- CHS-WDES1 is the CodeHS Web Design Level 1 Certification: 45 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, 60% to pass.
- Four official topic groups: Intro to the Internet, HTML, CSS, and Advanced HTML and CSS.
- No prerequisites exist; Web Design (Picasso) is recommended preparation, not an eligibility requirement.
- Each voucher covers one attempt, and every retake needs a new voucher.
What CHS-WDES1 Actually Is
CHS-WDES1 is the shorthand used on this site for the CodeHS Web Design Level 1 Certification. It is issued and administered by CodeHS, the computer science education platform used in many middle schools, high schools and districts. The credential verifies that a student can read, write and reason about the building blocks of static web pages: how the internet delivers a page, how HTML structures content, how CSS styles it, and how those skills extend into frameworks, user interfaces, accessibility and multi-file projects.
Because the acronym is easy to confuse with other labels, it helps to be precise. This article covers only the CodeHS exam. If you want a deeper look at the naming itself, see CHS-WDES1 Meaning and What Does CHS-WDES1 Stand For?. For the broader credential overview, the CHS-WDES1 Certification page is a good companion.
The Exam at a Glance
The format is deliberately simple: a single online sitting made up entirely of multiple-choice items. Here are the core facts in one place.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Credential title | Web Design Level 1 Certification |
| Issuer and platform | CodeHS |
| Questions | 45 multiple-choice |
| Time limit | 90 minutes, completed in one sitting |
| Passing score | 60% |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Reference sheet | None provided for Web Design |
| Retakes | No numerical limit; each attempt needs another purchased voucher |
| Results | Within 36 hours on school days |
| Certificate validity | 10 years |
Two numbers deserve context. First, 45 questions in 90 minutes works out to roughly two minutes per question, which is generous for multiple choice, though code-reading items take longer than definitions. Second, the 60% passing score is a threshold, not a cohort statistic. CodeHS has not published an official pass rate, so be skeptical of any site quoting one. Our pages on the passing score and what the data does and doesn't show about pass rates go deeper.
The Four Exam Domains
CodeHS publishes four top-level topic groups for this exam. They are official topic headings rather than a percentage-weighted blueprint, so do not assume each carries equal weight on your exam, and do not treat course module counts as exam coverage. For a full walkthrough, read the complete guide to all 4 content areas.
Domain 1: Intro to the Internet
The conceptual foundation. Expect questions about how web pages reach a browser and the vocabulary that surrounds that process.
- How browsers, servers and requests relate to one another
- What URLs and web addresses are made of
- Basic internet and web terminology you can recognize in context
Domain 2: HTML
Structure and content. This is where you prove you can read markup and know what each piece does.
- Document structure: doctype, head, body, and where content belongs
- Common elements for headings, paragraphs, lists, links, images and tables
- Attributes such as
href,srcandalt, and what breaks when they are wrong - Nesting and closing tags correctly
Domain 3: CSS
Presentation. Candidates must connect a rule to the visual result it produces.
- Selector types: element, class and ID, and how they target content
- Common properties for color, text, spacing, borders and backgrounds
- The box model: content, padding, border and margin
- How styles combine and which rule wins when they conflict
Domain 4: Advanced HTML and CSS
The official overview expressly includes frameworks, user interfaces, accessibility and multi-file paths.
- Frameworks and how they speed up consistent styling
- User interface and layout decisions that affect usability
- Accessibility practices, such as meaningful alt text and logical structure
- Linking HTML, CSS and other files with correct relative paths
What the Questions Feel Like
Every item is multiple choice, but the intellectual task varies. In practice, candidates should be ready for three flavors of question:
- Recall: identify the right term, tag, property or concept. These are the fastest points to earn if your vocabulary is solid.
- Code reading: look at a short HTML or CSS snippet and decide what it displays, what is wrong, or which line fixes a problem.
- Scenario reasoning: choose the best approach for a small page-building situation, such as organizing files, linking a stylesheet or making content accessible.
Because there is no reference sheet, you cannot look up whether the property is margin or padding, or whether a path needs a leading folder name. Practice reading code with your eyes first and verifying second. CodeHS suggests having paper, a pencil and a calculator available, and scratch paper is genuinely useful for tracing nested elements or working out box-model sizes. Our one-page cheat sheet is a good way to check that the must-know facts are in memory.
How Testing Works: Vouchers, Proctoring and Focus Mode
Vouchers and cost mechanics
CodeHS provides school and district voucher pricing by direct quote, and no public numeric fee has been verified, so any specific dollar figure you see elsewhere should be treated cautiously. What is confirmed is how vouchers behave: each purchased voucher permits one attempt, retakes have no numerical limit, and every additional attempt requires another purchased voucher. Unused school or district vouchers expire at the end of the contract term and do not roll over between school years. That last point matters for teachers planning purchases. See the pricing breakdown for how to think about budgeting without invented numbers.
Where and how you test
The exam can be taken at home or at school, monitored by a teacher or authorized proctor through the CodeHS Certifications app and Proctor Dashboard. It must be finished in one sitting. The integrity framework has several layers:
- An Honor Code that students agree to
- Randomly selected questions, so exams are not identical
- Focus Mode, which blocks navigation to other CodeHS pages
Accommodations
Extended-time and read-aloud accommodations are supported. Other requests go through platform review, so teachers should raise them well before exam day. For scheduling considerations, see exam dates and scheduling, and for eligibility questions see requirements and how to qualify.
Who Should Take It
The audience is primarily students in CodeHS-using classrooms, especially those who have completed or are completing a web design course, and teachers who want to offer a verifiable credential to their classes. There are no certification prerequisites. CodeHS recommends Web Design (Picasso) or Web Design and Development as preparation, but that is guidance, not a gate. A self-taught learner who can hand-write HTML and CSS is not formally barred.
Good candidates tend to share a few traits: they are comfortable reading markup without a browser preview, they can explain why a style is or isn't applying, and they know how files in a small project reference one another. If you are weighing the return on the effort, the ROI analysis frames the decision, and the difficulty guide helps you gauge readiness honestly.
A Domain-Ordered Prep Path
The domains build on one another, so the sequence below follows dependency rather than a generic schedule. CodeHS also lists a matching Level 1 Certification Practice course in its public practice catalog, which is a natural place to rehearse the format. Remember that practice courses are not additional exam domains and do not guarantee coverage of every item. For a fuller plan, use the study guide and the training overview.
Intro to the Internet and HTML foundations
- Review how pages are requested and delivered, then settle URL and terminology vocabulary
- Hand-write a page skeleton from memory, then add headings, lists, links and images
- Why first: every later domain assumes you can read and write valid markup
CSS selectors and the box model
- Style the Week 1 page using element, class and ID selectors
- Sketch box-model sizes on paper and check them against your calculations
- Why second: CSS questions often show HTML and ask which rule applies
Advanced HTML and CSS, then full practice
- Build a small multi-file site with correct relative paths and a linked stylesheet
- Audit it for accessibility: alt text, heading order, meaningful link text
- Review framework and responsive concepts, then take timed 45-question practice sets at the main practice test site
The one generic habit worth keeping: after each practice set, sort your misses by domain rather than by date. That tells you which of the four areas deserves your remaining hours.
What This Credential Is Not
Several nearby things are easy to conflate with CHS-WDES1, and keeping them separate avoids wasted effort:
- Not Web Development Level 1. This HTML/CSS-focused certification is a separate credential.
- Not a course final or project. Class grades and assignments are independent of the certification exam.
- Not a teacher microcredential. Those are separate programs aimed at educators.
- Not a pass-rate or salary promise. No official pass rate or scored/unscored item split has been verified, and there is no verified earnings data tied to this exam.
If the question you are asking is "what is a CHS-WDES1" in the plainest terms, the answer is one specific CodeHS exam, nothing broader. The related explainers What Is CHS-WDES1 Certification? and What Does CHS-WDES1 Mean? approach the same question from other angles.
After You Pass: Results, Certificate and Career Use
Results are released within 36 hours on school days. You receive an overall score plus a topic-level performance report, which is especially valuable if you plan to retake, since it shows which domains pulled your score down. Successful candidates get a downloadable certificate, and earned certificates expire after 10 years.
Key Takeaway
Treat the topic-level report as your retake roadmap. If you miss 60%, use the weak domains to decide what to rebuild, and remember a new voucher is required before the next attempt.
On the career side, be realistic. An entry-level credential like this works best as a visible, verifiable signal on a student portfolio, a college or internship application, or a resume for early web-related roles such as junior front-end or web design support positions. It supplements, rather than replaces, a portfolio of real pages you have built. For hiring context and honest framing, see the pages on CHS-WDES1 jobs and the salary guide, which discuss why specific earnings figures should not be attributed to this credential.
Frequently Asked Questions
It refers exclusively to the CodeHS Web Design Level 1 Certification, a 45-question, 90-minute online multiple-choice exam with a 60% passing score covering internet basics, HTML, CSS, and advanced HTML and CSS.
No. There are no certification prerequisites. CodeHS recommends Web Design (Picasso) or Web Design and Development as preparation, but completing either is not an eligibility requirement.
No reference sheet is provided for Web Design. CodeHS suggests paper, a pencil and a calculator. External websites, collaboration, and running code in another program are prohibited.
There is no numerical limit on retakes, but each attempt requires another purchased voucher. Your topic-level performance report shows which domains to strengthen before trying again.
Earned certificates expire after 10 years. You can download the certificate after passing, with results released within 36 hours on school days.