# Certification Alternative: Ongoing Skill Evidence

> A certification shows you passed one issuer's exam. A Skills Passport adds ongoing evidence from sessions, assessments and real work. When to use each.

Source: https://getlemma.io/compare/certifications

A certification shows you met an issuer's standard on a particular exam. A Skills Passport shows the evidence of a skill over time. One is a milestone; the other is a running record.

See the comparison

## How does a Skills Passport compare with a certification?

A certification records that you passed an issuer's exam on a given date, against a published syllabus, and many expire after a set period. A Skills Passport records evidence of a skill as it accumulates, from sessions, assessments and linked work, and scores it from 0 to 100 with a visible breakdown.

Certifications and the Lemma Skills Passport compared
| Dimension | Certifications | Lemma Skills Passport |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it records | That you passed an issuer's exam or met its requirements on a given date | Evidence of a skill over time: sessions, assessments, linked work, confirmations |
| Who sets the standard | The issuing vendor or body, with a published syllabus | Lemma's published, versioned rules for turning evidence into SCI |
| Format of the test | Usually a proctored exam; some are hands-on, performance-based tasks | Adaptive assessments plus live sessions rated by the person you worked with |
| Result | Pass or fail, sometimes with a score report | An SCI score from 0 to 100 per skill, with its breakdown |
| Keeping it current | Many certifications expire and need renewal | Freshness lowers the score as evidence ages; new evidence restores it |
| Checking it | Many issuers offer a verification page or digital badge | A signed Passport that shows the evidence behind each score |

## What do certifications do well?

A good certification is a clear, external standard. Employers know what the exam covers, the issuer stands behind the result, and for some roles a specific certification is a formal requirement.

-   A recognised standard with a published syllabus
-   Independent exams, often proctored, sometimes hands-on
-   Required or preferred for some roles and procurement processes

Checked against issuers' own pages on 14 October 2026. Sources

## What does Lemma add to a certification?

A certification is a snapshot of one exam. Lemma keeps adding to the picture as you keep practising.

### Evidence beyond one exam

Sessions with other practitioners and linked work show how you apply a skill, not only what you recalled on the day.

### A score, not a pass mark

SCI places a skill on a 0 to 100 scale with a visible breakdown, so two people with the same certificate need not look identical.

### Current by design

Freshness is part of the score, so a Passport reflects what you are practising now, between renewal dates and for skills no certificate covers.

[The Skills Passport](https://getlemma.io/product/passport)[How SCI is computed](https://getlemma.io/product/sci)

## When is a certification the right choice?

Get the certification when a role, client or tender names it, or when you want a structured syllabus to study towards. Vendor platforms such as cloud providers often expect their own credential. A certification is also a clear external standard that a hiring team already understands.

-   A role, client or tender asks for a specific certification
-   You want a structured syllabus to study towards
-   You need an issuer-backed credential for a vendor's platform

## When should you choose Lemma instead?

Choose Lemma when the question is how you apply a skill now, not whether you passed an exam. It suits skills with no widely recognised certification, and it keeps evidence current between renewal dates. Keep the certificate alongside the Passport where a role requires it.

-   Showing how you apply a skill, not just that you passed an exam
-   Skills that have no widely recognised certification
-   Keeping evidence current between certification renewals

## Questions about Lemma vs certifications

### Can I add my certifications to a Skills Passport?

A certification on its own is not one of the evidence types SCI counts today. You can keep it alongside your Passport, and the work and assessments you do on Lemma build the score.

### Should I still get certified if I use Lemma?

If a role or client asks for a specific certification, yes. Certifications and a Passport answer different questions: whether you met an issuer's exam standard, and what evidence shows you use the skill now.

### Are Lemma assessments the same as a certification exam?

No. Lemma assessments are adaptive and feed into SCI alongside other evidence. They are not an issuer's certification and do not replace one where a certification is required.

### What is a good alternative to an IT certification?

Evidence of the work itself: repositories, deployed projects, design files, assessment results and sessions with other practitioners. A Skills Passport collects that evidence per skill and scores it, so it can sit next to a certification or cover a skill that has none.

![Painting of heather moorland with granite boulders and a distant lake](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/islu4peo/production/d420ed581b54d23f374657cfbffe19551f639884-1680x1120.jpg?w=1080&fm=webp&q=68&fit=max)

## Bring evidence, not just a profile.

Lemma is in early access. Join the list to build a Skills Passport with evidence anyone can inspect.

[All comparisons](https://getlemma.io/compare)

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Sources, checked on 14 October 2026

-   [aws.amazon.com/certification/recertification](https://aws.amazon.com/certification/recertification/)
-   [training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka](https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka/)