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NCX Certification Program (Certificatio.md)

Welcome to the NCX Certification Program. This page explains the full certification path, how to prepare, how exams work, and what each certificate means. You can complete every level fully autonomously (no mentor required), or opt into mentoring at any time.

What’s free vs. what you pay​

  • Free: All lessons, labs, practice projects, and exams (theory + practical). Badges and certificates are free.
  • Pay-as-you-use runtime only:
    • Core runtime (building/running in the platform)
    • AI credits (AI calls, agents, etc.)
  • Automatic discounts on runtime:
    • Onboarding: 20% off all runtime in your first 3 months
    • Certification bonus: +10% off runtime for 2 months after you pass a level (monthly cap applies)
  • Billing details: https://docs.nocode-x.com/licenses-&-billing/

Tip: Study Mode (mock/sim) powers most labs with zero credits. Production Mode is clearly labeled and consumes runtime.

Certification Path and Levels​

  • NCX‑1 Starter → NCX‑2 Builder → NCX‑3 Pro → NCX‑4 Expert
  • You can attempt levels in order. Each level has a theory exam and a practical exam (capstone).

NCX‑1 Starter​

  • Who it’s for: Beginners or first-time NCX users.
  • You’ll be able to:
    • Build basic data flows: form → table → list
    • Make API calls (GET/POST) with headers and JSON bodies
    • Trigger simple automations (e.g., on create/update)
    • Apply theming (colors, typography, states)
    • Debug common errors (auth, 4xx/5xx, JSON)
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Exam format:
    • Theory: 25–35 questions, proctoring light, time‑boxed
    • Practical: 60–90 min capstone (acceptance tests + autoscorer)
  • Passing criteria:
    • Theory ≥ 75%
    • Practical: all critical checks pass (data persistence, API success, UI clarity)
  • Estimated effort: 6–10 hours total (micro‑lessons + practice + capstone)

NCX‑2 Builder​

  • Who it’s for: Builders who can ship functional apps and want integrations and reliability.
  • You’ll be able to:
    • Handle API auth patterns (Bearer/API key), pagination, retries
    • Build agent calls with basic tools and memory
    • Design CRUD data models with validation and constraints
    • Set up webhooks/schedules and basic notifications
    • Improve UX polish and accessibility basics
  • Prerequisites: NCX‑1 (or equivalent skills)
  • Exam format:
    • Theory: 30–40 questions
    • Practical: 90–120 min, multi‑step integration (API + data + automation)
  • Passing criteria:
    • Theory ≥ 75%
    • Practical: all critical checks + resilience checks (error handling, idempotency)
  • Estimated effort: 10–16 hours

NCX‑3 Pro​

  • Who it’s for: Advanced builders targeting production quality.
  • You’ll be able to:
    • Implement roles/permissions and environment configs
    • Optimize performance (queries, payloads, caching where applicable)
    • Add cost guardrails, monitoring and logging
    • Orchestrate agents with multiple tools and fallbacks
    • Integrate external services/workflows safely (secrets/rotations)
  • Prerequisites: NCX‑2 (or equivalent)
  • Exam format:
    • Theory: 35–45 questions
    • Practical: 120–150 min, production‑ready app slice with observability
  • Passing criteria:
    • Theory ≥ 75%
    • Practical: security/permission checks, error budgets, test logs clean
  • Estimated effort: 16–24 hours

NCX‑4 Expert​

  • Who it’s for: Experts who design complex, scalable systems with AI agents and advanced automations.
  • You’ll be able to:
    • Architect multi‑module solutions and multi‑tenant patterns
    • Implement advanced automations and workflow orchestration
    • Apply evaluation frameworks for AI agents (quality, safety, cost)
    • Design for resilience, audits, and compliance‑friendly logging
    • Lead reviews and coach teams on best practices
  • Prerequisites: NCX‑3 (or equivalent)
  • Exam format:
    • Theory: 40–50 questions
    • Practical: 150–180 min, complex capstone with evaluations and guardrails
  • Passing criteria:
    • Theory ≥ 75%
    • Practical: all critical checks + evaluation metrics thresholds met
  • Estimated effort: 24–40 hours

How Certification Works​

  1. Prepare with micro‑lessons and labs

    • 2–4 minute videos + one exercise per lesson
    • Instant checks, hint ladder (nudge → partial → full after attempts)
    • Practice projects with acceptance tests
    • Study Mode first (zero or minimal credits), switch to Production Mode when ready

  2. Meet exam admission criteria

    • Complete required exercises for the level
    • Pass at least one practice project

  3. Take the exams (on‑demand)

    • Theory exam (proctoring light; randomized bank; time‑boxed)
    • Practical capstone (unique parameters per student; autoscorer + audit trail)

  4. Identity & integrity

    • One‑time liveness + ID check per level
    • Anti‑plagiarism checks and randomized variants
    • Compliance with the exam code of conduct

  5. Results and benefits

    • Instant result for theory; practical is mostly instant via autoscorer (with occasional manual review)
    • Earn a verifiable badge and certificate
    • Certification bonus: +10% runtime discount for 2 months (monthly cap applies)

Retakes Policy​

  • Attempts: Max 3 attempts per 20 calendar days (rolling window) per exam (theory and practical tracked separately)
  • Cooldown: Minimum 72 hours between attempts
  • No‑show: Counts as an attempt (free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance)
  • Integrity: Suspected fraud or plagiarism triggers a temporary block and manual review
  • UI always shows:
    • Attempt counter (e.g., “2/3”)
    • Window reset date
    • Cooldown countdown

Autonomy vs. Mentoring (Your Choice)​

  • Autonome track (self‑serve): 100% sufficient to pass and certify
  • Mentoring track (optional):
    • Weekly 30‑min group huddle, async help, structured feedback
    • No extra fee for mentoring; you only pay your own runtime
    • You can opt in later if a mentor spot is available

Pick the mode that fits your pace. You can switch or add a mentor anytime.

How to Prepare Efficiently​

  • Start in Study Mode to learn without runtime costs
  • Use the hint ladder only after two attempts—build problem‑solving muscle
  • Keep a “debug diary”: error, hypothesis, test, fix
  • Before exams:
    • Re‑run practice tests until all checks pass
    • Review checklists (auth headers, status handling, schema validations)
    • Timebox a mock capstone to simulate the real exam

Sharing and Verification​

  • Your certificate has a verifiable link and badge you can share on LinkedIn/CV
  • Certificates are versioned; if a major version changes, we may offer a short “delta” assessment to update your badge (free)

FAQ​

  • Do I need a mentor to pass?
    • No. Autonome track is enough to learn and certify.
  • Do I pay for lessons or exams?
    • No. They’re free. You only pay for runtime (Core + AI).
  • How do discounts work?
    • Onboarding: 20% off runtime for your first 3 months
    • After passing a level: +10% for 2 months (monthly cap applies)
  • Will I spend credits while practicing?
    • Study Mode uses mocks (often zero credits). Production Mode uses real runtime and is clearly labeled.
  • Can I retake if I fail?
    • Yes. Max 3 attempts per 20 days with a 72‑hour cooldown between attempts.

Start Now​

  1. Enroll in NCX‑1 Starter
  2. Complete the micro‑lessons and the practice project in Study Mode
  3. Book your theory and practical exams when ready
  4. Earn your badge and enjoy the certification bonus
  5. Move on to NCX‑2 Builder or start shipping in Production Mode

For billing and pricing details: https://docs.nocode-x.com/licenses-&-billing/