Prerequisites Required: Architect Evaluation must be completed. Application Architect and System Architect credentials required.
About This Certification
Salesforce Certified Technical Architects have experience in designing and implementing secure, high-performance, integrated technical solutions using the Lightning platform within the context of a client's architectural landscape. The Review Board is a scenario-based exam conducted live before a panel of CTAs.
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The Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA) Review Board is the second and final component of the CTA designation —
taken after passing the CTA Evaluation (Written) exam. It is a live, 2-hour panel defence conducted via video conference
before 3 active CTAs.
The candidate receives a scenario the morning of the exam and must present a technical architecture recommendation in a 30-minute
presentation followed by 90 minutes of Q&A where the board probes every architectural decision. This format tests real-world
judgement, trade-off analysis, and communication skills at the CTA level.
What the Board Evaluates
Architecture Reasoning
Can you explain WHY you chose each architectural pattern and articulate the trade-offs of alternatives you considered?
Breadth Across All Domains
The board will probe integration, identity, data architecture, security, and governance — you must be authoritative across all domains, not just your specialty.
Handling Contradictions
The board introduces constraints mid-Q&A that conflict with your original design. Can you adapt your recommendation while explaining the impact?
Communication Clarity
Technical depth must be communicated clearly to both technical architects and business stakeholders. Jargon without explanation is penalised.
⚠️ CTA Review Board Pass Rate
The CTA Review Board has an estimated pass rate of 30–40% per attempt. Most successful candidates attempt the board 2–3 times.
After each failed attempt, Salesforce provides written feedback identifying the weak domains — use this feedback to target your preparation.
There is no limit on the number of attempts, but you must pay the exam fee for each board sitting.
💡 Top Preparation Tips from CTA Holders
Join the Salesforce Architect Community on Trailblazer and find a study group of fellow CTA candidates for mock boards.
Practise presenting architecture scenarios out loud, timed to 30 minutes. Record yourself and review for clarity and confidence.
Build depth in your weaker domains (most candidates are strong in one area but weak in IAM or governance).
Know the Salesforce Well-Architected framework — the board expects candidates to reference it when justifying decisions.
After a failed attempt, wait for written feedback before scheduling your next board sitting — the feedback is gold.
Scenario-based questions reflecting the style and difficulty of the actual Salesforce Technical Architect Review Board Guide 2026 exam. Updated for Winter '26.
Q1. What is the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA) Review Board?
A) A committee that reviews Salesforce product pricing
B) The final stage of CTA certification — a panel defence where candidates present a live architecture recommendation to a board of existing CTAs who probe the design with follow-up questions
C) A peer review of the CTA Evaluation written exam
D) A group that reviews Salesforce partner implementations
► Show Answer
✓ Correct: B — The CTA Review Board is a 4-hour panel session: candidates receive a scenario 2 weeks prior, prepare an architecture recommendation and presentation, then defend it live to a board of 3–5 sitting CTAs who challenge assumptions and probe for depth.
Q2. How long do candidates have to prepare between receiving the Review Board scenario and the panel session?
A) 24 hours
B) Approximately 2 weeks — candidates receive the case study scenario in advance and use the time to prepare a comprehensive architecture recommendation, diagrams, and presentation
C) The scenario is given on the day of the Review Board only
D) 4 weeks with a mid-point check-in
► Show Answer
✓ Correct: B — CTA Review Board candidates receive the scenario document approximately 2 weeks before the panel date. This time is used to analyse requirements, design architecture, prepare slides/diagrams, and practise defending the recommendation.
Q3. What does the CTA Review Board evaluate beyond the written recommendation?
A) Typing speed and slide design quality
B) Ability to think on their feet — responding to board challenges, pivoting when a constraint is changed mid-session, defending architecture choices under pressure, and communicating complex decisions clearly to executive-level stakeholders
C) Salesforce product knowledge quiz performance
D) Number of Salesforce certifications held
► Show Answer
✓ Correct: B — The board probes: "How would your architecture change if the budget was halved?" or "What if the client rejects MuleSoft?" Candidates must adapt their recommendation live — demonstrating the situational awareness and communication skills of a real consulting architect.
Q4. What is the recommended structure for a CTA Review Board presentation?
A) A 100-page technical specification document
B) A structured presentation covering: business context understanding, key assumptions, architecture recommendation with diagrams, phasing/roadmap, risk register with mitigations, governance recommendations, and a decision log explaining alternatives considered
C) A Salesforce demo of the recommended solution
D) A financial ROI model for the recommended solution
► Show Answer
✓ Correct: B — Best-practice CTA presentations are structured for clarity: executive summary, assumptions, current state analysis, recommended architecture (with diagrams), phasing, risks/mitigations, alternative options considered (and why not chosen), and governance recommendations.
Q5. What does a CTA board member typically probe when a candidate recommends a specific integration pattern?
A) The cost of the integration tool only
B) The rationale for the pattern choice ("Why REST over SOAP? Why real-time over batch?"), failure modes and retry strategies, monitoring approach, and how it handles edge cases like network failure or source system downtime
C) Whether the candidate can implement the integration themselves in code
D) The vendor's SLA for the integration middleware
► Show Answer
✓ Correct: B — Board probing on integration decisions typically explores: why this pattern vs alternatives, failure handling (what happens when X fails?), data consistency guarantees, monitoring and alerting strategy, and scaling considerations — testing depth of architectural thinking beyond the happy path.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is the Salesforce Technical Architect Review Board Guide 2026 exam?
The Salesforce Technical Architect Review Board Guide 2026 exam is considered intermediate to advanced difficulty. Candidates with hands-on Salesforce
project experience typically pass within their first or second attempt. Thorough study of the official exam guide
domains and Trailhead content is strongly recommended before sitting the exam.
What is the passing score for the Salesforce Technical Architect Review Board Guide 2026 exam?
The passing score for Salesforce Technical Architect Review Board Guide 2026 is 65% (unless otherwise specified on the official Salesforce Trailhead exam page).
Salesforce does not publish which specific questions you passed or failed — only your overall percentage.
How long should I study for the Salesforce Technical Architect Review Board Guide 2026 exam?
Most candidates spend 4–8 weeks preparing. Study time depends on your existing Salesforce experience.
Focus on the exam domain weights, complete the relevant Trailhead Trailmix, and practise in a Developer Edition org.
What is the retake policy for Salesforce certification exams?
If you fail a Salesforce exam, you must wait 24 hours before your first retake. After a second failure,
you must wait 14 days for each subsequent attempt. Each retake costs $200 USD (or $100 with a retake voucher).