Quality of Earnings Analysis Certification

The Quality of Earnings Analysis Certification is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests quality of earnings (QoE) analysis — normalising EBITDA with diligence adjustments, revenue quality and recognition under ASC 606 and IFRS 15, cash conversion and accruals, net working capital pegs, debt-like items and net debt, and red flags in reported earnings — written to FASB, CFI due diligence and CFA Institute financial analysis references for 2026 and 2027 transactions. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Quality of Earnings Analysis certificate (SOA-QEA). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Due diligence overview (Corporate Finance Institute), Accounting Standards Codification (Financial Accounting Standards Board), CFA Program Level I (CFA Institute) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Quality of Earnings Analysis Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests normalising earnings, revenue quality, cash quality and working capital and net debt and red flags 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 Quality of Earnings Analysis 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: Due diligence overview (Corporate Finance Institute); Accounting Standards Codification (Financial Accounting Standards Board); CFA Program Level I (CFA Institute); Investment Banking: Valuation, LBOs, M&A and IPOs (Joshua Rosenbaum and Joshua Pearl (Wiley)); Atlas: cloud and SaaS benchmarks (Bessemer Venture Partners); Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sections 302 and 404) (US Securities and Exchange Commission). 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: Normalising Earnings (Adjusted EBITDA, Diligence vs management adjustments and Pro forma); Revenue Quality (Revenue recognition, Concentration and churn and Contract terms); Cash Quality and Working Capital (Cash conversion, Accruals and NWC peg); Net Debt and Red Flags (Debt-like items, Off-balance-sheet risks and Warning signs). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Transaction services or FDD associate, Private equity associate, Corporate development analyst, Investment banking analyst and Accountant moving into deals. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Quality of Earnings Analysis knowledge in 2026 and 2027.

Ivy/LSE/IIM finance clubs recruit into IB, S&T, PE and hedge funds; these roles screen on technical depth our catalog does not yet test. Passing earns a founder-signed Science of Apps certificate with a credential ID and QR code that recruiters can verify.

An independent analysis, usually by accountants in a transaction, of whether a business's reported earnings are accurate, sustainable and repeatable. It produces adjusted EBITDA, assesses revenue and cash quality, and informs the working capital peg and net debt.

An audit gives an opinion on whether financial statements are fairly presented under accounting standards. QoE is a buyer- or seller-commissioned analysis focused on sustainable earnings and deal-relevant adjustments, and it does not produce an audit opinion.

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.