As a well provisioned test taker and technical trainer I wanted to write a short review on the Blockchain Training Alliance Certified Blockchain Solutions Architect exam.

Lets talk about the exam overview first and then Ill cover the "Top Five Reasons" to take the CBSA exam now. The demand for blockchain expertise is multifold, the myth that the demand is for "developers" is false.. If your a developer and know Node.js, PHP, etc then your in great shape to hop on over to the blockchain world..

However, if your not a developer there is still plenty of room for you on the blockchain such as a blockchain architect or blockchain analyst.

TAKING THE EXAM
Below is the link for the exam info. Its $300 dollars, 70 questions and you have to go to a Pearson testing center.

https://blockchaintrainingalliance.com/products/cbsa
Going to a Pearson testing center is a big differentiator from other blockchain certifications at the time of writing..

However, this will change in the next few months since there will be a slew of new certifications coming out later in the year by other organizations. I still think this one certification will be distinguished since the other organizations are more focused on a different audience.

Check out my Youtube Video on the exam.

The Review of the BTA CBSA EXAM....

1. The exam was written in a concise manner that matched the objectives...If you took the class then you should be able to pass the exam right after... Even if you do not take the BTA CBSA three day then just reviewing the objectives and studying them should be fine. I do have practice questions here to help those prepare. I may do an online class down the road if the demand is appropriate for the level of effort.

2. You were tested on the basics of blockchain such as how blocks are written, what a nonce is, permission based and permissionless blockchains,etc.

3. You were expected to know the basics of Bitcoin, Ethereum and Hyperledger. I did not see anything on R3 Corda, Quantum, etc. Know discussion points for using Hyperledger over Ethereum and vice versa. Uses cases and technical merits are important to know for the exam.

4. The exam matched to what you should expect as a "pre sales" architect role should need to know.. As one who had previous roles in a pre sales mode selling millions in data storage solutions this would be the exact level an integrator or vendor should need. As a pre sales engineer you need to be able to understand the customer business requirements and translate them into a technical solution. For example should the customer use a permission bases or permissionless blockchain based on their budget, infrastructure or performance requirements?

5. Knowing your cryptography would be critical.. Know what hashing is and how its different from crypto. Know what the private key and public key are and why they are important. PGP.

6. Know what some of the consensus algos are deeply.... Be able to identify Proof of Work, Proof of Stake, etc. Be able to compare and contrast PoW vs PoS... Be really good at this...

7. Understand the BFT... No its not a dance..Byzantine Fault Tolerance and why that was important issue to solve.

8. Know that tokens and coins can add value to a blockchain but are not critical to a blockchain especially if its a permissioned. Hyperledger does not have a native coin or token but you need to know how you can use Hyperledger as a use case.

9. Smart Contracts... ERC20 and ERC721.... Must know...Study this area if you not confident. So what is fungible and what is not.....

10. Terminology.. Know your terms such as ledgers, centralized vs decentralized, imutable and mutable, distributed, etc....

11. Get to know the Ethereum specific IDEs, programs, browsers, testnets etc. Mist, Remix, Ganache, Truffle..

12. When it comes to development know what a persona is, guiding principle and use stories.

13 Review uses cases to help understand why a smart contract could be used.

TOP FIVE REASONS TO TAKE THE CBSA NOW!
This is the first to market professional developed Blockchain exam.. It clearly had funding and effort put into unlike other blockchains certifications I have seen.
The Blockchain Training Alliance has several training options and certifications that could compliment this certification.
Its written by experts that live, eat and breath blockchain. Kris Bennett is a great example of this expertise.
If your a Pre Sales Architect, Solutions Engineer or even in technical sales then this course and certification is for you. The growth of the blockchain clearly is going to change the dynamics in specific verticals such as financials and government.

1. Get you first blockchain certification before your coworkers to help distinguish your level of expertise. Fact is your job is going to be more competitive to keep.

Demand is hot... Check out this Medium article by Hackernoon Blockchain jobs and salaries..

https://hackernoon.com/blockchain-jobs-and-salaries-2018-report-45d3e7741c19

I wish much luck and good fortune in your blockchain endeavors. Check out my Blockchain Technology course on INE.

https://streaming.ine.com/c/ine-intro-to-blockchain-technology

Joe Holbrook
The Cloud Tech Guy