The OneStream Lead Architect Certification Exam – Testing by Doing

There’s an old Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.” This is how I have always learned – by being involved, by doing it myself. This is the basis for the OneStream Certification Program. That is, the new Lead Architect certification exam is a hybrid exam that allows candidates to demonstrate what they can do, as well as requires higher levels of cognitive complexity, requiring candidates to analyze and solve real-world problems. It will be challenging – but rewarding.

Creating a World Class Certification Program

When I first joined OneStream, Chief Solution Officer Peter Fugere simply said: “We want a world-class certification program.” In response, I explained that people are unimpressed with traditional multiple-choice questions alone. People who really know their jobs want to demonstrate real-world, hands-on skills. We validated what ‘OneStreamers’ want through a survey, which confirmed “certification should not be based on studying for an exam, but it should be hands on to solve problems”. So we listened and developed the first OneStream certification exam to recognize qualified lead architects, who perform tasks in a live virtualized OneStream environment.

This is an exciting time to roll out the new exam because we are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in measuring lead architect technical competencies. The OneStream platform is highly advanced and the opportunity to solve real-world challenges will truly test the candidates’ knowledge, skills, and abilities. Candidates will have opportunities to demonstrate everything from how to design extensible metadata, troubleshoot a dimension hierarchy, configure settings for BI Blend, build a workflow, create a cube view, and more. Be sure to review the Lead Architect Study Guide to review all the exam objectives.

We are already getting positive feedback on the hands-on approach we are taking with the Lead Architect Exam. Phil Brosnan, Finance IT Consultant at Finit Solutions said, “I really like the idea of the performance-based assessments. I know they will be much more difficult to score than a multiple-choice question (especially questions like the confirmation rule question, which could be built a dozen different ways), but they really seemed to test practical knowledge better than the multiple-choice questions can.”

The OneStream Lead Architect Exam

Currently, we are beta testing the Lead Architect exam and we are learning a lot. As a result, we are improving the user experience, understanding what candidates do right and what OneStream needs to provide more training on, while addressing some exam system & infrastructure challenges (e.g., provisioning in the cloud, locking down the databases from one task to another, ensuring server uptime, eliminating latency). For those of you who were brave and generous with their time to take the 8-hour (yes 8 hours!) beta exam, we sincerely thank you for joining us in this journey and helping to shape the certification program. We could not develop a valuable and world-class program without you!

Here is what you can expect on the final production exam:

• Remote proctoring: A proctor who will meet candidates via webcam to confirm identities, ensure the exam is taken in a closed-book environment, and safeguard the integrity of the exam. Because the exam will be remotely proctored, candidates will be responsible for their own hardware, internet connectivity, and ensuring their computers are connected to a consistent power source.
• Virtual desktop environment: The exam will provision in the cloud, overlaying the candidate’s personal desktop with a virtual desktop that includes the OneStream application and a test driver consisting of browser-based instructions, multiple-choice questions, and performance-based task instructions. While the performance-based section of the exam is intended to replicate real-world activities, it’s still an exam; so, the internet will be locked, the command prompt will be disabled, and only some resources will be available (e.g., Notepad, Calculator, Admin Guide, Snippets, Intellisense). Watch this video of “What to Expect While Taking an Exam” and be sure to read each question and task carefully.
• Exam format: Each exam will have two sections: a multiple-choice section and a performance-based task section. Once a candidate answers a multiple-choice question or completes a performance-based task, they will be unable to return to it. It will be important for candidates to pay attention to their time and number of questions, realizing there will be a timer for the duration of the exam. (The time is still to be determined since we are still in the beta phase and haven’t released the final production exam, which becomes available on May 20, 2021.)
• Changing the definition of what it means to pass an exam: Candidates will inform the proctor once they have completed the exam and the session will be locked. Because OneStream wants to protect candidates’ investment in the process to become certified, as well as ensure we validate competencies and benefits for truly qualified candidates, we have implemented various security measures that will be validated after each exam is submitted. Therefore, candidates must wait two to three business days before finding out if they have passed and are OneStream Certified. Achieving a OneStream certification credential is something to be proud of, so do it the right way!

I hope this helps set the expectations for the Lead Architect exam. I’m excited to release the final production exam and see who gets the bragging rights of being the first to become OneStream Certified!

Are You Ready to Get OneStream Certified? Buy the OneStream Foundation Handbook and get a 50% discount voucher for the Lead Architect exam (a $500 savings!)