devices, books and self-provided scratch paper are prohibited in the test room. Stationery will be provided on site.

- All exam papers and answer sheets must be collected by invigilators after the exam. Taking any documents out of the test room is strictly forbidden.

- No mandatory breaks during the paper-based exam. The timer will not stop if you leave the test room temporarily.


3. Registration & Exam Changes

- Eligibility Validity: Approved English application is valid for 1 year. You may take the exam up to 3 times within the valid period.

- Registration Quotas: Registration opens in batches with limited seats. Quotas are tight in popular cities, so please prepare for registration in advance.

- Rescheduling & Cancellation: All operations must be completed via your PMI account at least 48 hours before the exam. Changes made more than 30 days in advance are free of charge; service fees apply for changes within 30 days. No refund will be granted for requests submitted less than 48 hours before the exam.


4. Official Contact Information

- PMI Customer Service: +1-610-356-4600

- China International Talent Exchange Foundation: 400-810-2100

- ATA: Official test administrator for Mainland China, responsible for test center arrangement and on-site examination affairs.


Sample questions

PMI-PBA · Q1
Question #1 A business analyst is developing a traceability matrix to determine whether or not any gaps exist and to identify any discrepancies. " target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://img.examtopics.com/pmi-pba/image1.png"> Which critical field is needed to ensure that the traceability matrix is usable?
  • A.
    Hierarchy
  • B.
    Requirements description
  • C.
    Status
  • D.
    Owner

Answer: B

This question aligns with the Requirements Traceability and Monitoring domain of the PMI-PBA certification, which covers practices for tracking requirements throughout the solution lifecycle to identify gaps and discrepancies. A traceability matrix maps requirements to related artifacts including business objectives, design elements, test cases, and deployed features. For the traceability matrix to be usable for gap and discrepancy detection, each requirement entry must have a clear, verifiable definition that allows the business analyst to confirm that linked artifacts accurately address the requirement, and to spot unlinked requirements that represent unaddressed work. The requirements description is the only field listed that provides this core definitional context, without which the traceability matrix cannot be effectively used to compare requirements to related work products to identify gaps or mismatches. Option Analysis: A. Hierarchy: Incorrect. Hierarchy defines parent-child relationships between requirements to organize them by priority or scope, but it is not a critical field for core traceability matrix usability. A traceability matrix without hierarchy fields can still be used to match requirements to artifacts and identify gaps as long as each requirement has a clear description. B. Requirements description: Correct. Per PMI-PBA standards, the requirements description is a mandatory foundational attribute for all entries in a traceability matrix. It states the explicit, testable intent of each requirement, allowing the business analyst to cross-reference linked artifacts to verify alignment, identify unlinked requirements (gaps), and flag discrepancies where linked artifacts do not match the stated requirement. Without this field, there is no basis for validating trace links or identifying missing requirements. C. Status: Incorrect. Status tracks the lifecycle stage of a requirement such as draft, approved, implemented to support progress monitoring, but it is not required to identify gaps or discrepancies. A business analyst can still compare requirement descriptions to associated artifacts to find mismatches or missing links even if status fields are not included in the traceability matrix. D. Owner: Incorrect. The owner field identifies the stakeholder responsible for approving and clarifying a requirement, which supports issue resolution, but it is not a critical field for using the traceability matrix to detect gaps or discrepancies. Gap and discrepancy analysis relies on comparing requirement content to related artifacts, which does not require owner information to perform. Key Concepts: 1. Requirements Traceability Matrix: A core artifact defined in the PMI-PBA body of knowledge that links requirements to their origins, downstream solution components, and validation artifacts to ensure all requirements deliver business value and no unaddressed requirements exist. 2. Gap Identification via Traceability: A key activity in the Requirements Traceability and Monitoring domain that involves reviewing traceability matrix linkages to identify requirements with no corresponding implementation or test artifacts, as well as artifacts that are not linked to any valid requirement. 3. Requirement Attributes: Standardized fields associated with each requirement entry in the traceability matrix, with the requirement description being the foundational attribute that enables all traceability, validation, and gap analysis activities. References: PMI Guide to Business Analysis, PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline
PMI-PBA · Q2
Question #2 A business analyst has been asked to investigate a problem. This investigation will provide input towards developing a business case. The business analyst wants to first understand the company’s current business processes.Which technique should the business analyst use?
  • A.
    MoSCoW
  • B.
    RACI matrix
  • C.
    Observation
  • D.
    User stories

Answer: C

The scenario describes a business analyst performing initial investigation for a business case, with the immediate goal of understanding current business processes. This activity falls within the PMI-PBA Needs Assessment domain, which requires accurate documentation of the as-is state to identify gaps that the proposed solution will address. Observation is the appropriate technique here because it enables the business analyst to directly view how processes are executed in their live operational environment, capturing both formal documented workflows and informal undocumented steps, bottlenecks, and pain points that are often omitted from written process documentation. This accurate current state data is critical to developing a realistic, evidence-based business case that accurately quantifies the cost of current gaps and the value of proposed interventions. Option Analysis: A. MoSCoW is a prioritization framework used to classify requirements by priority level (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) for solution delivery. It does not support discovery or documentation of current business processes, so this option is incorrect. B. RACI matrix is a responsibility assignment tool used to clarify stakeholder roles (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) for specific activities, deliverables, or requirements. It does not map end-to-end current business processes, so this option is incorrect. C. Observation (also referred to as job shadowing) is an elicitation technique defined in the PMI-PBA body of knowledge for capturing as-is process data by directly observing process performers in their work environment. It directly addresses the business analyst's goal of understanding current business processes, so this option is correct. D. User stories are short, user-centric requirement artifacts used primarily in agile development approaches to define desired future state solution functionality from an end user perspective. They do not describe current state business processes, so this option is incorrect. Key Concepts: 1. Current State Assessment: This core PMI-PBA Needs Assessment domain activity involves gathering and analyzing data on existing business processes, systems, performance, and stakeholder pain points to establish a baseline for measuring future solution value, which is a mandatory precursor to developing a valid business case. 2. Elicitation Techniques for As-Is Discovery: The PMI-PBA Elicitation domain identifies observation as a high-reliability technique for capturing unwritten or informal process workflows that are not reflected in formal documentation, ensuring the business analyst has a complete view of actual process performance. 3. Business Case Foundational Data: A credible business case relies on accurate current state data to calculate gap costs, forecast solution benefits, and justify investment, making correct current state data collection techniques a critical success factor for this deliverable. References: PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)® Examination Content Outline, A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide) v3
PMI-PBA · Q3
Question #3 The customer and the business analyst are collaborating in the development of a solution scope. It is important for the customer to:
  • A.
    spend the time required to provide, clarify, and elaborate requirements.
  • B.
    communicate changes to requirements only when they are completely defined.
  • C.
    perform an alternatives analysis for requirements implementation.
  • D.
    challenge assessments of the cost and feasibility of requirements.

Answer: A

The question focuses on the customer's role during solution scope development, a core process in the PMI-PBA Analysis domain. Solution scope is defined based on validated, clear requirements that align with the customer's business needs. For the scope to be accurate, feasible, and deliver intended business value, the customer as the primary stakeholder with firsthand knowledge of their business needs must actively participate in requirements-related activities. The suggested answer A aligns directly with the PMI-PBA definition of customer stakeholder responsibilities during scope definition, as it ensures all relevant requirements are captured, ambiguities are resolved, and the final scope reflects the customer's actual needs, reducing risk of rework, scope creep, and solution misalignment. Option Analysis: A. Correct. Per PMI-PBA standards, customers are the primary source of business requirements for a solution. During solution scope development, their core responsibility is to allocate the time needed to provide initial requirements, clarify unclear points, and elaborate on high-level needs to ensure the solution scope fully addresses their business objectives. This active participation is a critical success factor for accurate scope definition. B. Incorrect. PMI-PBA promotes iterative, progressive elaboration of requirements. Customers are encouraged to communicate emerging changes or potential requirement adjustments as soon as they are identified, even if they are not fully defined, to allow the business analyst to assess impact, prioritize, and incorporate adjustments early before significant resources are invested. Waiting for complete definition leads to costly rework and scope delays. C. Incorrect. Alternatives analysis for requirements implementation is the responsibility of the business analyst, technical subject matter experts, and solution delivery teams. While customers may provide input on which proposed alternative best aligns with their business priorities, they are not expected to perform the technical or implementation-focused alternatives analysis themselves. D. Incorrect. While customers may request clarification of cost and feasibility assessments for requirements, actively challenging these assessments is not a core responsibility of the customer during scope development. Customers focus on validating that requirements meet their business needs, while feasibility and cost assessments are led by qualified subject matter experts. Unwarranted challenges to these assessments can delay scope development without adding business value. Key Concepts: 1. Stakeholder Responsibility Assignment: PMI-PBA defines distinct roles for stakeholders during requirements and scope management, with customers holding primary accountability for articulating and validating business needs and requirements to ensure solution alignment. 2. Solution Scope Definition: A core process in the PMI-PBA Analysis domain that involves translating elicited requirements into a clear, agreed-upon boundary for the solution, dependent on active customer participation to validate in-scope and out-of-scope elements. 3. Progressive Elaboration of Requirements: PMI-PBA recognizes that requirements are refined over time, so stakeholders should communicate needs and adjustments incrementally rather than waiting for full formal definition to support accurate, efficient scope development. References: PMI Guide to Business Analysis, PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline
PMI-PBA · Q4
Question #4 A business analyst is leading a project to implement automated order entry software at a local pizza restaurant. The business analyst has very little information about the project: the ordering process takes too long and often ends in incorrect orders.What step should the business analyst take next?
  • A.
    Identify testing resources to support the implementation.
  • B.
    Request information on the current ordering process and compare it with other companies.
  • C.
    Select the software to implement and start working with the technical resources.
  • D.
    Schedule a requirements gathering sessions with the manager of the ordering department.

Answer: D

The scenario presents a business analyst with only high-level, vague information about a project problem: slow ordering processes and frequent incorrect orders, with no additional detailed context. Per PMI-PBA methodology, the appropriate next step in this early project phase, which falls under the Needs Assessment domain, is to elicit detailed requirements and process context directly from the relevant, authoritative stakeholder who owns the affected process. The ordering department manager is the primary subject matter expert for the ordering workflow, so conducting requirements gathering sessions with this stakeholder will allow the BA to uncover root causes of the identified pain points, document current process flows, and capture explicit and implicit business needs before proceeding to any solution-focused activities. This avoids the common pitfall of premature solutioning, which is a core focus of PMI-PBA best practices to ensure solutions address actual business requirements rather than assumed needs. Option Analysis: A. Identify testing resources to support the implementation. This option is incorrect. Testing planning and resource identification occurs in the later Testing and Evaluation domain of the PMI-PBA lifecycle, after requirements are fully defined, a solution is designed, and development is underway. At this early stage with no defined requirements or solution, identifying testing resources is premature and provides no value to addressing the current lack of project information. B. Request information on the current ordering process and compare it with other companies. This option is incorrect. While benchmarking against peer organizations can be a useful requirements validation or improvement activity later in the process, it is not the immediate next step. The BA first needs to gather internal, context-specific information about the restaurant's unique ordering process, pain points, and business needs from internal stakeholders before conducting external comparisons, which may not be relevant to the restaurant's specific operational constraints. C. Select the software to implement and start working with the technical resources. This option is incorrect. PMI-PBA methodology explicitly prohibits premature solution selection before business needs and requirements are fully defined and validated. Selecting software without understanding the specific requirements for the restaurant's ordering process would almost certainly result in a solution that fails to address the root causes of slow processing and incorrect orders, leading to wasted resources and project failure. D. Schedule a requirements gathering sessions with the manager of the ordering department. This option is correct. This activity aligns with the Elicitation domain of PMI-PBA, which requires BAs to engage relevant subject matter stakeholders early in the project to gather detailed context and requirements when only high-level problem information is available. The ordering department manager has direct, firsthand knowledge of the current ordering process, its pain points, and the needs of staff and customers using the process, so requirements gathering sessions with this stakeholder will provide the critical information the BA currently lacks to advance the project. Key Concepts: 1. Elicitation: A core PMI-PBA domain focused on drawing out, capturing, and refining information from stakeholders to define business needs and requirements. Elicitation activities are prioritized early in the project lifecycle when limited project information is available to ensure all subsequent activities are based on validated, accurate business context. 2. Premature Solutioning Avoidance: A foundational PMI-PBA best practice that requires BAs to fully define and validate business needs and requirements before evaluating or selecting any solutions. This ensures delivered solutions address actual business problems rather than assumed needs, reducing project risk and waste. 3. Stakeholder Engagement Prioritization: PMI-PBA guidance requires BAs to identify and prioritize engagement with stakeholders who have direct ownership or expertise in the process or problem being addressed, as these stakeholders provide the most relevant, accurate information to inform requirements definition. References: PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)® Practice Guide, PMI-PBA Certification Resource Page
PMI-PBA · Q5
Question #5 After a project was delivered, the business analyst learns of a project objective with no associated requirement. What would have helped determine this issue before delivery?
  • A.
    Context diagram
  • B.
    Use cases
  • C.
    Tracing requirements
  • D.
    Process flow

Answer: C

The scenario describes a critical alignment gap between defined project objectives and documented solution requirements that was only identified after delivery. Per PMI-PBA core knowledge, requirements tracing is a foundational activity in the Requirements Traceability and Management domain that establishes explicit, bi-directional links between upstream business inputs (including project objectives and business needs) and downstream solution artifacts (including functional, non-functional requirements, test cases, and deliverables). If structured requirements tracing activities were conducted at regular intervals throughout the project lifecycle, the business analyst would have immediately identified any project objectives that were not mapped to one or more corresponding requirements, allowing the gap to be resolved prior to final delivery. Option Analysis: A. Context diagram: Incorrect. A context diagram is a high-level scope model that defines the boundary of a solution, its external interacting actors, and top-level data flows between the system and external entities. It is used to align stakeholders on solution scope and identify external interfaces, but it does not track alignment between individual project objectives and requirements, so it cannot detect an unaddressed project objective. B. Use cases: Incorrect. Use cases are functional requirements artifacts that document discrete interactions between actors and a solution to achieve specific user goals. While use cases capture functional requirements, they do not provide a holistic, cross-referenced view of all project objectives and their corresponding requirements, so they would not systematically identify an objective with no associated requirement. C. Tracing requirements: Correct. Requirements tracing, often implemented via a requirements traceability matrix, is explicitly designed to map every project objective to relevant solution requirements, test cases, and delivered components. Regular reviews of traceability artifacts identify gaps where objectives have no associated requirements, or requirements have no supporting business objective, which directly prevents the issue described in the scenario from being found post-delivery. D. Process flow: Incorrect. A process flow is a process model that documents sequential steps, decision points, roles, and inputs/outputs for a specific business process. It is used to analyze current state processes and design future state process improvements, but it does not track alignment between project objectives and solution requirements, so it would not identify the described gap. Key Concepts: 1. Requirements Traceability: A core PMI-PBA practice that involves tracking requirements from their origin (project objectives, stakeholder needs) through to implementation and operation, to ensure all requirements deliver business value and all business goals are addressed by requirements. 2. Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM): A structured tool used to execute requirements tracing, which cross-references all project objectives with their corresponding requirements, test cases, and deliverables to quickly identify alignment gaps during the project lifecycle. 3. Requirements Gap Analysis: A review activity conducted as part of requirements management that compares defined business objectives against documented requirements to identify unaddressed goals or extraneous requirements, a process that is only feasible with complete requirements tracing data. References: PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) Examination Content Outline, A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK® Guide) v3

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This question bank includes 200 PMI-PBA practice questions covering single and multiple choice, each with answers and explanations.

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