Careers in any domain, sector, industry, or function grow well when you start and groom them smartly. Today, that means having a specialist qualification over and above your university degree to prove you are ready and capable of top-grade performance in complex roles. The ABSP™ certification in the early stages of a career stands you out as the leader-in-the-making because you can link business strategy and skills in strategic analysis with your KRAs. ABSP™ stands as the world's most widely respected global qualification in business strategy for young professionals, uniquely positioned as the only one of its kind today. Trust the standards-backed rigor of ABSP™ to position you strongly in your chosen professional specialization in virtually any industry.
Choose ABSP™ to rise above your peers by proving that your inclination towards strategy naturally tunes and aligns your work approach with the goals, plans, and strategies of your organization. Today, organizations look for proven analytical skillsets and strong business comprehension abilities when they are picking their next bunch of leaders. Your ABSP™ credential and the knowledge base and understanding of strategy that you develop during your certification journey stand you out and set you up for accelerated career growth.
Click here to register for ABSP™
The ABSP™ Certification Package fee covers the ABSP™ online certification exam, the Business Strategy Handbook, the digital badge, and the printed ABSP™ certificates and lapel pins. Additionally, the fee covers shipping for all materials. However, it does not cover any special local taxes, duties, or levies that may be applicable in the receiver's, consignee's, or applicant's country. Refund requests made within 24 hours of making the payment will be subject to a processing charge of US$ 80. No refunds will be issued for registration cancellation requests made after 24 hours of registration.
Please note that The Strategy Institute(TSI) is a certification body and does not handle the delivery of training programs nor does it have any control over any aspect of the training and education provided by its training partners. TSI does not regulate or dictate the training program fees charged by any training company or education provider for any TSI certification.
Young professionals excelling in complex business and management functions show evolved instincts for comprehending and aligning their work approach to the business, growth and corporate strategies of their organizations. The ABSP™ credential demonstrates a robust strategic mindset and differentiates professionals sharpest for their potential, promise and readiness to thrive in the most challenging and high-impact roles in any management function, industry vertical or business space.
Click here to register for ABSP™
You rely on the ABSP™ certification to prepare you best for big-ticket roles in virtually any industry or business vertical.
ABSP™ works strongly for you, whatever your academic background, or whichever professional function you may wish to excel and rise in. ABSP™ candidates hail from diverse specializations and functional exposures.
A substantial number of ABSP™ applicants have backgrounds in management consulting, finance, digital business, product management, consumer sales, project management, technology, and other related areas.
ABSP™ is also highly attractive for young professionals from fields like data analytics, financial consulting, business intelligence, supply chain, business process management, investment banking, software engineering, and education marketing among others.
Click here to register for ABSP™
..if you are looking to accelerate your career after putting in three years in a business- or management-focused function or professional domain in any industry vertical or sector. The ABSP™ certification journey will help build an invaluable new layer of knowledge and skills in strategic analysis and business strategy on top of the academic knowledge, skills, and qualifications you obtained during your university degree program. You can also apply if you are a Master’s or an MBA student graduating from any of the TSI-affiliated/ recognized universities or business schools.
Check out more on the ABSP™ candidacy norms down here, or write to us in Contact Us for advice and assistance.
Check out
Join our mailing list to get the latest insights and updates from the world of business and strategy and exclusive promotions delivered straight into your inbox. Sign up today!
After completing the ABSP™ registration, candidates receive a printed copy of the Business Strategy Handbook to aid them in preparing for the ABSP™ exam. Additionally, registered ABSP™ candidates will have access to electronic reading and reference materials on their exclusive myTSI dashboards. The materials are designed to help candidates create a strong foundation in strategic analysis, business strategy, and decision-making and gain a deeper understanding of how to apply strategic thinking in their work.
The ABSP™ package also includes the exam fee, a digital ABSP™ badge, and a credential kit with a printed ABSP™ certificate and lapel pin for candidates who successfully qualify for the ABSP™ certification award.
Disclaimer: The Business Strategy Handbook, kits, certificates, and other materials in the image are for illustrative purposes only. Their designs and colors may change without notice. The tablet featured in the image is meant to demonstrate the digital badging included in the package. To receive the certificate and lapel pin, candidates must pass the ABSP™ exam and complete all other requirements necessary to qualify for the certification award.
Professionals holding a Bachelor’s degree with a work experience of atleast 5 years and Master’s degree with a work experience of atleast 3 years (preferably in business/ finance/ human resource/ economics/ management or in a closely related discipline) from a nationally or internationally recognized institution, can apply for the ABSP™ certification program. Graduating students of Master's/ MBA programs cannot apply unless their alma mater is a TSI-recognized/ affiliated institution, or they have been formally recommended by a competent academic authority back in their university/ institution/ b-school.
MBA/ Master’s degree holders with at least 3 years of work history in any management or business function or industry
Bachelor’s degree holders with at least 5 years of work history in any management or business function or industry
Students of MBA/ Master’s programs in TSI-recognized/ affiliated institutions
*If your business school/ university is not yet affiliated with The Strategy Institute, your Program Head can apply for TSI Affiliation here.
Discover more
There’s never a better moment to apply and register for ABSP™ than now! Registration is convenient and fast. Just click here to reach the online application form, complete it, pay your fee online, and you’re done! You can use the links below to understand the application process more vividly. You can also Contact Us for more information.
The ABSP™ certification exam aims to primarily evaluate conceptual and applied knowledge of the core principles, theories, frameworks and techniques of strategic analysis, strategy formulation and strategy execution at various levels in an organization across different stages in its life cycle. The exam also seeks to assess generic understanding of the dynamics of models and environments of business and industry. The ABSP™ certification exam, pursuant to the TSI body of knowledge, does not dwell much on the foundational science of strategic management per se, and instead focuses on aspects that define the core processes and approaches of identifying and managing problems and opportunities related to the health, survival and growth of businesses of organizations.
Candidates entering the ABSP™ program with a sound and clear awareness of the world of global business, and a foundational understanding of strategic management principles and process, generally experience swifter and deeper learning during their ABSP™ certification journey. Such candidates also find preparing effectively for the ABSP™ exam is much easier and faster.
ABSP™ exam features questions drawn from a wide selection of business strategy areas defined in the TSI body of knowledge as essential for individuals intending to be certified by TSI. Though the Business Strategy Handbook provided to all ABSP™ candidates is not exactly a training or exam-preparation manual, it does guide the framework and coverage of the ABSP™ certification exam. All ABSP™ examinees are strongly advised to refer to other books and reference material for smarter exam preparation.
Learn the latest in the Art and Science of Business Strategy by earning ABSP™.
A typical ABSP™ exam consists of 50 questions, with a mix of fact-based and critical analysis and judgment-based questions. Some exams may feature only one type of question.
TYPE A - FACT-BASED QUESTIONS
Fact-based questions directly test the exam taker's ability to recollect concepts, principles, techniques, and generally accepted practices correctly and precisely in contemporary business strategy. As exam-takers respond to these types of questions, they demonstrate an understanding of critical concepts and issues covered in the TSI body of knowledge. These questions are fact-based, with the answer options being clear statements, either clearly correct or incorrect. There is only one CORRECT answer, and exam-takers are scored only if the correct options are selected.
TYPE B - CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND JUDGMENT-BASED QUESTIONS
Critical analysis and judgment-based questions test the exam-taker's understanding of concepts, principles, and techniques at an advanced level and their ability to apply their critical analysis and judgment in gauging business strategy challenges. Ultimately, these questions contribute to the development of well-rounded business strategists. These questions have four answer choices, and ONLY one of these four would be incorrect. The rest of the three answers would be correct, but they represent varying levels of suitability for the situation expressed. The best of these three answers carries the maximum 10 marks, and the least suitable is the least – 5 marks. The third correct answer with mid-level suitability carries 7.5 marks. Exam-takers must choose only one of these four answer choices, and they are scored 0, 5, 7.5, or 10, depending on their choice of answer–option.
The ABSP™ exam aims at validating candidates' potential to effectively deploy widely adopted concepts and techniques of business strategy and strategic thinking and analysis to improve their performance across the entire spectrum of functions in a typically large organization or a business system. The ABSP™ exam validates this potential by assessing candidates' conceptual, theoretical and applied knowledge of core and generally followed principles, frameworks, techniques and models of strategic analysis and decision-making in varying business contexts, scenarios and environments that organizations encounter across different stages in their life-cycle. The ABSP™ exam content is aligned to the TSI body of knowledge, which the TSI Business Strategy Handbook covers reasonably well. Indeed, since the business strategy space is extremely dynamic, all ABSP™ candidates are expected to also refer to external journals and books; listen to podcasts of experts and participate in professional development activities and events to enrich their perspective of strategy in business.
Usually, a cumulative score of 65%-70% on an ABSP™ exam can be deemed worthy of certification. However, an examinee's real, individual scores do not eventually decide the recommendation for a certification award. Instead, a score scaling and rationalization mechanism is used to make certification decisions to nullify geographic and environmental factors with potential to skew performance. As such, the certifying benchmark should not be used as a specific number to determine passing or failing performance on the exam.
ABSP™ is for young professionals aspiring to move to more challenging and higher-impact roles in their areas of professional specialization. ABSP™ exam, hence aligns to the TSI body of knowledge, which covers essential topics in which knowledge is necessary for ABSP™ candidates to prove their fitness for complex roles. It is critical that all ABSP™ candidates focus on widening their understanding of how the strategy of their organizations impacts the deliverables of their own roles, and hence relate more sharply to their KRAs at work. While the Business Strategy Handbook builds a very good mental framework of core concepts in business strategy to aid in preparing for the ABSP™ exam, additional external reading is also essential to improve awareness of current strategic thinking and strategic analysis trends. Business Strategy is an evolving discipline and will perhaps never become an exact science, which makes containing the entire practice into a single textbook impossible.
While ABSP™ candidates are advised to use the TSI Handbook on Business Strategy as their main reference for preparing for their ABSP™ exam, it is just one piece in preparation for the ABSP™ examination. Although a sizable number of questions in a typical ABSP™ exam are drawn from content which is available in the Handbook, the rest of the questions may be drawn from content from other sources. TSI therefore strongly advises all examinees to research other online and offline resources to increase their knowledge of concepts and awareness about how business strategy impacts various functions and decision-making in an organization.
After successfully passing the ABSP™ certification exam, you will receive a link to your ABSP™ digital badge within 96 hours. You can access your digital badge through the CredBadge™ platform and showcase your credential online.
Steps to Share Your Digital Badge
Since ABSP™ expires permanently after 3 years, upgrading it to SBSP™ is mandatory once its 3-year term expires. However, SBSP™ certificants who meet SBSP™ candidacy norms do not need to wait for 3 years and are permitted to upgrade to SBSP™ any time 12 calendar months after the date of ABSP™ certification award. Further, upgrading to SBSP™ does not require passing the SBSP™ certification exam. However, all upgrade candidates mandatorily need to complete the standard SBSP™ learning journey and make a detailed statement explaining their demonstrated commitment and efforts toward continuously enhancing and enriching your professional skills, knowledge and competence.
To meet the requirements for upgrade to SBSP™, additional readings and assignments have to be completed by all upgrade applicants on themes on disruptive strategy, best practices and enterprise experiences. Besides receiving a handbook on disruptive strategy, upgrade candidates also have reading material stacked on their myTSI dashboard. Eligible ABSP™ certificants periodically receive reminder messages for upgrading from ABSP™ to SBSP™, or they can log into their myTSI dashboard and register for ABSP™ upgrade to SBSP™ after verifying their candidacy. Please note that not upgrading from ABSP™ to SBSP™ even after 6 months of expiry of the ABSP™ credential leads to cancellation of the upgrade opportunity, and such ABSP™ certificants will require to apply afresh for SBSP™.
*Please note that after upgrade to SBSP™, the ABSP™ credential will automatically expire.
Register for ABSP™ upgrade by logging into your myTSI dashboard.
Pay applicable SBSP™ upgrade fee online from your myTSI dashboard. The fee amount depends on the timing of upgrade application and also includes cost of additional handbook and its shipment.
Complete the prescribed readings and assignments as instructed on the myTSI dashboard
Complete the prescribed declaration on continuing professional development on the myTSI dashboard.
Upgrade decisions are usually communicated within a week of applicants completing their upgrade formalities, readings, submissions and assignments. The SBSP™ digital badge is issued within 24 hours of approval of upgrade and the SBSP™ credential certificate is shipped within 2 to 3 weeks.
| Upgrade Code | Upgrade* Categories | Upgrade Timeline | Upgrade Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| CASI-5 | Advance Upgrade to SBSP™ of an active ABSP™ credential | Advance Upgrade can be done any time 12 months after the award of the ABSP™ credential, and at least 1 year before the scheduled expiry of its 3-year validity | Fee applicable for Advance upgrade to SBSP™ is USD 1200 |
| CASI-6 | Standard Upgrade to SBSP™ of an active ABSP™ credential | Standard Upgrade must be done during the 3rd year of an active ABSP™ credential at least 2 calendar months before the scheduled expiry of its 3-year validity. Candidates missing the Standard Upgrade opportunity must try to complete their upgrade within the Extension period. | Fee applicable for Standard upgrade to SBSP™ is USD 1300 |
| CASI-7 | Upgrade during the Extension Period | The Extension period extends to a maximum of 90 days from the due upgrade date. Missing Upgrade within the Extension period leads to cancellation of the Upgrade opportunity, and such ABSP™ certificants, if they are interested in SBSP™ will require to register afresh like other applicants. | EXTENSION PERIOD UPGRADE fee to be paid for Upgrade to SBSP™ credential within the Extension period is USD 1500 |
Upgrade requests not covered under the above categories will be decided upon their individual merits. The ABSP™ certification automatically expires after 3 years and cannot be renewed.
CredBadge™ is a proprietary, secure, digital badging platform that provides for seamless authentication and verification of credentials across digital media worldwide.
CredBadge™ powered credentials ensure that professionals can showcase and verify their qualifications and credentials across all digital platforms, and at any time, across the planet.
Please enter the License Number/Unique Credential Code of the certificant. Results will be displayed if the person holds an active credential from TSI.
Keep yourself informed on the latest updates and information about business strategy by subscribing to our newsletter.
