Sprout Belt · Promotion exam
AI First Steps
Verifies the foundational skills for first-time AI users to ask generative AI questions, check answers, and protect themselves against personal data exposure and AI scams. An optional preparatory course below White Belt.
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10 questions · 15 min · No sign-up needed
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20 questions · 30 min · Free · Desktop browser · No certificate
Prepare for the web betaPromotion exam · Proctored
20 questions · 30 min · Raw score of 70 or more · $3.99 / one attempt
Promotion exam detailsExam overview
- Questions
- 20
- Time
- 30 min
- Pass mark
- 70 pts
- Recommended experience
- None. The ability to send text messages and use apps on a smartphone is sufficient.
Every question has five choices and is marked on an OMR answer sheet. Multiple-choice and true-or-false questions ask for the right combination from a box; ordering and matching questions ask for the right arrangement. Judgment questions (L3) are worth 3 points and all others 2; the raw score is converted to a 100-point scale and graded 1 to 9.
Question renewal: from December 1, 2026, part of the questions are replaced with new ones on the 1st of each month.
Exam domains
1. How AI Answers20%
2. Asking and Refining Prompts25%
3. Verifying Answers20%
4. Personal Data and Safe Usage20%
5. Recognizing AI Scams and Fakes, and Everyday Uses15%
Weights follow the Promotion exam. Practice and mock exams may mix domains differently.
What this exam verifies
- Explain how generative AI generates answers and why those answers may be incorrect
- State desired outcomes specifically and refine prompts based on initial responses
- Identify claims in AI responses that require verification and check them against reliable sources
- Filter out personal information that must not be entered into AI and use tools safely
- Question AI-generated synthetic voices, photos, and texts, and follow verification procedures
Who it is for
- Adults with little to no experience using AI chatbots
- Individuals looking to use AI safely with their families
- Learners who want to build fundamental skills before taking White Belt
- No computer or programming knowledge is required
Does not cover organizational adoption decisions, prompt engineering techniques, or writing code. Those using AI for work should start with White Belt (AI Basics).
Domain details
Domain 1. How AI Answers
- Knowledge: Differences between generative AI and web search, Plausible but incorrect answers (hallucinations), Limitations on information after the knowledge cutoff, Variations in answers to the same question, What AI does well and what it cannot do
- Skills: Recognizing situations where AI answers should not be accepted without verification, Distinguishing tasks to delegate to AI from tasks to handle directly
Domain 2. Asking and Refining Prompts
- Knowledge: Stating desired results specifically, Providing context and the intended audience, Specifying length and format, Asking follow-up refinement questions, Starting a new conversation
- Skills: Turning vague questions into specific requests, Requesting corrections based on an initial response
Domain 3. Verifying Answers
- Knowledge: Checking sources and dates, Reviewing factual details such as numbers, names, and places, Verifying information on official institutional websites, Consulting certified professionals for medical, legal, and financial matters
- Skills: Identifying statements in AI answers that require verification, Selecting appropriate sources for verification
Domain 4. Personal Data and Safe Usage
- Knowledge: Refraining from entering resident registration numbers, bank account details, and passwords, Handling other people's personal information and photos, Managing chat history and model training settings, Checking rules before entering company or school materials, Logging out on shared devices
- Skills: Distinguishing information that is safe to enter into AI from information that is not, Removing personal information before submitting questions
Domain 5. Recognizing AI Scams and Fakes, and Everyday Uses
- Knowledge: Voice- and face-cloning impersonation scams (deepfakes), Fake images, fake news, and fabricated reviews, Labels and disclosures identifying AI-generated content, Callback verification and family security questions, Everyday uses such as summarization, translation, and writing assistance
- Skills: Choosing verification procedures when receiving suspicious communications, Applying AI safely to routine tasks in daily life
Official documentation
Sprout Belt Course · AI First Steps
Practice, mock exams and every course book are free. Pay only when you take an official test.