ArchiMate® Certification – Exam Preparation, Exercise Tips & Practice Tests

  • ArchiMate® is a modeling language for the visual description of Enterprise Architectures. ArchiMate® is developed and published by the global consortium The Open Group.
  • As of 2024, the ArchiMate® certification for people program contains two levels: ArchiMate® 3 Foundation and Practitioner.
  • The ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam leads to the foundation certification. The exam has a length of 60 minutes and consists of 40 single choice questions covering the ArchiMate® 3.2 Specification.
  • Enterprise Architects can prepare for the ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 exam through a live training, self-study or an online video course. In either way, we recommend an extensive preparation with the help of practice tests.
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Content

  1. ArchiMate® EA Modeling Language 
  2. ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Certification 
  3. ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam
  4. ArchiMate® Certification Material

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ArchiMate® 3.2 – Modeling Language for Enterprise Architectures

The ArchiMate® Enterprise Architecture (EA) Modeling Language is The Open Group standard for the representation of Architecture Descriptions. The language provides a set of entities and relationships with their corresponding iconography supporting the graphical development of Enterprise Architectures.

Unlike the Unified Modeling Language™ (UML®) that focuses on information systems or Business Process Model and Notation™ (BPMN™) that concentrates on business processes, ArchiMate® is designed for modelling the elements and relationships of entire organizations.

Owner of ArchiMate® is The Open Group, a global consortium that seeks to enable the achievement of business objectives by developing open, vendor-neutral technology standards and certifications. Probably the most popular product of The Open Group is the TOGAF Standard, an EA framework for creating and maintaining Enterprise Architectures. 

The EA modeling language ArchiMate® was developed in the Netherlands by a project team from the Telematica Instituut in cooperation with several Dutch partners from government, industry and academia between July 2002 to December 2004. In 2008 the ownership and stewardship of ArchiMate® was transferred to The Open Group.

In fall 2022 The Open Group published ArchiMate® 3.2. With version 3, adjustments to the ArchiMate® certification program were made. As of July 2024, two certifications for people are possible each of them reached with a passed exam.

  • ArchiMate® 3 Foundation
  • ArchiMate® 3 Practitioner

The ArchiMate® language is constantly evolving as a result of the work delivered by members of The Open Group ArchiMate Forum. As of today, a ArchiMate certification has been achieved by nearly 15,000 individuals worldwide.

In the following, you will learn everything you need to prepare the ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam in order to reach your ArchiMate® Foundation Certification.

Live Training

Online, on-site, hybrid

Self-study

Library material, books, websites

Video course

At work, at home, on the move

ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Certification – Objectives, conditions & booking

Certification objectives

The ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Certification validates that you have gained knowledge of the notation, terminology, structure and basic concepts of the ArchiMate® modeling language. The learning objectives at this level focus on knowledge and comprehension.

Exam conditions

The Part 1 exam (OGA-031) consists of 40 single choice questions you are asked to answer within a timeframe of 60 minutes. If English is your 2nd language, additional 30 minutes extra working time is granted. If you pass your exam in a test center, you are allowed to use a dictionary.

The supervised exam is closed book, meaning you cannot use any (digital) literature or personal notes. The pass mark is 60 percent, i.e., at least 24 of 40 answers must be correct to master the exam.

Upon successful completion of the exam, you receive an official certificate and the ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Badge, both issued by The Open Group.

Booking procedure

The ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam is conducted by the partner company Pearson Vue on behalf of The Open Group. You can take the exam at a test center or remote under video surveillance. For booking an online exam, follow the following steps.

  1. Create an The Open Group account
  2. Login & click on ‘Take an exam’ button at the bottom of the webpage
  3. Accept all checkboxes and proceed to Person Vue
  4. Click on ‘View exams’ and select ArchiMate Part 1 (OGA-031)

Note, that you can re-schedule the exam at short notice, in case you need more time for preparation. Also, it may be possible that formerly blocked exam slots become available during the day, given that other participants have changed their mind.

The Open Group: The Tip of the Iceberg – What is Next for the ArchiMate® 3.2 Specification (31 min)

ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam – Preparation, questions & tips

Preparation strategies

Generally, there are three different approaches to get ready for the ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam.

  1. You participate in a virtual or live training. Within two consecutive days, you learn everything it takes to master the exam while having the chance to question the trainer and interacting with other participants.
  2. You scan the ArchiMate® Library for self-study materials (e.g., specification, case studies, courseware) and learn the graphical modeling language at your individual speed.
  3. You combine the best of training and self-study and register for a  video course like our Enterprise Architecture Modeling with ArchiMate® 3.

Question character

The ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam is a single choice test, thus exactly one single answer out of four possible answers is correct. The questions validate your knowledge and comprehension of the EA modeling language. An exam addresses the whole spectrum of the foundation curriculum, i.e.,

  • Core & Full Framework
  • Language Structure & Metamodel
  • Structure & Behavior Elements
  • Strategy, Business, Application & Technology Modeling
  • Abstraction, Nesting, Colors & Notational Cues
  • Structural, Dependency, Dynamic & Other Relationships
  • Architecture Description, Viewpoints & Views
  • Diagram examples & Summary of Language Notation

Expect the following types of single-choice questions:

1. Which one of the following best describes the ArchiMate modeling language?

    1. ArchiMate is a software engineering modeling language.
    2. ArchiMate is a business IT alignment language.
    3. ArchiMate is a visual enterprise architecture modeling language.
    4. ArchiMate is a unified architecture modeling language.

2. Complete the sentence: All of the following are element types of the ArchiMate Metamodel hierarchy, except for…

    1. …the Passive Structure element.
    2. …the Event.
    3. …the External Behavior element.
    4. …the Architecture Pattern element.

3. Which one of the following is not a permitted relationship of the Application Layer with business elements?

    1. Serving (e.g., An Application Service serves a Business Internal Active Structure element.)
    2. Realization (e.g., A Data Object realizes a Business Object.)
    3. Aggregation (e.g., A Business Service and a Data Object are part of a Product.)
    4. Specialization (e.g., An Application Event specializes a Business Event.)

Solution: 1(3), 2(4) and 3(4). You find 240 questions within 6 trial exams within our Practice Test Pack for ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Certification.

Practice tips

Since 2012 we are ArchiMate® certified and help students in preparing for the ArchiMate® Part 1 Exam. Master your test in taking the following practice tips into account.

Always choose an answer

In the ArchiMate® Part 1 Exam only one answer is correct. Moreover, there are no negative points for wrong or no answers. In consequence, always put a tick at a question. Make use of the exclusion principle and eliminate false answers to maximize your chances.

Force a constant pace

With a 60 minutes duration for 40 exam questions, each question gives you 90 seconds working time in average. Seek out for easy to answer questions. In turn, skip tough questions with modeling examples and lengthy descriptions and revisit those time traps in the final phase of your exam. Highlight all questions, which deserve a second look and check them at the very end of your exam.

Read text carefully

Work through each question and all their possible answers. Stick to the provided facts. Sometimes a single word, symbol or relationship makes the difference. Watch out for positive (true/correct/right) and negative formulations (false/incorrect/wrong).

Rehearse the specification

The Full Framework remains the centerpiece of the ArchiMate® 3.2. Go through the layers, aspects, elements and relationships in the specification document. Memorize the big picture. Knowing this backbone allows you the obtain the minimum of 24 correct answers. Learn the main terms ArchiMate® uses found in its specification chapter 2.

Test your online exam infrastructure

Check your technology infrastructure if you intend to take the ArchiMate® proctored exam. Have a redundant internet connection ready, for example by using your smartphone as a WIFI hotspot. Make sure, that your room is silent and nothing can interrupt your exam session. Use a fast computer with a reliable operating system and software programs.

Stick to the standard

Even if you are an experienced Enterprise Architecture Modeler with many diagrams, models and descriptions lying behind you: If you want to reach the ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Certification, you you need to take the word of the standard as law. The exam is designed to test your ArchiMate® knowledge, not your general EA modeling competence.

Complete practice tests

Test and expand you ArchiMate® EA modeling language knowledge by completing as many trial exams as possible. The web offers you some material. However, be careful, given that some resources refer to version 3.1 or earlier and lack of quality. Find 240 proven exam questions in our Practice Test Pack for ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Certification.

Find all the required knowledge as well as sample exams to reach the ArchiMate® 3 Foundation Certification within our online course Enterprise Architecture Modeling with ArchiMate® 3.

Palladio Consulting GmbH & Co. KG is a member of The Open Group ArchiMate Forum and has a commercial license for ArchiMate® 3.2 & Earlier.

ArchiMate® is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

BPMN™ is a registered trademark of the Object Management Group.

Unified Modeling Language™ is a registered trademark of the Object Management Group.

TOGAF® is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

Analysis & text: Dr. Christopher Schulz

Further Reading

ArchiMate® Certification Material – audio, video & text

You want to pass the ArchiMate® 3 Part 1 Exam with flying colors? Our video courses contain everything you need to be successful!

Tobias Smuda

Tobias Smuda

Business Analyst, Enterprise Architect & Projektmanager

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