iSAQB CPSA Foundation Level

No. iSAQB highly recommends an accredited classroom or online course from an iSAQB Accredited Training Provider, usually three to four days covering all relevant exam topics, but states it is also possible to take the CPSA‑F exam without attending Foundation Level training. Independent candidates should work through the official curriculum and mock exam.

iSAQB lists at least 18 months of practical software development experience gained outside education, knowledge of and practice in at least one higher programming language, basics of modelling and abstraction, basics of UML (class, package, component, sequence diagrams) and their relation to source code, and practical experience in technical documentation such as source code, system designs, or technical concepts.

The Foundation Level curriculum has six parts: basics of software architecture and the architect's role; description and communication of architectures; design and development; architecture and quality; tools for software architects; and examples of software architectures. iSAQB states that Parts 1–5 are relevant to the CPSA‑F certification exam, so the examples part supports understanding but is not exam content.

Those details are not published on the pages summarized here. iSAQB publishes a separate Examination Rules document covering duration, types of questions, scoring, privacy, and confidentiality, including short examples of question types. Download that document in your preferred language and read it before booking, rather than relying on second-hand claims.

Work through the official curriculum chapter by chapter in the order of Parts 1–5, since the exam follows those five areas. Then use the 38-question mock exam under time pressure, mark every wrong answer against the curriculum, and reread those sections. Finish by practising documentation and communication tasks, which carry a large share of the practical content.

iSAQB states the Foundation Level mock exam contains 38 questions and is based on the real exam, and publishes a separate answer file. Treat it as a diagnostic and a format familiarization, not a score predictor, because the real exam length and scoring are defined in the Examination Rules document rather than in the mock exam.

iSAQB explicitly says CPSA certification is not a vocational qualification but proof of knowledge in software architecture, and that it is not entitled to award vocational qualifications. It proposes "Certified Professional for Software Architecture by iSAQB". In Germany it notes legal uncertainty around the title "Software Architect" and recommends checking your own country's rules on vocational qualifications.

Yes, within limits. Contact the certification body that conducted your exam, or iSAQB directly. iSAQB states that generally you can request a copy of your certificate within 10 years after the date of the exam, so keep a record of your exam date and the certification body you used.

Each release cycle is two years. The Foundation Level working group updates the curriculum and evaluates change notices, which anyone can post as GitHub Issues in the public curriculum repository. Changes usually affect existing courses and current exam questions, and iSAQB notifies training providers and licensed certification bodies well in advance of a release.

Partly. iSAQB runs an elaborate quality assurance system for training providers, CPSA trainings, and trainers, aiming at a consistently high standard worldwide, and accreditation is required to offer training. However, iSAQB states it assumes no liability for the quality of trainings delivered by accredited partners, nor for the results of CPSA examinations.