# Mithril Dojo Promotion Exam Design

Updated: 2026-10-08

## Purpose

The exam observes safe authorization decisions, technical (T) and business (B) reasoning, evidence quality, remediation, and collaboration; it is not only a knowledge quiz. The current design uses paper-based synthetic scenarios. It never requires access to real services, exploitation, production data, or dangerous payloads. Passing does not guarantee a credential, job, CPE credit, or promotion outside the Dojo.

## Common assessment format

| Part | What is assessed | Points |
|---|---|---:|
| Knowledge check | 20 multiple-choice/short-answer items on authorization, threat analysis, agent controls, proof, remediation, legal/business judgment | 15 |
| Synthetic case | Review fictional architecture, logs, tickets, and policies; produce scope, hypotheses, safe checks, impact, and priority | 25 |
| Proof/report | Separate observation, inference, and unknowns; show reproducibility, redaction, confidence, and limitations | 20 |
| Experience portfolio | Review FTE experience, personal role, sustained outcomes, reuse/impact; sensitive work is verified privately | 15 |
| Oral review/challenge | Respond to new facts and counter-hypotheses, update the decision, and brief a business stakeholder | 25 |
| **Total** |  | **100** |

### Pass criteria

- White belt through 1st kyu: 70+ overall and every safety gate passed. Review the axes needed for the target kyu.
- Shodan: 80+ overall, at least 70% on each T and B axis, T≥2 and B≥2. Identity verification is required, but the verification details are never public.
- Nidan through Rokudan: 85+ overall, at least 75% on each axis, T/B both at level 3, and multiple outcomes including independent review.
- Nanadan through Kudan: 90+ overall, at least 80% on each axis, level-4-equivalent evidence on both axes, and at least three independent reviewers.
- Judan: no automatic score-based pass. At least five independent reviewers must unanimously approve an individual review of exceptional long-term contribution.
- A safety-gate failure, fabricated evidence, material misrepresentation of the candidate's role, or defense of out-of-scope conduct fails regardless of score. Retakes use a different case.
- Years contribute only to the experience component (max 15 points); they cannot make up for missing competence. See `career-and-compensation.en.md` for typical experience guides.

## Kyu progression

Each promotion uses a shortened, cumulative version of the common format. These are additional tasks for each target rank. From 10th through 1st kyu, candidates can use synthetic course cases; prior professional experience is not required.

| Target rank | Additional exam task | Passing evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 10th kyu | Authorization multiple-choice plus short scope sheet | Do not proceed on ambiguous permission; identify assets, dates, exclusions, and stop conditions |
| 9th kyu | Label assets/trust boundaries on a synthetic system diagram | Distinguish facts from assumptions and explain data flow |
| 8th kyu | Build a timeline from synthetic logs | Separate observation and interpretation; state uncertainty |
| 7th kyu | Safely distinguish three competing hypotheses | Prefer non-impacting checks; state stop conditions and required approvals |
| 6th kyu | Compare severity and evidence across findings | Avoid inflated severity; explain impact, likelihood, and confidence |
| 5th kyu | Submit redacted proof and a technical report | A third party can review it on paper; no secrets or unnecessary personal data |
| 4th kyu | Technical and executive summaries for the same case | Explain evidence accurately to different audiences |
| 3rd kyu | Compare tradeoffs for two remediation options | Cover cost, availability, residual risk, and ownership |
| 2nd kyu | Define remediation acceptance and regression criteria | Specify only authorized verification and clear completion conditions |
| 1st kyu | End-to-end portfolio for a composite case | Identify a chosen-axis strength and gaps before black-belt review |

## Dan promotion exams

| Promotion target | Required task | Additional review standard |
|---|---|---|
| Shodan (black belt) | Complete a composite case from scope confirmation through safe analysis, proof, business impact, remediation, and retest plan | T≥2 and B≥2; both a technical reproduction brief and decision-maker summary; two independent reviewers |
| Nidan | Handle a constrained case, multiple remediation options, and residual-risk register | T/B each level 3; multiple artifacts and real remediation confirmation or equivalent synthetic follow-through |
| Sandan | Address shared root cause and recurrence prevention across multiple teams | T/B each level 3; agreement, owners/metrics, and peer-review response |
| Yondan | Design review spanning at least two system boundaries | Reusable controls and measurements across teams/products |
| Godan | Tabletop investment, prioritization, and operational transition for a cross-organization program | Options, cost, residual risk, and tracked outcomes for technical and executive audiences |
| Rokudan | Long-term improvement portfolio and postmortem including failures/side effects | Independent review, before/after measures, adoption in multiple environments |
| Nanadan | Reproduction package for a publishable method, standard, or defensive improvement | Adoption/reproduction from multiple organizations and demonstrated industry impact |
| Hachidan | Results and counter-evidence from international or cross-discipline collaboration | Independent external evaluation, reusable public record, and mentoring |
| Kudan | Evidence package for long-term work that advanced the field | Multi-year replication, adoption, and side-effect review; three or more independent reviewers |
| Judan | Individual review including nomination, public record, third-party evaluation, and long-term public benefit | Unanimous decision by at least five independent reviewers; honorary rank, not an employment grade |

Senior candidates need not disclose confidential client outcomes. A third party may privately verify the existence, time period, and role; the public record can be a sanitized summary.

## Scoring rubric

| Category | Points | Full-credit standard |
|---|---:|---|
| Technical judgment (T) | 20 | Evidence-based; handles boundaries, assumptions, limitations, and safe validation accurately |
| Business judgment (B) | 20 | Connects business impact, stakeholders, options, priority, and residual risk |
| Proof and reporting | 20 | Traceable, chronological, reproducible, confidence-rated, redacted; observation separated from inference |
| Experience and sustained impact | 15 | FTE period and personal role verified; continuity/reuse demonstrated |
| Oral explanation and review | 15 | Responds honestly to counter-evidence, records revised judgment, adapts to audience |
| Ethics and collaboration | 10 | Respects authorization, privacy, disclosure, conflicts, and others |

Each category uses behavioral anchors from 0–4, converted to points: 0=missing or unsafe; 1=needs substantial support; 2=independently completes bounded work; 3=handles ambiguity and supports others; 4=creates reusable outcomes with independent validation. Reviewers record the artifact or observation supporting each score.

## Exam governance and appeals

- Maintain a question bank by learning objective and risk; use alternate scenarios of comparable difficulty. Publish rubrics and safety rules, not answer keys.
- Use fictional organizations, domains, and logs. Never require external transmission or connection to a live service.
- Do not staff a panel only with the candidate's direct evaluator. Disclose conflicts and recuse when needed. Shodan+ requires at least two reviewers; higher ranks follow the table.
- Results include axis ratings, evidence, and next learning steps. Candidates may request an independent review within 30 days of notice.
- On failure, provide actionable feedback; allow a different-case retake after at least 30 days. A safety failure requires remediation learning first.
- Keep personal data, identity documents, unpublished reports, and confidential customer material out of exam records and public profiles. Shodan identity verification confirms eligibility only and is not scored.

## Operational status

This is a published exam design. A live roster of independent examiners, question-bank operations, identity-verification process, inter-rater reliability, and appeals system have not been confirmed as operational. This document therefore does not announce that certification is open. Before launch, assign an accountable operator and complete privacy/legal review, reviewer calibration, and a pilot assessment.