What is the Pega Certified System Architect exam?
The Certified Pega System Architect '25 exam is the first level of Pega's System Architect certification path - the baseline measurement of your knowledge of Pega applications, aimed at developers and technical staff members who want to build on Pega Platform. It is a Beginner-level exam with no certification prerequisite; the System Architect mission on Pega Academy is the published preparation path.
The format is published on Pega Academy's exam page, and this guide repeats it exactly: The Certified Pega System Architect '25 exam (PEGACPSA25V1) runs 60 questions in 90 minutes, passes at 65%, costs US$190 per attempt, and applies to Pega Platform '25.
Delivery is stated word-for-word on Pega Academy's exam page: There are two exam delivery options: Take an exam at a test center, or Take an exam via Online Proctored delivery (e.g., in a quiet, uninterrupted room in your home or office, proctored via webcam).
What is the Pega CSA exam format?
Sixty questions in 90 minutes, with the clock doing double duty: Pega's sitting FAQ states that for most exams you are given 90 minutes to accept the Non-Disclosure Agreement and complete the exam, and the Pearson VUE program page adds that you get up to 5 minutes of total exam time to accept the NDA - if you do not accept, the testing system immediately shuts off your exam.
Question formats are published in Pega's sitting FAQ: multiple-choice single response; multiple-choice multiple response, where the text states how many responses you must choose; drag-and-drop matching items that pair a column-one item with the correct column-two response; and reading-passage scenario questions, where you read a scenario and answer a question or series of questions about it. Distractors are written to be plausible to candidates with incomplete knowledge.
The passing score is 65%, published on the exam page. Pega's policies note that passing scores are reviewed when a new exam version launches and are subject to change without notice - the figure on the current exam page is the one that governs your sitting. Pega does not publish a pass rate, and it publishes pass/fail statuses only, never numeric scores or domain breakdowns.
What topics does the Pega CSA exam cover?
Pega Academy publishes eight weighted exam topics: Case Management at 25%, Data and Integration at 20%, Application Development at 15%, Security at 10%, User Experience at 10%, Pega GenAI at 10%, DevOps at 5%, and Insights at 5%.
Case Management is the quarter of the exam: case lifecycles, stages, statuses, service-level agreements with urgency, goals, deadlines and passed deadlines, routing to users, work groups, work queues and business logic, approval processes with cascading approvals and authority matrices, duplicate-case identification, optional actions, flow actions, pausing and resuming case processing, skipping stages or processes, child cases, automation shapes, decision tables and trees, and personas. Data and Integration follows with data models, data types, data objects and relationships, calculated values, validation rules, data transforms, sourced data and refresh strategies, saving to a system of record, and simulating application data.
The surprise domain for most candidates is Pega GenAI at a full 10%: Knowledge Buddy for client-specific contextual knowledge, Pega Blueprint for application design, GenAI Autopilot for faster development, GenAI Connect Rules for integrating generative AI features, GenAI Coach for guiding users, and GenAI Agents with Tool Rules. Security covers authentication versus authorization, the Security Checklist, operators, access groups, access roles, personas, and role-based access control. User Experience covers views, templates, forms, field settings, conditional behavior, channels and portals. Application Development covers the Situational Layer Cake, Center-out architecture, accessibility, delivery roles, workspaces and branches, Agile Workbench, rules and rulesets, classes and inheritance, and debugging. DevOps covers CI/CD and deployment testing; Insights covers Explore Data and dashboards.
Who is the Pega CSA exam for?
There is no certification prerequisite - the exam page lists the System Architect mission as the preparation path, not a prior credential. Pega Academy describes the audience as developers and technical staff members who want to learn how to develop Pega applications, and positions the credential as the baseline measurement in the System Architect path.
The path above it is explicit: the Certified Pega Senior System Architect requires the CSA as a prerequisite, and the Certified Pega Lead System Architect above that requires the Senior credential plus a two-part examination. Pega's catalog states the chain word-for-word for the senior step: You must be a Certified Pega System Architect as a prerequisite to earn this certification.
The exam is offered in six languages - English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese-Brazilian - and candidates registered in a non-native English-speaking country taking the English exam automatically receive an additional 30 minutes, shown in the Pearson VUE confirmation email.
What does the Pega CSA exam cost?
The fee is US$190 per attempt - Pega's certification FAQ publishes one flat price for every Pega exam administered by Pearson VUE - plus any local tax your country applies. Payment at Pearson VUE runs by credit card (MasterCard, VISA, American Express, or JCB only) or exam voucher; purchase orders, cash, and personal checks are not accepted. Pega notes prices are subject to change at any time.
The retake rules are published: wait at least 3 calendar days after a failed first attempt, at least 14 calendar days after the second failed attempt, three total attempts inside a 12-month period that starts from your first attempt, and a fourth attempt only one year from the first - with the full fee paid every time. In dollar terms, a second-attempt pass totals US$380 in exam fees and a third-attempt pass totals US$570.
The cancellation rule is the silent budget item: refunds exist only with at least 24-hour notice, and canceling inside 24 hours - or missing the appointment - forfeits the entire US$190 as a same-day forfeit. The full program-wide fee table, including the Lead System Architect's US$750 Application Build, sits in the Pega certification cost explainer. And if the binding constraint is the calendar rather than the content, Exam Assist handles the Pega Certified System Architect sitting end to end and you pay only after the pass posts - that commercial path is the take-my Pega System Architect service page.
Can you take the Pega CSA exam online from home?
Yes. Pega Academy's exam page states it word-for-word: There are two exam delivery options: Take an exam at a test center, or Take an exam via Online Proctored delivery (e.g., in a quiet, uninterrupted room in your home or office, proctored via webcam). Pearson VUE runs a dedicated Pegasystems OnVUE page with account creation, scheduling, and the System Test, and Pega's sitting FAQ describes the OnVUE route as a quiet, uninterrupted room in a home or office, monitored by a proctor via webcam.
The published minimums: Windows 10 or macOS 14 or higher; working webcam, microphone, and speaker with no headphones or headsets; one display only; a stable connection at 6 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload or better; every application except OnVUE closed. Prohibited: virtual machines and beta operating systems, phones, tablets, watches, smart devices with recording or AI features, secondary or touchscreen displays, and VPN, corporate, or public networks. Pearson instructs you to run and pass the System Test on the same device and network you will use on exam day.
The testing space rules: a completely empty desk - a beverage in an unmarked container is the listed exception - a quiet room where you remain alone at all times, no bathrooms or public spaces, and a room scan at check-in. The ID standard is two forms of personal identification, both signed and one with a photo, with the name matching your Pearson VUE account; Pega's sitting FAQ notes the PAN card is not accepted in India. Failure to meet the minimums on exam day can mean immediate cancellation and forfeiture of the exam fee.
How hard is the Pega CSA exam, honestly?
The honest answer is that the difficulty is breadth at entry depth. Eight domains over 60 questions with a 65% pass mark means no single domain can carry you: Case Management and Data and Integration are 45% of the exam together, but the remaining 55% is spread across six more domains, including a Pega GenAI domain that did not exist in older blueprints.
The version trap compounds it. The current exam applies to Pega Platform '25 under the PEGACPSA25V1 code, while much of the prep material in circulation targets retired 8.x-era blueprints with different topic weights and no GenAI domain. Candidates who prepare against the old material meet Blueprint, Autopilot, and Connect Rules questions for the first time in the scored sitting.
The logistical layer carries its own risk: an unmet OnVUE minimum means immediate cancellation and a forfeited US$190 before the first question, the NDA consumes up to 5 minutes of exam time and shuts the exam off if not accepted, and there are no published breaks in the 90 minutes. Planning the sitting matters as much as knowing the content.
The Pega Certified System Architect Exam, Summed Up
The Certified Pega System Architect '25 exam (PEGACPSA25V1) runs 60 questions in 90 minutes, passes at 65%, costs US$190 per attempt, and applies to Pega Platform '25. Delivery runs through Pearson VUE test centers or online from home through OnVUE, the credential is the published prerequisite for the Senior System Architect, and the retake rule caps you at three attempts in 12 months at full fee each time.
If you want the credential without the preparation risk, Exam Assist handles the Pega Certified System Architect sitting end to end, and the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts - no pass, no fee. Send your role, your window, and your deadline for a straight feasibility answer.