Terms & Conditions

Last updated: May 24, 2026

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the website and services operated by the Open Source Proficiency Institute (“OSPI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) at https://ospinstitute.org, including the public site, candidate portal, exam enrollment, live examination delivery, credential verification, documentation, and community advisory poll (collectively, the “Services”).

By using the Services, creating an account, enrolling in an exam, or participating in an examination, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1. Eligibility and accounts

• You must be at least 16 years old (or the age of digital consent in your jurisdiction, if higher) to create an account or take an exam.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity under your account.
• You agree to provide accurate, current information during registration, enrollment, and check-in.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, exam rules, or applicable law.

2. Nature of OSPI certifications

OSPI offers independent, performance-based certification exams. OSPI is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by software vendors named in exam descriptions unless we expressly state otherwise. Vendor trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Earning a credential indicates you met OSPI’s assessment criteria at the time of examination. It does not guarantee employment, competence outside the assessed tasks, or vendor-specific certification status.

3. Public website and advisory poll

• You may use the public Site for lawful purposes: learning about certifications, verifying credentials, reading documentation, and participating in the advisory poll.
• The advisory poll is non-binding community input. Results are aggregated and may be displayed publicly. We may modify or discontinue the poll at any time.
• You agree not to misuse the Site, attempt unauthorized access, interfere with poll integrity, or use automated means to vote or scrape content without permission.

4. Enrollment, fees, and payment

• Exam fees, availability, duration, and objectives are described on the Site and may change. The version shown at enrollment applies to your purchase unless we are required by law to provide otherwise.
• Payment is processed by third-party providers (for example, Stripe). By paying, you agree to their applicable terms.
• Upon successful payment or valid voucher redemption, you receive a scheduled exam enrollment subject to these Terms and exam rules stated at check-in and in exam documentation.
• Prices are shown in the currency indicated at checkout. You are responsible for applicable taxes where required by law.

Refunds and rescheduling

Unless required by applicable law or expressly stated on the Site at the time of purchase, exam fees are non-refundable once an exam window has started or check-in has been completed. Rescheduling policies, if offered, will be stated during enrollment or in documentation. Contact contact@ospinstitute.org for exceptional circumstances; we are not obligated to grant exceptions.

5. Exam scheduling and communications

• You select an exam date and time (slot start) in the timezone indicated at enrollment. Your exam window runs for the published duration from that start time.
• We send transactional email about your enrollment (for example, confirmation, day-before reminder, and results) to the email address on your account, from no-reply@ospinstitute.org. Monitor your inbox and spam folder. no-reply@ospinstitute.org is not monitored.
• You are responsible for ensuring your contact email is correct before exam day. Update it in the portal or contact contact@ospinstitute.org promptly if it changes.

6. Check-in, proctoring, and exam integrity

Participation in a live OSPI exam requires:

• Signing in to the portal with the account that owns the enrollment
• Completing check-in before or during the allowed check-in period, including identity verification and room/environment verification as instructed
• Maintaining screen sharing as directed during the exam
• Working only in your assigned exam environment (for example, via SSH) and following task instructions

You agree that:

• You will not receive unauthorized assistance, communicate exam content to others during the window, or use prohibited resources (including external AI assistants, unless explicitly allowed for a specific exam).
• You will not attempt to tamper with grading, the exam environment, proctoring, or other candidates’ sessions.
• You will not share exam tasks, solutions, or environment details in a way that undermines exam security.
• We may invalidate results, revoke credentials, or ban future participation if we reasonably believe cheating, misconduct, or technical circumvention occurred.

Permitted resources (for example, official product documentation in a separate browser tab) are listed in the exam waiting area for that exam. When in doubt, ask contact@ospinstitute.org before your exam window opens.

7. Exam environment and technical requirements

• We provide a dedicated remote exam environment for the duration of your window. Availability of SSH credentials and system readiness depends on technical factors; we strive to provision environments before your window but do not guarantee zero delay.
• You are responsible for a stable internet connection, compatible browser, camera/microphone for check-in, and any locally required SSH client.
• Do not store sensitive personal data unrelated to the exam in the exam environment. The environment is temporary and may be destroyed after grading.
• We are not liable for failures caused by your equipment, network, or third-party services outside our reasonable control.

8. Grading, results, and credentials

• Exams are graded automatically against published criteria unless we state otherwise. A passing score is shown in the waiting area and documentation for each exam (commonly 75% of scored tasks).
• Results appear in the portal after grading completes. We may also email results to your account email.
• If you pass and meet issuance criteria, OSPI may issue a digital credential listed in your portal. Credentials may be verified publicly via our verification page using the certificate identifier.
• Credentials are valid for the period stated at issuance. OSPI may revoke credentials obtained through fraud or violation of these Terms.

9. Credential verification

Third parties may verify OSPI credentials using our verification tools. Verification displays limited information (such as name, certification, status, and dates) necessary to confirm authenticity. By earning a credential, you understand this information may be viewed by employers or others who possess your certificate identifier.

10. Intellectual property

• Site content, exam materials, branding, and OSPI certification marks are owned by OSPI or licensed to us. You receive a limited, non-exclusive license to access materials solely for exam participation and personal study as permitted.
• You may not copy, publish, sell, or redistribute exam content, grading rubrics, or environment images without written permission.
• Open source software used in exams remains under its respective licenses.

11. Disclaimers

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE OPERATION OF THE SITE, EXAM ENVIRONMENTS, OR GRADING.

12. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OSPI AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR LOST PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICES OR A SPECIFIC ENROLLMENT WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO OSPI FOR THAT ENROLLMENT IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (USD $100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those cases, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

13. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless OSPI and its personnel from claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your misuse of the Services, violation of these Terms, exam misconduct, or infringement of third-party rights.

14. Disputes and governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where mandatory consumer protection law in your country of residence requires otherwise.

Any dispute arising from these Terms or the Services will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Delaware, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there, unless applicable law requires a different forum.

15. Changes to the Services and Terms

We may modify the Services, exam offerings, prices, or these Terms at any time. The “Last updated” date reflects the current Terms. Material changes may be posted on the Site or communicated by email where appropriate. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to revised Terms, you must stop using the Services and may contact us regarding existing enrollments.

16. General

• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the agreement between you and OSPI regarding the Services, in addition to exam-specific rules presented at check-in.
• Severability. If any provision is unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect.
• No waiver. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of future enforcement.
• Assignment. We may assign these Terms; you may not assign your rights without our consent.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms, enrollments, or exam day issues:
contact@ospinstitute.org
Website: https://ospinstitute.org

Automated exam messages are sent from no-reply@ospinstitute.org. Do not reply to that address; use contact@ospinstitute.org for support.