Honest, sourced write-ups on certification exams: how hard they really are, why candidates fail, and how to prepare without wasting weeks. Every price, pass mark and requirement is checked against the vendor's own materials, with the month we checked it stated in the text - so you can tell fresh facts from recycled ones.
IREB CPRE Foundation Level: Format, Cost and a Study PlanCPRE FL: 45 questions, 75 minutes, 70% to pass, no prerequisites, valid for life. Who sets the price, how retakes work, and a four-week study plan.
AWS Cloud Practitioner vs AZ-900: Which Cloud Fundamentals Exam FirstCLF-C02 or AZ-900 first? Pick the cloud your employer runs on. Format, cost, renewal and difficulty compared from AWS and Microsoft sources.
AZ-900 Study Plan: How Long It Really Takes, With and Without an IT BackgroundAZ-900 takes about 15 hours with an IT background and 30 without. Week-by-week plans for both, built on Microsoft's July 2026 skills outline.
PSPO I vs PSPO II: What Changes, What It Costs, and When to Move UpPSPO I: 80 questions in 60 min for $200. PSPO II: 40 harder questions in 60 min for $250. Same 85% bar. Verified at scrum.org on 3 Oct 2026.
OCEB 2 vs CBPA: Which Process Certification (BPMN Modelling vs BPM Management)OCEB 2 tests BPMN modelling, CBPA tests the BPM discipline. Fees, format, eligibility and renewal side by side, checked at OMG and ABPMP on 1 Oct 2026.
OCUP 2 Foundation: Format, Cost and a Study Plan for the OMG UML ExamOCUP 2 Foundation: $350, 90 questions, 120 minutes, 60 correct to pass, Pearson VUE or online. A six-week UML study plan, checked 29 Sep 2026.
PSM II Study Plan: From PSM I to Advanced Without a CoursePSM II: 30 questions, 90 minutes, 85% to pass, $250 an attempt, no course required. A four-week self-study plan, verified at scrum.org on 26 Sep 2026.
SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) vs PSM I: Which Scrum Master Certification for Which OrganisationPSM I costs $200 once and never expires. SSM now has a $495 exam-only route and renews at $195 a year. Fees and formats verified at source, 24 Sep 2026.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Cost in 2026: One Exam, Three Price ListsThe same IASSC Green Belt exam is sold at $350, $402 and 361 euro depending on which page you open. Every fee verified at source on 22 September 2026.
ECBA Study Plan: 30 to 60 Hours to a First IIBA Credential, Week by WeekECBA is now 50 situation-based questions in 75 minutes across nine domains, with no eligibility hours. A four-week self-study plan. Verified 20 Sep 2026.
SAFe Certifications Explained: SA vs POPM vs SSM vs RTE (and Who Should Skip SAFe)SA, POPM, SSM and RTE: real exam formats, the pass marks Scaled Agile's own pages disagree on, retake fees and the $195/$295 annual renewal. Checked 18 Sep.
TOGAF Certification in 2026: Cost, Format, and Whether Architects Still Need ItTOGAF EA Foundation: 40 closed-book questions, 60 minutes, 24 to pass, USD 405 or 435 by channel. The combined-exam trap and registry numbers, checked 16 Sep.
CTFL (ISTQB) Study Plan: 4 Weeks to Pass Without a BootcampISTQB CTFL: 40 questions, 60 minutes, 26 to pass, no course required. A four-week self-study plan sized to the syllabus hours. Verified 14 Sep 2026.
PRINCE2 Foundation vs Practitioner: What Changes, What It Costs, Who Needs WhichPRINCE2 Foundation (60 questions, closed book) vs Practitioner (scenarios, open book), both at 60% to pass. What each bundle costs and who needs which.
How Long Does It Take to Prepare for ITIL 4 Foundation? A Realistic Study PlanITIL 4 Foundation takes 10 to 35 hours depending on where you start. An hour-by-hour plan, PeopleCert's exam mechanics, and the 2027 retirement date.
PMI-PBA vs CBAP: The Business Analysis Certification Decision, Settled with DataPMI-PBA ($405-555, 36 months of experience) vs CBAP ($495-650 all-in, 7,500 hours plus references): eligibility, exam mechanics, three-year cost, salary data.
Is the PMP Still Worth It in 2026? The New Price, the Salary Data, and Four Cheaper RoutesPMP costs $445 (members) or $675 since 6 August 2026. The three-year cost, what PMI's salary survey does and does not prove, and four cheaper routes.
PSM I vs CSM in 2026: Price, Difficulty, and Which One Employers Actually Ask ForPSM I vs CSM: a $200 self-study exam vs a mandatory course, 85% pass mark vs open-book 74%, lifetime validity vs renewal every two years. Verified August 2026.
ECBA vs CCBA vs CBAP: Which IIBA Certification Fits Your Experience Level? (2026)ECBA, CCBA or CBAP? The eligibility gate that picks for you, what the 2026 ECBA rewrite changed, and each credential's three-year cost, verified against IIBA.
How Hard Is the CBAP Exam? Pass Rate, Failure Points, and a 6-Week Plan (2026)An honest look at CBAP difficulty: what the (unpublished) pass rate really means, the five reasons experienced BAs fail, and a realistic 6-week study plan.
The guides go deep on one decision at a time. If you are still choosing, start from the overview of all 41 exams we cover - level, cost, renewal model and eligibility side by side - then come back here for the close calls.
Every factual claim - exam length, pass mark, fee, renewal cost, eligibility - comes from the certification body's own page, and we say which one. Where a vendor does not publish something (pass rates are the usual case), we say that plainly instead of repeating a number someone invented. Guides carry the month they were verified and get re-checked when a vendor changes its terms.
They are written by a CBAP-certified business analyst who sat these exams, not spun out of a keyword list. If you spot something out of date, the report link on any question page reaches us.