Startup Equity & Option Plans Certification

The Startup Equity & Option Plans Certification is a free beginner-level, 15-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests startup equity and employee option plans — vesting and cliffs, ISOs versus NSOs versus RSUs, strike prices and 409A valuations, exercise and tax events including the 83(b) election, option pools and dilution, and acceleration and exit treatment — written to IRS guidance, NVCA model documents and Carta's equity education for 2026 and 2027. Score 70% or more on its 15 questions to earn a verifiable Startup Equity & Option Plans certificate (SOA-SEOP). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Equity and cap table education (Carta), Topic no. 427, Stock options (US Internal Revenue Service), Model legal documents (National Venture Capital Association) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Startup Equity & Option Plans Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests vesting and grant types, pricing, tax events and elections and option pools, dilution and exits with 15 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 three skill areas on this page, then take the 15-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 Startup Equity & Option Plans 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: Equity and cap table education (Carta); Topic no. 427, Stock options (US Internal Revenue Service); Model legal documents (National Venture Capital Association); Form 15620: Section 83(b) Election (US Internal Revenue Service). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Three skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Vesting and Grant Types (Vesting and cliffs, ISOs, NSOs and RSUs and Grant documents); Pricing, Tax Events and Elections (409A valuations, Exercise taxation and 83(b) and AMT); Option Pools, Dilution and Exits (Option pool sizing, Dilution and Acceleration and exit treatment). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Startup employee, Founder, Startup operations or people lead, Early-stage finance associate and Student weighing a startup offer. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Startup Equity & Option Plans knowledge in 2026 and 2027.

Founders on tier-1 campuses (Stanford, MIT, Harvard, IIT, Tsinghua, Waterloo) need fundraising, team and deep-tech commercialization skills. Passing earns a founder-signed Science of Apps certificate with a credential ID and QR code that recruiters can verify.

No. It tests how startup equity generally works under US rules (with notes where other countries differ). Equity taxation depends on your jurisdiction and facts, so get advice from a qualified tax professional before exercising or filing elections.

Four years with a one-year cliff is the common US default: nothing vests in the first 12 months, then 25% vests at the cliff and the rest monthly over the next 36 months.

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/.

15 questions — 5 from each of 3 skill areas — with a 15-minute limit. You need 70% (11 of 15) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Beginner: no experience needed: fundamentals and clear reasoning. It has 15 scenario questions — 5 from each of 3 skill areas — and a 15-minute limit. You need 70% (11 of 15) 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.