nCino Exams

Spun out of Live Oak Bank in 2011, nCino operates as a cloud-based bank operating system built directly on the Salesforce platform. More than 1,800 financial institutions - ranging from local credit unions to global entities like Barclays and Bank of America - run nCino to manage loan origination, account opening, and compliance.

Because the software handles strictly regulated financial data and complex lending workflows, banks require administrators and consultants who understand both the underlying Salesforce architecture and the specific banking processes nCino enables. Earning a vendor-specific credential proves you can configure the system without breaking critical compliance rules.

The nCino Certification Path

nCino structures its credentials around functional and technical roles. For professionals configuring the platform to match a bank's lending practices, the primary benchmark is the 201 Commercial Banking Functional certification.

This credential targets individuals who manage the day-to-day operations and workflows of commercial lending within the platform. It does not require you to write custom Apex code. Instead, it measures your ability to translate real-world commercial banking requirements into system configurations.

Inside the 201 Commercial Banking Functional Exam

The 201 Commercial Banking Functional exam tests your grasp of the core modules that drive commercial banking operations. You must understand how to navigate the nCino interface and configure business rules that govern the loan lifecycle.

Expect heavy emphasis on collateral management. The exam tests your knowledge of how to configure complex collateral, track pledged assets, and calculate metrics like the Collateral Coverage Ratio. You also need to know how the system links parent and sub-collateral records.

Beyond collateral, the exam covers deposit account management, document tracking, and client relationship management. You will face scenario-based questions asking how to set up approval workflows for commercial loans or how to configure user roles to ensure the right staff have access to sensitive financial documents. Passing requires hands-on experience navigating the platform's specific routes and sub-routes, as well as an understanding of how nCino handles data entry and validation during loan origination.

Market Value for Financial IT Professionals

The banking industry moves slowly, but the shift toward cloud infrastructure is accelerating. Financial institutions use nCino to replace fragmented, legacy on-premises databases with a unified system.

This creates a specific niche for IT professionals. A standard Salesforce Administrator certification proves you know how to manage users and build basic flows. Adding the 201 Commercial Banking Functional credential proves you understand the commercial lending lifecycle.

Banks face strict regulatory scrutiny. A misconfigured approval workflow or an incorrect collateral calculation can lead to compliance violations or financial loss. Hiring managers at financial institutions and consulting firms look for nCino-certified professionals because they need staff who can configure the system accurately the first time. If you work in financial IT, pairing a core Salesforce credential with an nCino certification positions you for specialized roles in loan operations and bank system administration.