The Six Sigma Black Belt Certification exam is hard to crack but not impossible. Most applicants fail a few times before they’re able to clear it. You need to set aside dedicated time, and also make the most out of your study experience. This guide will dive into the details and cover how to pass the Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. Having good test-taking strategies and study guides will go a long way toward making your exam prep journey easier. Be sure to take your time reading through this post and apply all the lessons shared for a successful learning experience.
Six Sigma Black Belt Preparation Resources
The Council for Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification has made it convenient for applicants to prepare for these exams by offering many free resources. The self-study route is the best option for those who cannot afford to undergo traditional mentorship or in-person classes.
If you’re learning independently, all you need are these study guides. Go through them and get ready to appear for the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Course exam once you’re ready:
- Statistics for Six Sigma Made Easy! Revised and Expanded Second Edition by Warren Brussee
- Six Sigma: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide (covers all the belts)
- Six Sigma for Powerful Improvement: A Green Belt DMAIC Training System by Charles T. Carroll
- Six Sigma White Belt Certification Manual by Council for Six Sigma Certification
- Khan Academy
- Six Sigma Demystified, 2nd Edition by Paul Keller
- A Guide to Six Sigma and Process Improvement for Practitioners and Students: Foundations, DMAIC, Tools, Cases, and Certification (2nd Edition)
- Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Manual by Council for Six Sigma Certification
- The Cartoon Guide to Statistics
- Six Sigma and Minilab: A Complete Toolbox Guide for All Six Sigma Practitioners
You can find most of these books at your community library or purchase them from an online eCommerce store like Amazon or eBay. The exam is an open book examination, and the first book you get is the Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook (Third Edition), authored by T.M. Kubiak and Donald W. Benbow. You need to clear the Green Belt certification if you’re thinking of applying for Six Sigma Black Belt training.
Six Sigma Body of Knowledge
Once you’ve gone through the listed study guides, you must be well-versed with the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge.
The Lean Six Sigma Body of Knowledge is a collection of comprehensive topics that are commonly accepted and recognized by IASSC standards. If you want an excellent foundation before applying for the Six Sigma Black Belt Certification exam, you can clear your Six Sigma Green Belt Certification. However, this is not mandatory, and you can directly start preparing for your Six Sigma Black Belt certification exam. You can learn more about the Six Sigma Master Black Belt by joining a professional organization like the KnowledgeHut or accessing resources published online on LinkedIn and Wikipedia.
Additionally, it is important to note that studying the Lean Six Sigma Body of Knowledge isn’t enough to prepare for these exams; it is merely a prerequisite. Other books you should study to prep well include (but are not limited to):
- Implementing Six Sigma: Smarter Solutions Using Statistical Methods
- The Memory Jogger II
- Integrated Enterprise Excellence: Improvement Project Execution: A Management and Black Belt Guide for Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard
- Tolerance Design: A Handbook for Developing Optimal Specifications by Clyde M. Creveling
- Introduction to Probability and Statistics by William Mendenhall
- Practical Nonparametric Statistics, 3rd Edition, by W.J. Conover
- Benchmarking: The Search for Industry Best Practices That Lead to Superior Performance by Robert C. Camp
SSBB Exam Preparation Training
The best way to prepare for the Black Belt Certification exam is to apply for Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification and clear it. You can apply for Six Sigma Black Belt training after that and proceed to sit for your exam. There is no mandatory requirement to complete Green Belt, but this route is still recommended as it ensures you have an easier time clearing the exam on your first attempt. The Green Belt certification imbues strong foundations, and there are several online training materials revolving around this.
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General Six Sigma Knowledge
General Six Sigma knowledge can help you get acquainted with the Six Sigma exam topics and have a strong understanding of the material. The benefit of having general knowledge is that it prepares you for applying concepts to real-world scenarios. You can review case studies and do a deeper analysis.
The Harvard Business Review has plenty of examples, and you can also take advantage of Google News for more. You can refer to the CSSBB Six Sigma Black Belt handbook to get the full syllabus for the exam free. Participate in community events to broaden your general Six Sigma knowledge as well. Taking the KnowledgeHut Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Course and finishing it is also an excellent way to prepare for the exam.
Practical Six Sigma Knowledge
The best way to get hired by top employers after completing your certification is by exhibiting practical Six Sigma knowledge through projects. You get a real-world exposure and hands-on experience by working on them.
All professionals have to do a project before appearing for the exam. It’s important to ensure you use Six Sigma tools to carry out the project and work with a real company. Some examples of such projects are:
- Reducing defects in product manufacturing workflows
- Reduced times for HR recruitment cycles
- Faster machine manufacturing and setup times
Analyze Weaknesses and Improve Them
A great way to identify weaknesses and improve them is by taking a sample exam. You won’t know much about the cutoff requirement, so it’s always best to study the preparation materials thoroughly. The Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt has at least ten categories and 150 multiple-choice questions. You need to clear the exam within 4 hours, which means you cannot spend more than an average of 1 minute 33 seconds for each question.
Carry all your reference materials when taking the sample exam, and don’t skip questions. If you don’t know the answer or if it takes you more than 1 minute 30 seconds to respond, pick randomly. If you get anything above 90% on the sample exam, you did well and are ready for the main examination.
You can make a Pareto chart of your weak categories and take multiple mini exams to turn your weaknesses into strengths. You can take mini exams based on category and get your wrong answers right. You're ready for the next category if you can get only 2 incorrect answers out of 25 questions and can answer the rest confidently. Also, don’t focus too much on one area for too long. Your study schedule is limited, and you have to keep that in mind.
You can improve your test-taking speed and accuracy by ensuring you acquire a better understanding of the study material. Master the Primer, and be sure to do multiple full 4-hour simulated exams before you think of attempting the real deal.
Study Notes and Sample Questions
You can refer to the following study notes and sample question reference list to aid your exam prep:
- Kubiak and Benbow’s Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook
- Mock question papers and practice exams
Conclusion
Now that you know everything about preparing for the Lean black belt exams, it’s time to get started. Be sure to talk to other students and learn more about their exam prep experience!
