The Certified Quantum Solutions Architect (CQSoA) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for architects, technical leads and program owners who decide what an organization should do about quantum computing and when. It validates that you can read a hardware roadmap and a resource estimate, design a hybrid quantum-classical architecture that is portable across vendors, evaluate an advantage claim against a real classical baseline, govern the security and post-quantum obligations that come with a quantum program, and lead that program with gated investment and honest communication. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Advanced. The architect tier above the CQEP: it assumes quantum literacy and several years of architecture or technical leadership. |
|---|---|
| Delivery model | Computer adaptive, three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so no two candidates sit the same paper. |
| Format | 120 questions. A performance-based exam that includes performance-based questions and multiple-choice questions. No vendor product knowledge required. |
| Time | 180 minutes for the whole exam, timed. Autosaves every answer. |
| Scoring | You need a score of 700 out of 900 to pass. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly. Harder questions carry more weight, so a score means the same thing on any route. Multiple-response items and PBQs are all or nothing. |
| Retakes | No waiting period after a failed first attempt. Every attempt is paid for at the exam price. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy. |
| Voucher validity | 12 months from purchase, for one sitting. |
| Certification validity | 3 years. Renew with 75 CEUs per cycle and the $55 annual CE fee, or pass the current exam. Renewal details. |
| Language | English. |
| Credential | PDF certificate with QR code, public verification page, LinkedIn-ready credential ID. Issuer: CertLabz Certification Board. |
| Free resources | The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. |
| Workforce mapping | NICE Framework work roles: Enterprise Architecture (DD-WRL-002), Technology Research and Development (DD-WRL-008), Technology Portfolio Management (OG-WRL-015). O*NET occupations: Computer Systems Engineers/Architects (15-1299.08), Computer and Information Research Scientists (15-1221.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
Every quantum architecture credential we could find is a course with a quiz or a vendor-specific developer exam. The CQSoA is a performance-based exam: it includes performance-based questions alongside multiple-choice questions. Instead of only picking A, B, C or D, you complete a resource-estimate table, sequence a hybrid job through a platform, score a use-case portfolio by horizon, and decide the budget structure for a program. Theory-only exams cannot tell an employer whether you can be trusted with a quantum roadmap. This one can.
Logical versus physical qubits, code distance, magic-state factories and cycle times, turned into a credible answer about when an application can run.
Latency and sessions, interchange formats, abstraction layers, provenance and fallback, designed as a shared platform rather than a notebook.
Classical baselines, dequantization, data loading, cost models and pre-registered benchmarks, applied to a real use-case portfolio.
Post-quantum obligations, QKD and QRNG claims, data and export governance, gated budgets and communication that never overclaims.
Organizations now need one person who can tell the board what quantum can and cannot do for them, keep the vendors honest and run the post-quantum security track at the same time. That person is a solutions architect, and the roles below are where the credential leads. Every route is shown here at once, so nothing is hidden behind a control you have to find.
United States pay reported by Glassdoor, checked September 2026. Pay varies by location, employer and experience. No certification guarantees a salary or a job.
| CertLabz CQSoA | Tonex Certified Quantum Cloud Solutions Architect | IBM Qiskit Developer, Associate | Arcitura Quantum Computing Specialist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Course with exam | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No | No | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No | No | No |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Level | Advanced | Professional | Associate | Specialist |
| Questions | 120 | Not published | 68 | Not published |
| Time | 180 min | Not published | 90 min | 90 min |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | Not published | 47 of 68 | Not published |
| Retake wait | None | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Exam voucher | $199 | Not published | $200 | $249 |
Compiled September 2026 from the Tonex catalog, IBM Training, and the Arcitura online store. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners; CertLabz is not affiliated with any of them. Confirm current details with each provider.
Six reasons this credential is worth your time, and worth an employer's attention.
One price for the exam, set by its level. Bundles add the study guide and hands-on practice at a saving.
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Every form is drawn from a bank of more than 150 items to these exact weights, whichever adaptive route you take. Filter by the area you want to study.
The exam runs in three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so a strong candidate is stretched and a struggling one is measured fairly rather than swamped. No two candidates sit the same paper. Harder questions carry more weight, so a scaled score means the same thing whichever route you took.
Each exam can have up to 5 to 12 performance-based questions, drawn fresh on every attempt, alongside the multiple-choice questions. A PBQ is a task rather than a list: you complete a resource-estimate or cost table, sequence a hybrid job or a first-year plan, or classify a portfolio by horizon. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
Yes. Questions use published device metrics, interchange formats such as OpenQASM 3 and QIR, NIST standards and generic platform descriptions. You never need one vendor's SDK, console or roadmap. Where a question involves a cloud QPU or a vendor claim, it is described generically.
It is not a formal prerequisite, but the CQSoA assumes the quantum literacy the CQEP tests: qubits, gates, algorithms, hardware and noise. Most candidates hold the CQEP or equivalent experience before sitting the architect exam.
700 out of 900. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly.
There is no waiting period between a failed first attempt and a second attempt. Buy another voucher and sit the exam again when you are ready, and it will draw a fresh adaptive form from the bank. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy.
Yes, after three years. Keep it current by logging 75 CEUs during the cycle and paying the $55 annual CE fee before expiry, or by passing the current exam again.
The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. The CQSoA Official Study Guide is a $50 ebook, included in two of the bundles. Hands-on practice comes with the All Access plan, included in the Complete bundle.
CQSoA is a continuing-education certification, like the CE credentials from CompTIA and ISC2. It is valid for three years from the day you pass. To keep it, log 75 continuing-education units during the cycle and pay the $55 annual CE fee before your expiry date. Or pass the current version of the exam again.
CEUs are logged from your CertLabz dashboard with supporting evidence. A certification that lapses can be reinstated only by passing the current exam.
Buy a voucher, study the objectives, sit the exam when you are ready. Your credential is issued the moment you pass.