Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The certificate is issued the moment your results are ready, after a 20 to 40 minute conversation; there is no course to sit, no exam to revise for and nothing to pay. Course-based certificates take between six and 120 hours of study and confirm that you completed the material. AISA's certificate is scored on what you demonstrate: 11 criteria, each tied to a quote from your own words, with a second review of the full transcript before the result is issued. It is verifiable by anyone with the link, valid for 12 months, and addable to LinkedIn in one click.

The assessment, the full report and the certificate are free, and your score is calculated before any offer appears; nothing you buy changes it. AISA earns money from employers who buy assessment credits at $10 each and from optional coaching products for people who want help with what the report shows. It is fair to call the free assessment the front door to those products. It is not a gate: everything you need to know where you stand and what to work on, including your strengths and focus areas, is in the free report.

No. The certificate is free and issued automatically with every completed assessment, at the level reached, with nothing to unlock. Until September 2026 it was a paid add-on, so older articles and cached search results may still say otherwise.

Scores are a measurement, not a verdict. Each of the 11 criteria is scored against a published rubric, and the same rubric applies whether or not anyone buys anything. The distribution is what the population produced: in the August 2026 edition of the AISA AI Fluency Index the average was 48 out of 100, and within a single organisation scores ranged from 15 to 97. Self-assessment runs high: across sessions where people predicted their score first, the average overestimate is around 19.6 points. The lowest and the highest scorers get the same thing from AISA — a clear picture of where they stand and what would move them. On money: AISA is expensive to run, and nearly all of its value to individuals (the assessment, the report and the certificate) is free, because our revenue comes mainly from organisations. The paid products for individuals exist because some people find them useful, and because buying one is a way to support what they got for free.

Openness, independent cross-checks, and the people behind it. AISA publishes its rubric, so what is being measured is open to scrutiny; we know of no other AI assessment that does this, cross-references its rubric against independent frameworks, and publishes population data quarterly. The rubric has been cross-referenced against Anthropic's AI Fluency Index, covering 93% of the markers Anthropic identified, and against the US Department of Labor's AI literacy framework. AISA publishes what it learns from thousands of assessments, openly and for public benefit, in the quarterly AISA AI Fluency Index. The team behind it brings years of experience in psychometrics, quantitative and qualitative research and the behavioural sciences, including sociology. During 2026 AISA is working with academic partners towards a peer-reviewed paper on its methodology and convening an expert panel to review it, on the way to becoming the gold standard for AI fluency measurement.

Yes. Against no assessment, a quiz or a self-report survey, AISA is in a different category: it samples how a person actually works with AI, ties every score to their own words, applies one rubric to every candidate so results are comparable, and reviews the whole transcript before issuing a result. The only ways to learn more are a long interview with a top AI practitioner in the candidate's field, or watching them build and work with AI over months. For insight per minute spent, nothing else comes close. That is the view of the enterprise organisations we work with, not a marketing line. Employers see the same report the candidate sees.

Not easily, and we do not claim it is impossible. Publishing the rubric does not create an answer key: it explains what each criterion measures, not what a high-scoring answer looks like. The conversation adapts to what you say and rewards specific, demonstrated practice over the right vocabulary. Every session runs integrity checks; where answers appear not to be the candidate's own, the report says so and no certificate is issued. The assessment is not proctored.

No, and this is one of the reasons AISA is built the way it is. The AI you talk to and the AI that scores you are separate systems: the conversation partner never sees or sets scores, and the scorer only credits evidence of skill, each score tied to a quote from your own words. A second, more capable model then reviews the whole transcript before any result is issued, and integrity checks flag text that does not look like the candidate's own. Telling Aisa how you would like to be scored is not evidence of anything, so it does not move the score.

AISA measures how effectively you work with AI, from one conversation of 20 to 40 minutes. It does not measure general intelligence, your domain expertise without AI, leadership, or hands-on execution inside a particular tool. It samples how you work on one day rather than observing you over months, and a conversational format favours people who explain themselves well; the rubric separates AI skill from articulacy, but the format is not neutral. The Scope & Limitations answers below go further.

Traditional AI tests use static multiple-choice questions that candidates can Google in seconds. AISA runs a live, adaptive conversation that follows up on what the candidate actually says — probing deeper on strong claims and pivoting when answers are vague. This makes it far harder to fake and far more reflective of real-world AI ability. Instead of testing recall, AISA tests whether someone can actually think with AI. Read more in our guide: Beyond Multiple Choice (/resources/beyond-multiple-choice).

AISA is an AI fluency assessment that evaluates practical skills across 5 dimensions and 11 criteria. The dimensions are Prompting & Communication, Critical Thinking, Technical Understanding, Workflow & Application, and Safety & Responsibility. Each dimension captures a different facet of how someone works with AI — from writing effective prompts to recognising model limitations to integrating AI into daily workflows. The result is a comprehensive profile, not just a single number. See the full breakdown at /resources/the-aisa-rubric.

Instead of a quiz with predetermined answers, candidates chat naturally with Aisa, our AI facilitator. Aisa adapts in real time — asking follow-up questions, probing claims with scenarios, and moving on when a topic is well covered. This mirrors how people actually demonstrate expertise: through conversation, not checkboxes. The format also lets candidates showcase strengths that rigid tests would miss entirely.

Most assessments take 20 to 40 minutes; the conversation can run longer if the candidate wants a deeper report. There is no strict time limit — Aisa adapts pacing based on how much evidence has been collected across all 11 criteria. A short, high-quality session can produce a perfectly valid report.

AISA adapts its conversation to any knowledge-worker role. It adjusts the topics, scenarios, and depth of probing to match the role context — a developer gets different questions than a product manager or designer. We have tailored assessment paths for developers, product managers, designers, data scientists, and a general track for all other roles. Learn more at /roles.

Every score is tied directly to evidence from the conversation — specific quotes and demonstrated behaviours, not subjective impressions. A second AI model independently evaluates the entire transcript, and a calibration pass adjusts for scoring consistency. This dual-track architecture means two candidates who say the same things will receive the same scores, regardless of when or how they take the assessment.

The report includes a composite score out of 100, individual scores for each of the 11 criteria, a persona classification (like The Architect or The Builder) that captures the candidate's AI working style, a personalised deep dive with specific evidence from the conversation, an action plan with growth recommendations, and a learning box with next steps. It is designed to be useful for both hiring decisions and personal development.

AISA classifies each candidate into one of 10 AI personas based on their scoring profile — ranging from The Bystander (limited AI engagement) to The Oracle (deep, strategic AI fluency). Each persona captures a distinct working style and relationship with AI tools. Personas like The Builder, The Architect, and The Strategist highlight different strengths. Employers find them useful for understanding team composition, and candidates find them motivating. Explore all 10 at /resources/ai-persona-types.

One detailed report is generated and shared equally with the candidate and the employer. There are no separate views or hidden sections — everyone sees the same evidence-based scores, the same persona, and the same recommendations. This transparency builds trust and ensures fairness on both sides.

AISA has built-in protections against gaming. It detects copy-paste behaviour, sudden style shifts, AI-generated responses, and suspicious response speed through a multi-metric AI fingerprint system. Because the conversation is adaptive and unpredictable, there is no answer key to memorise. Flagged anomalies appear directly in the report with full transparency. Read more about our approach: /resources/beyond-multiple-choice.

Every session runs integrity checks that look for answers which do not appear to be the candidate's own. Where they fire, the report says so and no certificate is issued. The system also detects dictation (voice-to-text) and adjusts accordingly, so it does not penalise candidates using accessibility tools. The assessment is not proctored.

Yes. AISA evaluates AI skills and reasoning, not English fluency. The scoring rubric explicitly separates communication clarity from language proficiency. Aisa adapts its language complexity based on the conversation, and scoring is calibrated to reward substance over style. We continuously monitor for language bias in our scoring pipeline.

Sign up as an employer, purchase credits, and send assessment invitations to candidates via email. Each candidate completes a conversation with Aisa and receives their AI persona, score, and strengths immediately. Employer-invited candidates get the full detailed report included — no separate unlock needed. Many employers use AISA as a screening step before technical interviews. Learn more at /ai-readiness.

Absolutely. Many organisations use AISA to benchmark their current workforce — identifying skill gaps, planning targeted training, and tracking improvement over time. Each team member takes a conversational assessment, receives their persona and scores immediately, and gets a certificate. The full report with growth recommendations is included for employer-invited assessments.

Asking a few AI questions in an interview gives you a rough impression but no standardised data. AISA evaluates 11 specific criteria with consistent rubric-based scoring, produces evidence-backed reports, and enables apples-to-apples comparison across every candidate. It also covers dimensions interviewers rarely probe — like safety awareness, critical evaluation of AI outputs, and workflow integration patterns.

Each assessment uses one credit. Credits are $10 each — the same flat rate at any volume. There is no subscription, no monthly minimum, and no cancellation process. You buy credits when you need them and use them at your own pace. Unused credits never expire.

Yes — and we encourage it. Sign up as an individual professional to take the assessment yourself and see exactly what your candidates will experience. You will receive your AI persona, score, full deep-dive report, a personalised results reveal, and an official AI Skills Certificate — all free. You can also view a public sample report from the landing page.

In under two minutes. Sign up, purchase a credit pack, and send your first assessment invitation immediately. There is no setup wizard, no integrations required, and no IT involvement needed. Candidates receive a magic link via email and can start their assessment right away.

Assessment credits for employers do not have a free trial — you buy credits and use them at your own pace. The AI Coach subscription for individuals is $19/month, cancel anytime. You can also view a detailed sample report on our landing page to understand exactly what the assessment produces.

Yes, and it is free. Every completed assessment earns a verifiable certificate with a unique credential ID and QR code, showing your composite score, AI persona, and assessment date. It is issued the moment your results are ready — nothing to unlock and no card required. You can add it to LinkedIn in one click, download it as a PDF, or send the verification link straight to an employer.

Certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of assessment. AI skills and the tool landscape evolve rapidly, so a recent assessment is more meaningful than one from years ago. You can retake the assessment at any time to get a fresh certificate and track your growth.

Yes. The certificate page includes a one-click LinkedIn share button that creates a post with your persona, score, and a link to your verifiable certificate. Anyone who clicks the link can verify your results through the public certificate page, which includes a QR code for in-person verification.

After the assessment you immediately receive your AI persona, score, strengths and growth areas, your full deep-dive report — with benchmarks and an action plan — a leaderboard spot, and your official AI Skills Certificate to add to LinkedIn. All of it is free. If you want to work on the gaps, the self-paced AI Fluency Map ($19) and AISA AI Coaching ($19/mo, cancel anytime) are optional — personalised WhatsApp lessons built from your gap areas, with 2 retake credits included.

Yes. Many organisations use AISA for team AI skill training and benchmarking — assess your entire workforce, identify skill gaps across the 5 dimensions, and build targeted training plans. Employer-invited assessments include the full report with personalised growth recommendations. Employers can compare scores across the team to understand where strengths and development needs lie. See our guide at /resources/ai-skills-gap-implementation.

The leaderboard shows the name, role, AI persona and overall score of people who have not opted out. At the end of the assessment your score is added unless you untick the box on the results screen, and you can remove yourself at any time from Settings.

Yes. AISA supports voice-to-text and other assistive tools. Dictation uses your browser's built-in speech recognition, in your own language. The integrity system automatically detects dictation and adjusts its analysis so that voice-to-text users are not penalised for typing patterns that differ from keyboard input. If you use a screen reader or other accessibility tools, the chat interface is designed to work with standard web accessibility features.

AISA measures AI fluency — how effectively someone works with AI tools. It does not measure general intelligence, domain-specific expertise (e.g. whether a developer writes good code without AI), or leadership capability. It also cannot assess skills that require live tool access during the assessment, such as real-time API integration or model fine-tuning. AISA evaluates conceptual understanding and reasoning about these topics, not hands-on execution in a sandbox.

Conversational assessment has inherent constraints. Performance can vary based on communication style, mood, or familiarity with chat-based interactions. The format advantages articulate communicators, though AISA's rubric separates AI proficiency from language fluency. A single 20–40 minute conversation samples behaviour — it does not observe it over time. AISA mitigates these limitations through dual-track architecture, a calibration pass, and an anti-gaming system, but no single-session assessment perfectly predicts on-the-job performance.

Consistency between attempts is high: people who take the assessment twice under similar conditions land close together. Exact test-retest figures will be published after thorough review, in line with AISA's commitment to transparency, integrity and validity as it works towards becoming the gold standard for AI fluency assessment. Every score is tied to evidence from the conversation, a second model reviews the full transcript, and the same rubric applies to everyone. See the assessment quality framework at /resources/assessment-quality-framework.

No. Across 307 assessments where candidates predicted their score before starting, professionals overestimated their AI fluency by an average of 19 points — predicting 64 out of 100, then scoring 45. This is consistent with broader research: a 2026 study (Zhang et al., LAK26) found self-reported AI literacy correlates poorly with objective measures (r = 0.07–0.24). AISA was designed specifically to solve this gap — measuring demonstrated behaviour, not self-assessment.

Yes. All conversation data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. Data is used solely for generating the assessment report and is never sold, shared with third parties, or used to train AI models. We follow strict data minimisation principles — we only collect what is needed for the assessment. You can request full data deletion at any time.

Assessment data is stored in a Supabase-hosted PostgreSQL database with row-level security policies, hosted in the EU (AWS eu-west-1). The application is deployed on Vercel's edge network. All infrastructure providers are SOC 2 compliant. For full details, see our privacy policy at /privacy.

None at all. AISA uses a simple pay-as-you-go credit model. You buy credits when you need them, use them whenever you want, and stop whenever you want. No subscription, no annual commitment, no cancellation process. Unused credits never expire.