Search Fund & Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Certification

The Search Fund & Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Certification is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests search funds and entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) — traditional, self-funded and sponsored search models, target criteria and sourcing, valuation and deal structure including seller notes and SBA loans, due diligence, and the first 100 days and value creation as CEO — written to the Stanford GSB and IESE search fund studies, US SBA guidance and M&A references for 2026 and 2027. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Search Fund & Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition certificate (SOA-SFET). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Search fund research (Stanford GSB Center for Entrepreneurial Studies), International Search Fund Study (IESE Business School), Manage your finances (Small business guide) (U.S. Small Business Administration) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Search Fund & Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests search models and economics, sourcing and target screening, valuation, financing and structure and transition and value creation 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 Search Fund & Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition 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: Search fund research (Stanford GSB Center for Entrepreneurial Studies); International Search Fund Study (IESE Business School); Manage your finances (Small business guide) (U.S. Small Business Administration); Investment Banking: Valuation, LBOs, M&A and IPOs (Joshua Rosenbaum and Joshua Pearl (Wiley)); Due diligence overview (Corporate Finance Institute); Interagency Guidance on Leveraged Lending (SR 13-3) (Federal Reserve Board). 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: Search Models and Economics (Traditional vs self-funded, Searcher economics and Investor terms); Sourcing and Target Screening (Deal flow, Screening criteria and Owner conversations); Valuation, Financing and Structure (Multiples, SBA and senior debt and Seller notes and earn-outs); Transition and Value Creation (First 100 days, Operating as CEO and Exit). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

MBA student considering a search fund, Searcher or aspiring acquisition entrepreneur, Search fund investor, Small business buyer and Private equity associate. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Search Fund & Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition 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.

A vehicle in which one or two entrepreneurs raise capital from investors to search for, acquire and run a single privately held company, typically a stable, profitable small or medium business. Investors fund the search, then get the right to invest in the acquisition.

Stanford GSB's long-running study reports strong aggregate returns for the asset class, but outcomes are highly dispersed: a meaningful share of searches end without an acquisition or lose money, while a few large successes drive overall returns.

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.