BCT(A) study plan
BCT(A) · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Business Strategy and Organizational Management
Define each of the seven exam domains in your own words and write a one-line description of how it connects to business outcomes
Map the internal and external environment of a sample organization using a SWOT grid and a PESTLE grid, filling at least four items per quadrant
Distinguish strategic planning from operational planning by drafting a three-tier goal hierarchy (mission, strategy, tactics) for one business unit
Explain how organizational structure types (functional, divisional, matrix) affect decision speed and accountability, citing one trade-off for each
Your checkpoint
A two-page strategy brief for a fictional company containing a SWOT, a PESTLE, and a three-tier goal hierarchy
Business Strategy and Organizational Management & Professional Ethics, Compliance, and Governance
Compare cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategies and select one for the fictional company with a written justification
Build a simple budget variance analysis from given numbers and identify the two largest deviations
Describe the purpose of internal controls and segregation of duties in preventing fraud and error
Summarize the main obligations of a governance framework covering accountability, transparency, and audit trails
Your checkpoint
A one-page variance analysis memo with a strategy recommendation and a list of five internal controls mapped to the risks they mitigate
Information Technology Fundamentals and Infrastructure
Label the components of a computer system (CPU, memory, storage, I/O) and state the function of each in one sentence
Compare on-premises, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS deployment models on cost profile, control, and scalability in a comparison table
Trace a single web request from client to server and identify where DNS, routing, and firewalls act
Calculate availability from uptime figures and explain the difference between redundancy and backup
Your checkpoint
A one-page infrastructure diagram of a small office network with an annotated table comparing the four deployment models
Information Technology Fundamentals and Infrastructure & Data Management and Business Analytics
Classify given data items as structured, semi-structured, or unstructured and justify each classification
Design a normalized relational schema for a simple order-processing case, identifying primary and foreign keys
Write five SQL queries covering selection, aggregation, and a join against your schema
Define data quality dimensions (accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency) and score a sample dataset against them
Your checkpoint
A schema diagram plus a query worksheet with five working SQL statements and their expected result descriptions
Data Management and Business Analytics
Differentiate descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics and match each to a business use case
Compute and interpret mean, median, standard deviation, and a correlation coefficient from a provided dataset
Identify three common analytical biases or errors (sampling bias, confounding, survivorship) in short scenarios
Draft three KPIs with formula, data source, and target for a chosen business process
Your checkpoint
A one-page analytics memo presenting three KPIs, the statistics behind them, and one recommended action
Information Security and Risk Management
Explain the CIA triad and apply it to three concrete business scenarios
Distinguish authentication, authorization, and accounting and give one control example for each
Rank five identified risks using a likelihood-times-impact matrix and propose a treatment (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept) for each
Describe the purpose of incident response phases from detection through lessons learned
Your checkpoint
A risk register with five risks scored on a likelihood-impact matrix, each with an owner and a chosen treatment
Business Communication and Collaboration Technologies & Systems Development and Project Management
Compare synchronous and asynchronous collaboration tools and recommend one for a distributed team with written rationale
Draft a stakeholder communication plan specifying audience, message, channel, and frequency for a project
Break a project scope into a work breakdown structure with at least three levels and estimate effort per work package
Sequence the phases of the systems development life cycle and place two deliverables in each phase
Your checkpoint
A project charter excerpt containing a work breakdown structure, a communication plan, and an SDLC phase map
Business Strategy and Organizational Management & Information Security and Risk Management & Professional Ethics, Compliance, and Governance
Integrate strategy, security, and governance concepts by writing a governance one-pager linking risk appetite to strategic objectives
Complete a timed 60-question mixed practice set and record your accuracy per domain
Review every missed question and write a corrected explanation for each in your own words
Rank your domains from weakest to strongest and schedule two targeted review sessions for the weakest
Your checkpoint
A scored practice-set log with per-domain accuracy, corrected explanations for all misses, and a final-week review schedule
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain the three generic strategies and name five internal controls without notes, scoring at least 80% on a self-made 20-question quiz
Week 4: Can draw the infrastructure diagram from memory and write a three-table join query unaided
Week 6: Can score five risks on a likelihood-impact matrix and justify each treatment in under ten minutes
Week 8: Achieve at least 75% overall on the mixed practice set with no domain below 60%