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Course overview, recommended study loop, and a skills checklist to sanity-check your readiness.

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About this course

Study guide, checklists, and decision points.

What you are training for

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The NVIDIA-Certified Professional: AI Operations (NCP-AIOL) certifies that you can manage and maintain AI infrastructure in a data center. The role covers GPU compute platforms, containers, cluster management, networking, storage, DPUs, and workload scheduling.

Key responsibilities tested on the exam:

  • Managing AI compute platforms including GPUs and specialized hardware
  • Installing and configuring GPU drivers and software
  • Overseeing the AI software stack (deep learning frameworks, NGC containers)
  • Implementing containerization with Docker and NGC
  • Configuring networking for AI workloads (InfiniBand, NVLink, Ethernet)
  • Managing storage for AI data
  • Deploying and managing DPUs (BlueField)
  • Monitoring cluster health and resource utilization
  • Implementing workload scheduling with Slurm and Kubernetes
  • Ensuring efficient power and cooling

Exam format and scoring

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The exam has two equally-weighted sections, each worth 50% of the total score.

SectionWeightWhat to expect
Multiple Choice50%Knowledge questions across all five domains
Performance-Based Test (hands-on lab)50%Three live VM challenges

You receive a pass/fail result and a per-topic score report. Both sections are scored together.

The three performance-based lab challenges are:

  1. Using Slurm in BCM to troubleshoot a cluster
  2. Using Kubernetes to run a workload
  3. Using BCM to add a node to a cluster

Recommended experience: Linux CLI, containers, GPU concepts at a high level.

Exam domains and weights

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DomainWeightPriority
Install and Deploy32%#1 — highest weight
Administration28%#2
Workload Management20%#3 (tie)
Troubleshooting and Optimization20%#3 (tie)
Cognition, Planning, and Memory10%#5

Install and Deploy + Administration = 60% of the exam. Prioritize these two domains.

Study strategy

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  1. Read each unit in order
  2. Write a 3–5 bullet summary in your personal notes
  3. Identify one command or concept you could be asked to recall
  4. Mark the unit complete and move on

Focus on decision points — what command you run, what tool you use, and why.