# Certification and Learning

## Standard knowledge versus certification

Using TOGAF does not require personal certification. Certification provides a
structured learning path and independently administered assessment; practical
competence also requires applying the ideas in real contexts.

The Open Group’s current portfolio includes paths based on both TOGAF 9.2 and
the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition. For current names, prerequisites, languages,
exam rules, and fees, always verify the
[official certification portfolio](https://www.opengroup.org/certifications/togaf).

## 10th Edition learning paths

The principal Enterprise Architecture path based on the 10th Edition is:

- **TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation** — terminology, concepts, ADM
  structure, and foundational knowledge;
- **TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Practitioner** — applying and tailoring the
  method in scenarios.

The portfolio also includes Business Architecture and focused credentials. The
official portfolio may evolve independently of the stable Fundamental Content.

## What to learn first

### Foundation

Be able to explain:

- what Enterprise Architecture and TOGAF are;
- the modular 10th Edition structure;
- core terms;
- purpose and flow of every ADM phase;
- Requirements Management;
- stakeholder, view, and viewpoint relationships;
- deliverables, artifacts, and building blocks;
- governance, repository, and Enterprise Continuum concepts.

### Practitioner

Be able to:

- configure and scope the ADM;
- select fit-for-purpose techniques and content;
- analyze stakeholders and concerns;
- develop baseline, target, gap, and roadmap;
- reason about trade-offs and implementation;
- integrate risk and governance;
- respond to scenario evidence rather than repeat definitions.

## A six-week self-study plan

| Week | Focus | Practice |
|---:|---|---|
| 1 | Enterprise Architecture and core concepts | Explain each term in your own words |
| 2 | Preliminary, Phase A, Requirements | Scope a fictional engagement |
| 3 | Phases B, C, and D | Create one linked view per domain |
| 4 | Phases E, F, G, and H | Build roadmap, governance, and change response |
| 5 | Content, techniques, capability, repository | Classify sample artifacts and decisions |
| 6 | Scenario practice and revision | Work timed questions and review weak areas |

Use the official Body of Knowledge and accredited material as the exam source of
truth. This handbook is a learning aid, not an exam specification.

## Study methods that work

- draw the ADM from memory and explain why each phase exists;
- compare easily confused terms;
- create your own example from vision through roadmap;
- practice identifying the best next action in a scenario;
- explain how requirements affect and are affected by each phase;
- review wrong answers by concept, not just question;
- use spaced repetition for vocabulary after understanding it.

## Commonly confused pairs

| Pair | Distinction |
|---|---|
| View / viewpoint | Actual representation / conventions for constructing it |
| Deliverable / artifact | Reviewed work product / content representation |
| ABB / SBB | Required architecture behavior / implementation realization |
| Baseline / target | Relevant current state / intended future state |
| Transition / roadmap | Intermediate coherent state / sequence of change |
| Continuum / repository | Classification concept / managed store |
| Architecture Definition / Requirements Specification | What architecture is / what it must satisfy |
| Roadmap / Implementation and Migration Plan | Strategic sequence / executable integrated plan |

## Certification caveats

- Exam policies can change.
- TOGAF 9 certifications and 10th Edition learning paths are distinct.
- An exam may provide specific reference material; verify its rules before test
  day.
- Use only legitimate official or licensed study material.
- Certification shows assessed knowledge, not automatic authority or
  architecture judgment.

## After certification

Build practitioner skill by:

- facilitating a real stakeholder and concern analysis;
- creating a capability-to-investment trace;
- developing transition architectures;
- running an architecture decision process;
- governing one exception from request through closure;
- measuring whether the architecture improved an outcome;
- contributing a reusable pattern or lesson to the repository.

[Next: Glossary and quick reference](12-glossary-and-quick-reference.html)