Pega Academy's exam page publishes 60 questions for PEGACPSSA25V1, the current '25 version.
Pega gives 90 minutes to accept the Non-Disclosure Agreement and complete the exam.
The passing score is published on Pega Academy's exam page: 70% - five points above the System Architect's 65%.
Pega's certification FAQ sets one price for every Pearson VUE-administered Pega exam: US$190 per attempt, full fee on every retake.
What the Certified Pega Senior System Architect Exam Actually Tests
The Certified Pega Senior System Architect '25 certification validates the ability to use Pega to design and build for reusability across multiple lines of business - applying best practices, application debugging, performance tuning and system maintenance techniques, and addressing security and access requirements in an application. It is an Intermediate-level exam, and the prerequisite is stated word-for-word on Pega Academy's catalog: You must be a Certified Pega System Architect as a prerequisite to earn this certification.
The format is published on Pega Academy's exam page, and it is the canonical sentence this site repeats everywhere the exam comes up: The Certified Pega Senior System Architect '25 exam (PEGACPSSA25V1) runs 60 questions in 90 minutes, passes at 70%, 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).
Question formats come from Pega Academy's sitting FAQ: multiple-choice single response, multiple-choice multiple response where the text states how many options to choose, drag-and-drop matching, and reading-passage scenario questions. The exam is offered in English and Japanese only - a narrower language list than the System Architect's six.
| Item | Published value |
|---|---|
| Exam code | PEGACPSSA25V1 |
| Questions | 60 |
| Duration | 90 minutes (includes NDA acceptance) |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Exam fee | US$190 per attempt |
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Certification prerequisite | Certified Pega System Architect |
| Applies to | Pega Platform '25 |
| Retirement date | N/A |
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
The Six Domains the Senior Exam Draws From
Pega Academy publishes six weighted exam topics: Application Development at 30%, Case Management at 20%, Data and Integration at 20%, System Administration at 15%, Security at 10%, and User Experience at 5%. The weight is the message: half the exam is Application Development and Case Management at senior depth.
Application Development at senior level means class hierarchy structure, modular architecture and enterprise reuse, the New Application wizard, the rule resolution process with rule availability, circumstancing on single or multiple variables, queue processors versus job schedulers, activities in case processing, property-change automation, application versioning with ruleset skimming, and migration with product rules. Case Management adds parallel processing, concurrent case access with locking strategies, flow-action pre- and post-processing, and extended SLA configuration.
The domains that separate senior candidates from prepared ones: System Administration (performance measurement tools, debugging system performance, log files distinguishing system from performance events, Application Settings for external integrations, resource settings) and the senior Security surface (role-based, attribute-based, and client-based access control, case attachment management, data encryption, change tracking and auditing). User Experience is small at 5% but current: custom portals, Pega Web Embed, and Constellation SDKs with DX components.
At Home via OnVUE or at a Pearson VUE Test Center
Both routes are official. Pega Academy's exam page states the choice 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 where you create an account, log in, and schedule, reschedule, or cancel an online sitting.
The at-home route carries published minimums. Your computer runs Windows 10 or macOS 14 or higher with a working webcam, microphone, and speaker - headphones and headsets are not allowed - on a single display. Your connection holds at least 6 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload, stable, and every application except OnVUE closes. Prohibited on exam day: 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.
Check-in follows Pearson's standard sequence: run and pass the System Test on the same device and network you will use on exam day, sit at a completely empty desk with only a beverage in an unmarked container as the listed exception, stay alone in the room for the full session, and expect photos and a room scan. Two Pega-specific rules shape the sitting: up to 5 minutes of total exam time goes to accepting the Non-Disclosure Agreement - the testing system shuts the exam off if you do not - and the ID standard is two forms of personal identification, both signed and one with a photo, matching your Pearson VUE account name.
What the Pega Senior System Architect Attempt Costs
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.
Budget the prerequisite too: the Senior credential requires an active Certified Pega System Architect, so a candidate starting from zero faces two US$190 sittings - US$380 in exam fees - before any retake. The published retake rule then governs each exam separately: wait at least 3 calendar days after a failed first attempt, at least 14 calendar days after the second, three total attempts inside a 12-month period from the first attempt, a fourth attempt one year from the first, full fee every time.
Cancellation carries the sharp edge: a refund exists only with at least 24-hour notice, and canceling inside 24 hours - or not showing up - forfeits the entire fee as a same-day forfeit. For the full fee table across every Pega certification, including the Lead System Architect's US$750 Application Build, see the Pega certification cost explainer.
Where Pega Senior System Architect Attempts Go Wrong
The first failure pattern is depth misjudgment. Candidates who passed the System Architect on breadth meet a 70% bar on senior-depth Application Development - rule resolution, circumstancing, versioning, queue processors versus job schedulers - where vague familiarity stops converting to correct answers.
The second pattern is the administration blind spot. System Administration carries 15% of the exam - performance tools, log files, Application Settings, resource settings - and it is the surface senior developers most often leave to the platform team until the exam asks about it by name.
The third pattern is logistical. An unmet OnVUE minimum - a second monitor still attached, headphones within reach, a VPN or corporate network - means immediate cancellation and a forfeited US$190 before the first question. The 5-minute NDA acceptance window and the 24-hour cancellation deadline end attempts that the candidate's knowledge never had a chance to decide.
How the Service Works
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What You Get
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Handling It Safely
Every engagement starts from what Pega and Pearson VUE publish today: the exam page facts, the OnVUE minimums and prohibited-technology list, the check-in sequence, and the ID rules. The plan is built inside those boundaries, not around them.
What we control is the quality, discretion, and privacy of the engagement: an honest feasibility answer before anything starts, a structured sitting plan, and a fee that follows the result. Your details stay private, we never ask for more than the sitting requires, and your password and account access are handled under the engagement's stated terms only.
And the honesty runs both directions: if the sitting does not look feasible for your situation, you hear that before anything starts, not after.
Pay After the Result Posts
The offer on this page is the site's real offer: Exam Assist handles the Pega Certified Senior System Architect sitting end to end, and the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts. No pass, no service fee.
That structure is deliberate. You are not paying for effort or hours - you pay after you pass, and the fee waits for a posted result on your Pega profile record.
What Clients Say
The senior credential was the named requirement on my lead-architect promotion case. They confirmed the '25 format and my CSA standing, handled the OnVUE sitting, and I paid after the pass posted to my Pega profile.
Rule resolution and circumstancing were exactly where my practice runs fell apart before the exam. They gave me a straight feasibility answer, scheduled the sitting inside my window, and the fee waited for the result.
My employer's partnership tier needed a second CSSA on the roster this quarter. The sitting was handled end to end at a Pearson center near my office, and the certification showed within the week.
Pega Senior System Architect Exam Questions
Can the Pega Certified Senior System Architect exam be taken online from home?
What score do I need to pass PEGACPSSA25V1?
Do I need the CSA before the Senior System Architect exam?
How much does the Pega Senior System Architect exam cost?
How often can I retake the Pega CSSA exam?
What languages is the Senior System Architect exam offered in?
Get Your Pega Senior System Architect Sitting Handled
Send your role, your Pega experience, your System Architect status, your window, and your deadline. You get a straight feasibility answer against Pega Academy's current published exam page, a plan built around OnVUE at home or a Pearson test center, and the pay-after-pass structure: the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts. If the sitting does not look feasible, you hear that first - and a failed attempt never triggers a fee.
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