Doula Certification

The Doula Certification is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests the knowledge a professional birth and postpartum doula needs — scope of practice, ethics and working with the care team, preparing for birth and informed decision-making, physical and emotional labour support, and postpartum, newborn and feeding support with the warning signs that need medical care — written to DONA International standards of practice, WHO intrapartum and infant feeding recommendations, the Cochrane review of continuous labour support and AWHONN POST-BIRTH warning signs for 2026. Doulas give non-clinical support; this test does not cover clinical skills. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Doula Proficiency certificate (SOA-DX). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Birth doula standards of practice and code of ethics (DONA International), WHO recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience (2018) (World Health Organization), POST-BIRTH warning signs (AWHONN) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Doula Certification, updated for 2026 and 2027. It measures scope, ethics and working with the care team, preparing for birth, labour support and postpartum, newborn and feeding support and gives instant results with a shareable certificate.

Read the four skill areas on this page, then take the 20-minute test online — no fee, course or sign-up. You see every answer explained when you finish. Score 70% or more and you get a Doula Proficiency certificate straight away, on screen, as a PDF and by email, with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Birth doula standards of practice and code of ethics (DONA International); WHO recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience (2018) (World Health Organization); POST-BIRTH warning signs (AWHONN); Infant and young child feeding fact sheet (World Health Organization); Continuous support for women during childbirth (Bohren et al., 2017) (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews); Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: 2022 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment (American Academy of Pediatrics). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Four skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Scope, Ethics and Working with the Care Team (Scope of practice, Ethics and confidentiality and Advocacy and teamwork); Preparing for Birth (Birth preferences, Informed decision-making and Pregnancy warning signs); Labour Support (Stages of labour, Comfort measures and Emotional support); Postpartum, Newborn and Feeding Support (Postpartum recovery, Feeding and Warning signs). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Birth doula, Postpartum doula, Doula in training, Childbirth educator and Midwifery or nursing student. It suits anyone who wants a quick, verifiable way to show Doula knowledge in 2026 and 2027, from students and career switchers to experienced professionals.

In most countries doula work is not licensed, but certification from an organisation such as DONA International, CAPPA, ProDoula or Childbirth International shows clients and hospitals you have trained to professional standards. Some health systems and insurers now require certification for reimbursement.

Yes. A Cochrane review of continuous labour support found it is linked with more spontaneous vaginal births, shorter labours, fewer caesarean births and less use of pain medication, and with more positive birth experiences. WHO recommends a labour companion of the woman's choice.

Yes. The test is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

20 questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — with a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Intermediate: assumes hands-on experience in the role. It has 20 scenario questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — and a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.