Question Bank — Domain 3: Claude Code Configuration & Workflows
25 items. 20% of the exam (~12 items). Heavy on recall — the paths matter.
Block A — Configuration (items 1–13)
1
A team wants coding conventions that every developer on a repository automatically picks up. Where do they belong?
- A.
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md - B.
CLAUDE.mdat the repository root (or.claude/CLAUDE.md) - C.
.claude/commands/conventions.md - D.
~/.claude.json
Answer
B.
Project-level CLAUDE.md is committed, so everyone gets it on clone.
- A — User-level and not version-controlled. Nothing the team must have can live there.
- C — That directory defines slash commands, not always-loaded context.
- D — MCP server configuration.
2
A developer prefers verbose commit messages but doesn't want to impose that on teammates. Where does the preference go?
- A. Project
CLAUDE.md - B.
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md - C.
.claude/rules/git.md - D.
.claude/skills/commit/SKILL.md
Answer
B.
User-level memory: applies across all their projects, not version-controlled, invisible to teammates.
- A, C — Both committed; both impose the preference on the team.
- D — A skill is an on-demand procedure, not a standing preference.
3
Testing conventions must apply to all test files, which live alongside their source across dozens of directories. What is the best mechanism?
- A. A
CLAUDE.mdin each directory containing tests. - B. A
.claude/rules/testing.mdfile withpaths: ["**/*.test.ts", "**/*.test.tsx"]frontmatter. - C. A section in the root
CLAUDE.mddescribing testing conventions. - D. A
.claude/commands/test-conventions.mdslash command.
Answer
B.
A paths: glob matches test files wherever they are, including new directories, and loads nothing when you're working on non-test code.
- A — Duplication across dozens of directories, and it misses every new one.
- C — Works, but loads testing conventions into every session regardless of relevance. Path-scoped rules are the exam's preferred answer for cross-directory, pattern-defined conventions.
- D — A command is invoked deliberately; conventions need to apply automatically.
4
Which command verifies which memory files are currently loaded?
- A.
/memory - B.
/context - C.
/config - D.
/rules
Answer
A.
5
A repository's conventions document is long and maintained separately in docs/api-conventions.md. How should CLAUDE.md incorporate it?
- A.
@import ./docs/api-conventions.md - B. Copy its contents into CLAUDE.md.
- C. Reference it in prose: "See docs/api-conventions.md for API conventions."
- D. Symlink
CLAUDE.mdto the docs file.
Answer
A.
@import composes the file's contents into the loaded memory.
- B — Duplication that drifts.
- C — A prose pointer isn't a load mechanism; the content isn't in context.
- D — Discards everything else CLAUDE.md holds.
6
A team wants a /review-pr workflow available to every developer on the repository. What do they create?
- A. A Markdown file at
.claude/commands/review-pr.md, committed. - B. A Markdown file at
~/.claude/commands/review-pr.md. - C. An entry in a
commandsarray in.claude/config.json. - D. A skill at
.claude/skills/review-pr/SKILL.md.
Answer
A.
One Markdown file per command, in the project commands directory, committed.
- B — User-level; not shared.
- C —
.claude/config.jsonwith acommandsarray does not exist. Common distractor. - D — Would work as a skill, but the requirement is a slash command. Skills and commands are distinct surfaces; the exam expects
.claude/commands/for a named/command.
7
Which frontmatter field makes a skill run in an isolated context so its verbose intermediate output doesn't enter the main conversation?
- A.
context: fork - B.
isolated: true - C.
subagent: true - D.
context: separate
Answer
A.
8
Match the SKILL.md frontmatter fields to their purposes. Which two statements are correct? (Select two.)
- A.
allowed-toolsrestricts which tools the skill may use. - B.
argument-hinttells the user what arguments the skill expects. - C.
allowed-toolslists the tools the skill will automatically invoke. - D.
argument-hintvalidates the arguments before the skill runs.
Answer
A and B.
- C — It's a restriction, not an invocation list.
- D — It's a hint shown to the user, not a validator.
9
A procedure is needed roughly once a month and involves a long, verbose sequence of steps. Where should it live?
- A. In the project
CLAUDE.md. - B. In a skill under
.claude/skills/, ideally withcontext: fork. - C. In
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md. - D. In
.claude/rules/withpaths:frontmatter.
Answer
B.
Skills are on-demand; CLAUDE.md is always loaded. A monthly procedure shouldn't occupy every session's context, and context: fork keeps its verbose middle out of the conversation.
- A, C — Always-loaded locations for something rarely relevant.
- D — Rules are scoped by file pattern; this is scoped by occasion, not by file type.
10
A new team member clones the repository. Which of the following do they receive? (Select three.)
- A. The project
CLAUDE.md - B.
.claude/commands/slash commands - C.
.mcp.jsonMCP server configuration - D. The original author's
~/.claude/CLAUDE.mdpreferences
Answer
A, B, and C.
All three are committed project configuration.
- D —
~/.claude/is user-level and outside the repository. This distinction decides several items.
11
An architect places a rules file at the repository root as testing-rules.md and finds it isn't being applied. Why?
- A. Rules files must be in
.claude/rules/. - B. Rules files must be named
rules.md. - C. Rules files require a
priority:frontmatter field. - D. Rules files only work in headless mode.
Answer
A.
Location is what makes it a rules file. /memory would show it absent.
- B, C, D — Invented requirements.
12
Where does project-level MCP server configuration live, and should it be committed?
- A.
.mcp.jsonat the repository root — yes, committed. - B.
~/.claude.json— yes, committed. - C.
.claude/mcp/servers.json— no, gitignored. - D.
.mcp.json— no, it contains secrets and must be gitignored.
Answer
A.
- B — Wrong file and it's outside the repo.
- C — Wrong path.
- D — Correct file, wrong conclusion. It's committed precisely because secrets are referenced as
${ENV_VAR}rather than embedded.
13
Two CLAUDE.md files apply to the file being edited: the repository root and one in the subdirectory. What happens?
- A. Only the more specific (subdirectory) file loads.
- B. Both load; the more specific one takes precedence where they conflict.
- C. Only the root file loads.
- D. Loading is non-deterministic; you should avoid the situation.
Answer
B.
The hierarchy composes, with specificity winning conflicts. Use /memory to confirm what's loaded.
- A, C — Both assume exclusivity.
- D — Hedging, not an answer.
Block B — Workflows and CI (items 14–25)
14
Which situations call for plan mode rather than direct execution? (Select three.)
- A. A refactor touching 30 files across four modules.
- B. Fixing a typo in an error message.
- C. Choosing between three viable approaches to caching.
- D. An architectural change to how authentication is layered.
Answer
A, C, and D.
Multi-file coordination, multiple viable approaches, architectural decisions — three of the four plan-mode triggers (the fourth being large scale of change).
- B — Small, single-file, one obvious approach. Direct execution.
15
An agent's discovery phase — searching the codebase, reading candidate files — fills the main conversation with output that isn't needed afterwards. What addresses this?
- A. Delegate the discovery to the Explore subagent, which returns a summary.
- B. Run
/compactafter discovery. - C. Increase the context window.
- D. Instruct the agent to read fewer files.
Answer
A.
The Explore subagent isolates verbose discovery in its own context and returns findings, not the search output that produced them.
- B — Compaction after the fact is a mitigation; it's lossy and reactive. Preventing the pollution is better.
- C — Capacity distractor.
- D — Reduces discovery quality to protect context. Wrong trade.
16
A developer is iterating on generated code and finds five separate problems. How should the feedback be delivered?
- A. All five in a single message.
- B. One at a time, verifying each fix before the next.
- C. As a numbered list appended to CLAUDE.md.
- D. As five separate slash command invocations.
Answer
A.
One message lets the agent reconcile the issues together. Sequential fixes cause churn — fixing #1 can undo #3.
- B — The intuitive-but-wrong option. It's slower and produces regressions.
- C — CLAUDE.md is for standing conventions, not transient feedback.
- D — No mechanism for this and no benefit.
17
How many concrete input/output examples does the guide recommend when steering generated output toward a desired shape?
- A. One clear example.
- B. 2–3 concrete examples.
- C. 8–10 examples covering all variations.
- D. Examples are less effective than a detailed prose specification.
Answer
B.
- A — Underspecifies; one example gets over-fitted.
- C — Volume dilutes and lengthens context without adding signal.
- D — Contradicts the guide; examples are a primary mechanism.
18
Which flags produce a non-interactive run with machine-parseable, schema-constrained output? (Select three.)
- A.
-p/--print - B.
--output-format json - C.
--json-schema - D.
--ci
Answer
A, B, and C.
- D — Does not exist. Nor do
--batch,--non-interactive, or theCLAUDE_HEADLESSenvironment variable.
19
A CI pipeline runs Claude Code for automated review. How does the run pick up project-specific conventions?
- A. From
CLAUDE.md, which is read in headless mode as well. - B. Conventions must be inlined into the CI prompt; memory files don't load headlessly.
- C. From a
--rulesflag pointing at the rules directory. - D. From environment variables set in the CI configuration.
Answer
A.
CLAUDE.md is the CI context carrier — it's already committed and already the source of truth.
- B — False, and it would duplicate conventions in two places.
- C — No such flag.
- D — Not a mechanism for conventions.
20
A CI code-review job is configured to review the same session's generated code immediately after generating it. Reviews rarely find real problems. Why?
- A. The generating session carries the assumptions that produced any errors; review requires a fresh, independent context.
- B. The review prompt needs to be longer and more specific.
- C. Extended thinking should be enabled for the review step.
- D. The review should run on the full repository rather than the diff.
Answer
A.
Session context isolation. The session that wrote the code is the worst reviewer of it.
- B — Half-right; a better prompt helps at the margin but doesn't fix the structural problem.
- C — More reasoning inside the same contaminated context. The interesting distractor.
- D — Broadens scope and worsens attention dilution.
21
Which review configuration does the exam rank highest?
- A. A separate reviewer instance with fresh context.
- B. The generating instance reviewing its own output.
- C. The generating instance with extended thinking enabled.
- D. Two sequential self-review passes.
Answer
A.
Independence, not depth. D is just B twice.
22
A CI review job produces so many low-value findings that developers have started ignoring it. Which two actions are appropriate first steps? (Select two.)
- A. Replace vague instructions with explicit criteria defining what qualifies, including counter-examples.
- B. Temporarily disable the categories producing most of the false positives.
- C. Add "be conservative and only report high-confidence issues" to the prompt.
- D. Reduce the review frequency to weekly.
Answer
A and B.
Explicit criteria fix the root cause; disabling the worst categories buys back trust immediately while you rewrite them.
- C — The exam's canonical failing instruction. It's an exhortation, not a criterion.
- D — Hides the problem by running it less often.
23
Which CI workload is appropriate for the Message Batches API?
- A. The nightly aggregate quality report across all repositories.
- B. The pre-merge review that gates pull requests.
- C. Both, since both are automated.
- D. Neither, since batch does not support tools.
Answer
A.
Nobody waits on the nightly report, and it has a natural overnight window.
- B — No latency SLA, up to 24 hours. Could block a merge for a day.
- C — Includes the blocking path.
- D — Misstates the limitation: batch supports tools; it doesn't support multi-turn tool calling in a single request.
24
A developer's context is filling during a long session and the conversation history is still accurate and relevant. What should they do?
- A.
/compact - B.
--resume - C.
fork_session - D. Start fresh with a structured summary.
Answer
A.
Same session, filling context, valid history → compact in place.
- B — For returning to an ended session.
- C — For branching.
- D — For when the history is stale, which the stem says it isn't.
25
Which statement about slash commands is correct?
- A. Each command is a single Markdown file; project commands live in
.claude/commands/and user commands in~/.claude/commands/. - B. Commands are declared as entries in a
commandsarray in.claude/config.json. - C. Commands must be registered by an MCP server.
- D. Project and user commands both live in
.claude/commands/, differentiated by frontmatter.
Answer
A.
- B — Non-existent file and structure.
- C — Unrelated surfaces.
- D — Scope comes from location, not frontmatter.
Scoring
| Score | Read |
|---|---|
| 22–25 | Strong. |
| 18–21 | Solid; drill Deck 3 on the misses. |
| 13–17 | Re-read Chapters 07–08 and Cheatsheet 2. |
| < 13 | This domain is 20% and largely recall — the highest return on rote study of anything on the exam. |