Certified Pega Lead System Architect (CPLSA)
Lead System Architects are responsible for the design and quality of Pega solutions.
Your Certified Pega Lead System Architect journey begins here
Pega Lead System Architects lead implementation teams and ensure that solutions leverage the technology to provide optimum business value. They provide technical mentoring and leadership across teams.
The CPLSA Learning Path Overview
This learning path combines Pega Academy courses with on-the-job experience to ensure that system architects get exposure to the breadth and depth of Pega products which is required to perform effectively in a leading role.
CPLSA Prerequisites
CPLSA is the highest level of technical achievement in Pega. Prior to training as a Lead System Architect, individuals must gain field experience and demonstrate their technical aptitude by earning first their System Architect and then their Senior System Architect certifications.
Required
Suggested
- Familiarity with features and functionality of Pega Infinity '25:
Build Expertise
After earning Certified Pega Senior System Architect (CPSSA) certification, Pega recommends that real-world experience of at least 36 months be gained before attempting to achieve the CPLSA certification. Working 36 months or longer implementing Pega applications expands the depth of Pega knowledge and builds the expertise that is required to successfully complete the program.
However, recognizing that each person has different project implementation opportunities, Pega recommends that CPLSA candidates at a minimum become familiar with the features and functions of the latest Pega version prior to starting the CPLSA program. The Senior System Architect mission will help you learn about the latest features and functions. The Blueprint Delivered: Methodology and framework will help you to learn about accelerated application development.
Senior System Architect topics include:
- Case Management
- Data and Integration
- Securing and auditing
- Activities and Automation
- Background processing
- Application Development
- Measuring and monitoring system performance
- Extending UI options
...and much more!
Lead System Architect Course
Senior system architects can take the Lead System Architect mission. The two week course teaches best practices in technical design and architecture of a Pega application. System architects leverage their configuration expertise to build applications they design by adopting Blueprint and utilizing Pega GenAI capabilities. They must ensure adherence to Predictable AI best practices.
Topics include:
- Constellation Adoption
- Infrastructure and Architecture
- Planning and Design
- Implementation and Deployment
Testing Requirements
To complete the CPLSA certification, system architects must take and pass two exams in the following order:
- Pega Lead System Architect Exam
- CPLSA Application Design and Build Exam
Pega Architecture Exam
The Pega Architecture exam validates that system architects have mastered the design and architecture skills taught in the Lead System Architect course and that they can guide an application development team on configuration decisions.
The Pega Architecture exam is a two hour standard exam that is delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers. The cost is $190 per exam attempt. The exam blueprint, which includes prerequisites and exam topics, is available here in Pega Academy. Additional exam information and registration is available at the Pearson VUE site. CPLSA candidates only need to pass the Architecture exam once (any version 8.x or above) to be eligible for the CPLSA Application Design/Build.
You can prepare for the Pega Architecture exam by taking the CPLSA Architecture Exam Preparation Clinic, available for free. View the schedule in Pega Academy.
CPLSA Application Design and Build
After successfully completing the LSA Architecture exam (version 8.x and above), the final step toward certification is the CPLSA Application Design & Build assessment. This assessment evaluates a candidate’s ability to architect, implement, and analyze solutions using the Pega Platform.
Working from a defined set of business requirements, system architects are required to:
- Document their analysis and proposed solutions using the provided documentation template
- Design solutions using Pega Blueprint and implement extensible, reusable applications that meet the stated requirements
With the introduction of Pega Blueprint™, starting from the Pega Infinity ’25 version of the LSA certification, the CPLSA Application Design & Build exam is delivered as a single-phase assessment. The assessment typically requires approximately 50 hours of effort to complete. Candidates are given two weeks (14 days) to design, build, and submit the application for evaluation.
To successfully complete the exam, candidates must achieve a minimum passing score of 75%.
The CPLSA Application Design & Build exam is managed by Pegasystems. The exam fee is USD 500 per attempt.
Candidates can complete payment and schedule the exam here. Please note that exam rescheduling is permitted up to three times, with each reschedule allowing a maximum extension of 30 days. Any exam not completed within these guidelines will be marked as failed, and no fee refund will be issued.
Preparation support is available through the CPLSA Application Design & Build Preparation session, which is offered free of charge. The schedule for this session can be viewed on Class Schedule | Pega Academy
Certified Pega Lead System Architect, Next Steps
After certification, CPLSAs can continue to take advantage of the numerous training opportunities offered by Pega Academy:
- Upon achieving your Pega Lead System Architect certification, you will be invited to join the LSA Community of Practice, which is a knowledge-sharing forum just for Certified Pega LSAs. Continuing education event invitations are emailed to all Certified Pega LSAs.