OG0-091 TOGAF 9 Foundation: Cost, Format and Study Tips

Updated on 8 October 2026. What’s new: the og0-091 pass mark is corrected to 60% (24 of 40 questions), and the exam is confirmed as still offered alongside the TOGAF 10 papers

Yes, you can still take TOGAF 9 Foundation. The Open Group has not withdrawn the OG0-091 paper, its own FAQ says the certificate never expires, and it promises to support the TOGAF 9 learning paths indefinitely (read in October 2026). The paper has no open-book section: you answer 40 multiple-choice questions in an hour, and 24 correct answers pass. This guide covers the topics, the fee, how it compares with the TOGAF 10 Foundation and how to prepare.

A lot of candidates hesitate because the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition has been out since April 2022 and the web is full of advice that treats version 9 as history. The vendor does not. The guide below sticks to what The Open Group publishes, adds the listed exam fee, and keeps the practical study advice that made the original version of this post useful.

Is TOGAF 9 Foundation still on offer, and does the certificate expire?

It is still on offer. When I checked The Open Group's pages in October 2026, three things were clear.

• The TOGAF certification portfolio FAQ states that certifications for TOGAF 9 Foundation and TOGAF 9 Certified do not expire, and that The Open Group will keep supporting the TOGAF 9 certification learning paths in the portfolio indefinitely.
• The current TOGAF examinations datasheet still lists the TOGAF 9 Part 1 paper, with OG0-091 as the English exam number, next to the papers for the 10th Edition.
• The TOGAF 9 certification page describes the portfolio built on the TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2, and links the Foundation datasheet.

None of those pages gives a retirement date for OG0-091. The only withdrawal language I found concerns something else: the bridge exam for people who already hold TOGAF 9 Certified has no set end date, and The Open Group says it will give 18 months' notice before it closes. Because portfolios change, open the vendor's TOGAF 9 page again on the day you book.

Why there is no "TOGAF 10 Foundation"

If you went looking for a TOGAF 10 Foundation exam and could not find one, that is deliberate. The Open Group decided to separate the names of its certifications from the edition of the standard, so that the standard can change without the certificate names changing. The credential built on the 10th Edition is called TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation, and its paper is OGEA-101. The 9.2 credential keeps its own name and paper. Both are live, which is why the choice between them gets its own section further down.

What the vendor says about the value of version 9

The Open Group's FAQ says TOGAF 9 certification has not lost its value, that recent job surveys show it widely required, and that the concepts and the Architecture Development Method of version 9.2 carried forward into the Fundamental Content of the 10th Edition. That is the vendor's own view, so weigh it as such, but it matches what most candidates see when a job advert or a client contract still names TOGAF 9.

What does the OG0-091 certificate prove, and who is it meant for?

The certificate proves you know the vocabulary and structure of TOGAF 9 and understand the core principles of enterprise architecture behind it. The Open Group describes the learning goals at this level as knowledge and comprehension, which in its own taxonomy means remembering and understanding. It does not test whether you can apply the method to a messy case; that is the job of the Part 2 paper.

The vendor's Foundation datasheet names four groups it has in mind:

• people who need a basic understanding of the TOGAF 9 standard;
• professionals in roles around an architecture project, such as planning, execution, development, delivery and operation;
• architects looking for a first introduction to the standard;
• architects who want to reach Level 2 in a stepwise way.

Picture a business analyst on a programme where the architecture team keeps saying "baseline", "target" and "transition architecture". Or a delivery manager who must read an architecture contract before approving a release. Neither will design the enterprise architecture, but both work better when they can follow the ADM phases and the deliverables each phase produces. Foundation is written for them as much as for aspiring architects.

Passing also earns something beyond the credential itself: the Part 1 pass counts as partial credit towards TOGAF 9 Certified, so nothing you learn is wasted if you carry on to Part 2 later.

Which topics does the 40-question paper draw on?

The Open Group publishes the Foundation learning objectives as a list of thirteen areas, and the FAQ describes the TOGAF 9 Level 1 syllabus as 13 learning units and 107 learning outcomes. The datasheet I read does not publish how many of the 40 questions come from each area, so treat any weighting you see elsewhere as an estimate. What you can count is how the thirteen areas cluster, and the clusters below follow the list on the vendor's datasheet. The full topic list for the paper is also on our OG0-091 syllabus page.

Concepts and vocabulary (four areas)

These cover the basic concepts of enterprise architecture and the TOGAF standard, the core concepts of TOGAF 9, its key terminology and the TOGAF certification programme itself. Expect questions that ask what a term means or which of four similar-sounding terms fits a definition. This is the cheapest block to revise, because the answers are definitions.

The ADM and how to use it (four areas)

The cycle and the objective of each phase, how each phase contributes to a successful architecture, how to adapt and scope the cycle, the guidelines and techniques, and the key deliverables. Counting the list, these topics make up the largest cluster, so a candidate who cannot walk the phases in order is leaving marks on the table. The table below is a one-page refresher you can rebuild from memory.

ADM phase	The question it answers
Preliminary	Is the organisation ready to run an architecture practice, and on what principles?
A. Architecture Vision	What are we trying to achieve, for whom, and is it worth doing?
B. Business Architecture	How does the business operate today, and how should it?
C. Information Systems Architectures	Which data and applications support that business?
D. Technology Architecture	Which technology carries those applications and data?
E. Opportunities and Solutions	Which projects will deliver the gaps we found?
F. Migration Planning	In what order, and at what cost and risk?
G. Implementation Governance	Are the projects building what the architecture specified?
H. Architecture Change Management	How do we handle change once the architecture is live?
Requirements Management	How do changing needs stay attached to every phase?

The content that the ADM works on (three areas)

The Enterprise Continuum with its purpose and parts, the concept of building blocks, and the TOGAF reference models. Questions here are about structure: what sits where, what is reusable, and which model is meant for which job.

Governance and communication (two areas)

How architecture governance feeds the architecture development cycle, and the concepts of views and viewpoints and their role in speaking to stakeholders. These are short topics, but the wording of the answer options is precise, so read them slowly.

What do the fee, timing and pass mark look like on the day?

The facts for the paper, in one place:

Exam detail	OG0-091
Exam code	OG0-091
Full name	The Open Group TOGAF 9 Part 1
Certification earned	The Open Group TOGAF 9 Foundation - Level 1
Exam fee	USD $375
Passing score	60%
Questions	40
Duration	60 minutes
Format	Multiple choice, supervised, closed book
Prerequisites	None
Based on	TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2

A pass mark of 60% on 40 questions means 24 correct answers, because each correct answer scores one point. One figure deserves a warning. The combined OG0-093 paper, which bundles Part 1 and Part 2 into one sitting, uses a lower pass mark for its Part 1 section than the standalone paper. If you remember a different percentage from an older source or from a forum post, it probably belongs to that combined sitting, not to OG0-091.

The fee is the figure to double-check, because fees change and local taxes may apply. The vendor also notes that an accredited training course normally includes the exam in its course fee, with a voucher for the exam provider's test centre, so a candidate who takes a course may not pay the exam fee separately. The paper is booked through Pearson VUE, and it can be taken at a test centre or remotely.

Read the timing note on the datasheet too. The 60 minutes are the time you spend on the questions; the booking page can show a longer total, because registration, the tutorial and a survey add roughly a further quarter of an hour. Candidates taking the English paper who do not speak English as a first language may be given extra time.

Should you sit OG0-091 or the TOGAF 10 Foundation paper instead?

The two papers are closer than most people expect. Here is the comparison, using the vendor's own datasheet and FAQ.

Point	TOGAF 9 Foundation	TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation
Paper	OG0-091	OGEA-101
Body of knowledge	TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2	TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition
Questions and time	40 in 60 minutes	40 in 60 minutes
Pass mark	24 of 40	24 of 40
Open book	No	No
Level 1 content	13 learning units, 107 learning outcomes	8 learning units, 63 learning outcomes
Prerequisite	None	None
Next paper	TOGAF 9 Part 2 (Certified)	OGEA-102 (Practitioner)

The format is identical, so the difference is what you must learn. The 10th Edition paper rests on fewer learning units and outcomes because The Open Group chose to emphasise practical exercises rather than breadth. That makes OGEA-101 lighter on content, not easier in kind: you still have to recall the ADM and its techniques without the book.

Pick OG0-091 when

• a job advert, client contract or procurement list names TOGAF 9 or TOGAF 9 Foundation;
• your team's architecture repository and templates were built on version 9.2;
• you already own version 9 study material and want to use it;
• you plan to continue to TOGAF 9 Certified.

Pick OGEA-101 when

• your current or next project uses the 10th Edition and its Series Guides;
• you want the shortest path to the TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Practitioner credential;
• nobody is asking for TOGAF 9 specifically.

If you hold TOGAF 9 Foundation and want to move to the newer credentials, the vendor lists two routes: take TOGAF 9 Part 2 to become TOGAF 9 Certified and then the bridge exam, or take the TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Part 1 and Part 2 papers. So choosing OG0-091 now does not lock you out of the 10th Edition later.

How do you turn the specification into answers you can recall in an hour?

The original version of this post offered five short tips: set a deadline, learn the syllabus areas, pick a study source, test yourself and stay motivated. They still hold, but each needs more detail than a sentence.

1. Book the date before you feel ready

A fixed date turns "someday" into a calendar entry. Pick a date three to four weeks away, book it, then plan backwards. People who study without a date tend to read the standard twice and never test themselves.

2. Build the phase map from memory

Print the ADM table from the topics section, hide the right-hand column and answer each row aloud. Repeat until you can do it without a slip. Then add one line for each phase naming its main deliverable. This single page earns more marks than any other because so many questions are really about "which phase" or "which deliverable".

3. Choose one main source and stay with it

The Open Group recommends accredited training and sells a TOGAF Certification Self-Study Pack for people who prefer to work alone. A study guide for this exam also exists, and the TOGAF 9 Foundation Study Guide, 4th Edition, is on the vendor's shop. Any one of these will do. What does not work is hopping between three sources whose wording differs, because the exam rewards the standard's own terms.

4. Test yourself early, not last

Self-assessment is the step most candidates skip, and it is the one that shows where you are weak. Start with a short quiz after your first two study sessions, not after the last. When you want a full 40-question run under the clock, the OG0-091 practice exam is built for that rehearsal, and you can review every miss afterwards.

5. Keep a recall log instead of relying on motivation

Motivation fades around the third evening. A log does not. After every session, write three lines: what you could not recall, which term you confused with another, and what you will revisit tomorrow. The log also tells you when to stop studying new material.

A ten-session plan

Sessions of about 90 minutes work well. If you can only manage three a week, the plan takes about three weeks.

Sessions	Focus	You are done when
1-2	Concepts, terminology, certification programme	You can define every key term without looking
3-5	The ADM phase by phase	You can rebuild the phase map and name each deliverable
6	Guidelines and techniques; adapting the ADM	You can say when and why a phase is scoped down
7	Enterprise Continuum, building blocks, reference models	You can place any asset in the right continuum
8	Governance, views and viewpoints	You can explain each in one sentence
9	Full timed run of 40 questions	You have a score and a log of every miss
10	Fix the log, then a second timed run	Your score rises and the same misses stop recurring

Six look-alike pairs to keep apart

Most wrong answers on a closed-book Foundation paper come from picking the near neighbour of the right term. Learn these pairs side by side:

• Architecture building block or solution building block. The first specifies what is needed; the second is what implements it.
• View or viewpoint. A viewpoint sets the conventions; a view is what you produce using them for one set of stakeholders.
• Principle or requirement. Principles guide every decision; a requirement states one specific need.
• Architecture Continuum or Solutions Continuum. One holds generic architectures that become more specific; the other holds their implementations.
• Deliverable or artifact. A deliverable is a work product that is reviewed and signed off; an artifact is a single model or description that may sit inside it.
• Phase G or Phase H. Phase G governs the build against the architecture; Phase H manages change after it is running.

How should you handle the paper itself, from first click to last question?

Forty questions in 60 minutes gives you an average of 90 seconds each. A definition rarely needs that long, while a question with four plausible options can use all of it, so plan two passes.

First pass

Answer every question you can settle in under a minute and flag the rest. A first pass that ends at the 35-minute mark leaves 25 minutes for the flagged ones, which is where most of the careful reading belongs. Do not leave a question blank: the datasheet gives one point per correct answer and describes no deduction for wrong ones, so an educated guess costs nothing.

Reading the stem

Read the last line first. Is it asking for a purpose, a phase, a deliverable, or "which of the following is not"? Then read the options and remove the two that name the wrong phase or the wrong kind of thing. When two options remain, check the exact word in the stem against the standard's definition rather than going on instinct.

Second pass

Return to the flagged questions in order. If you change an answer, do it because you found a specific reason, such as a word you misread, not because of nerves. The first answer is right more often than people fear.

The day before and the morning of

Reread your phase map and your recall log, then stop. Check the booking time and the delivery method. For an online sitting, test your camera and connection early and clear the desk and room the proctor will check. A rested candidate reads option wording more accurately than a tired one who studied late.

What can you build on a TOGAF 9 Foundation pass?

A pass gives you the TOGAF 9 Foundation certification, a digital badge from The Open Group and a place in the vendor's directory of certified people. After that you have four sensible paths, and you can take them in any order that suits your job.

• Stay at Foundation. If your role is around the architecture team rather than inside it, the certificate may be all you need. It does not expire.
• Take TOGAF 9 Part 2. Eight scenario questions in 90 minutes, open book with an electronic copy of the standard, 60% (24 of 40 points) to pass. A Foundation pass or a Part 1 pass on the same day at the same test centre is the prerequisite. Passing gives you TOGAF 9 Certified.
• Add a credential. The vendor lists short certification credentials open to TOGAF 9 Foundation holders: Integrating Risk and Security in a TOGAF Enterprise Architecture, TOGAF Framework Digital Specialist and TOGAF Framework Agile Specialist.
• Move to the 10th Edition. Either through TOGAF 9 Certified and the bridge exam, or by taking the TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Part 1 and Part 2 papers.

For a career view, the same FAQ says the knowledge from TOGAF 9 carries forward and that existing TOGAF 9 certificates are recognised as prerequisites for the newer learning paths. If you want neutral background on the framework's history before you decide, the general overview of TOGAF is a reasonable starting point.

Whatever you choose, treat Foundation as the base of the stack: it is the cheapest of the TOGAF papers to prepare, it uses the same method every later paper uses, and the vocabulary you build now is the vocabulary you will need in a Part 2 scenario.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the OG0-091 exam still available?

Yes. The Open Group still lists TOGAF 9 Part 1 (OG0-091) on its current examinations datasheet and says it will support the TOGAF 9 certification learning paths indefinitely. I read its pages in October 2026 and found no retirement date, but check the vendor's TOGAF 9 page again when you book.

What is the passing score for OG0-091?

The pass mark is 60%, which means 24 correct answers out of the 40 questions. Each correct answer scores one point, and the vendor's datasheet describes no deduction for wrong answers. The combined OG0-093 paper uses a lower figure for its Part 1 section, so do not mix the two up.

How much does the TOGAF 9 Foundation exam cost?

The OG0-091 exam fee is USD $375 for the 60-minute, 40-question paper. Fees change and local taxes may apply, so confirm the price when you book. The vendor notes that an accredited training course normally includes the exam in the course fee, which may spare you a separate payment.

Does the TOGAF 9 Foundation certificate expire?

No. The Open Group's portfolio FAQ states that certifications for TOGAF 9 Foundation and TOGAF 9 Certified do not expire. You do not need to renew or re-sit the paper, and the credential stays recognised as a prerequisite for the newer learning paths based on the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition.

Should I take TOGAF 9 Foundation or the TOGAF 10 Foundation?

Both papers have 40 questions, 60 minutes, a 60% pass mark and no open book. Choose OG0-091 if employers or clients ask for TOGAF 9 or you plan to reach TOGAF 9 Certified. Choose OGEA-101 if your work uses the 10th Edition or you want the Practitioner credential.

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