The Certified Git and Version Control Specialist (CGVS) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for the people who own version control across a software team. It validates that you understand version control foundations, can work Git day to day, can branch, merge and resolve conflicts, can collaborate through remotes and pull requests, can recover history and use advanced Git, and can run the workflows, CI integration and governance a team depends on. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Advanced. It assumes hands-on software development experience and validates mastery of Git and version control end to end. |
|---|---|
| Delivery model | Computer adaptive, three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so no two candidates sit the same paper. |
| Format | 120 questions. A performance-based exam that includes performance-based questions and multiple-choice questions. Concepts transfer across GitHub, GitLab and any Git host. |
| Time | 180 minutes for the whole exam, timed. Autosaves every answer. |
| Scoring | You need a score of 700 out of 900 to pass. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly. Harder questions carry more weight, so a score means the same thing on any route. Multiple-response items and PBQs are all or nothing. |
| Retakes | No waiting period after a failed first attempt. Every attempt is paid for at the exam price. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy. |
| Voucher validity | 12 months from purchase, for one sitting. |
| Certification validity | 3 years. Renew with 75 CEUs per cycle and the $55 annual CE fee, or pass the current exam. Renewal details. |
| Language | English. |
| Credential | PDF certificate with QR code, public verification page, LinkedIn-ready credential ID. Issuer: CertLabz Certification Board. |
| Free resources | The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. |
| Workforce mapping | NICE Framework work roles: Secure Software Development (DD-WRL-003). O*NET occupations: Software Developers (15-1252.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CGVS is a performance-based exam: it includes performance-based questions alongside multiple-choice questions. Instead of only picking A, B, C or D, you order a Git command sequence, resolve a merge conflict, recover lost work, and choose the right workflow. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests real version-control skill rather than reciting one host's menus.
What version control is, distributed versus centralized, commits, history and the everyday Git workflow.
Branches, merging, conflicts, rebasing and tags.
Remotes, push and pull, fetch, pull requests and forks.
Reflog, cherry-pick, bisect, stash, branching strategies, CI and governance.
Git is the backbone of modern software delivery, and teams need specialists who can keep version control clean, recoverable and collaborative. Every route is shown here at once, so nothing is hidden behind a control you have to find.
United States pay reported by Glassdoor, checked September 2026. Pay varies by location, employer and experience. No certification guarantees a salary or a job.
| CertLabz CGVS | GitHub Foundations | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No |
| Scope | Git and version control, vendor neutral | GitHub platform, foundational |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Platform based |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes |
| Questions | 120 | 75 |
| Time | 180 min | 100 min |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | Not published |
| Course required | No | No |
| Exam voucher | $199 | $99 |
Compiled September 2026 from the GitHub certification pages. GitHub Foundations is a foundational, platform-specific credential, while the CGVS is advanced, vendor neutral across any Git host, and computer adaptive. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners; CertLabz is not affiliated. Confirm current details with each provider.
Six reasons this credential is worth your time, and worth an employer's attention.
One price for the exam, set by its level. Bundles add the study guide and hands-on practice at a saving.
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Every form is drawn from a bank of more than 130 items to these exact weights, whichever adaptive route you take. Filter by the area you want to study.
The exam runs in three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so a strong candidate is stretched and a struggling one is measured fairly rather than swamped. No two candidates sit the same paper. Harder questions carry more weight, so a scaled score means the same thing whichever route you took.
Each exam can have up to 5 to 12 performance-based questions, drawn fresh on every attempt, alongside the multiple-choice questions. A PBQ is a task rather than a list: you order a Git command sequence, resolve a merge conflict, recover lost work, or choose the right workflow. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
The CGVS is vendor neutral and describes version control generically, naming hosts such as GitHub and GitLab only as examples. It tests the Git judgement that transfers across any host.
Yes. Where a capability such as a pull request or a hook is involved, it is described by what it does, not tied to one host.
700 out of 900. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly.
There is no waiting period between a failed first attempt and a second attempt. Buy another voucher and sit the exam again when you are ready, and it will draw a fresh adaptive form from the bank. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy.
Yes, after three years. Keep it current by logging 75 CEUs during the cycle and paying the $55 annual CE fee before expiry, or by passing the current exam again.
The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. The CGVS Official Study Guide is a $50 ebook, included in two of the bundles. Hands-on practice comes with the All Access plan, included in the Complete bundle.
A laptop or desktop with a webcam and microphone, Chrome, Edge or Firefox, a stable connection, and a quiet private room for three hours. Phones and tablets are not supported.
CGVS is a continuing-education certification, like the CE credentials from CompTIA and ISC2. It is valid for three years from the day you pass. To keep it, log 75 continuing-education units during the cycle and pay the $55 annual CE fee before your expiry date. Or pass the current version of the exam again. Earning a higher-level CertLabz certification renews it too, the way CompTIA certifications stack.
CEUs are logged from your CertLabz dashboard with supporting evidence. A certification that lapses can be reinstated only by passing the current exam.
Buy a voucher, study the objectives, sit the exam when you are ready. Your credential is issued the moment you pass.