TOGAF Certification: Straightforward approach to getting certified
TOGAF is an industry recognized Architecture Framework for creating Enterprise Architecture. I recently got TOGAF Certified, and here I am sharing some of the steps to get it certified and tips for exam preparation.
Getting Certified in TOGAF has its own merits — lets begin with some of them.
Merits of TOGAF Certification
a) It defines a basic vocabulary that architects can use among themselves while discussing about complex scenarios.
b) For developing Architectures, it defines a method containing 10 phases on how to do it.
c) It defines the artifacts to be generated for each Architecture development, and how to categorize them and store it. Having a process of which artifact to generate and storing it in a standard fashion takes out the headache of having to search it all over. Even if a new architect joins the team, he would fairly have an idea which document to look for when he has questions.
While the above being the merits of TOGAF, now let us how getting certified can help.
a) TOGAF is a recognized standard, so for individuals it can be helpful in transitioning to Architecture roles.
b) For organizations, having certified practitioners in Architecture would help establish the claim in their architecture capabilities.
Now let us focus on how to get certified. First we will begin with some of the essential information about the exams.
TOGAF Certification Levels
TOGAF Certification contains two levels — TOGAF Foundation and TOGAF Certified.
To get TOGAF Foundation level, one would need to pass TOGAF Foundation exam. There are no per-requisites to taking this exam.
To get TOGAF Certified level, one would need to pass both TOGAF Foundation and TOGAF Certified exams. It is possible to take a combined exam, and get to TOGAF Certified Level directly and I would prefer this. Reasons are explained later in this article.
TOGAF Foundation Level
TOGAF Foundation Level exam contains 40 Multiple choice questions. The total time for this exam is 60 minutes. It is a closed book exam. To pass this exam, you would need to answer 22 questions correctly, out of 40 questions (i.e., pass percentage is 55%)
Each of these 40 questions have only one correct answer. There will not be any question with more than one correct answers. All these questions are direct, and taken out from the TOGAF Specification. So, if you have read the TOGAF specification well, you will not have any difficulty in answering any of those 40 questions.
TOGAF Certified Level
TOGAF Certified Level exam contains 8 Questions with complex scenarios. The total time for this exam is 90 minutes. This is an Open book exam. The TOGAF Specification is built into the exam software itself and it is possible to refer it during the exam. To pass this exam, you would need 60% — so, you need 24 marks to pass.
These are also multiple choice type questions. However, unlike Foundation exam, this has 3 correct answers and one wrong answer. The Best Correct answer is given 5 marks, the second best is given 3 marks, the third best is given 1 mark and the wrong answer (called “Distractor”) is given none.
If we do a quick calculation, five best answers are enough to pass the exam. It is also possible to pass the exam with all second best answers (8 questions * 3 marks for second best = 24 marks), however it is a risky zone, and it is difficult to identify the second best from the third best.
These scenario based questions would test the applied knowledge of TOGAF spec, and hence the questions are not direct. Some times, it would require the understanding of multiple Parts of the TOGAF to provide a suitable answer to a question. This is a tougher exam, in my opinion.
Exam Preparations — Getting Ready
Step 1: Create an account in Open Group website, as it is essential to get downloadable materials, book an exam etc. Open Group Website Link
Step 2: Book the exam. Unless there is a goal, getting certified will remain a wish. Having the exams already booked is enough motivation to study. You can book just Part 1 exam, and do the Part 2 later. However I recommend to do it both at a time as a Combined exam. Reason is, you are going to study the same TOGAF specification for both, and the syllabus overlaps. You can register for the exam here — Take an Examination
This will take you to Pearson VUE web site, through Single Sign-on, for scheduling the exam in the nearest Pearson VUE exam center.
The exam fees at the time of writing are : Part 1 exam: $320, Part 2 exam: $320, Combined Part 1 & Part 2: $495. Local taxes extra. If you notice, Combined Part & Part 2 works out cheaper, this is also the reason why I prefer taking the Combined exam.
Step 3: Download and organize the exam study materials from Open Group Website, as that is the most reliable source. Some of the most important resources:
i) TOGAF Syllabus for both Exams
ii) TOGAF Specification — Latest TOGAF 9.2 Standard — This is a licensed resource, and we can use it for free for 90 days of download.
iii) TOGAF Self-Study Pack — This material is not free and would cost about $60. I would say this is optional, as everything we need is there in the TOGAF Specification. What they have done in the Self-study pack is just pull out the parts of the TOGAF Specification based on the Syllabus and put them in the order as per the Syllabus. So, if you just want one book to study you can order this. There are also some Sample questions available here, which can be used to get an idea.
Preparations — Study Period
For TOGAF Part 1 and Part 2 combined, I would say a sincere preparation of at least 2 months, with 8 full weekends available for study. It will take some time to grasp the Concepts in TOGAF, so it is not possible to complete the study on one weekend. Ideally, you can have 3 months of complete Study to crack these exams.
TOGAF Specification is heavily generalized and hence difficult to understand. It requires reading each section several times to begin understanding what they mean. The vocabulary is difficult to understand at the beginning and as we read through it multiple times we would figure out what they mean.
(Off Topic: We humans have Cognitive Intelligence, so even if we do not understand anything at first, with enough repetitions, we figure out what it means — Repetition is the key here, and that is why I say we need a lot of time to study this thing)
Where to begin
We have got the study materials, and we know that it is a slightly tough nut to crack, so what is our approach and where to begin?
First let us focus on Foundation Level — As we understand the concepts better, we can start exploring more into Certified Level.
Here is the split-up of Foundation Level Questions:
- Basic Concepts — 3 questions
- Core Concepts — 3 questions
- Introduction to the ADM — 3 questions
- The Enterprise Continuum and Tools — 4 questions
- ADM Phases — 9 questions
- ADM Guidelines and Techniques — 6 questions
- Architecture Governance — 4 questions
- Architecture Views, Viewpoints, and Stakeholders — 2 questions
- Building Blocks — 2 questions
- ADM Deliverables — 2 questions
- TOGAF Reference Models — 2 questions
As you can see, a) Introduction to ADM, b) ADM Phases, c) ADM Guidelines and Techniques d) ADM Deliverables — This already covers 21 questions out of 40. So ADM is the most important area to focus and in this area we need to know in and out.
Before this, one important point — It is important to memorize the Table of Contents! Yes, I am not joking, it is necessary to know which chapter falls under which part of TOGAF. There are seven parts of TOGAF and I saw some questions testing the knowledge on how TOGAF specification is organized. This knowledge will also be very useful when attempting questions for Certified level Open book exam, where you must know by heart which chapter to look for, when you need to refer the material quickly.
ADM (Architecture Development Method)
ADM contains 10 phases. It is really important to know the following:
a) Objectives of each Phase
b) Steps that are followed in each Phase
c) Input and Output of each Phase
d) Understand the Deliverables for each phase
Expect questions to test the areas where it may be confusing. For example, there are some overlaps between Phase E: Opportunities and Solutions, and Phase F: Migration Planning (For example — Roadmap components are identified and grouped in Phase E, while they are prioritized for implementation in Phase F).
You can expect questions like “In which phase is <Step name> performed” or “Which phase generates the <Deliverable Name>” with four different phase names as choices. While the book provides description about the different phases, you need to know what is done in which phase, i.e We should be ready to expect questions to test our understanding in the reverse order by giving the step / deliverable, and asking for the Phase name.
I would suggest to use Mind Maps technique to map Steps / Deliverables to each phase and remember it correctly.
There are a few guidelines & techniques that are used during ADM cycles, such as Gap Analysis, Architecture Principles, Stakeholder Management etc., These are mentioned in the ADM Phases (Part II of TOGAF), but not explained. These are explained separately in “ADM Guidelines and Techniques”. We should study the ADM Guidelines & Techniques and map that understanding back to ADM Phases. For this reason, I would recommend the study of ADM Phases, ADM Guidelines and Techniques at least 2–3 times in full.
In TOGAF Spec, Architecture Deliverables chapter (Chapter 36) there is an important resource Section 36.1 — This contains a table mentioning, which deliverable is coming out of which phase. Moreover, each deliverable is explained in this chapter. This knowledge also should be applied back to ADM Phases.
I have mentioned the above cases as just examples, and keep connecting each information from different portions of TOGAF to each other. That is how we get the grasp of the subject.
If you have studied for the complete syllabus for Foundation, and understood the concepts well, start practicing the mock questions. There are several online resources for this. No need to purchase anything. Enough to practice the free resources available online — This will give an idea of how the questions would be like.
Preparing for Certified Level
There is a separate syllabus for Certified level, but there are several overlaps. Understanding of all the previous concepts such as ADM, Enterprise Continuum are mandatory for preparing for this level. Here in this level, some of the areas that are not covered as part of Foundation Level need to be studied. However, it need not be memorized, as there won’t be any questions testing the memory.
Though it is an Open book exam, i would recommend to study the concepts well, and attempt the questions like a Closed book. From my experience, I can tell you this. In my center, the internet connection was slow, and the loading of the TOGAF specification for reference took a lot of time. So, never rely on the Open book part. Plan to open the reference not more than a few times during the exam as it takes time.
Here in this level, the understanding from different areas will be tested. A scenario is given, and they would ask you how you would handle the situation if you are an architect. This assumes the understanding of different parts like Security Architecture, Risk Management, ADM Iterations etc.
Before the exam
Spend last one or two weeks just revising what you learnt. I would suggest to keep the notes you prepared as handy and use that as the primary source, and use TOGAF spec as reference during this time. In my case, I kept all the notes as mind maps by drawing a lot of pictures having a lot of nodes connecting to each other
For the exam, ensure that you take all the necessary stuff like your Identity card, address proofs, print out of the Appointment etc. Be present in the exam center 30 minutes before the appointment.
Pearson VUE center would give the writing pad and pen usually. But still as a professional, keep a notepad and pen always with you in your bag, not just for the exam, but always.
During the exam
If you take the Combined exam (which I would recommend), then the Foundation and Certified level tests gets loaded one after the other. The remaining time is shown in the test window. It is possible to go back and forth between the questions. Please read the instructions explaining the usage of the software before starting the exam.
For Foundation Level, it is simple — just answer the questions one after the other. Mark the questions that are doubtful for later revisit. Once you have completed all 40 questions, you can come back to the questions that are doubtful. Usually there is a high possibility that the answer that we first selected is correct, so do not change the answer unless there is a very good reason to do so.
For Certified Level, it takes time to read the questions. Each line is important, and gives some valuable information. Keep noting down such useful information ignoring the non-essentials. To complete this exam in the stipulated 90 minutes, we must attempt each question in 10 minutes. I would say that is still difficult, because we need to read through the scenario and note down important points, and read through each answer while noting down the points from each answer, then evaluating which is the best answer.
I found the Udemy Course “Part 2 Certified Enterprise Architect Certification Training” by Scott Duffy to be helpful in approaching the Certified Level test. He provides some useful information, like assigning 5, 3, 1 and 0 against each answer based on our evaluation. After ordering the answers from Best to worst, we can go ahead and select the best answer in our opinion. Though in some cases, our understanding might be different from how TOGAF evaluates, we can at least get the second best if not the best answer.
One more point regarding the Certified level questions — The answer must be in line with what TOGAF suggests. It may be completely opposite from our previous beliefs or even from our experience we would have done it entirely different. If in doubt we can refer the TOGAF spec during the exam. But since the time is very important, try to understand each part of the TOGAF just before the exam. Moreover as mentioned earlier, know the Parts and Chapters of TOGAF well, so if in case you need to refer, you know which chapter to go, without wasting time.
Concluding Remarks
If you have been skimming this article, your key takeaway should be this:
This is not an exam you can clear with one night of study. And rely on yourselves rather than useless question banks!
The test is a difficult one, but giving enough time to prepare and with consistent daily efforts, the certification can be achieved. Once cleared the certification will definitely give you an edge which no other programming certification can give.
If you reached this far, I hope you liked the article, please leave your thoughts in comments. If you are preparing for the exam, I would be happy to answer any queries you have regarding this. All the very best!
I am a Software Developer by profession, and a TOGAF 9 Certified Architect. You can connect with me through LinkedIn.
