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Jan 29 2023 |
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Introduction

Introduction

This is the EXIN BCS Business Analysis Practice (BAP.EN) sample exam. The Rules and Regulations for EXIN’s examinations apply to this exam.

This exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions. Each multiple-choice question has a number of possible answers, of which only one is correct, unless otherwise stated.

The maximum number of points that can be obtained for this exam is 40. Each correct answer is worth 1 point. You need 26 points or more to pass the exam.

The time allowed for this exam is 60 minutes.

Good luck!





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Question

1  of 40
At a recent board meeting the directors of an office fitting company ratified the company's mission as:

“To meet or undercut all our competitors' prices.”

Which is most likely to be the company's vision?

Question

2  of 40
The charity, LifeForOld, focuses on supporting elderly people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. This support is provided by a network of local volunteers. At a recent strategy meeting for LifeForOld, the below points were agreed.

Which three of the discussion points align with the mission and tactics elements of a VMOST analysis?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

3  of 40
A business analyst has been tasked with undertaking a resource audit for an agricultural company. In a recent management workshop, the analyst took the below notes.

Which three of these notes are relevant to a resource audit?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

4  of 40
MobiltyFirst is a charity, which aims to improve the lives of children and young people living with disabilities. The chief executive of the charity has listed the following issues:

- Worries about our ability to train our staff effectively
- Concerns about changes planned in government regulation and the restrictions these could place on the use of mobility aids
- Excited about developments in virtual reality and how these could offer new opportunities for mobility-impaired people
- Aware of the ageing population in the country and wonder how this will impact on the informal support networks currently in place for many children and young people
- Concerns about the increasing costs of rent in the regions where we have established drop-in centers
- In doubt of who will take over my role when I retire in 5 years' time

How many of these issues (and their classification) would be recorded in a PESTLE analysis?

Question

5  of 40
A business analyst is working on a new product service definition for an IT innovation company, which is considering launching a new range of smart pet monitoring devices. These devices allow owners to monitor the health and location of their pets from anywhere in the world.

The business analyst has decided to use Porter's Five Forces model to understand the attractiveness of entering into this market and has made some notes during the course of their investigation.

Which three notes should be assigned to one of the five forces and, therefore, added to her analysis?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

6  of 40
A business analyst has been working with a company renting out cottages to develop its strategy. As part of this work, the analyst has developed a balanced scorecard (BSC). One of the critical success factors (CSFs) set out in it, is the quality of the overall customer experience.

Which would be the best KPI to support that CSF?

Question

7  of 40
An IT recruitment company has asked its business analyst to review an early draft of a set of documents outlining the organization’s critical success factors (CSFs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). The below KPIs have been identified.

Which three of these KPIs would align to the CSF ‘maintain customer satisfaction' for the IT recruitment company?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

8  of 40
The following points are from the annual report of GlobalFoods, a retailer of luxury ingredients and confectionery:

- Due to the removal of trade restrictions, GlobalFoods is now considering moving into more European markets. The company is currently analyzing how it should enter these markets and forecasting how much revenue it will generate.
- A recent staffing restructure has resulted in a loss of experienced regional management and has adversely impacted the growth forecast presented at the last management board meeting.

Which two elements of SWOT can be identified in this extract?

Please remember to select 2 answers.

Question

9  of 40
The chairperson of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for a school has suggested hosting a summer fair to raise funds to go towards hosting an awards ceremony to recognize exceptional students.

The headteacher of the school is supportive of the work the PTA do, as well as being aware of the value in maintaining a positive working relationship with them. Typically, the headteacher allows the PTA to lead on these types of events and only gets involved at a high level.

However, the headteacher is uncomfortable with the proceeds from the fair only being used to reward a few students.

The chairperson must present their ideas to the headteacher for approval.



Which two marked positions on the stakeholder power/interest grid below represent the chairperson and the headteacher?

Question

10  of 40
Fiona and John run a successful online jewelry business. They are currently considering expansion plans.

Fiona feels that the business needs to take on more staff so that they can make more jewelry. Some of this will be sold online, but other jewelry will be custom made for large retail shops. Fiona believes that this is a large, unexploited market.

John agrees that the business needs to take on more staff to make more jewelry but feels that they should focus on selling standard jewelry online as they understand this market. He believes that growth can be achieved in this area through better marketing.

In which area of CATWOE do their perspectives conflict?

Question

11  of 40
Harry and Theo are in the process of completing their business plan for a new venture. They plan to convert an old warehouse in the center of a city into a set of 'work pods', which are small but well-equipped offices, bookable by the hour via an automated online system.

Harry believes that these work pods should be aimed at the local student market because he is aware that there is a lack of workspace in universities based in the city. He would like to approach universities to see if they are interested in a special deal.

Theo feels that they should focus on city-based financial companies, who are always looking for flexible office space to hold meetings with potential investors.

On which element of CATWOE are Harry and Theo unable to agree?

Question

12  of 40
ABC Clothing are a clothing retailer, founded in 2008, who focus on sourcing high-quality clothes from local suppliers, which they have sold online through an innovative website. Marketing has been targeted at young, high-income individuals who could afford the clothes on offer and who also had little time for conventional shopping.

To keep overheads low and focus on the business, all non-core functions, such as payroll, accounting, and legal support, were outsourced to specialist providers.

A business analyst has been commissioned to undertake a CATWOE analysis of the company.

Which statements about ABC clothing describes a transformation in this analysis?

Question

13  of 40
Project Beta is concerned with implementing a new reporting tool to replace a current system, which is being decommissioned.

The manager of one of the reporting areas of the project has suggested to the project team that the new tool should include some new and innovative features. The manager's views have been largely disregarded until now. However, they have just been promoted to become head of business reporting.

The Project Beta project team need to understand the impact this will have on the project.

What should the Project Beta team revise first?

Question

14  of 40
All banks in a country are regulated by the Financial Fairness Authority (FFA) who ensure that consumers of financial services are properly advised and protected. The FFA has the power to fine or suspend banks that do not adhere to its standards.

Within a bank, a project team are developing a financial product aimed at people who have had debt problems in the past. The FFA has been consulted and has responded enthusiastically. It believes that the new product will offer a valuable service to people who have difficulty in managing debt. However, the FFA is also concerned that the new product might expose the bank to high levels of unsecured lending.

A business analyst is drawing up a stakeholder management strategy for the project.

How should the FFA be managed?

Question

15  of 40
The country of Ethiopia has many public libraries and each one has a chief librarian, who heads a team of professionally qualified librarians who assist library users. Many of the librarians belong to the Ethiopian Library Union, a trade union that negotiates salary rises and changes in the employment terms and conditions of its members.

However, the cost of providing these libraries and library services is increasing. Consequently, a project team has been set up to undertake a comprehensive review of library services and how they are funded. The closure, or partial closure, of certain libraries is being considered, as is a reduction in the number of librarians employed in each library. It has also been proposed that library users should pay for certain services. Some library users have already posted messages on social media condemning this proposal.

A stakeholder management strategy is being developed for the project.

Which stakeholders should be kept informed?

Question

16  of 40
Anne is the production manager of a professional theater group that is rehearsing for a performance. She has just found out that a rival drama group, who have a better reputation, are also performing the same play at a nearby venue at around the same time. She is worried that this will reduce the number of people who will come to see her play. She has also just heard that BackgroundArt, the company providing all the backdrops, lighting, and sound effects, has gone out of business. Finally, she has just been told that the employed lead actor is ill and will not be able to perform.

Which category of stakeholder is not identified in this scenario?

Question

17  of 40
Having joined a new project, which action is least likely to help build new, positive stakeholder relations?

Question

18  of 40
Mark is a recently appointed business analyst, working for a government department dealing with international trade and regulations. He has been asked to lead a project concerned with the development of a new policy framework, to assist in the agreement of trade regulations with other countries. He has been told by his manager to spend time understanding how such negotiations and interactions work and to consider the complex social dynamics of working in this department.

Mark has met and spoken with colleagues and key stakeholders. They have outlined the complex cultural differences between teams in the department, suggesting causes of issues and conflict and given him a wide range of (often conflicting) views of how things work.

Despite these meetings, Mark is still not entirely sure that he completely understands the business context of the project.

Which techniques would Mark use to provide an overview of the entire business situation of the project?

Question

19  of 40
A business analyst working for an international freight company has been asked to lead a project, which aims to improve delivery monitoring and route navigation in 15 offices across multiple time zones. The business analyst has made the following notes to ensure that they select the most appropriate investigation techniques:

- Must collect key requirements cost-effectively from all offices.
- Must ensure that confidential business information is obtained from the project sponsor.

Which two techniques should the business analyst select?

Please remember to select 2 answers.

Question

20  of 40
A consultant business analyst is assigned to a client operating in the financial services sector. They have not worked with the client before, but will be leading a new project developing innovative approaches for assessing the risks associated with loan products. The analyst needs to put a plan together and has made the following notes about what they needs to do:

- Need access to the forms and files used in the current system, so that I can understand how they are used.
- The stakeholders have strong views, so I will need to ensure that they get time to discuss ideas together in a structured way.
- Need to ensure I spend time with the project sponsor to build a relationship and formally document his requirements.
- Need to ensure that all the financial aspects of the business case are prepared as early as possible.

Which three techniques should the analyst select for this project?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

21  of 40
The board of a mortgage provider have identified the potential for growth in the equity release market. As part of the initial investigation Roshni, a business analyst, has been asked to research current customer perceptions of the company's brand.

Where would be the best source of information for Roshni?

Question

22  of 40
Nardu has come to you for advice as to whether he should engage stakeholders in an initial investigation using a survey or a workshop.

Characteristics of the project are set out below.

Which two of the following characteristics would typically suggest a workshop should be used?

Please remember to select 2 answers.

Question

23  of 40
Jay has been investigating how the Housing Association they work for repairs and maintains properties. They have created a mind map, an extract of which is shown below.

The head of properties has asked Jay to summarize their findings.

Which two statements should be included in the summary?

Please remember to select 2 answers.

Question

24  of 40
A global telecommunications company has decided to enter the mobile phone retail market. It now intends to sell own-brand mobile phones. A business activity model (BAM) is being constructed to reflect the perspective of the newly appointed director of the mobile phone division. The BAM will show the dependencies between these activities. Five of them are given below:

1. Sell mobile phones
2. Recruit staff
3. Define staffing needs
4. Define target customers
5. Agree on product range
6. Manufacture mobile phones

What are the dependencies between these activities, where → represents a dependency?

Question

25  of 40
EcoBox is a publicly quoted manufacturer of packaging products. Like all public limited companies, EcoBox pays dividends to its shareholders out of its after-tax profit.

Most of its shares are owned by pension funds, who invest their members’ money to produce financial returns that will fund future pensions for their members. These pension funds are looking for growth in the share price and high, regular, dividends from the companies they invest in.

The managing director of EcoBox wishes to expand the factory and install new equipment. To raise the money to do this, the company will need to offer more shares. He hopes that most of the existing shareholders will purchase these shares.

What will be the doing activity in a business activity model (BAM) of EcoBox, drawn from the managing director’s business perspective for the expansion?

Question

26  of 40
A council has a payroll software system that automatically pays employees at the end of each month. Employees are paid a net amount, which is their gross earnings minus their tax liability. This tax liability is calculated by the payroll system using the tax rules provided by central government.

Within seven days after the end of each month, the payroll officer must print out a summary report and send it to the central government tax authority. This report lists the gross income of each employee and their net income after tax.

The government periodically changes the tax rules. These amendments have to be entered immediately into the system by the payroll officer to ensure that the correct deductions are made in the next month's payroll.

How many events, and of what type, are described in this scenario?

Question

27  of 40
A business analyst has identified the need to focus on the following as part of a project he is working on:

- The importance of considering the organization's data architecture when planning any changes.
- The impact of any proposed changes on staff morale.
- The need to continually reinforce the shared values defined in the mission statement.
- The need to terminate current legacy system maintenance agreements as soon as possible.

Which element of POPIT do these issues not affect?

Question

28  of 40
The below statements have been made about the consensus business activity model (BAM).

Which statement is not true?

Question

29  of 40
Which three things does a business activity model (BAM) depict?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

30  of 40
In explaining their work, applying design thinking within a call center, Sam described the activity they undertook as:

“First we looked at the customers and created a set of personas representing groups with different characteristics. We then considered the experience of each customer as they contacted the call center.”

Which stage of design thinking is Sam describing?

Question

31  of 40
Oliwia is working on a call center transformation and described a recent session she attended:

“The session was facilitated, and we spent a lot of time exploring the problem space. The call handlers were encouraged to contribute ideas. Once we had generated a lot of ideas we walked through, rejecting some and consolidating others into a set to take forward.”

What is the best description of this activity?

Question

32  of 40
A business analyst is planning to undertake a gap analysis on a current project.

Which best describes how the business analyst would use a target operating model (TOM) in a gap analysis?

Question

33  of 40
A business analyst has been asked to explain the gap analysis process to a new colleague.

Which action should the analyst not cover in their explanation?

Question

34  of 40
Suraj has been asked to summarize aspects of feasibility in a report.

Which should Suraj include in the technical feasibility section?

Question

35  of 40
Gregor is in the process of putting together the financial section of a business case for a new initiative, which seeks to revolutionize his organization’s checkout system. Just as he had made a table to consider the payback profile, he received a call from the software vendor. The vendor indicated that they gave him the wrong software purchase price for the project and that it should have been quoted as 150,000, not the 200,000 highlighted in the table below:



When Gregor makes this amendment, in which year will the project break even?

Question

36  of 40
A trainee business analyst has been asked to produce a business case for a new project. However, he is unsure when he should develop the first draft of this document and asks a more experienced colleague about best practice.

When will the experienced colleague explain that he should start drafting the business case?

Question

37  of 40
MidShires University has decided to completely change its business model. It wants to move from being a conventional university with buildings and lecturers to an online university, with students taking its e-learning based courses from all over the world. In addition, research into anything other than online learning will no longer be a priority. Assessments will still be undertaken by the university, but they will be administered by third-party suppliers at secure assessment centers throughout the world.

A number of issues need to be included in the business case for this proposed change. These are indicated below.

Which three of these would be documented in the impact assessment section of the business case?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

38  of 40
The management summary of a company's business case contains the following:

“We recommend the preferred option, on the basis that this includes the cost of purchasing the vending machines outright, £3000. It will pay for itself by year three. There is a chance that the vending machine manufacturer will go out of business and we will not be able to service the machines, but we consider this to be unlikely. We feel that being able to provide our staff with good quality food and drink at any time of day will improve job satisfaction.”

Which three features of a business case are being described in this extract?

Please remember to select 3 answers.

Question

39  of 40
Johan has been asked to analyze the risks relating to compliance with new government regulation. He is documenting these in the business case.

Which two should he include?

Please remember to select 2 answers.

Question

40  of 40
Small Holding Limited are looking to improve the return on their investment in change. As part of this they are introducing business cases into their change lifecycle. Sam has been asked at what points in that lifecycle they should normally consider the business case.

What should Sam not advise?