Performance-based certification exams are graded on outcome only, meaning grading evaluates the end state of the candidate's system rather than the steps taken to reach it. Candidates may take any approach they choose during the exam, as long as that approach produces the correct final outcome. Work that a candidate enters but that does not lead to the correct outcome is not evaluated or credited.

Partial credit is possible on exam items that have multiple parts. These multi-part items include multiple "checks," with one check for each verifiable component of the answer, and candidates receive credit for each check they complete successfully.

No, exam questions in performance-based exams are not all worth the same number of points. Questions are assigned different point values depending on their difficulty and the time required to complete them: a question involving a task or skill considered more difficult or more time-intensive is weighted more heavily than a question involving basic skills only.

Questions with multiple parts also tend to be worth more points than single-part questions, because multi-part questions include multiple checks — one for each verifiable component of the answer — and a candidate earns partial credit for each check completed successfully.

Point values, or weights, for individual exam questions are not shown to candidates during the exam, even on exams where per-question weighting exists. LF removed the display of item weights to reduce candidates' use of "test-taking strategy" during the exam. Previously, when weights were visible, candidates tended to hyperfocus on the highest-weighted tasks, which caused them to spend too much time on those tasks and ultimately perform worse overall.

The passing score for certification exams is determined by a standards-setting committee made up of subject matter experts from industry and the open source community. This committee's process has two components:

Candidates must earn a score at or above this passing score in order to pass the exam and receive certification.

No, LF cannot share item-specific feedback, such as a list of which exam items a candidate answered correctly or incorrectly, or the score earned on an individual item. Sharing this level of detail risks partially disclosing exam questions and answers, which would jeopardize the exam's integrity for future candidates.

For performance-based exams, a candidate who does not earn a passing score will see a list of the domains or areas in which they scored weakest included in their score report. Reviewing and practicing those domains is the recommended starting point for a retake. This domain-level list is not available on exams that use multiple-choice format, and it is not provided to candidates who passed the exam, since a passing result does not come with an improvement-focused breakdown.

A candidate who earns the same score on a retake as on a first attempt should not assume this indicates a scoring error. Each exam attempt is scored independently and tied to that specific exam session (identified/separated by UUIDs), so an identical score across two separate attempts is not evidence that results were mixed up between sessions.

Yes, candidates can request that an exam be rescored, though LF cannot guarantee that rescoring will be available for every exam. Candidates who want to request a rescore must submit that request within 2 days of the date on which the exam was taken.

Rescoring is only available for performance-based exams and rescoring requests are subject to the following conditions:

Rescoring is not available for SkillCreds or multiple choice exams,