Candidate handbook
RAI-X candidate handbook
Responsible AI for Executives
Everything that applies to the RAI-X certification exam: what it covers, how the exam works, how it is scored and where to study.
Blueprint version 1, published on November 2, 2026.
What the certification attests
For executives and board members who oversee AI: oversight duties, strategic risk and appetite, reading governance reports, regulation and crisis decisions.
You sit on a board or advisory council
AI is on the agenda and you need to know what to ask, what good reporting looks like and where the board's responsibility begins.
You are a C-level or senior executive
You approve AI investments and answer for their outcomes, and want to make risk decisions with a clear view of the legal and reputational exposure.
You lead a business unit that is betting on AI
Your area is putting AI in front of customers or employees, and you need to know which decisions are yours and when a system should be stopped.
Prerequisite
None. You can take the certification exam directly.
Certification exam format
- Questions
- 50
- Duration
- 60 min
- Pass mark
- 70%
- Languages
- English, Portuguese, Spanish
The pass mark is fixed: you pass with 70% correct answers, with no curve and no comparison with other candidates.
Domains and weights
Questions are drawn for every certification exam, always in this proportion. The weights are the same the exam engine uses.
| Domain | Questions | Weight | Where to study |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Board and executive duties on AI What oversight of AI means for directors and executives: how fiduciary duty applies, what management must report, and what the organization should disclose about its use of AI. | 12 | 24% | RAI-X Syllabus, domain 1, Board and executive duties on AI |
2. Strategic risk Weighing the reputational, legal, operational and ethical risk of an AI initiative and making an explicit risk appetite decision instead of leaving it implied. | 12 | 24% | RAI-X Syllabus, domain 2, Strategic risk |
3. Reading governance signals Recognizing what good AI governance reporting looks like, spotting reports that reassure without informing, and knowing which questions to put to management. | 10 | 20% | RAI-X Syllabus, domain 3, Reading governance signals |
4. Regulation at executive level What the EU AI Act, sector rules and liability trends mean at executive level: where the exposure sits and which decisions cannot be delegated. | 8 | 16% | RAI-X Syllabus, domain 4, Regulation at executive level |
5. Crisis decisions AI incident scenarios that call for a decision: whether to suspend a system, what to tell customers and regulators, and who speaks for the organization. | 8 | 16% | RAI-X Syllabus, domain 5, Crisis decisions |
Certification exam rules
- Format
- Online certification exam, in your browser, with no scheduling and no exam centre. You can take the exam in English, Portuguese or Spanish. Questions describe work situations and ask for a decision. Every question has four options and exactly one correct answer.
- Time
- The clock runs on the server and starts when you open the certification exam. It does not pause: reloading the page, switching devices or closing the browser does not give time back. When time runs out, the exam is submitted with what you have answered.
- Navigation
- You can go back, change answers and flag questions for review. Before you finish, a screen shows what is answered, flagged and blank.
- Scoring
- Your score is compared with the pass mark, with no curve. A blank question counts as wrong, and there is no partial credit.
- Result
- Immediate, with your score for each domain. It is kept in your account and does not appear on the certificate or the public profile.
- Voucher
- Each voucher is worth one attempt and is used when the certification exam is opened. A voucher bought on the site never expires. Whoever types the code takes the exam, so treat the code like a ticket.
- New attempt
- There is no waiting period and no limit. Each attempt uses a voucher, and questions are drawn again, giving priority to ones you have not seen yet. If you do not pass, you get a 50% coupon for the same certification, valid for 90 days.
- Refund
- Within 14 days of purchase, if the voucher has not been used, through the same payment method.
- Technical problem
- Come back through the same address: the certification exam resumes with the same questions and the answers already saved. If a platform failure compromises your exam, a new attempt is released at no cost.
- Credential
- Issued when you pass, with a public verification code. It never expires: it is valid until revoked. There is no renewal, no continuing education (CPD) requirement and no annual fee.
- Revocation
- A credential can be revoked for fraud, disclosure of questions, false identity, misleading use or administrative error. The code remains searchable and shows the revocation.
- Integrity
- The certification exam is individual and closed book, including artificial intelligence assistants. There is no camera, microphone or screen recording. During the exam, copying, cutting and selecting the text of the questions are disabled, and leaving the exam window is not allowed. Each exit is recorded and flagged on screen; exits shorter than 3 seconds do not count. From the 9th exit, the credential, if you pass, may be reviewed and is issued within 3 business days, not immediately. On the 10th, the exam is ended and scored with the answers given so far. None of this appears on the certificate.
- Accessibility
- The certification exam screen works with keyboard and screen reader. Anyone with a disability or health condition that affects their reading or response time requests 25% extended time in the account, in Certification exams, before using the voucher, with a self-declaration. For another adjustment, write to [email protected].
Where to study
Study by domain, using the weights above and the frameworks listed on the certification page.
Short on time? Study by weight: the domains below are in the order of how much they count in the certification exam.
- Board and executive duties on AI (24%)
- Strategic risk (24%)
- Reading governance signals (20%)
- Regulation at executive level (16%)
- Crisis decisions (16%)