Prepare for a Pega Certification exam
Review the available Pega Certifications to find one that is right for you - and learn the steps required to earn it.
Pega certification exam prices may vary depending on the exam and are subject to change at any time.
The current cost for Pega certification exams administered by Pearson VUE can be found on the Pearson VUE website during exam registration.
Current Pega Certification exam prices are as follows:
- All Pega exams administered by Pearson VUE: $175 (USD) per exam attempt.
Exams administered by Pearson VUE are payable with a valid credit card or exam voucher during the Pearson VUE exam registration process. Pearson VUE accepts MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and JCB credit cards only. Purchase orders, cash, and personal checks are not accepted.
- LSA Design/Application Build: $600 (USD) per attempts.
This exam is administered by Pega. Application build payment can be made using a valid credit card, purchase order, or Pega Academy credits.
We recommend the following study tips to prepare for a Pega certification exam:
Review the Exam Information page.
Each exam information page includes the test topics covered in each domain and the test domain weighting, the number of questions on the exam, and the passing score.
Complete the corresponding online Mission for the certification you are pursuing.
Missions are learning paths that cover a specific learning goal. Missions typically contain Modules, Challenges, and a capstone Mission Exercise and Test. Complete all content within a Mission to help prepare yourself for the certification exam.
Attend a Test prep session.
Test prep sessions are periodically offered through Pega Academy and can be found on the instructor-led class schedule.
View a demonstration of the Pearson VUE exam interface.
Use the Pearson VUE Test Driver to help get comfortable with the testing environment. During the exam, take your time and fully read the question and answer options before selecting your answer. Use the Mark for Review checkbox to flag questions for later review before submitting your exam for scoring.
Practice exams are not available. We recommend following the guidelines for how to prepare for a Pega certification exam.
Module quizzes and mission tests cannot be reset after they are marked completed.
The Pega Certified System Architect (PCSA) and Pega Certified Senior System Architect (PCSSA) exams can be taken in any version as a prerequisite for a Pega exam. However, the Pega Certified Lead System Architect (PCLSA) exams need to be taken in the same Pega version.
Every certification exam specifies a Certification Path, which includes the prerequisite mission. We recommend you complete the mission version specified in the Certification Path.
Pega certification exams may contain any of the following question formats:
- Multiple Choice/Single Response — Select one option that best answers the question or completes a statement.
- Multiple Choice/Multiple Response — Select more than one option that best answers the question or completes a statement. If multiple responses are required, the text states how many responses the examinee must choose.
- Drag and Drop/Matching — Select an item in column 1 and associate it with the correct response in column 2.
- Reading Passage/Scenario questions: After reading a scenario, answer a question or series of questions about the scenario.
A response is considered correct when it accurately completes the statement or answers the question.
Distracters or incorrect answers are plausible response options that examinees with incomplete knowledge are likely to choose.
For most exams, you are given 90 minutes to accept the Non-Disclosure Agreement and complete the exam.
For the LSA Pega Architecture exam, you are given 120 minutes to accept the Non-Disclosure Agreement and complete the exam.
The passing score for an exam can be found on our exam pages or on our Pearson VUE page. See our Exam Passing Scores policy for more information.
If you live in a non-native English-speaking country and are taking an English language exam, you will automatically receive an additional 30 minutes of exam time when you register for the exam. You will see the additional exam time listed on your email confirmation. You will not see the additional exam time immediately when you register for the exam.
Non-native English-speaking countries are considered any countries EXCEPT the following:
- Australia
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Canada
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
- United States
For other test accommodations, please view our Test Accommodations Policy.
To preserve the security and value of the certification program, all candidates are required to review and accept a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) at the time of the exam. If you do not accept the NDA, you cannot take the exam. You can view the Non-Disclosure Agreement in detail prior to the exam.
Certification Policies
Candidates must take no action to compromise the integrity or confidentiality of any Pega certification exam or certification program. Prohibited actions are described in the Pega Terms of Participation agreement. Penalties for violating the policy can include revoking of certifications, as well as a lifetime ban on all future exams.
Pegasystems, in its sole discretion, shall determine whether an applicant has met the requirements for certification. Pegasystems shall be entitled to cancel your certification or ban you from taking an exam in the event that:
- You commit any breach of the testing agreement
- You fail to comply with any recertification requirements that may be imposed by Pegasystems to ensure that your skillset is up-to-date
- You fail to maintain the confidentiality of the exam by disclosing verbally, in writing, or in any media, the contents of the exam or any part of the exam
- Any information provided by you in connection with the Certification Program is determined to be false or misleading
- You are determined to have cheated, or assisted another in cheating on any exam associated with the Certification Program
Pega regularly publishes new versions of its certification exams. These versions may fluctuate in the level of difficulty as questions are updated or as certification requirements evolve. Consistent with industry certification best practices, when a new version of an exam is launched, the passing score is reviewed and modified as needed. As a result, passing scores are subject to change without notice. For example, exams that previously contained knowledge retention-based questions are modified to contain knowledge application-based questions. In this scenario, the exam passing scores recalculated using statistical analysis to reflect the change in question type and difficulty level.
Exam passing scores can be found on each exam page.
Test accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis and can be requested by contacting the Pega Certification team. Documentation is required when requesting the test accommodation.
- Candidates who fail an exam must wait a period of three (3) calendar days before taking a second attempt for the same exam version.
- Candidates who wish to take a third attempt must wait a period of fourteen (14) calendar days after the second failed attempt.
- Each exam version may be taken a total of three (3) times in a 12-month period. The 12-month period starts from the date the first exam is taken. For example, if the first exam is taken on May 1, 2014, a candidate may take the same exam version two (2) more times before May 1, 2015.
- A fourth attempt can be scheduled one (1) year from the first attempt.
- You must pay the full exam fee each time you take the exam.
If you need to reschedule your exam, you must contact Pearson Vue at least one (1) business day prior to your exam appointment. Refunds are granted when you reschedule your exam with at least 24-hour notice. No other refund requests are granted.
You can reschedule your exam by accessing your Pearson VUE account and clicking the Reschedule link for your exam appointment.
Rescheduling your exam less than 24 hours prior to your exam appointment is subject to a same-day forfeit exam fee.
If you need to cancel your exam, you must contact Pearson Vue one (1) business day prior to your exam appointment. Refunds are granted when you cancel your exam with at least 24-hour notice. No other refund requests are granted.
You can cancel your exam by accessing your Pearson VUE account and clicking the Cancel link for your exam appointment at least 24 hours prior to your exam appointment.
Canceling your exam less than 24 hours prior is subject to a same-day forfeit exam fee. The same forfeit exam fee applies to exam candidates who do not show up for the exam at their registered time
Refunds are granted when you cancel your exam with at least 24-hour notice. No other refund requests are granted.
Requests to review an exam score can be emailed to Pega Certification. In the request, you must provide your name, client candidate ID (PEGA######), exam and version, and the exam date. Requests must be received within 1 week after the date of the exam.
Once the request is received, it takes approximately 5 business days to complete the review. Business days do not include Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays.
Note that exam scores will typically not change after an exam review. Per Pega Certification policy, you will not be provided with the answers you gave or information regarding which questions were answered incorrectly vs. correctly.
Once the review has been completed, it is regarded as final and no further evaluation will occur.
Pega does not publicly publish the names or scores of those who have been certified. For information regarding certification status, contact us.
Please note that Pega Certification will only provide pass/fail statuses. Scores and test domain breakdowns will not be provided.
If you have a Pega account, you can verify Pega certification using our Verify Certification page.
If you have other questions related to certification, please contact us. Please provide the following information regarding your certification:
- Your full name.
- Primary (login) email address you use for your Pega account.
- Email address you used in your Pearson VUE account – if the issue is related to a certification.
- Name, version, and date of your exam.
- Your exam client candidate ID (PEGA######) – if the issue related to a certification.
- A complete description and screenshots of the issue you are experiencing.
If you were not able to find an answer, contact us.