Family Business Governance & Succession Certification

The Family Business Governance & Succession Certification is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests family business governance and succession — the three-circle model of family, ownership and business, stages of family business evolution, family councils, constitutions and charters, boards with independent directors, ownership agreements and shareholder liquidity, next-generation development and employment policies, CEO succession planning and transition, conflict management, family offices and wealth, and estate planning basics — written to the IFC Family Business Governance Handbook, the Three-Circle Model, OECD governance principles and IRS sources for 2026 and 2027. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Family Business Governance & Succession certificate (SOA-FBGS). Every question is based on published standards and research — including IFC Family Business Governance Handbook (International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)), G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance (OECD), The Three-Circle Model of the Family Business System (Tagiuri & Davis) (John A. Davis / Cambridge Institute for Family Enterprise) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Family Business Governance & Succession Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests family business foundations, governance structures, ownership, employment and next generation and succession, conflict and wealth with 20 original scenario questions in all, each naming its published source; you get an instant score and a verifiable certificate with a credential ID you can add to LinkedIn.

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 Family Business Governance & Succession 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: IFC Family Business Governance Handbook (International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)); G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance (OECD); The Three-Circle Model of the Family Business System (Tagiuri & Davis) (John A. Davis / Cambridge Institute for Family Enterprise); Estate tax (US Internal Revenue Service); Program on Negotiation daily blog (Harvard Law School). 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: Family Business Foundations (Three-circle model, Lifecycle stages and Strengths and risks); Governance Structures (Family councils and assemblies, Boards and independent directors and Family constitution); Ownership, Employment and Next Generation (Shareholder agreements, Family employment policies and Next-generation development); Succession, Conflict and Wealth (CEO succession, Conflict management and Family offices and estate planning). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Family business owner or next-generation member, Family business adviser or consultant, Independent director or board member, Family office professional and Business or wealth management student. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Family Business Governance & Succession knowledge in 2026 and 2027.

MBAs and engineers aiming at PM, founder and C-suite roles want the next layer above the product basics we already cover. Passing earns a founder-signed Science of Apps certificate with a credential ID and QR code that recruiters can verify.

Developed by Renato Tagiuri and John Davis, it shows a family business as three overlapping systems: family, ownership and business. People can sit in one, two or all three circles, which helps explain different perspectives, interests and conflicts.

A written agreement, sometimes called a family charter or protocol, that sets out the family's values, vision and policies on matters such as governance bodies, employment of family members, share ownership and transfers, dividends and conflict resolution.

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.