GH-900 exam domains
The GH-900 exam is weighted across 7 domains. Pick any domain below to drill it — or read the full breakdown in the FAQ.
| Exam domain | Exam weight | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Understand Git and GitHub basics | 28% | Practice this topic |
| Work with GitHub repositories | 14% | Practice this topic |
| Collaborate using GitHub | 13% | Practice this topic |
| Apply modern development practices | 13% | Practice this topic |
| Manage projects with GitHub | 9% | Practice this topic |
| Understand privacy, security, and administration | 13% | Practice this topic |
| Explore the GitHub community | 10% | Practice this topic |
Sample GH-900 questions
A sample of the GH-900 questions on this hub. Each links through to the full question, the correct answer, and an explanation of why every other option is wrong.
- A project manager has a folder of finished design assets on her laptop and wants to add them to an existing GitHub repository. She is not comfortable…View question
- A technical writer needs to add a new file named docs/setup.md to a repository directly on GitHub.com. They do not have Git installed and want to crea…View question
- During a sprint planning meeting, your team triages a backlog of open issues. The lead wants each issue to clearly show which single developer is resp…View question
- A developer is fixing a bug tracked in issue #42. They open a pull request with the fix and want the issue to close automatically the moment the pull…View question
- A maintainer needs to make several experimental changes to a documentation site over the next week. The main branch is used for automatic production d…View question
- Your team's CI pipeline occasionally fails, but developers have been merging pull requests into the main branch anyway, breaking the deployment. As a…View question
- A developer is away from their computer but receives a notification that a teammate requested their review on a pull request. They want to read the di…View question
- A new developer joins your team and needs to start contributing to an existing project hosted on GitHub. She wants a complete local copy of the reposi…View question
- Your team wants pull requests that modify files in the /api directory to automatically request a review from the backend team, while changes to the /d…View question
- Your team maintains a public repository. A new maintainer asks where in the repository they should document the supported versions and the process ext…View question
Key GH-900 terms
Start with these terms, then explore the full glossary. Each links to a plain-English definition written for the GH-900 exam.
GH-900 frequently asked questions
What is the GH-900 certification?+
GH-900 is the fundamentals certification in GitHub’s program, distinct from GH-100 (Enterprise Administrator), GH-200 (Actions), GH-500 (Advanced Security), and the GitHub Copilot (GH-300) exam.
It targets newcomers and anyone wanting to prove baseline GitHub proficiency, so success rewards clear understanding of concepts rather than deep hands-on administration.
What topics are on the GH-900 exam?+
The GH-900 exam is organised into seven weighted domains. GitHub publishes each as a range (25–30%, 10–15%, 10–15%, 10–15%, 5–10%, 10–15%, 5–10%); the single percentages below are our editorial study weights within those ranges, so bias your study toward the heaviest domain — Understand Git and GitHub basics.
Understand Git and GitHub basics (28%)
The largest domain. Covers version-control fundamentals (the purpose of version control, the difference between Git and GitHub, repositories, commits, and branches) and working with GitHub (accounts, organizations, the GitHub Flow, Markdown, and GitHub Desktop and Mobile).
Work with GitHub repositories (14%)
Covers repository structure and key files (README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, CODEOWNERS, SECURITY), creating and maintaining repositories with templates and branches, managing files, and repository insights and metrics.
Collaborate using GitHub (13%)
Covers using issues, pull requests, and discussions, linking pull requests to issues, managing templates and assignments, configuring notifications, and using Gists, Wikis, and GitHub Pages.
Apply modern development practices (13%)
Covers the purpose of GitHub Actions, how GitHub Copilot assists with AI-powered suggestions (including Agent Mode and multi-model support), the Copilot plans, GitHub Codespaces and dev containers, and the github.dev editor.
Manage projects with GitHub (9%)
Covers GitHub Projects and its layout options, configuring projects, labels, milestones, and workflows, using saved replies and assignees, and tracking progress with project insights.
Understand privacy, security, and administration (13%)
Covers securing accounts with two-factor authentication and passkeys, access permissions and roles, Enterprise Managed Users (EMUs) and organization-wide Copilot policy, repository privacy and branch protection, and managing organization settings and teams.
Explore the GitHub community (10%)
Covers the benefits of open source and GitHub Sponsors, how GitHub supports open-source projects, following users and organizations, the GitHub Marketplace, InnerSource, and using forks and templates.
Is the GH-900 hard?+
GH-900 is a foundational exam, so the difficulty is breadth of GitHub concepts rather than depth. You need to recognize what each feature does and when to use it across the whole platform.
Because it spans version control, collaboration, automation, security, and community, the challenge is covering every area rather than mastering any one deeply.
How many questions are on the GH-900 exam and how long is it?+
GH-900 is a proctored exam of roughly 60-75 questions with a 100-minute time limit, covering foundational GitHub knowledge for developers and non-developers; it may include interactive question formats alongside multiple choice.
Our full-length practice mock uses a 60-question, 90-minute session so you can rehearse pacing across all seven domains before test day.
What score do you need to pass the GH-900?+
GH-900 is scored on a scale of 100 to 1000, and you need 700 to pass. Because it is scaled, questions are not all worth the same and there is no penalty for guessing, so answer everything. Our practice mock uses a 70% threshold as a study checkpoint.
How much does the GH-900 exam cost?+
The GH-900 exam fee is set by GitHub and varies by region — check the GitHub certification site for current pricing. Everything on this hub is free.
Who should take the GH-900?+
GH-900 is aimed at anyone starting with GitHub — students, new developers, project managers, and non-technical team members who collaborate on GitHub.
No prior experience is required, though basic familiarity with GitHub through hands-on use helps.
What jobs and salaries can the GH-900 lead to?+
GH-900 is a stepping stone that demonstrates baseline GitHub literacy, useful for developers, technical writers, project managers, and anyone in a software organization.
How much any certification affects pay depends heavily on geography, seniority, and experience, so treat any single salary figure with caution. GH-900 is best viewed as proof of foundational GitHub fluency and a starting point toward the role-based GitHub certifications.
How long does it take to study for the GH-900?+
Most candidates need two to four weeks, spent using GitHub for real projects — creating repositories, opening pull requests, and exploring Actions, Copilot, and Projects.
Review every explanation, including for questions you answered correctly. Use the per-domain results here to find your weakest area, then finish with full-length timed mocks.
How should you prepare for the GH-900?+
Study the seven domains above, giving the heaviest weight to Git and GitHub basics, then drill scenario questions domain by domain while using GitHub hands-on. Every MockAPI question reveals a full explanation and tells you why each wrong answer is wrong.
When you can recognize each feature and when to use it, move to full-length timed mocks. Use the glossary to keep concepts like GitHub Flow, pull requests, Codespaces, and EMU straight, and aim to score consistently above the checkpoint before you book.
Can you take the GH-900 exam online?+
Yes. GitHub certification exams are delivered through Pearson VUE, which offers both an online-proctored option and in-person test centers. For the online option you need a private, quiet room, a webcam and microphone, a stable connection, and government-issued photo ID, with a proctor monitoring you and a room scan before you start.
If you do not pass, GitHub lets you retake the exam after a waiting period — check the current policy before rebooking.
What certification should you take after the GH-900?+
After GH-900, the role-based GitHub certifications include GH-100 (Enterprise Administrator), GH-200 (Actions), GH-500 (Advanced Security), and the GitHub Copilot certification.
For many, the real next step is using GitHub daily for real work. Pairing GH-900 with hands-on practice is what turns the certificate into fluency.