The PMI-PBA is taken by business analysts who want a credential from the Project Management Institute. This page gives you free practice sets grouped by topic, worked explanations, the exam format as PMI publishes it, and a study plan. The exam has 200 multiple-choice questions and a time limit of 240 minutes.
According to Project Management Institute, “The PMI-PBA exam is comprised of 200 multiple-choice questions. Of the 200 questions, 25 are considered pre-test questions.”[1]
The PMI-PBA is the Professional in Business Analysis credential from the Project Management Institute. It tests whether you can assess needs, plan the analysis work, analyze requirements, trace and monitor them, and evaluate a solution.
The exam has 200 multiple-choice questions. Of these, 175 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest questions. The allotted time is 240 minutes (4 hours). You can sit it at a Pearson VUE test center or online with an OnVUE proctor.
PMI does not publish the passing score. It is set by psychometric analysis, so a percentage on any practice set cannot tell you whether you would pass. On a computer-based exam you receive a pass/fail score report right after you finish, with diagnostic information for each domain. Paper-based results take 6-8 weeks.
Once your application is approved you have a 1-year eligibility period to take the exam, with up to 3 attempts in that period. Application requirements such as experience and education, and exam fees, are set by PMI and can change, so confirm them in the official PMI business analysis handbook before you apply. After you pass, the certification runs on a 3-year cycle, and you need 60 PDUs in each cycle to renew.
The PMI PBA Certification has 200 questions and takes about 4 hours[1] (Project Management Institute, verified Oct 26, 2026).
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions | 200 multiple-choice questions (175 scored, 25 unscored pretest)[1] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Time limit | 240 minutes (4 hours)[1] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Passing score | Not published; set by psychometric analysis[2] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Retake policy | Up to 3 attempts within the 1-year eligibility period[2] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Validity | 3-year certification cycle[1] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Renewal | 60 PDUs every 3-year cycle[1] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test center or OnVUE online proctored[3] | pearsonvue.com · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Score release | Pass/fail score report right after the computer-based exam; paper-based within 6-8 weeks[2] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Testing window | 1-year eligibility period after application approval[2] | Project Management Institute · Oct 26, 2026 |
The content areas below are copied from the official PMI PBA Certification content outline published by Project Management Institute, with the share of the exam each area carries. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.
| Official content area | Weight | Practice on this site |
|---|---|---|
| Analysis[4] | 35% | PMI PBA Certification PMI-PBA Certificatio... Practise turning elicited information into clear, testable requirements and choosing the right analysis technique for the situation. |
| Evaluation[4] | 10% | PMI PBA Certification Solution Evaluation Practise judging whether a delivered solution meets the business need and deciding what to do about gaps. |
| Needs Assessment[4] | 18% | PMI PBA Certification PMI-PBA Certificatio... Practise drawing out the real problem or opportunity from stakeholders and separating needs from proposed solutions. |
| Planning[4] | 22% | PMI PBA Certification Business Analysis Pl... Practise deciding how the analysis work will be approached, who must be involved, and how requirements will be managed. |
| Traceability and Monitoring[4] | 15% | PMI PBA Certification Traceability and Mon... Practise linking requirements to their source and to the solution, and tracking changes and status as work proceeds. |
Prepare for the PMI PBA Certification exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: When two solution criteria are discovered to be in conflict, what should a business analyst do?
Answer: C. Communicate the conflict to stakeholders and facilitate a resolution.
Explanation:
Option C is correct. Solution criteria belong to the stakeholders who set them, so a business analyst does not pick a winner. The analyst makes the conflict visible and facilitates a resolution among the people affected.
Option A is wrong because updating a baseline with an unresolved conflict records something nobody has agreed to, and uploading it fixes nothing. Option B is wrong because it limits the conversation to the sponsor(s) and treats the issue as a fixed constraint to log, rather than something to resolve with everyone affected. Option D is wrong because it jumps to analysis and a proposed alternative before the stakeholders have even been told about the conflict.
Rule to remember: surface conflicts openly, then facilitate. Do not resolve them alone or file them away.
Question: One need on behalf of the project team, management, or company is that the BA gathers information and comprehends the motivations or objectives of all parties involved in a dispute through .
Answer: C. Negotiation
Explanation:
Option C, Negotiation, is correct. Negotiation is the technique a business analyst uses to understand what each party wants and why, and to work toward an outcome they can accept.
Option A, Problems, is wrong because a problem describes what is going wrong. It is not a method for learning the motivations of the people in a dispute. Option B, Conflict, is wrong because conflict is the situation itself, not the means of working through it. Option D, None of these, is wrong because one of the listed terms does fit the description.
Rule to remember: conflict is the condition and negotiation is the technique. When a question asks how the analyst gathers and reconciles the objectives of opposing parties, look for the technique, not the condition.
Question: What is the purpose of a 'requirements workshop' (also called a JAD session) in elicitation?
Answer: B. To bring key stakeholders together to collaboratively define and agree on requirements
Explanation:
Option B is correct. A requirements workshop, also called a JAD session, exists to put the key stakeholders in the same room so they can define requirements together and agree on them. The value is the shared discussion and the consensus it produces.
Option A is wrong because reviewing and approving a final document is sign-off, not elicitation. Option C is wrong because teaching stakeholders to write requirements is training, which is not what the workshop is for. Option D is wrong because passive review of drafted material is the opposite of the collaborative, participatory format a workshop is built around.
Rule to remember: when a question asks about the purpose of a facilitated group technique in elicitation, choose the answer about active collaboration and agreement, not review or approval.
Start with the official material. Read the PMI business analysis handbook and the exam content outline so you know the five content areas and how they are weighted: Analysis carries the most weight and Evaluation the least.
Because PMI does not publish a passing score, treat practice results as a guide to weak areas, not a prediction. Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions.
The exam has 200 multiple-choice questions. Of these, 175 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest questions. PMI uses the pretest questions to try out new material, so they do not count toward your result. The allotted time for the computer-based exam is 240 minutes, which is 4 hours.
PMI does not publish a passing score. It states that the passing score for all PMI exams is determined by sound psychometric analysis. Because of this, no percentage on a practice test can promise a pass. Use your practice results to find weak content areas instead.
If you take the exam on a computer, you receive a score report with your overall pass/fail status right after you finish. It also includes diagnostic information on your performance in each domain. Paper-based results take 6-8 weeks. Check the PMI handbook for the current process.
Yes. Once your application is approved, you have a 1-year eligibility period, and you may take the exam up to 3 times within it. Retake fees and any rules for reapplying after that period are set by PMI, so confirm them in the official handbook before you book.
Yes. The exam is delivered through Pearson VUE, either at a test center or online with OnVUE, where an offsite proctor monitors you while you test from home. Check the Pearson VUE page for PMI for the technical and room requirements before you choose online delivery.
The certification runs on a 3-year cycle that begins the day you pass the exam and receive the credential. To renew, you must earn and report 60 PDUs within that cycle. PMI's handbook explains which activities count toward them.
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