TOGAF Certification: Tips You Need to Know
To gain your TOGAF certification, you must pass both the Level 1 and Level 2 of TOGAF certification exams. Fail one of these exams, and you would not achieve an overall pass result, but you can retake the one you lost.
Taking the TOGAF certification is an investment of time; it can be achieved with hard work, perseverance, and a good understanding of the material.
Preparation Tips to Pass TOGAF Certification Exams:
There are no shortcuts, but these TOGAF certification exam tips will help you in achieving TOGAF certification:
- You will have to pace yourself in the exam.
- You do not have to pay for TOGAF certification preparation.
- Do not waste time on questions you cannot answer.
- Make the most of The Open Group’s website.
- How to conquer the TOGAF Level 2 certification exam scenarios.
- Your personal experience is not always the correct answer.
- Learn the TOGAF language.
- Memorize the ADM diagram
- Practice the exam
To help you become closer to an Enterprise Architect role, let’s go deeper into these tips to prepare you for your TOGAF 9 certification exam.
1. You will Have to Pace Yourself in the TOGAF Exam
You have a fixed amount of time to make the questions in your TOGAF exams, and once the clock begins, there is no stopping it. The TOGAF certification exam durations are:
- Level 1: 60 minutes for 40 multiple choice questions
- Level 2: 90 minutes for 8 scenario questions
During the TOGAF exam, make sure you have an eye on the clock, it will be shown at the top of your screen during your exam. If you not a native English speaker, Select the English as a Second Language (ESL) option to take more time, increasing Level 1 duration to 90 minutes and Level 2 duration to 135 minutes.
In the TOGAF Level 1 exam, you only have an average of 90 seconds per question to make your decision. If one hard question is dramatically slowing your progress, you may want to skip it or risk missing more straightforward questions that can be answered quickly.
Complete the TOGAF Level 1 section, and you can choose whether to move onto Level 2. If you do complete the TOGAF Level 1 exam with time to spare, do not rush into Level 2. You would not get more time for the Level 2 section, and you would not be able to respond to Level 1 to make any last-minute eureka changes.
2. Not Have to Pay for TOGAF Certification Preparation
You do not have to pay for your TOGAF certification preparation. From exam simulators to enterprising eBooks, there is a massive range of TOGAF revision sources available online that you do not have to pay for.
3. Do Not Waste Time on Tough Questions
There is no point in spending extra time on the more challenging questions if there are easier ones you could be answering every question is weighted identically.
First, answer the questions that you understand, and you will have more time to return to the trickier ones. Mark those you cannot answer in under 90 seconds on the computerized exam system. After the last question, you will be able to return your pointed questions from the summary page.
Again, only return to the questions you understand you will be able to answer. Try to avoid spending time on difficult questions when easier ones are waiting.
The pass mark for Level 1 is 55%. That means you will only need to answer 22 of the 40 multiple-choice questions accurately.
4. Make the Most of The Open Group’s Website
The Open Group offer the TOGAF exam, so do not underestimate their website as a resource. You will find the TOGAF 9 Standard educational material, a list of recommended TOGAF publications, white papers, and data on the Certified TOGAF 9 Practitioner Program one to think after becoming a TOGAF certified professional.
5. Conquer the TOGAF Level 2 Exam Scenarios
Unlike TOGAF Level 1, the Level 2 exam is an open book, and you will have access to an electronic copy of the term that is built into the Prometric test software.
The TOGAF Level 2 exam consists of just eight scenarios, each with four possible multiple choice answers. These answers are rated: 5 points for the correct answer, 3 for the next closest, 1 for the future, and 0 for the furthest.
Answer every scenario question with a right answer, and you will get 40 points. That is a full 100%, but with a pass rate of 60%, you will only need to get 24 points.
To overcome these scenarios, take your time to analyze and understand them. Grant, which aspects of the Architecture Development Method (ADM) cycle are relevant as well as the concerns of the stakeholders.
Before you make your choice, reduce the wrong answers, and work your way back to the most logical answer. If you can overcome just one incorrect answer, you will still be getting points for that question.
As you will have access to the TOGAF PDF documentation during the TOGAF Level 2 exam, avoid getting side-tracked in this document, you will still have to be smart with your time. It is a great tool that should be used as a source of evidence to assess your judgment, rather than as an in-exam revision guide.
6. Personal Experience Is Not Always the Correct Solution
This one is for experienced enterprise architects. It can be attractive to refer to your own experience when taking the exam, but you are going to need to take the word of TOGAF as law.
It is excellent if you have a cache of personal knowledge and experience, but the exam is designed to test your knowledge of TOGAF, and there is no room for interpretation. What means is the correct implementation of the TOGAF Framework, not what worked for you.
7. Study the TOGAF language
You will want to brush up on your definitions before diving into the exam. TOGAF certification exam questions and answers are precisely phrased using language defined in the TOGAF documentation. You may find it necessary to select the glossary to refer to when studying.
8. Learn the ADM diagram
The Architecture Development Method forms the core of TOGAF and is approved by the other main characters of TOGAF: TOGAF Enterprise continuing and TOGAF Resource Base.
The ADM is summarised briefly in a diagram, which you have undoubtedly already seen if you have not, here is the ADM documentation. Take time to memorize this useful diagram, and it will help you out during your exam.
9. Practice the TOGAF certification exam
There are several practice TOGAF certification exam resources available online, like the TOGAF exam simulator from processexam.com.
Summary
Well, that’s how you can create, run, and manage EA projects after obtaining TOGAF certification.
Now, we will drop some light on the career opportunities that TOGAF certified professionals can opt for. Usually, a lot of companies across different sectors hire TOGAF accredited professionals.
Some of the big names add Accenture, Genpact, PwC, and Mindtree, among others. After getting TOGAF certification, you can work in the role of solution architect, software solutions architect, cloud solutions architect, technical architect, enterprise architect, system architect, principal architect, and enterprise security architect.
Further, as the need for TOGAF certified professionals is growing, their salary packages are increasing too. According to PayScale, the average annual salary of a TOGAF 9 certified professional is USD 134,000. Now, this acts as a significant impact on getting a TOGAF certification!
