I did TOGAF 9.0 certification last month (May 2010) and yes I didn't attend any course but since last several month I was also spending lot of time understanding TOGAF 9 so it was smooth sailing for me but trust me with little effort you can also start preparing for TOGAF 9 certification.
Remember certification only prove that you know the correct application (atleast in theory) of TOGAF methodology, just certification won't make you Enterprise Architect.
SAP EAF and related SAP courses like SOA200 and SOA250 are also based on TOGAF so if you are planning to do SAP Enterprise Architecture certifications (associate or professional) you must have have in-depth understanding of TOGAF and probably end-up doing TOGAF certification as well.
TOGAF certification consist 2 levels:
- TOGAF 9 Foundation: prove understanding of basic concepts and terminology of TOGAF 9.
- TOGAF 9 Certified: prove that candidate can analyze and apply knowledge of TOGAF 9.
Exams can be done in 2 ways:
- Step wise: first TOGAF foundation then TOGAF certified In 2 separate exams.
- Combined: Examinations of both levels are done together.
TOGAF 9 certification website (http://www.opengroup.org/togaf9/cert/docs/indiv.tpl ) is good resource to get all the information required for TOGAF 9 certification. Syllabus for TOGAF 9 certification is also available to download on: http://www.opengroup.org/togaf9/cert/docs/TOGAF9_Conformance_Requirements.pdf
How to prepare for exam
My strategy was to target exams in phase wise approach, I prepared one or two topics in a day without going into too much detail in first phase of preparation, and it gives me very good overview of TOGAF which helps me to go into depth of each topic in next cycle of preparation.
For TOGAF beginners I'll suggest first to target TOGAF Foundation exam then go for TOGAF Certified exam.
TOGAF 9 Foundation:
It is a close book objective type exam and TOGAF 9 foundation study guide is a good start for beginners to prepare for the TOGAF 9 foundation exam; it explain all topics in sufficient detail and also includes plenty of test yourself questions to validate your learning, you can also buy TOGAF foundation study guide from TOGAF online book stores (http://www.opengroup.org/bookstore/catalog/b094.htm).
Along with Foundation guide you should also read TOGAF 9 documentation (http://www.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf9-doc/arch/ ) for deeper understanding of the certification topics, but avoid going into too much detail.
TOGAF 9 Certified:
It is an open book scenario based exam, Study guide is also available for this exam but I didn't found it very good. Best way to prepare for this certification is in-depth study of the TOGAF 9 documentation along with syllabus; pay special attention to all topics.
Important topics are listed below (based on experience, questions may not be based on following topics):
Topics | Important subtopics / Preparation hints |
ADM Phases | Steps of all phases, pay attention to keywords of every phase. |
ADM Guidelines and Techniques | Architecture Principles: Technique of defining principles. Stakeholder Management: all |
Architecture Content Framework | Catalogs, diagram and view of ADM phases from A to E |
Enterprise Continuum and Tools | Tools selection criteria, Architecture Repository |
Reference Model | TRM |
Architecture Capability Framework | Architecture Compliance Review, Architecture Governance |
Scenario based questions are very tricky, always chose answer which use maximum number of TOGAF keywords for given approach or very close to TOGAF approach, always carefully scrutinize answer which seems obvious and based on common sense, since this is open book exam you can always refer to book in case of doubts.
Timeline: Time required for preparation will vary from individual to individual but for part-time study two month preparation time should be enough and for fulltime preparation one month should be enough.
Examination Fees: for exact fees in local currency please refer to Prometric web site: http://www.prometric.com/OpenGroup
Sample Questions: Some of the example questions (both multiple choice and scenario based) are prepared by Mr. Chris Eaton are available on his blog: http://chriseaton.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/togaf-9-certification-multiple-choice-questions/ .
I hope this blog will help you to start preparing for TOGAF 9 certification and you can also find plenty of other resources on TOGAF website for self-study.
Update: You can also read my next blog TOGAF learning series – Part 1: Introduction to TOGAF
