In early 2005 I was asked if I would sit on the initial board for the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) program while it was in its beta stage.  Because there were no certified architects already, the board consisted of only non-certified people.  As a condition of being part of this board I was required to come back through the second board and attempt to be certified.  I was surprised and excited when I passed and became a fully fledged MCA in Solutions in March of 2005.

Over the last couple of years I have sat on a couple of boards and have mentored a number of people who have gone through the program.  Recently after I finished a board in Istanbul, I reflected on the program and thought I would write down the "What would I tell a candidate" series of posts about the process.

This series will cover the following topics:

• Why do you want to get the MCA?
• Preparing the documentation
• Putting together your presentation
• What else can you do to prepare for the board?
• The competencies
• Going in front of the board
• What to do with your results

This post is part of a series of articles about the MCA program.  The opinions here are solely my own and may not reflect the opinions of Microsoft or anyone affiliated with the MCA program.