Professional Business Analyst (PBA)
Examination Practice Exam 2026 | 100
Questions & Answers with Detailed
Rationales | Complete PBA Exam Prep
& Study Guide
1. What is the primary purpose of business analysis?
A. To manage employees
B. To identify business needs and recommend solutions
C. To prepare financial statements
D. To develop marketing campaigns
Answer: To identify business needs and recommend solutions
Rationale: Business analysis focuses on understanding organizational needs,
identifying problems or opportunities, and determining solutions that provide
value.
2. Which document typically defines the business need and high-level
justification for a project?
A. Test plan
B. Business case
C. Issue log
D. Communication plan
,Answer: Business case
Rationale: A business case explains the problem or opportunity, expected
benefits, costs, risks, and justification for undertaking an initiative.
3. Who is considered a stakeholder?
A. Only the project manager
B. Only the customer
C. Anyone who can affect or be affected by the initiative
D. Only members of the development team
Answer: Anyone who can affect or be affected by the initiative
Rationale: Stakeholders include individuals, groups, or organizations that have
an interest in, influence over, or are affected by the initiative.
4. What is a requirement?
A. A project expense
B. A documented need or condition that a solution must satisfy
C. A team meeting
D. A project schedule
Answer: A documented need or condition that a solution must satisfy
Rationale: Requirements describe capabilities, conditions, or qualities needed to
meet stakeholder or business objectives.
5. Which requirement describes what a system should do?
A. Functional requirement
B. Nonfunctional requirement
C. Business constraint
D. Transition requirement
Answer: Functional requirement
,Rationale: Functional requirements specify behaviors, functions, or capabilities
that the solution must provide.
6. Which is an example of a nonfunctional requirement?
A. The system shall calculate sales tax
B. The system shall create invoices
C. The system shall respond within two seconds
D. The system shall record customer names
Answer: The system shall respond within two seconds
Rationale: Performance is a quality attribute and therefore represents a
nonfunctional requirement.
7. What is requirements elicitation?
A. Testing completed software
B. Discovering and obtaining information about stakeholder needs
C. Approving a project budget
D. Closing a project
Answer: Discovering and obtaining information about stakeholder needs
Rationale: Elicitation involves gathering information from stakeholders and
other sources to understand needs, expectations, problems, and requirements.
8. Which technique involves asking stakeholders questions directly?
A. Interview
B. Benchmarking
C. Observation
D. Prototyping
Answer: Interview
Rationale: Interviews involve structured or unstructured conversations designed
to obtain information from stakeholders.
, 9. Which elicitation technique allows analysts to observe users performing
their actual work?
A. Brainstorming
B. Observation
C. Survey
D. Document analysis
Answer: Observation
Rationale: Observation provides direct insight into real processes, behaviors,
workarounds, and operational conditions.
10.What is brainstorming primarily used for?
A. Generating many ideas quickly
B. Approving requirements
C. Measuring project performance
D. Creating contracts
Answer: Generating many ideas quickly
Rationale: Brainstorming encourages participants to produce a broad range of
ideas before evaluating or narrowing them down.
11.What is requirements prioritization?
A. Removing all requirements
B. Ranking requirements according to importance or value
C. Writing requirements in technical language
D. Assigning developers to requirements
Answer: Ranking requirements according to importance or value
Rationale: Prioritization helps organizations determine which requirements
should receive attention first based on value, urgency, risk, cost, or other
criteria.
Examination Practice Exam 2026 | 100
Questions & Answers with Detailed
Rationales | Complete PBA Exam Prep
& Study Guide
1. What is the primary purpose of business analysis?
A. To manage employees
B. To identify business needs and recommend solutions
C. To prepare financial statements
D. To develop marketing campaigns
Answer: To identify business needs and recommend solutions
Rationale: Business analysis focuses on understanding organizational needs,
identifying problems or opportunities, and determining solutions that provide
value.
2. Which document typically defines the business need and high-level
justification for a project?
A. Test plan
B. Business case
C. Issue log
D. Communication plan
,Answer: Business case
Rationale: A business case explains the problem or opportunity, expected
benefits, costs, risks, and justification for undertaking an initiative.
3. Who is considered a stakeholder?
A. Only the project manager
B. Only the customer
C. Anyone who can affect or be affected by the initiative
D. Only members of the development team
Answer: Anyone who can affect or be affected by the initiative
Rationale: Stakeholders include individuals, groups, or organizations that have
an interest in, influence over, or are affected by the initiative.
4. What is a requirement?
A. A project expense
B. A documented need or condition that a solution must satisfy
C. A team meeting
D. A project schedule
Answer: A documented need or condition that a solution must satisfy
Rationale: Requirements describe capabilities, conditions, or qualities needed to
meet stakeholder or business objectives.
5. Which requirement describes what a system should do?
A. Functional requirement
B. Nonfunctional requirement
C. Business constraint
D. Transition requirement
Answer: Functional requirement
,Rationale: Functional requirements specify behaviors, functions, or capabilities
that the solution must provide.
6. Which is an example of a nonfunctional requirement?
A. The system shall calculate sales tax
B. The system shall create invoices
C. The system shall respond within two seconds
D. The system shall record customer names
Answer: The system shall respond within two seconds
Rationale: Performance is a quality attribute and therefore represents a
nonfunctional requirement.
7. What is requirements elicitation?
A. Testing completed software
B. Discovering and obtaining information about stakeholder needs
C. Approving a project budget
D. Closing a project
Answer: Discovering and obtaining information about stakeholder needs
Rationale: Elicitation involves gathering information from stakeholders and
other sources to understand needs, expectations, problems, and requirements.
8. Which technique involves asking stakeholders questions directly?
A. Interview
B. Benchmarking
C. Observation
D. Prototyping
Answer: Interview
Rationale: Interviews involve structured or unstructured conversations designed
to obtain information from stakeholders.
, 9. Which elicitation technique allows analysts to observe users performing
their actual work?
A. Brainstorming
B. Observation
C. Survey
D. Document analysis
Answer: Observation
Rationale: Observation provides direct insight into real processes, behaviors,
workarounds, and operational conditions.
10.What is brainstorming primarily used for?
A. Generating many ideas quickly
B. Approving requirements
C. Measuring project performance
D. Creating contracts
Answer: Generating many ideas quickly
Rationale: Brainstorming encourages participants to produce a broad range of
ideas before evaluating or narrowing them down.
11.What is requirements prioritization?
A. Removing all requirements
B. Ranking requirements according to importance or value
C. Writing requirements in technical language
D. Assigning developers to requirements
Answer: Ranking requirements according to importance or value
Rationale: Prioritization helps organizations determine which requirements
should receive attention first based on value, urgency, risk, cost, or other
criteria.
