Review Board Presentation & Q&A Strategies
This guide covers everything about presenting and defending your architecture at the CTA Review Board — from structuring your 45-minute presentation to surviving the Q&A, handling pushback, and practicing with mock boards.
The Review Board at a Glance
The CTA Review Board is a 2-hour oral examination conducted virtually (via Zoom) before a panel of 3-4 currently active Salesforce CTAs who serve as evaluators.
| Phase | Duration | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | 180 minutes | Read scenario, design solution, create artifacts in Lucidchart |
| Presentation | ~30-45 minutes | Present your architecture via shared screen |
| Q&A | ~40-90 minutes | Judges probe, challenge, and stress-test your design |
Time dynamics
Any minutes you finish early in the presentation are added to your Q&A time. Efficient presentations give judges more time to ask questions — which is actually an opportunity to demonstrate depth, not a penalty.
Detailed Guides
- Presentation Structure & Storytelling — three-act structure, time management, storytelling techniques, business-first narrative
- Q&A Strategies & Defense — handling challenges, the STAR-A framework, trap questions, defending and adapting decisions
- Common Mistakes, Mock Boards & Practice — why candidates fail, judge perspective, trade-off articulation, risk communication, mock board setup, practice drills
Sources and Further Reading
Key resources referenced in this guide:
- 5 Tips for Acing the CTA Review Board — Keir Bowden (Bob Buzzard)
- Brief Insights from a CTA Board Judge — Dinesh Yadav
- Architect Review Board Evaluation Guide — Dinesh Yadav
- Deep Dive into JourneyToCTA — Apex Hours
- Dealing with Critical Piece of the CTA Board - Q&A — Apex Hours
- CTA Review Board Prep (Winter ‘26) — TrailblazePrep
- CTA Certification Guide & Tips — Salesforce Ben
- Flow Republic CTA Coaching — Flow Republic
- Thoughts from 9 CTAs — Salesforce Ben
- CTA Mock Scenarios — Apex Hours
- Public Mock Scenarios List — CTA Gang of Four
- How It Feels to Fail the CTA Board — SFDC99
- CTA Review Board Going Virtual — Salesforce Ben