Appreciate your feedback in advance !!!: May 2015

I got TOGAF 9.1 certification recently and thought about sharing my experience with the folks aspiring for TOGAF certification. You may find the TOGAF links provided in this blog helpful. Please feel free to leave your feedback/comments.

Why TOGAF certification?:

I worked as 'Application Architect' for the client which happens to be one of the biggest insurance companies in US. I got a chance to work in one of their key projects that required us to develop the architecture for their Claim division. We analyzed all the industry standard architecture frameworks and found TOGAF most suitable probably because it is built on open standards and flexible enough to be customized. TOGAF's ADM and its rich content framework came handy for successful completion of the project. Ever since, I wanted to obtain TOGAF certification.

Exam Structure:

In order to get TOGAF certified, following two exams needs to be passed:

1) Part1 (TOGAF Foundation) Exam: This exam comprises 40 questions in multiple choice format. Exam duration is 60 min and pass mark is 55%.

2) Part2 (TOGAF Certified) Exam: This exam comprises 8 scenario based questions. Exam duration is 90 min and pass mark is 60%.

Above exams can be taken together or separately. However, passing Part1 exam is pre-requirement for Part2 exam. I took Part1 and Part2 exams together.

How long does it take to prepare for the exam?:

It depends on individual's learning speed and prior experience with the TOGAF. I had the hands-on experience with TOGAF and still it took around 10 weeks of preparation. I went for self-study, but instructor led training is available for this exam. I will suggest to first go through the exam requirements and study materials before making a decision to book the exam date through Prometric. However, good thing is that the exam can be rescheduled without paying any fee if done at least 7 days prior to the exam date (more details on http://www.opengroup.org/togaf/cert/docs/TOGAF_Certification_Agreement.html).

Strategy to crack the exam:

Study guide (find the link below) for Part1 seems to be enough to pass that exam. However, Part2 exam is tricky and requires the application of TOGAF knowledge in solving the complex scenarios encountered by Enterprise Architects. This exam requires the in-depth knowledge of TOGAF and lot of practice to use the knowledge in TOGAF way. Study guide comes with few practice exams. Practice exams are available on the web also.

Important Links:

Below are the important links related to TOGAF (Current Version is 9.1) certification: