Exam Tips (2/6)

9. Understand your body and mind and plan accordingly. Take into account personal factors such as attention span, reading speed, and eating habits. Take a moment to analyze what makes you hyperactive or drowsy. Knowing this can help you prepare and keep your attention high during the board.

10. A healthy mind is nurtured within a healthy body. It’s important not to neglect physical exercise in favor of studying.

11. Consider incorporating a dedicated time for meditation into your schedule as well. This practice can contribute to increased concentration and focus.

12. While preparing for the board, focus on details. Understanding the basics will help you gain confidence. For instance, if you understand how certificates work, it will help you understand identity flows and integration security.

13. Avoid trying to solve everything through technology. There are problems that can be solved through processes that are much cheaper and quicker to implement.

14. Develop a clear strategy for addressing key requirements such as archiving and document management, particularly if files need to be stored externally. It is recommended to consider suitable third-party products for these purposes. It is important to have a good understanding of the recommended product, including its limitations, in order to make an informed decision.

15. Revising concepts and key takeaways is useful. So, find one approach that suits you. For instance, some create a Google doc with a cheat sheet for quick revision and separate docs for each topic.

16. Attempt one case study multiple times and discuss it with your study group. Different people have multiple ways of interpreting requirements.

17. For artifacts, experiment and figure out what works for you. For instance, pure paper-based artifacts may work for one person, whereas slide and paper-based approaches can work for others. Make sure you understand why you are creating artifacts and what messages you want to pass to the audience with them.

18. For a preparation strategy, figure out what works for you, for instance, reading each section and solving it versus reading the entire case study quickly to get an end-to-end understanding.

19. Understand common data models, for instance, customer-specific pricing, asset maintenance, and Lightning Scheduler.

20. Use Google Sheets for calculations. This can help you calculate data and file volumes.

21. For calculations, if numbers are not given, assume them. Do not leave them open-ended. For instance, if the number of internal service users is not given, assume
there are 100 service users.

22. Figure out patterns and design principles that can apply to create consistency and quality across solutions. For instance, Lightning Web Components (LWCs) should not be used to override record-level security.

23. Distinguish assumptions from design principles. For instance, buy over build is a design principle, not an assumption.

24. Understand the concepts and processes instead of mugging up on the facts. If you understand them, you can apply them easily during the board. For instance, all LDV mitigation strategies can be bucketed into two categories: optimize the query or reduce the volume of records in the object.

25. Differentiate between asset, inventory, and product in the case study. If you can identify them, there is less chance of going wrong with the data model.

26. Most of the time, a lead is converted into an opportunity. If you have a scenario where you have one lead that converts to many opportunities, please cross-check.

27. Clearly identify important junctures in the processes, for instance, lead conversion, external user creation, and contract creation.

28. For project governance requirements, always understand the root of the problem and then answer how the Center of Excellence (CoE) is involved and how your approach
will change.

29. For the documentation strategy, be clear with what files you can generate on the fly versus what you need to create and store in Salesforce or the external system up front.

30. Be clear with the identity flows. Practice presenting them multiple times.

31. Avoid copying someone’s style of presenting or preparing without understanding that style.

32. Make sure there is a reason behind everything you are doing. If you are not clear on the reason, there is a good chance you will not be confident while presenting your solution.

33. Assumptions are your friend. Always make realistic assumptions that simplify the problem for you. For instance, 10% of suppliers will be submitting data electronically.

34. Most of the time, assumptions can be drawn from the case study. For instance, as per the case study, the payment gateway supports APIs. You can assume these are REST APIs and one of them can tokenize the card information.

35. Try to define the scope of the problem you are trying to solve in the given time frame. For instance, do not replace any system that has no problems highlighted in the case study.

36. Plan your approach and visualize it in your mind. Every second counts. For instance, reducing the number of highlighted words can save time during preparation and help when you’re presenting during the board review.

37. Please make sure that your mocks setup accurately replicates your board setup. If possible, utilize Zoom for meetings. Practice controlling a remote machine (another computer) during your solution preparation, presentation, and Q&A sessions. This will help you become accustomed to any latency you may encounter while operating a remote machine during the board review. Remember to invite the judges and share your artifacts in advance.

38. Be ready for challenging feedback. The more you are challenged by your peers and mock judges, the better placed you will be to face the challenges of the real board.

39. If possible, record your mocks, listen to the recording, and fine-tune your strategy.

40. Once you have the date and timings of the CTA exam, understand your environment, the room’s climate, table space, external monitor, camera position, where you are going to keep pens, and where you will keep drinks and snacks. Make sure that you are comfortable with the setup.

41. Remember that communication is conscious and subconscious. Conscious communication is what you speak during presentations and clarifications/explanations during the Q&A. Subconscious communication includes the quality of your artifacts and your body language. Artifacts are not only for you to help present but also for judges to
look into and understand your thought process. Many questions can be avoided with clear artifacts with all relevant details.

42. During the final 2-3 weeks before the board, it is essential to dedicate time to revising the concepts thoroughly. Equally important is the need to maintain focus, relax, and minimize distractions in order to optimize preparation.

43. Prior to the board, it is crucial to prioritize a good 8-10 hours of sleep. This is because a well-rested brain is better equipped to maintain focus and perform effectively.