NOW ENROLLING INDIANA SCHOOLS FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR!
NOW ENROLLING INDIANA SCHOOLS FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR!
The Entrepreneurship Certification Exam (ECE), issued by Venture Ready LLC, tests what students learned in 7154, 7147, and 7148.
Submitted to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development in October 2026 for Promoted Industry Certification review, the first step toward Credentials of Value. Decision due November 30.
75 scored questions plus 10 unscored pilot questions; four-option multiple choice in three styles (concept, scenario, calculation); 100 minutes; written at a grade 8 to 9 reading level.
All 49 state competencies of 7154 Principles of Entrepreneurship, 7147 Entrepreneurial Operations, and 7148 New Venture Development; 25 questions per course.
Students who have completed 7154, 7147, and 7148 (the capstone, 7201, is not required), and adult learners through participating schools and partners. Any aligned curriculum prepares a student for it.
Proctored at the school or partner site on serialized paper forms for the first testing windows; computer-based delivery to follow; calculator permitted.
A scaled score of 700 on a 200 to 1000 scale. An independent panel of Indiana industry experts, entrepreneurship educators, and practicing business owners will set the operational passing standard in sessions scheduled for January and March 2027.
One retake within 90 days is included with the $149 registration. Printed and digital certificate with a unique credential ID; employers verify it through the program office. The credential does not expire; exam content is reviewed every year.
October 2026: application submitted to DWD's Promoted Industry Certifications review, with letters of support from Indiana employers and economic development organizations.
November 2026: DWD's industry committee reviews applications.
December 2026: DWD publishes the 2027-28 Promoted Industry Certifications list.
January to March 2027: the Governance Panel reviews the items (January), a pilot administration runs (February), and the panel sets the operational passing standard (March).
On inclusion: Venture Ready requests addition to the Indiana High School Credentials of Value list; first testing window spring 2027.
We update this page at each step.
Spot a problem worth solving, validate it with customer evidence, identify target customers, use local resources such as the SBDC, SCORE, and chambers, and deliver a clear elevator pitch.
Build a business model, map a customer journey, estimate startup costs, unit revenue, unit profit, and cost of goods sold, and make a go or no-go decision.
Segment a market, test a unique selling proposition, choose channels by cost, run a campaign, and keep customer records.
Read and prepare an income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement; compute break-even and a sales forecast; manage cash; compare financing sources; understand sales and use tax.
Choose a business structure, recognize when to get legal counsel, follow basic regulations, understand leases and location decisions, and compare insurance options.
Build and test a prototype or minimum viable product, present a plan to different audiences, and prepare a launch.
Professionalism, teamwork, ethical networking, computer literacy, clear communication, and decisions based on data. Each of the three courses contributes 25 of the 75 scored questions.
Every question is written to the State's published competencies for 7154, 7147, and 7148, and every competency appears on every form. Each question follows published rules: one idea per question, realistic scenarios, wrong answers drawn from real student misconceptions, no trick questions.
The ECE Governance Panel, made up of Indiana industry experts, entrepreneurship educators, and practicing Indiana entrepreneurs, will review every question for accuracy, alignment, and fairness and set the passing score in sessions scheduled for January and March 2027.
Pilot questions on each form will produce statistics; weak questions are revised or retired before they count. The panel reviews results every year.
Two entrepreneurship educators who are also business owners founded Venture Ready LLC in Indianapolis. Meet them on the About page.
A business model describes:
A. The legal documents required to register a company.
B. How a venture creates, delivers, and captures value.
C. The marketing channels a venture will use in its first year.
D. The schedule for paying a venture's startup loans.
Answer: B.
Priya sells handmade dog treats at a weekend market. Two other vendors sell dog treats at lower prices. In customer interviews, buyers say they choose Priya's treats because the ingredients are listed and locally sourced. What is the strongest next step to validate her unique selling proposition?
A. Lower her price to match the other vendors.
B. Add an ingredient sign, then compare sales over the next four markets.
C. Stop interviewing customers because the answer is clear.
D. Expand to three new markets before the competitors do.
Answer: B.
A student-run car-detailing venture charges $60 per detail. Supplies cost $12 per detail and the venture pays $160 per month for equipment rental and insurance. How many details per month must the venture complete to break even?
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 14
Answer: B ($60 minus $12 is $48 per detail; $160 divided by $48 is 3.3, so 4 details).
These three questions are illustrative and are not from the operational bank.
Customer validation and segmentation, USP and campaign basics, professionalism and communication.
Segmentation, USP, channels and cost per channel, campaign execution, customer records.
Financial statements, cash management, sales and use tax, computer literacy and data decisions.
Unit economics and pricing, break-even and forecasting, teamwork and professionalism.
Opportunity validation and pitching, business structure and launch readiness.
All seven domains; leads toward DWD Top Jobs five-star occupations such as General and Operations Managers and Business Operations Specialists.
Indiana funds and promotes the Entrepreneurship pathway in more than 60 high schools, yet no industry-recognized entrepreneurship credential appears on the State's 2026-27 High School Credentials of Value list. The ECE gives pathway completers a credential written to the competencies the State asked them to master, to be validated by an independent Governance Panel of industry experts, entrepreneurship educators, and practicing entrepreneurs, and gives employers a verifiable signal of business readiness.
Small businesses are 99.4 percent of Indiana businesses and employ 43 percent of Hoosier workers. From March 2023 to March 2024 they created 23,008 net new jobs while the state as a whole added 16,876; small businesses were all of Indiana's net job growth that year. More than 480,000 Indiana businesses have no employees, one Hoosier working for themselves, and Hoosiers file about 90,000 new business applications a year. The ECE certifies the skills a graduate needs to hold one of these jobs and the skills a graduate needs to create one.
Sources: SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Indiana Small Business Profile; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics; Indiana DWD Top Jobs.
The exam is written to the State's competencies. Schools using Venture Ready will receive study guides and a full-length practice exam built to the exam blueprint.
A school test coordinator registers students and schedules sessions inside a testing window; a trained proctor runs the session with serialized paper forms; computer-based delivery to follow.
Accommodations follow the student's IEP or 504 plan, including extended time, a separate setting, large-print forms, and other documented accommodations, arranged by the school test coordinator before the test date.
Each student receives a score report; passing students receive the certificate and digital badge. Schools report attainment through their usual state process.
Planned for spring 2027, after DWD's review. Schools that want to offer the exam in the first window can request information now and we will hold a place.
$99 per student for a single attempt; $149 per student including one retake within 90 days. Site pricing is available for schools testing 20 or more students. Request information for details.
Please reach us at info@ventureready.education if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Not yet. Venture Ready submitted it to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development in October 2026 for review as a Promoted Industry Certification. Until DWD publishes its decision, the exam is a Venture Ready credential and does not count toward state lists. This page will say so the day that changes.
No. The exam is optional. Schools can teach any of the four courses, or the whole pathway, without it.
Students who have completed 7154, 7147, and 7148. The capstone, 7201, is not required, and there is no age or diploma requirement. Adult learners sit through participating schools and partners.
No. The exam is written to the State's published competencies, so any aligned curriculum prepares a student. Venture Ready schools will receive study guides and a full-length practice exam built to the exam blueprint.
$99 per student for a single attempt; $149 per student including one retake within 90 days. Site pricing is available for schools testing 20 or more students. Request information for details.
The $149 registration includes one retake within 90 days. A student can also test again after a 14-day wait at the single-attempt price, up to three attempts in any 12 months.
The ECE Governance Panel will review every question and set the standard in sessions scheduled for January and March 2027, using an established standard-setting method informed by pilot data. Passing is a scaled score of 700 on a 200 to 1000 scale.
Accommodations follow the student's IEP or 504 plan, including extended time, a separate setting, large-print forms, and other documented accommodations, arranged by the school test coordinator before the test date.
Kristi Mitchell, MBA, Co-Founder, kristi@ventureready.education. Brenda Geib-Swanson, EdD, MBA, Co-Founder, brenda@ventureready.education. General questions: info@ventureready.education. Venture Ready LLC, Indianapolis.
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