The MCA Board exam is the cornerstone of Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) certification. It provides experienced consultants the opportunity to demonstrate their technical expertise and business acumen to an appointed committee of industry experts. MCA candidates who successfully demonstrate their mastery of six select competencies to the Review Board earn their MCA certification and entrance into the exclusive MCA community.
Level:
Successful candidates generally have ten or more years of IT experience and five or more years of specific architectural experience. Microsoft Certified Master certification is a prerequisite for all MCA Technology certifications.
Audience:
Practicing IT architect, Microsoft Certified Master
Type:
Microsoft Certification
The MCA program is designed to certify individuals who can be described by the following statements:
They have earned a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) certification in the current version of the technology for which they wish to pursue an MCA certification.
They are practicing architects, actively delivering solutions to customers and the industry.
They are able to conduct meaningful communication with technical, business, and architectural stakeholders.
Their work is repeatable and they have the skills, processes, and techniques to ensure consistent success.
Their solutions are durable and of high technical quality.
They act as trusted advisors with enough knowledge and objectivity to make the best recommendations possible on behalf of their clients.
During the MCA Board Exam, the candidate's skills and qualifications are measured against six competencies and ranked on skill maturity:
Skill Level 1 – The candidate exhibits a basic level of competency.Skill Level 2 – The candidate exhibits partially developed skills in the competency.Skill Level 3 – The candidate exhibits fully developed skills in the competency.Skill Level 4 – The candidate exhibits mastery in the competency.
The six competencies required to achieve MCA certification are explained in the following list.
Discover and refine requirements
Discover business landscape
Key considerations: project goals, business environment, culture, industry, business requirements, stakeholders
Discover technical landscape
Key considerations: technical dependencies, technical requirements, maturity model, delivery methodology/framework(s)
Discover/refine requirements
Key considerations: clarifications, refinements, changes, engagement terms
Analyze and prioritize requirements
Analyze and prioritize project requirements
Key considerations: acceptance criteria, risks, design goals
Analyze and prioritize external factors
Key considerations: project constraints, risks
Analyze business value; prioritize conflicts and interdependencies
Key considerations: project impact, alternatives and consequences
Design a solution that meets requirements
Design for business requirements
Key considerations: project scoping and planning, cost-benefit analysis, roadmap planning, attainment of goals
Design for technical requirements
Key considerations: durability, innovation, service delivery method selection, test regimen, roadmap planning
Design for operations requirements
Key considerations: effectiveness, process integration, support planning
Govern solution delivery, operation, and maintenance
Select and apply delivery methodology
Key considerations: standard delivery methodology usage, suitability
Build stabilize/testing and validation
Key considerations: completeness, test validation, use of acceptance criteria
Deployment
Key considerations: pilot planning and execution, milestone management
Operate and maintain the solution
Key considerations: governance process, roles and responsibilities, service monitoring
Adoption and solution lifecycle management
Key considerations: documentation, training, process/solution improvement
Demonstrate effective leadership skills
Project delivery
Key considerations: project scale, solution complexity, prioritization
Project leadership
Key consideration: leadership as it relates to specific project teams
External leadership
Key consideration: leadership as it relates to those external to the project team
Thought leadership and mentoring
Key considerations: community impact, thought leadership
Demonstrate effective communication skills
Documentation skills
Key considerations: structure, content, persuasiveness, mechanics, use of visual aids
Presentation and facilitation skills
Key considerations: structure, delivery, clarity, use of visual aids
Situational awareness and extemporaneous communication skills
Key considerations: cultural/behavioral awareness, communication tool selection
Listening and feedback skills
Key considerations: active listening, feedback solicitation
Conflict resolution and composure
Key considerations: composure, focus, conflict recognition and resolution
The Review Board will be looking to your portfolio documentation and presentation for evidence of the required six main competencies. You should allow an adequate amount of focused time to prepare your portfolio submission.
The portfolio documentation must describe one project within the prior 12 months for which you served as an architect for your technology. The entire portfolio submission may need to draw on multiple projects, examples of community and industry contributions, publications, and other demonstrations of community and industry leadership to provide adequate breadth and depth of evidence in relation to the scoring criteria. Your presentation itself should ideally be constrained to a single project, featuring your participation in an architect role.
The current or prior version of the technology must have been used in the project.
The portfolio documentation must not exceed 50 pages, excluding diagrams, topologies, and tables, which may be provided in appendices.
The documentation must be in English, and it must not contain any sensitive customer information.
At least one phase of the project must be in production use by your customer.
The following topics should be addressed in your portfolio documentation and your presentation. You are not required or expected to use this as a template for your documentation, but rather as an aid in preparing your documentation.
Project description
Organization overview
Project overview
Project stakeholders
Existing technical landscape
Solution vision
Solution design
Architectural decision
Solution delivery, operation, and maintenance
Project results
The MCA Board Exam is a scheduled session that takes place in a conference room with a large table, a projection screen, and a white board. On the day of your appearance, an assigned proctor will be responsible for keeping you on schedule, ensuring you know the timings of the various segments, and ensuring you are ushered to your conference room or a board room as needed.
The names of Review Board members are not disclosed to candidates before the exam. Review Board members are not allowed to answer individual inquiries from candidates until the exam is complete and the candidate's certification status has been communicated. The Review Board members will not ask you content questions.
Each exam adheres to the following agenda.
Length
Session component
Description
30 minutes
Introductions
Portfolio presentation
After introductions are made, the goal of this component is to evaluate the candidate's recent experience in leading a complex project and to demonstrate whether the candidate has sufficient experience in guiding customers to a satisfactory solution.
The candidate is expected to present pertinent topics from a real-life customer engagement. Typical contents include the following:
Project and organization overview
Project goals and success criteria
Details of initial state
Key decisions and rationales
Key risks and mitigation methods
Delivery, deployment, and operations plans and processes
Details of end state
40 minutes
Portfolio Q&A
The question and answer (Q&A) discussion is an interview that is based on the candidate's portfolio presentation and portfolio documentation. The Review Board assesses the candidate's strength across each core competency of the MCA certification.
10+ minutes
Break
The candidate leaves the room during the break.
Up to 3 hours, varies by program
Case study preparation
The candidate receives background materials and requirements for a case study relating to the specified technology. The candidate is expected to prepare a 10-minute presentation in response to the case study during this time.
10-15 minutes, varies by program
Case study presentation
The candidate presents a response to the case study, which should include the following high-level topics:
High-level design
High-level project plan
Rough estimate budget
Implementation roadmap
Case study Q&A
The Review Board conducts a second round of Q&A, based on the case study contents and the candidate’s case study presentation. The Review Board assesses the candidate's strength across each core competency of the MCA certification.
5 minutes
Q&A
The candidate makes any additional comments, and the Review Board responds.
Varies
Deliberation and conclusion
The candidate leaves the room while the Review Board members perform the scoring and deliberation process.
The candidate receives performance results by email within two weeks.
View all answers
Q. What is the lead time required for submission of an application and portfolio documentation?
A.
You should submit your application two months prior to scheduling a MCA Board exam, to allow adequate time for processing your application, and to give you enough time to prepare and submit your portfolio documentation.
Q. How is the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) Board exam conducted?
The candidate-interview portion of the MCA Board exam lasts up to four hours and includes presentations delivered by the candidate based on the candidate’s portfolio and a technology-specific case study, each of which is followed by intensive Q&A sessions with Review Board members.
Q. Who serves on the MCA Review Board and how are they qualified?
The Review Board consists of Microsoft Certified Architects (MCAs). In the past, known industry experts have also served on the Review Board at the request of Microsoft, but we now allow only current MCAs to serve. All Review Board members receive training in the overall review process and in the effective, fair, and consistent use of MCA scoring tools.
Q. May I request specific Review Board members?
No. You may not request that specific Review Board members evaluate you.
Q. What is the best way to prepare for the MCA Board exam?
We recommend that you thoroughly review the program competencies and the resources provided to you upon entering the MCA program.
Q. Is there an alternative to the MCA Board exam to obtain MCA certification?
No. The only way to obtain the certification is through the MCA Board exam.
Q. May I go before the Review Board without a Microsoft Certified Master certification (with a Microsoft Technology certification only)?
No. The MCA program's technical integrity is based largely on the candidate's technical acumen, which is validated by the Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) certification. Therefore, MCM certification is required for the MCA Technology certifications. Consistent feedback from Certified Master graduates highlights the invaluable experience and community building that Microsoft Certified Masters gain through the MCM program.
Q. What do I have to demonstrate to pass the MCA Board exam?
To earn the Microsoft Certified Architect certification, you must demonstrate the six program competencies at the skill-maturity level the certification requires. The sum of your portfolio documentation, project presentation, and your performance during the project presentation and case study will be used to determine your final performance against the scoring criteria.
Q. I want to share confidential information during my MCA Board exam. How will this information be protected?
Do not share confidential information with the Review Board. The Review Board members sign a Review Board Agreement, which contains certain confidentiality obligations regarding the program and the candidate; however, we cannot guarantee that disclosures you make are covered by the Review Board Agreement or will be kept confidential. It is your responsibility to ensure that you share only information that is not confidential and, if it belongs to a third party (for example, an employer or a customer), that you have permission to share.
Q. After I complete my exam with the Review Board, when will I receive notification of my results?
You will receive the results by e-mail, within two weeks following your MCA Board exam.
Q. What feedback will I receive from my MCA Board exam?
The Review Board will provide feedback by competency, indicating whether you demonstrated each competency at the required performance level. For areas in which you did not demonstrate the required performance level, you may also receive feedback on specific opportunities for improvement within each competency.
Q. If I do not pass the MCA Board exam, may I challenge the decision?
All Review Board decisions are final. However, you may re-attempt the MCA Board exam if you meet the requirements (see next question).
Q. If I do not pass, may I try again?
You are granted one MCA Board exam. If you do not pass, you are subject to a six-month waiting period before reattempting certification.
Q. How does Microsoft ensure consistency across Review Boards?
At least one member of any given Review Board has served on a previous Review Board. Additionally, Review Board members receive training before they participate. Training includes instruction on how to evaluate candidates consistently.
Resources for preparing for the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) Board exam are program-specific and are available on our registration site.
