Table of Contents
- The mascot behind the GitHub logo
- The fun story behind Mona the GitHub mascot
- GitHub Certification
- Exam Details
- My Study Method
- Key Lesson
The mascot behind the GitHub logo
In the early days of GitHub (around 2008), the founders wanted something fun for their error pages, specifically the 404 Not Found page.
They bought a stock illustration from iStockphoto created by Simon Oxley, the same artist who designed the original Twitter bird.
That illustration was called “Octopuss”, a cute half-cat, half-octopus standing in a puddle.
When GitHub used it, they renamed it “Octocat” for obvious reasons😹.
Later, GitHub designer Cameron McEfee gave Mona her unique identity and created themed variations to expand on the Octocat for various internal uses, including slide decks, blog posts, and event promotions. He began illustrating the Octocat in different costumes and with different personalities, which proved to be very popular.
The fun story behind Mona the GitHub mascot
In the early days of GitHub, the daughter of one of GitHub’s developers fell in love with the Octocat. In that love, she wrote a story.
Once upon a time, there was a cat whose name was Monalisa. Monalisa and her owner went to the beach. When Monalisa got to the beach, her owner Kelly gave her goggles so Monalisa could swim and see what was in the ocean. When Monalisa went in the water she found lots of fish. When Monalisa was swimming she was so excited she opened her mouth and swallowed a coral that made you grow legs like an octopus but keep your normal face. So Monalisa grew legs and became Mrs. Monalisa Octocat. [sic]
The Octocat is more than a logo; it is a symbol of creativity, curiosity, and collaboration which are the values that reflect GitHub’s developer community.
GitHub Certification
The GitHub Foundations Certification validates your understanding of:
- GitHub’s core features (repos, branching, pull requests)
- Collaboration tools (Issues, Projects, Discussions)
- GitHub Actions & Automation
- Security & Compliance features (like Dependabot, code scanning)
- Billing & licensing models
If you are a student with the GitHub Student Developer Pack, you receive a one-time free passing voucher, so you can save $99 USD.
Exam Details
The exam duration is 120 minutes, so you can get ~1.6 minutes/question with a total of 75 questions in multiple-choice and multiple-answer formats.
The passing score is 700/1000. You can take the exam either in a test center or online; I prefer the test center to avoid the extensive online proctoring process.
There is no penalty for wrong answers, so leave nothing empty!
The certification is valid for two years from the date of achievement.
My Study Method
I use GitHub daily, so I focused on filling knowledge gaps and understanding advanced features.
I started with the Microsoft Practice Assessment.
I reviewed my weak topics using the Microsoft Learn modules.
I studied GitHub Foundations Part 1 and GitHub Foundations Part 2, took notes, and used AI prompts to deeply explain difficult concepts.
Here’s an example of an AI prompt that I used:
You are a GitHub expert trainer. I’m preparing for the Foundations certification. Your goal is to help me master every concept through challenging, exam-style practice questions and explanations.
I used the Role + Context + Goal to create a good prompt:
- Role → Define who the assistant should be. Example: “You are a GitHub certification coach.”
- Context → Describe the situation or task. Example: “We’re preparing for the GitHub Foundations certification.”
- Goal → Specify the outcome you want. Example: “Generate tricky, realistic exam-style questions with detailed explanations.”
This approach enhanced my knowledge particularly in areas I found tricky.
I practiced using ghcertified, which is a great open-source project you can contribute to or get started with on GitHub: https://github.com/Shahbaz-Alee/GitHub-Foundation-Exam-Prep/blob/main/Slides.pdf
Note: They don’t include official exam questions; all content is original.
I skim-read Andrew Brown's slides provided by FreeCodeCamp a great resource with images and examples.
Key Lesson
GitHub is not just a code host, it’s a collaboration hub, and this certification is just the beginning toward more advanced GitHub certifications. It is the initial step to understand the core concepts, products, and workflows for collaborating on GitHub.
If you’re starting this journey, take your time, keep learning, and remember every git commit -m "init" is a step forward in your progress.
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