Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Applied Cryptography Certification

The Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Applied Cryptography Certification is a free advanced-level, 25-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests zero-knowledge proofs and applied cryptography — completeness, soundness and zero-knowledge, interactive proofs and the Fiat–Shamir transform, commitments and hash functions, elliptic curves and pairings, arithmetic circuits and R1CS, polynomial commitments such as KZG and FRI, SNARKs including Groth16 and PLONK, STARKs and transparency, trusted setups and ceremonies, recursion and proof aggregation, zkVMs and circuit languages such as Circom and Noir, zk-rollups and blockchain scaling, privacy applications like anonymous credentials, performance and proving costs, and common soundness bugs and audits — written to Thaler's Proofs, Arguments and Zero-Knowledge and the ZKProof community for 2026 and 2027. Score 70% or more on its 25 questions to earn a verifiable Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Applied Cryptography certificate (SOA-ZKPA). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Proofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge (Justin Thaler, Georgetown University), ZKProof community reference and standards effort (ZKProof), Post-Quantum Cryptography project and migration guidance (US National Institute of Standards and Technology) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Applied Cryptography Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests foundations, circuits and arithmetisation, proof systems, scaling and applications and engineering and security with 25 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 five skill areas on this page, then take the 25-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 Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Applied Cryptography 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: Proofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge (Justin Thaler, Georgetown University); ZKProof community reference and standards effort (ZKProof); Post-Quantum Cryptography project and migration guidance (US National Institute of Standards and Technology); Software Foundations (Coq/Rocq) (Benjamin Pierce et al., University of Pennsylvania). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Five skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Foundations (Properties of ZK, Interactive proofs and Commitments and hashes); Circuits and Arithmetisation (Arithmetic circuits, Constraint systems and Circuit languages); Proof Systems (SNARKs, STARKs and Polynomial commitments); Scaling and Applications (Recursion and aggregation, Rollups and Privacy applications); Engineering and Security (Performance, Trusted setup ceremonies and Audits and bugs). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Cryptography or protocol engineer, Blockchain or zk-rollup developer, Security auditor, Applied cryptography researcher or student and Privacy engineer. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Applied Cryptography knowledge in 2026 and 2027.

CS and AI students at MIT, Stanford, CMU, Berkeley, IITs, Tsinghua and ETH are hired on depth beyond tool use: model internals, systems and hardware. Passing earns a founder-signed Science of Apps certificate with a credential ID and QR code that recruiters can verify.

A zero-knowledge proof convinces a verifier that a statement is true without revealing anything beyond its truth — formally, whatever the verifier sees could be simulated without the secret.

SNARKs typically have very small proofs and fast verification but many rely on a trusted setup and pairing-based assumptions. STARKs are transparent, rely on hash functions and are plausibly post-quantum, with larger proofs.

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/.

25 questions — 5 from each of 5 skill areas — with a 25-minute limit. You need 70% (18 of 25) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Advanced: assumes years in the role or deep specialist knowledge. It has 25 scenario questions — 5 from each of 5 skill areas — and a 25-minute limit. You need 70% (18 of 25) 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.