BA-201 Exam Guide
This BA-201 exam focuses on practical knowledge and real-world application scenarios related to the subject area. It evaluates your ability to understand core concepts, apply best practices, and make informed decisions in realistic situations rather than relying solely on memorization.
This page provides a structured exam guide, including exam focus areas, skills measured, preparation recommendations, and practice questions with explanations to support effective learning.
Exam Overview
The BA-201 exam typically emphasizes how concepts are used in professional environments, testing both theoretical understanding and practical problem-solving skills.
Skills Measured
- Understanding of core concepts and terminology
- Ability to apply knowledge to practical scenarios
- Analysis and evaluation of solution options
- Identification of best practices and common use cases
Preparation Tips
Successful candidates combine conceptual understanding with hands-on practice. Reviewing measured skills and working through scenario-based questions is strongly recommended.
Practice Questions for BA-201 Exam
The following practice questions are designed to reinforce key BA-201 exam concepts and reflect common scenario-based decision points tested in the certification.
Question#2
An executive stakeholder at Northern Trail Outfitters (NTO) wants to explore automating NTO’s Quote-to-Cash process and has asked the business analyst (BA) to pull together some high-level information on possible solutions.
Which type of document should the BA present to the stakeholders?
A. A capability map detailing the functionality of Salesforce and AppExchange Quote-to-Cash products
B. A SIPOC (Support inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers) map outlining the Quote-to-Cash process
C. A business process map detailing the existing step-by-step Quote-to-Cash process
Explanation:
This answer states that creating a capability map detailing the functionality of Salesforce and AppExchange Quote-to-Cash products is the type of document that the BA should present to the stakeholders who want to explore automating NTO’s Quote-to-Cash process. A capability map is a diagram that shows what an organization does at a high level of abstraction, without going into details of how it does it. A capability map can help the BA to present to the stakeholders how Salesforce and AppExchange Quote-to-Cash products can support their business activities or functions related to generating quotes, contracts, orders, invoices, and payments. A capability map can also help the BA to align the potential solutions with the business goals and strategies of NTO.
Reference: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/salesforce-business-analyst-quick-look/use-process-mapping-to-understand-your-business
Question#3
Universal Containers has asked a business analyst (BA) to assist the sales management team with a request for a new picklist field called "Lost Reason" on the Opportunity object with the goal of improving pipeline reports. After mapping the managers to the sales leader persona and obtaining feedback from them, the BA has discovered that the managers want to better understand Closed/Lost Opportunities so they can help sales teams close more deals.
Which option should the BA use to construct the user story?
A. As a sales leader, I want to see more details on Closed/Lost Opportunities so I can help the sales team improve close rates.
B. As a sales team member, I need additional enablement training and reporting information to help the improve close rates.
C. AS a sales leader, I need a new "Closed/Lost Reason" picklist field on Opportunities and better reports to help the sales team improve close rates.
Explanation:
This answer provides an example of how to construct the user story for creating a new picklist field called “Lost Reason” on the Opportunity object with the goal of improving pipeline reports, using this format: As a <persona>, I want <goal>, so that <value>. This answer defines the persona as “sales leader”, who is likely to be one of the main users or beneficiaries of this feature. It also defines the goal as “see more details on Closed/Lost Opportunities”, which is what they want to accomplish with this feature. Finally, it defines the value as “help the sales team improve close rates”, which is why they want to accomplish this goal and how they will measure success.
Reference: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/salesforce-business-analyst-quick-look/use-user-stories-to-capture-requirements
Question#5
A business analyst (BA) is preparing for user acceptance testing for case management scenarios in Service Cloud.
What should the BA do to help prevent gaps from being discovered after go live?
A. Focus more on happy path testing and less on edge case testing.
B. Write test scripts that reflect real life and cover the requirements.
C. Streamline testing by limiting the number of testers involved.
Explanation:
The business analyst should write test scripts that reflect real life and cover the requirements to help prevent gaps from being discovered after go live. Test scripts are step-by-step instructions on how to execute a test scenario on a specific user or level of access using expected inputs and outputs. Test scripts should reflect real life situations that users may encounter when using the solution in production, such as creating cases, updating records, generating reports, etc. Test scripts should also cover all the requirements that were defined for the project or enhancement, as well as any exceptions or variations that may occur. Writing test scripts that reflect real life and cover the requirements can help ensure that the solution works as intended and meets stakeholder needs.
Reference: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/user-acceptance-testing-video/create-test-scripts
Disclaimer
This page is for educational and exam preparation reference only. It is not affiliated with Salesforce, Salesforce Business Analyst, or the official exam provider. Candidates should refer to official documentation and training for authoritative information.
