Review Board Presentation & Q&A Strategies
This guide covers presenting and defending architecture at the CTA Review Board: structuring the 45-minute presentation, surviving Q&A, handling pushback, and practicing with mock boards.
The Review Board at a Glance
The CTA Review Board is an oral exam conducted virtually before a panel of 3 active Salesforce CTAs who serve as evaluators. The presentation and Q&A session runs roughly 85 minutes total, with unused presentation time added to Q&A.
| Phase | Duration | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | 180 minutes | Read scenario, design solution, create artifacts in Lucidchart |
| Break | 15 minutes | Rest before the board session |
| Presentation | 45 minutes | Present your architecture via shared screen (judges are silent) |
| Q&A | 40 minutes + unused presentation time | Judges probe, challenge, and stress-test your design |
Time dynamics
Any minutes finished early in the presentation are added to Q&A time. For example, presenting in 32 minutes adds the remaining 13 minutes to the base 40-minute Q&A, giving judges 53 minutes of Q&A. Efficient presentations give judges more time to ask questions, which is an opportunity to demonstrate depth, not a penalty. The judges are completely silent during the presentation: no feedback, no nods, no questions.
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
Personal study notes for the Salesforce CTA exam. Content compiled from VJ's study notes, official Salesforce documentation, community sources, and online publicly available content, then organized and presented with AI assistance. Not affiliated with Salesforce. © 2025–2026 VJ Srivastava.