GitLab Certified CI/CD Associate

Last checked November 10, 2026 against the official GitLab exam page.

1. Question 1YAML Configuration

   A job has two entries in its `rules:` list. The first entry is `if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'schedule'` with `when: never`. The second entry is `if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH` with no `when` key. A scheduled pipeline starts on the main branch. What happens to the job?

   1. AIt is added to the pipeline and runs, because the second rule matches the branch name
   2. BIt is added as a manual job, because a rule without a when key makes the job wait for approval
   3. CIt is not added to the pipeline, because the first matching rule sets when: never
   4. DIt is added and runs, but allow_failure is set to true automatically for scheduled pipelines
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   Correct answer: C

   Rules are read from top to bottom and the first rule that matches decides the outcome. The schedule matches the first rule, which sets when: never, so the job is dropped and the second rule is never reached. A rule without a when key does not make a job manual, and scheduled pipelines do not change allow_failure on their own.

2. Question 2Pipeline Development

   A deploy job sits in the deploy stage. It must start as soon as one specific build job succeeds, rather than waiting for every job in the build stage. Which keyword makes this happen?

   1. Aparallel, set to the number of build jobs so they all run together
   2. Bdependencies, listing the build job so the deploy job can download its artifacts
   3. Cneeds, listing the specific build job as a prerequisite of the deploy job
   4. Dextends, pointing at the build job so the deploy job inherits its configuration
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   Correct answer: C

   The needs keyword creates a dependency edge in the pipeline graph, so the deploy job starts once the listed job has succeeded. The dependencies keyword only controls which artifacts are downloaded, parallel splits a job into copies, and extends copies configuration, so none of them change when a job starts.

3. Question 3CI/CD Fundamentals

   Which statement best distinguishes continuous delivery from continuous deployment?

   1. AContinuous delivery skips the automated test stage to save time, while continuous deployment always runs the full test suite before any release is made
   2. BContinuous delivery requires one long-lived branch for all developers, while continuous deployment forbids shared branches and needs separate repositories
   3. CContinuous delivery applies only to container images, while continuous deployment applies only to virtual machines and bare-metal servers in data centres
   4. DContinuous delivery keeps every change releasable with a manual production release, while continuous deployment releases each passing change automatically
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   Correct answer: D

   Continuous delivery keeps the mainline releasable at all times, and a person decides when production gets the change. Continuous deployment goes one step further and releases every change that passes the pipeline without a manual gate. The other options describe skipped tests, technology limits, or branching rules that are not part of either definition.

4. Question 4Troubleshooting and Optimization

   A developer pushes a feature branch, and no pipeline appears at all. The project's .gitlab-ci.yml has a workflow rules section that only allows merge request pipelines and says nothing about branch pipelines. What is the most likely explanation?

   1. AThe runner is offline, so the pipeline was created but never moved past the created state
   2. BThe workflow rules evaluate to no pipeline for a branch push, so GitLab never creates one
   3. CBranch pipelines always need a manual trigger in the web interface before they are created
   4. DThe jobs have no tags, so the pipeline stays hidden until a runner with a matching tag exists
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   Correct answer: B

   The workflow keyword decides whether a pipeline is created at all, and when no rule allows a branch push, no pipeline is made. An offline runner or missing tags affects jobs after a pipeline exists, and branch pipelines do not need a manual trigger by default.

5. Question 5Container and Package Management

   What is the main purpose of the Dependency Proxy in GitLab?

   1. AIt stores the images that the team's own pipelines build and push for later deployment
   2. BIt scans container images for known vulnerabilities before they are deployed
   3. CIt runs jobs on a remote runner without needing a local Docker daemon on that host
   4. DIt caches Docker Hub images within a group so repeated image pulls are faster and reduce outside downloads
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   Correct answer: D

   The Dependency Proxy keeps a local copy of upstream images such as Docker Hub images, so jobs in the group pull from GitLab and repeat downloads from the public registry are reduced. Storing team-built images is the job of the Container Registry, scanning is a separate security feature, and runner executors are configured on the runner rather than through this proxy.