CORe Program Participants

The CORe final examination is offered to participants after successful completion of the program. This three-hour, multiple choice, closed book, computer-based assessment has been created by HBS faculty and is administered by Pearson VUE. A passing exam score on all three courses is required in order to earn the CORe credential.

Exam Logistics

The final exam for the CORe program is offered during defined windows of time after each cohort. The final exam window generally opens one week after the last module deadline and is open for approximately two weeks.

Participants will be able to sit for the examination at one of 4,800 Pearson VUE test centers worldwide. The Pearson VUE test center will provide an exam platform that includes an on-screen calculator permitted for use throughout the final exam. Additionally, the test center administrator will provide you with an erasable whiteboard to be used for scratch paper. Pearson VUE utilizes different tools from the Harvard Business School Online course platform to deliver the final exam; therefore, some platform functionality (for example, embedded spreadsheets) will not appear during the exam.

For information regarding specific exam policies, including ID requirements and what to expect on the day of exam, please contact Pearson VUE.

More information on scheduling an appointment, accommodations, ID requirements, and test center policies for the CORe final examination is available at www.pearsonvue.com/hbsonline. Please note that you will be instructed to create your Pearson VUE account a few weeks after CORe begins. You will not be able to create or schedule an appointment before you are authorized by Harvard Business School Online.

Some countries and territories may not have any test centers or may be subject to security restrictions. The following countries do not have test centers. Enrolled participants in these areas will need to travel to another country to sit for the exam:

A few countries have a limited number of authorized test centers which may require participants to travel to a major city to sit for the exam. The following countries and territories have only one or two test centers and would require travel to a major city:

For more information on grading, please review our Program Policies page.