Past ExamsRwanda ICT preparation

Free places to learn

25 courses, textbooks and labs that cost nothing to use, chosen for the exams and positions this site covers. Each entry says what it teaches, who it suits, and exactly how free it is — because “free” online often means a trial that ends mid-course.

These belong to the institutions and projects named, not to this site, and the links go to their own pages. Use them alongside the practice questions here: a course teaches the subject, and answering questions under a clock is what an exam actually tests.

Computing foundations

Start here if your ICT knowledge came from using computers rather than studying them. These cover the ideas every later topic rests on.

  • CS50: Introduction to Computer Science

    Harvard University, on edX and its own site · Free to study, paid certificate

    Problem solving, C, Python, SQL, algorithms and how computers actually work underneath.

    Anyone who wants one thorough course rather than many short ones. Demanding, and worth the effort.

    Pairs with Hardware & OS, Software Developer, IT Support Technician

  • MIT OpenCourseWare

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Free, no account

    Full course materials in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics and more, including lecture notes and problem sets.

    Self-directed learners who want university-level depth. No certificate, and no one to ask when you are stuck.

    Pairs with Electrical Engineer, Software Developer

  • Khan Academy

    Khan Academy · Free, account needed

    Mathematics, physics and computing basics, taught in short steps with practice.

    Rebuilding mathematics or physics before an electrical or engineering course.

    Pairs with Electrical

  • OSSU Computer Science

    Open Source Society University · Free, no account

    A complete degree-equivalent curriculum assembled from free university courses, in a sensible order.

    People who can study for years without a timetable. The value is the ordering; the courses belong to other institutions.

    Pairs with Software Developer

Networking and infrastructure

What network administrator, engineer and NOC posts are tested on. Pair the reading with a lab you can break.

Cybersecurity

Security roles reward practice more than reading. These give you somewhere to practise safely and legally.

Software and data

For developer posts, what you have built matters more than what you have watched. Each of these ends in something you can show.

  • freeCodeCamp

    freeCodeCamp · Free, account needed

    Web development, JavaScript, Python, databases and data analysis, taught through projects.

    Beginners who learn by building. The certifications are free and the projects go straight into a portfolio.

    Pairs with Software Developer

  • The Odin Project

    The Odin Project · Free, no account

    A full-stack web development path using open resources, with substantial projects at each stage.

    Self-taught developers who want a route through to employability rather than scattered tutorials.

    Pairs with

  • Exercism

    Exercism · Free, account needed

    Practice problems in over sixty languages, with mentoring from volunteers.

    Getting fluent in a language before an interview or a practical test.

    Pairs with Software Developer

  • Kaggle Learn

    Kaggle · Free, account needed

    Short practical courses in Python, pandas, SQL, data visualisation and machine learning.

    Data analyst candidates who want to practise on real datasets rather than read about them.

    Pairs with

  • Free Programming Books

    The Ebook Foundation, CC BY 4.0 · Free, no account

    A large indexed list of legally free programming books and courses, by language and subject.

    Finding a free textbook on a specific language or topic. It is an index, so expect to do the choosing.

    Pairs with Software Developer

Linux, cloud and systems

Systems and cloud posts assume comfort at a command line. These build it without needing a server of your own.

  • Linux Journey

    Linux Journey · Free, no account

    Linux from first commands through permissions, processes, networking and packages, in small lessons.

    Anyone whose Linux knowledge has gaps. Short enough to finish, thorough enough to matter.

    Pairs with Systems Administrator

  • Microsoft Learn

    Microsoft · Free, account needed

    Windows Server, Microsoft 365, Azure identity, storage and networking, with hands-on sandboxes.

    Administrators in Microsoft environments and anyone preparing for an Azure certificate.

    Pairs with Systems Administrator

  • AWS Skill Builder free courses

    Amazon Web Services · Free, account needed

    Cloud concepts and AWS services, including preparation material for the foundational certificates.

    Cloud candidates whose target employer runs on AWS. Some content is paid; the foundations are not.

    Pairs with

  • Google Cloud Skills Boost free tier

    Google Cloud · Free, account needed

    Introductory cloud courses and some hands-on labs.

    A second cloud platform once you know one well, or where an employer uses Google Cloud.

    Pairs with

Electrical and electronics

Free material for electrical candidates is thinner than for ICT, so these are the ones worth the time.

Teaching and school leadership

For deputy headteacher, teaching and TVET posts, where free material is mostly from education bodies rather than technology companies.

How to use a free course without wasting the month

Free material fails people for predictable reasons: too many courses started, none finished, and no practice against a clock. Pick one course per subject and finish it. Put what you learn to work the same week, in a lab, a script or a small project. Then test yourself with timed questions, because recognising an answer in a video is not the same as producing it in an exam hall.

If you are preparing for a specific post, start from its position guide, which lists what that exam draws on, and choose the courses here that fill your weakest area first.