MuleSoft Certified Platform Architect

Description
MuleSoft Certified Platform Architect – Level 1A MuleSoft Certified Platform Architect should be able to define and be responsible for an organization’s Anypoint Platform strategy. The MCPA – Level 1 exam validates that an architect has the required knowledge and skills to direct the emergence of an effective application network out of individual integration solutions following API-led connectivity across an organization using Anypoint Platform. S/he should be able to:

Optimize and shape the Anypoint Platform deployment in the specific organizational context, working with business, infrastructure, InfoSec, and other teams.
Define how Anypoint Platform is used in conjunction with other tools and applications in the organization.
Define the usage of Anypoint Platform and the corresponding organizational and process changes needed to help the Platform be sustainable.
Provide guidance and drive creation of standards, reusable assets, and automation required for scale and multi-LOB adoption.

A downloadable data sheet for the exam can be found here.
Format Format: Multiple-choice, closed book, proctored online or in a testing center
Length: 58 questions
Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours)
Pass score: 70%
Language: English

The exam can be taken a maximum of 5 times, with a 24 hour wait between each attempt.

Cost $375 The exam can be purchased with one of the following. Each includes a coupon for one free retake.

1.5 Flexible Training Credits (FTC)
A voucher obtained by attending the instructor-led Anypoint Platform Architecture: Application Networks course

Additional retakes (attempts 3 to 5) are $250 or 1 FTC and do not come with a free retake.

Validity
The certification expires two years from the date of passing.

Preparation
The best preparation for the exam is to take the instructor-led Anypoint Platform Architecture: Application Networks course. Candidates should be familiar with all of the content in the course and be able to apply the concepts.

The following resources are available to assist in a candidate’s preparation:

Instructor-led training: Anypoint Platform Architecture: Application Networks
Recommended as the most effective and efficient method of preparation 3-day class
Private and public classes available
Onsite and online classes available
Includes a certification voucher for this exam
Practice quiz 20+ multiple-choice questions
Comparable difficulty to the proctored exam

Topics
The exam validates that the candidate can perform the following tasks.

Explaining Application Network Basics
Explain MuleSoft’s proposal for closing the IT delivery gap
Describe the role and characteristics of the “modern API”
Define and describe the benefits of API-led connectivity and application networks
Define outcome-based delivery (OBD)
Correctly use the terms API, API implementation, API client, API consumer, and API invocation
Describe the capabilities and high-level components of Anypoint Platform

ARC:NET Module 1
ARC:NET Module 2

Establishing Organizational and Platform Foundations
Describe the purpose and roles of a C4E
Identify KPIs to measure the success of a C4E
Given specific organizational requirements, preferences, and constraints, identify all suitable Anypoint Platform deployment options
Select Anypoint Platform identity management vs client management for the correct purpose

ARC:NET Module 2
ARC:NET Module 3

Designing APIs and API Interactions
Break down functional requirements into business-aligned APIs with effective granularity
Given a set of APIs and specific preferences and organizational characteristics, recommend the use of an Enterprise Data Model or Bounded Context Data Models
Identify changes to an API that would require or not require a major version increment
When asynchronous execution of API invocations is needed, select when to appropriately use polling or callbacks
Identify idempotent HTTP methods and HTTP-native support for optimistic concurrency
Describe the creation and publication of reusable API-related assets using RAML and Anypoint Platform components

ARC:NET Module 4
ARC:NET Module 6
Bounded Context
Why You Should Avoid a CDM
Canonical Data Models & Microservices
HTTP/1.1: Semantics and Content
HTTP/1.1: Caching
Semantic Versioning 2.0.0
Semantic versioning of REST APIs?

Following API-Led Connectivity
Identify appropriate APIs to implement a business process and assign them to layers of API-led connectivity
Assign APIs to layers according to ownership, functional focus, and rate of change
Given specific requirements and organizational characteristics, recommend the most appropriate approach relating the API data model of System APIs to that of their backend system

ARC:NET Module 2
ARC:NET Module 4
ARC:NET Module 6

Governing APIs on Anypoint Platform
Given specific preferences and constraints, select API policy enforcement with or without API proxies
Select appropriate API policies to enforce non-functional constraints on API invocations
Given an API policy with specific characteristics, identify any change required in the corresponding RAML definition
Given a layer of API-led connectivity, identify API policies that are typically applied to that layer and the scenarios needing custom policies
Identify which types of APIs and other remote interfaces are or are not amenable to management by API Manager

ARC:NET Module 5
Controlling Access to APIs

Describe when and how to pass client ID and secret to an API Describe when and how to pass client ID and secret to an API Describe when and how to pass client ID and secret to an API
Explain how to register an API client for access to an API version

ARC:NET Module 5

Delivering APIs
Describe the automation capabilities of Anypoint Platform for DevOps, CI/CD, and testing
Compare unit and integration tests and specify where MUnit is best employed
Explain how to use autodiscovery to link an API implementation to an API instance managed with API Manager
Specify how and when to promote APIs with API Manager
Identify when redeployment of API implementations is necessary

ARC:NET Module 7
ARC:NET Module 9
Gatekeeper Enhanced Security Reference

Deploying Mule Applications to CloudHub
Describe the fundamentals of deployments, networking, and routing on CloudHub
Select CloudHub worker sizes and configuration as appropriate
Describe the scenarios for which Object Store should be used with CloudHub

ARC:NET Module 7

Architecting Performant and Resilient APIs
Identify the factors involved in scaling API performance
Identify the differences between the CloudHub Shared and Dedicated Load Balancers
Identify single points of failure in typical CloudHub usage
Select strategies that help API clients guard against failures in API invocations

ARC:NET Module 7
ARC:NET Module 9
HYSTRIX Defend Your App
Let’s talk about Resilience
Eclipse MicroProfile Fault Tolerance

Monitoring and Analyzing Application Networks
Identify the components of Anypoint Platform that generate data for monitoring and alerting
Describe the metrics collected by Anypoint Platform on the level of API invocations
Describe and select between the options for performing API analytics within and outside of Anypoint Platform
Specify alerts to define for key metrics of API invocations for all layers of API-led connectivity
Specify alerts to define for API implementations

ARC:NET Module 10
Delivery methods
The exam is administered via the Kryterion Webassessor testing platform. The exam can be taken in-person at a testing center or online using a web camera.

In-person at a Kryterion Testing Center:

Over 1000 locations worldwide
Onsite instructions
Test-taker guide

Online using the Kryterion Webassessor testing platform:
Requires a webcam – a laptop webcam can be used, an external camera is not required
Requires internet connectivity with 1 Mbps upload, 1 Mbps download, jitter <50ms, ping <200ms
Check your internet speed and reliability
Note: Some candidates are expelled from the exam for an unstable connection even after checking reliability with the tool. If you think your connection could potentially be unreliable, we strongly recommend scheduling your exam at a test center.
Online instructions
Test-taker guide

Registration To register for the exam:

Go to Webassessor.
Create a user profile.
Log in.
Select Register for an Exam.
Select the MuleSoft Certified Platform Architect – Level 1 exam.
Select either the Online Proctoring Option or the Kryterion Test Center option.
On the payment screen, select to pay by credit card or enter a voucher/coupon code.

Note: A fee applies if an exam is cancelled or rescheduled within 72 hours of its scheduled time, even if the exam was purchased with a voucher.

QUESTION 1
What API policy would LEAST likely be applied to a Process API?

A. Custom circuit breaker
B. Client ID enforcement
C. Rate limiting
D. JSON threat protection

Correct Answer: A

QUESTION 2
What is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the success of a typical C4E that is immediately apparent in responses from the Anypoint Platform APIs?

A. The number of production outage incidents reported in the last 24 hours
B. The number of API implementations that have a publicly accessible HTTP endpoint and are being managed by Anypoint Platform
C. The fraction of API implementations deployed manually relative to those deployed using a CI/CD tool
D. The number of API specifications in RAML or OAS format published to Anypoint Exchange

Correct Answer: B

QUESTION 3
An organization is implementing a Quote of the Day API that caches today’s quote.
What scenario can use the CloudHub Object Store via the Object Store connector to persist the cache’s state?

A. When there are three CloudHub deployments of the API implementation to three separate CloudHub regions that must share the cache state.
B. When there are two CloudHub deployments of the API implementation by two Anypoint Platform business groups to the same CloudHub region that must share the cache state.
C. When there is one deployment of the API implementation to CloudHub and another deployment to a customer-hosted Mule runtime that must share the cache state.
D. When there is one CloudHub deployment of the API implementation to three CloudHub workers that must share the cache state.

Correct Answer: C

QUESTION 4
What condition requires using a CloudHub Dedicated Load Balancer?

A. When cross-region load balancing is required between separate deployments of the same Mule application
B. When custom DNS names are required for API implementations deployed to customer-hosted Mule runtimes
C. When API invocations across multiple CloudHub workers must be load balanced
D. When server-side load-balanced TLS mutual authentication is required between API implementations and API clients

Correct Answer: B

QUESTION 5
What do the API invocation metrics provided by Anypoint Platform provide?

A. ROI metrics from APIs that can be directly shared with business users
B. Measurements of the effectiveness of the application network based on the level of reuse
C. Data on past API invocations to help identify anomalies and usage patterns across various APIs
D. Proactive identification of likely future policy violations that exceed a given threat threshold

Correct Answer: B