Neo4j Certified Professional study plan

Write and run MATCH, WHERE, RETURN queries against a local Neo4j instance without referencing documentation for basic syntax

Differentiate node patterns, relationship patterns, and variable-length paths by writing one query for each and predicting the result before running it

Apply DISTINCT, ORDER BY, LIMIT, and SKIP in a single query to shape result sets and verify row counts

Use pattern predicates and NOT to filter graph structure rather than property values

Aggregate data with count, sum, avg, min, max, and collect, including grouping by multiple keys

Write subqueries with CALL and use EXISTS subqueries to test for related patterns

Traverse variable-length relationships with bounds and filter on relationship properties

Explain to yourself in writing when a MATCH clause produces rows versus distinct paths

Create, merge, set, and delete data with CREATE, MERGE, SET, REMOVE, and DETACH DELETE, and describe the difference between MERGE and CREATE

Use ON CREATE SET and ON MATCH SET to make idempotent load queries

Explain the Neo4j storage model, including nodes, relationships, properties, and labels, in your own words

Trace how a query plan uses index and label scans by running EXPLAIN and reading the operator tree

Create uniqueness constraints and node key constraints, then verify enforcement by attempting violating writes

Create range, text, point, and composite indexes and confirm usage with EXPLAIN and PROFILE

Identify which queries in your own workload would benefit from an index and justify each choice

Describe how constraint violations surface as errors in Cypher and how to handle them

Model a domain with intermediate nodes to represent relationships with properties and defend the choice in writing

Compare a property-on-relationship design against a reified node design for one concrete case

Load CSV data with LOAD CSV, including header handling, type conversion with toInteger and toFloat, and batching with periodic commit

Design and run a uniqueness-backed import that tolerates duplicate source rows

Connect to Neo4j from a driver in one language using the official driver and run a parameterized query

Use sessions and transactions correctly, including retry logic for transient errors

Close drivers and sessions properly and explain connection pool behavior

Convert a set of your week-1 Cypher queries into driver code with parameters instead of string concatenation

Solve timed hands-on challenges covering path finding, aggregation, and conditional logic under a 20-minute limit each

Refactor slow queries by reducing cardinality early and avoiding Cartesian products

Use WITH to pipeline intermediate results and explain why it matters for aggregation

Practice writing queries from a plain-language requirement without seeing an example first

Take a full-length practice assessment and score each domain separately

Re-study the two lowest-scoring domains using targeted exercises rather than rereading notes

Re-derive the differences between MERGE, CREATE, and MATCH from memory and correct any errors

Review all deliverables from weeks 1 through 7 and fix gaps found