Lesson 0.5 — Locating where you are on the PQCMM scale

This is the final lesson in Unit 0. Its purpose is different from the previous four, it is not about content, it is about you. By the end of this lesson you will have located yourself honestly on the PQCMM scale, identified your specific motivation for being here, and written the first draft of a personal statement that will seed your capstone training plan document.

As noted in Lesson 0.4, this self-assessment uses PQCMM levels as a personal scaffold, not PKIC's product-scope definition.

Before the self-assessment, take a moment to register what the previous four lessons established. Each one built a specific foundation that the rest of this course depends on.

0.1	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.5
Quantum basics	RSA & ECC risk	HNDL threat	PQCMM scaffold	Self-reflection ← You are here

The questions and prompts in this lesson adapt to your context. Read each persona description and identify the one that best describes why you are here.

Five questions. There are no wrong answers, this is a calibration, not a test. Answer based on where you actually are today, not where you want to be. Your score maps to a PQCMM starting position and shapes the reflection prompts that follow.

Question 1 of 5

How would you describe your current familiarity with post-quantum cryptography?

Question 2 of 5

Before this unit, could you have named any of the three NIST post-quantum standards finalized in 2024? (ML-KEM / FIPS 203, ML-DSA / FIPS 204, SLH-DSA / FIPS 205)

Question 3 of 5

Have you ever thought about the cryptographic exposure of data you are responsible for, personally or professionally?

Question 4 of 5

Do you currently have any systems, products, or organizational processes that you know need to change to comply with post-quantum requirements?

Question 5 of 5

How would you describe your organization's or project's current engagement with PQC migration planning?

Three questions. Take two to three minutes with each. These are not trick questions and there is no expected answer. The goal is honest specificity, the more concrete your answers, the more useful the deliverable you are about to build.

This is the one required deliverable for Unit 0. It is a short personal statement, around 260 words across three fields, that captures your starting position, your motivation, and your specific goal. It will be the opening section of the training plan document you produce in the capstone. Write it in your own voice. First person. No jargon required.

Why I'm learning this — personal statement · Unit 0 deliverable

My starting position (approx. 120 words) My specific motivation (approx. 80 words) My goal for this course (approx. 60 words)

Total deliverable length: approximately 260 words across all three fields (120 + 80 + 60). This document becomes the opening section of your capstone training plan. Drafts stay in this browser.