The CTA review board's structure and format

This section is mainly meant for those who are targeting the CTA exam. In order to pass the exam, you would need to set a review board with three CTA judges. You will receive a hypothetical scenario and have a limited amount of time to solve it and craft an end-to-end presentation, explaining the different elements of your solution and how you would solve the identified requirements in your scenario. The judges will then ask questions about your solution and challenge it. You are expected to justify, defend, and – if needed – change your solution accordingly.

The following are some more details about the exam:

• Exam prerequisites: The Salesforce Certified Application Architect credential and Salesforce Certified System Architect credential.
• Format: The candidate will review and solve a hypothetical scenario and then present this to a panel of three CTA judges. The presentation is followed by a question and answer session with the judges.
• Time allotted to complete the exam:

  180 minutes for scenario review and solution preparation

  45 minutes for scenario presentation

  40 minutes for scenario Q&A session

An exam facilitator and proctor will be onsite during the exam (or will join virtually if the exam is being executed virtually).

The following materials are provided to the candidate at the review board (onsite). No other materials are allowed. If the exam is onsite, you will need the following:

• A computer with PowerPoint, Word, and Excel (or Keynote, Pages, and Numbers for Mac)
• Flipchart paper
• Blank paper – for candidate notes only
• Pens, highlighters, and markers
• A timer

If the exam is virtual, you will need the following: A computer with PowerPoint, Word, and Excel (or Keynote, Pages, and Numbers for Mac) that the candidate can access via remote desktop.

You can deliver your artifacts/diagrams using one or more of the following tools:

• PowerPoint presentations
• Flipcharts
• Whiteboard (This is not transportable. Remember that you will normally create the solution and artifact in one room and then present it in another.)
• A combination of these

There is no right tool. You need to build your own habits and plans and use whatever works best for you.

Now that you have learned the review board exam's structure, let's find out how it's related to the day-to-day life of a Salesforce Architect.