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Free ServiceNow Certified Application Developer (CAD) practice test: 30 questions with answers

30 original questions for ServiceNow Certified Application Developer (CAD), drawn from every topic area. Answer each one to see whether you got it right and why. No sign-up.

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ServiceNow Certified Application Developer (CAD) exam guide: topics, cost and format

All 30 ServiceNow Certified Application Developer (CAD) questions with answers

The same questions as the test above, grouped by exam topic. Open any question to see the answer and explanation.

Security and Restricting Access (5 questions)

  1. Question 1

    A sensitive field on a table must be readable only by users with the security_admin role. Which mechanism enforces this at the platform level?

    1. AA table-level read ACL that grants the security_admin role and denies all other users
    2. BA field-level read ACL on the sensitive field, which requires the security_admin role
    3. CA data policy that displays a warning on the form whenever a non-admin user opens the record
    4. DA client script that hides the field from users who do not hold the security_admin role
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: D

    A field-level read ACL enforces the restriction on the server for that specific field, so it applies to every access path. A table-level ACL controls the whole record, not one field. A client script can be bypassed through the API, and a data policy warns but does not restrict.

  2. Question 2

    Users in the Sales group must read the Opportunity table but must not change its records. Which access control setup enforces this?

    1. AAccess control disabled for the Opportunity table, so that the group can read it more quickly
    2. BThe admin role granted to the Sales group, so that they can view the records without restriction
    3. CA read ACL for the sales role, with no write ACL granting modification to that group
    4. DA shared administrator login given to the Sales group, which is used for reading the records
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: C

    A read ACL for the sales role allows reading, and the absence of a write grant leaves records unchangeable for that group. The admin role gives far more than read access, disabling access control removes protection for everyone, and shared logins break accountability.

  3. Question 3

    A server-side script must perform an action only for users who hold the itil role. Which check is correct?

    1. Ags.hasRole('itil'), which returns true only when the current user holds the role
    2. BGlideRecord deleteMultiple, which removes all matching records in one call
    3. Cgs.log, which writes a message to the system log for later review
    4. DGlideDateTime, which formats the current date and time for the script's output
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A

    gs.hasRole checks whether the current user has the role, so the script can gate the action on that check. Logging, deleting and date formatting do not check roles, and deleteMultiple is destructive.

  4. Question 4

    A user must read a table, but a few sensitive fields must stay hidden from them. Which option meets this requirement?

    1. AA field-level read ACL on each sensitive field that excludes the user's role
    2. BRemove the read ACL from the table, so that the sensitive fields are not visible to anyone
    3. CHide the whole form from the user, so that no fields can be seen at all
    4. DGive the user the admin role, so that they can read the table without restriction
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A

    Field-level read ACLs restrict only the sensitive fields, so the user can read the rest of the table. The admin role gives everything, removing the read ACL exposes the table to everyone, and hiding the form blocks the fields the user needs.

  5. Question 5

    Which two practices reduce the risk of data exposure through scripts? (Choose two.)

    1. AEnforce access checks and role checks inside server-side scripts, not only in the browser
    2. BPlace API credentials in client-side scripts, so that the browser can call the API directly
    3. CTurn off ACL checks in scripts to improve performance, since the scripts are trusted
    4. DRun unrestricted GlideRecord queries from the browser, so that the results are complete
    5. EKeep sensitive fields out of client-side scripts, so that they are not sent to the browser
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A, E

    Server-side checks cannot be bypassed by a user's browser, and keeping sensitive fields out of client-side scripts prevents them from reaching the browser at all. Credentials in client scripts can be read by anyone, and disabling ACL checks or running unrestricted queries from the browser removes protection.

Designing and Creating an Application (5 questions)

  1. Question 6

    A developer must add a custom triage field to the Incident table so that it appears on the incident form in the Now Experience UI. Which approach is correct?

    1. ACreate a new table that extends Incident for every form, and move all incidents into it
    2. BCreate a field in the Incident table dictionary, then add it to the incident form layout
    3. CAdd the field to the Task table only, so that it is inherited without any form changes
    4. DCreate an HTML snippet that displays the field value and paste it into each incident form
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B

    Adding the field to the table dictionary creates the data element, and placing it on the form layout makes it visible to users. Creating a new table for every form moves records and breaks the standard model. Adding a field to Task does not place it on the incident form without a layout change, and an HTML snippet displays nothing in the data model.

  2. Question 7

    A developer needs the same validation logic in several business rules. Which artefact should the developer create so that the logic is written once and reused?

    1. AA UI macro, which renders a fixed block of HTML for each form that includes it
    2. BA notification template, which defines the text of an email sent on an event
    3. CA client transfer rule, which moves a record from one table to another on submission
    4. DA script include with a reusable function, which the business rules call
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: D

    A script include holds a reusable server-side function that any business rule can call, so the logic lives in one place. UI macros and notification templates do not hold validation logic, and client transfer rules are not a reuse mechanism for server-side checks.

  3. Question 8

    A new table must record certifications held by vendors, and each certification must link to exactly one vendor. Which field type should link the certification to the vendor?

    1. AA journal field, which stores the vendor's history as free text entries
    2. BA string field into which the vendor's name is typed manually
    3. CA choice list containing every vendor name hard-coded in the field definition
    4. DA reference field that points to the Vendor table
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: D

    A reference field links each certification to a record in the Vendor table, which keeps the relationship consistent and queryable. Typed names drift and misspell, a hard-coded choice list goes stale, and a journal field stores notes rather than a relationship.

  4. Question 9

    A contract table holds contracts, and each contract has many line items with different attributes. Which design fits best?

    1. AOne long text field on the contract that contains all of its line items
    2. BA separate line item table, with a reference field from each line item to its contract
    3. CA single table with a column for every possible line item attribute across all contracts
    4. DA choice list of line items on the contract, so that each item can be selected
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B

    A separate line item table with a reference to the contract models the one-to-many relationship, so each item is a queryable record. Long text fields and choice lists cannot hold structured attributes, and one table with columns for every attribute produces sparse, hard-to-maintain data.

  5. Question 10

    Which two elements are part of an application's data model? (Choose two.)

    1. ATables and the fields defined on each table
    2. BThe user's browser bookmarks, saved for convenience across sessions
    3. CCached page images that the browser keeps on the local device
    4. DDictionary entries and the relationships between tables
    5. EEmail signatures that users configure in their personal profile settings
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A, D

    Tables and their fields, together with dictionary entries and relationships between tables, form the data model. Bookmarks, cached images and email signatures are browser or user settings, not part of the application's data model.

Application Automation (5 questions)

  1. Question 11

    A business rule must set the assignment group whenever the priority of an incident changes to 1. Which business rule timing and trigger fit best?

    1. AA client-side script on the form that runs when the user clicks the save button
    2. BA before business rule on update, with a condition that checks the priority change
    3. CA UI action button that the agent must click whenever a priority 1 incident arrives
    4. DA scheduled job that runs every hour and checks all incidents for priority 1
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B

    A before business rule on update runs on the server before the record is written, so the assignment group is set in the same transaction and cannot be skipped by the user. A client script can be bypassed, and an hourly job or a manual button delays the change and depends on people.

  2. Question 12

    When an incident is resolved, the requester must be notified. Which automation tool is most appropriate for this multi-step logic?

    1. AAn update set, which moves the notification configuration between instances
    2. BAn import set, which loads incident records from an external file each night
    3. CFlow Designer, with a trigger on the incident being resolved and a notify action
    4. DA list layout, which changes the columns shown when the incident list is viewed
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: C

    Flow Designer provides a record trigger on resolution and actions to send the notification, which handles this multi-step logic in one place. Update sets package changes, import sets load data, and list layouts only change display.

  3. Question 13

    A nightly summary email must be sent every day at a fixed time. Which element defines this recurring work?

    1. AA UI action, which adds a button to the form for the agent to click
    2. BA scheduled script execution, which runs the script at a fixed daily time
    3. CA client script, which runs in the user's browser when a form loads
    4. DA notification template, which defines the message but does not schedule it
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B

    A scheduled script execution runs a script on a recurring schedule, which fits a nightly job. A UI action needs a user to click, a notification template defines a message without scheduling it, and a client script runs in the browser.

  4. Question 14

    A business rule on insert sends an email, and recipients receive it twice. Which cause is most likely?

    1. AThe email contains too many recipients, so the mail server splits it into two messages
    2. BThe same action runs for both insert and update, or a second rule sends an identical email
    3. CThe mail server is slow, so the email is retried automatically by the server each time
    4. DThe record is part of an update set, which sends a copy of each notification to the reviewer
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B

    Duplicate emails usually come from two rules performing the same action, or one rule firing on both insert and update. Recipient counts and slow mail servers do not duplicate a message, and update sets do not send notifications.

  5. Question 15

    Which two triggers can start a Flow Designer flow? (Choose two.)

    1. AA browser cache being cleared by the user, which refreshes the page
    2. BA record trigger that fires when a record is created or updated on a table
    3. CA manually run script typed into the browser's developer console by an engineer
    4. DA scheduled trigger with a recurrence, such as every day at a set time
    5. EA keyboard shortcut pressed by the user in the form, which starts the automation
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B, D

    Record triggers fire when records change, and scheduled triggers run on a recurrence. Cache clearing, console scripts and keyboard shortcuts are not flow triggers.

Application User Interface (5 questions)

  1. Question 16

    Members of a support group need the default list of active incidents assigned to their group, saved so that everyone in the group sees it. Which configuration fits?

    1. AA read-only section on the incident form that displays the group's open incidents
    2. BA client script that deletes inactive incidents from the list each time it is opened
    3. CA shared list filter or saved filter on the incident list, made available to the group
    4. DAn update set that removes closed incidents from the table in the production instance
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: C

    A saved filter shared with the group gives every member the same default view of active incidents assigned to their group. A read-only section shows one record, not a list. Client scripts that delete records are unsafe, and update sets move configuration rather than filter a list.

  2. Question 17

    A field on a form must be mandatory only when the category is Hardware. Which configuration meets this requirement without writing a server script?

    1. AA UI policy with the condition category equals Hardware, and the field set to mandatory
    2. BA client script that displays an alert on each keystroke in the category field
    3. CA data policy that always marks the field mandatory, regardless of the category value
    4. DA business rule that marks the field mandatory on save for every category value
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A

    A UI policy with a condition on the category field makes the field mandatory only when the condition is true, and it needs no server script. A business rule that runs on save and applies to all categories is wrong, and a data policy is not conditional on the category value in this way.

  3. Question 18

    A team wants a different form layout for managers than for agents, without changing the data or the other users' forms. Which feature provides this?

    1. AA scheduled job that rebuilds the form each night for each manager
    2. BA form view configured for the role, with its own field layout
    3. CA script include that writes new HTML into the form for managers only
    4. DAn ACL that removes the fields from the form for every user who is not a manager
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A

    A form view for a role gives managers their own layout while agents keep theirs, and the data stays the same. A scheduled job or a script include that changes form HTML is a fragile workaround, and an ACL removes access rather than changing layout.

  4. Question 19

    A client script must change a field's value as soon as the form loads, based on the user's default. Which script type fits?

    1. AA transform map, which maps values from an import into the record fields
    2. BA before business rule, which runs on the server before the record is saved
    3. CAn onLoad client script, which runs when the form is displayed
    4. DA scheduled job, which runs at a fixed time and updates records in bulk
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: C

    An onLoad client script runs when the form is displayed, which is when the field needs its value. A before business rule runs on save on the server, a scheduled job runs at fixed times, and transform maps apply during imports.

  5. Question 20

    Which two options give a group a consistent view of records in a list? (Choose two.)

    1. AA list control with the columns selected for the view, shared with the group
    2. BA script that hard-codes each row of the list into the page as static HTML
    3. CA saved filter shared with the group, so that everyone sees the same records
    4. DA separate copy of the table for each group, so that each group has its own list
    5. EA PDF export of the list, sent to the group each time it is needed
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B, C

    A list control with the chosen columns and a shared saved filter give the group the same columns and records. Hard-coded rows go stale, separate table copies duplicate data, and PDF exports are snapshots rather than a consistent live view.

Working with External Data (5 questions)

  1. Question 21

    A team receives a CSV file of vendor records each week and must load it into a ServiceNow table, with values mapped to the correct fields. Which feature does this?

    1. AAn ACL, which restricts which users can read or write the vendor table
    2. BA UI policy, which changes field visibility and mandatory status on the form
    3. CA service catalog variable set, which collects values from users through a request form
    4. DImport set and transform map, which stage the file and map its columns to target fields
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: D

    An import set stages the CSV rows, and a transform map maps the source columns to target fields and fields to the destination table. UI policies, variable sets and ACLs do not load data from files.

  2. Question 22

    An external system must create and update incident records in ServiceNow through an API, with authentication. Which feature provides this?

    1. AA UI page that users open in the browser to enter the incident details manually
    2. BAn import set without any transform map, so that rows are staged but never mapped
    3. CThe Table API, accessed over REST with authenticated requests
    4. DA client script that runs in the user's browser and posts the data to the table
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: C

    The Table API is a REST interface that lets external systems create and update records with authenticated requests. A UI page needs a person, an import set without a transform stages data without applying it, and a client script runs in a browser rather than as an integration.

  3. Question 23

    A transform map maps a source column to a target field, but the target value must be looked up in another table. Which element provides the lookup?

    1. AA field map script that uses a GlideRecord query to find the matching record
    2. BA UI policy that hides the target field until the lookup value has been entered
    3. CAn ACL that grants the import user read access to the lookup table before the import
    4. DA scheduled job that runs the import again after each row has been staged
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A

    A field map script in the transform map can run a GlideRecord query to find the matching record during the transform. UI policies affect forms, ACLs affect access, and scheduled jobs do not perform the lookup inside the transform.

  4. Question 24

    A form must display a value from an external system without importing the data into ServiceNow. Which capability fits?

    1. AA REST integration that looks up the value on demand when the form is opened
    2. BA UI macro that renders the external value as a static block of HTML on the form
    3. CA flat import of the external system's file, once a week, into a staging table
    4. DAn update set that carries the external value as configuration with each deployment
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A

    A REST integration that looks up the value when needed shows current data without storing a copy. Imports store data and make it stale, UI macros render static content, and update sets carry configuration rather than live values.

  5. Question 25

    A transform map must run only for import rows where the status column equals ready. Which feature controls this?

    1. AA transform map condition, such as a run-if script, that filters the rows the map processes
    2. BA UI policy on the import set, which hides the rows that are not ready
    3. CAn ACL on the target table, which restricts which rows the import user can read
    4. DA notification sent on each row, which tells the team which rows have not yet been processed
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A

    A transform map condition, or run-if script, filters which rows the map processes, so only ready rows are transformed. UI policies affect forms, ACLs control access, and notifications report but do not filter processing.

Managing Applications (5 questions)

  1. Question 26

    A developer has made changes in a development instance and must move them to a test instance for review. Which mechanism packages the changes for promotion?

    1. AA data policy, which applies data rules to records when they are saved
    2. BA notification template, which sends a message when a record is updated
    3. CA scheduled job, which runs a script at a fixed interval on the target instance
    4. DAn update set, which captures the configuration changes so they can be previewed and moved
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: D

    An update set captures configuration changes so they can be previewed, reviewed and committed to another instance. Data policies, scheduled jobs and notification templates are runtime features, not promotion packages.

  2. Question 27

    Developers in several instances need to keep their application code under version control and review changes together. Which approach fits best?

    1. ACopy the XML files by email to each developer, and merge them by hand when they arrive
    2. BStore the update sets in a shared folder on a network drive that every developer can open
    3. CUse a source control integration, such as Git-based development through Studio
    4. DEdit the production instance directly, and export the changes to a document once a week
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: C

    Source control integration keeps code versioned, branched and reviewed across developers, which update sets in a shared folder do not provide. Emailing files or editing production directly lose history and bypass review.

  3. Question 28

    A reviewer wants to see every change captured in an update set before it is promoted to production. Which view provides this?

    1. AThe update set's list of captured changes, with each record shown for review
    2. BThe Customer Service module, which lists the cases that customers have opened
    3. CThe journal field on a record, which lists the comments that have been added to it
    4. DThe time card report, which shows the hours that each developer has worked
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: B

    The update set's list of captured changes shows each configuration record included in the package, which is what the reviewer needs. Customer Service, journal fields and time cards do not show the contents of an update set.

  4. Question 29

    Which two steps are recommended before promoting an application to production? (Choose two.)

    1. ATest the changes in a sub-production instance, and review the update set's contents
    2. BMake changes directly in production, and document them in a wiki page afterwards
    3. CSkip testing for small changes, so that the release can reach users more quickly
    4. DConfirm that the update set has been completed and reviewed before it is promoted
    5. EDelete the old update sets without a backup, so that the instance stays tidy
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: A, D

    Testing in a sub-production instance and reviewing the update set before promotion reduce the risk of defects and unintended changes reaching production. Changing production directly, skipping tests and deleting update sets without backup all increase risk.

  5. Question 30

    A release must include a new script include and a new business rule, and both must move to the production instance together. Which method packages them?

    1. AExport screenshots of the code and attach them to the release ticket for the reviewers
    2. BCopy the code into a document and send it to the production administrator by email
    3. CAdd both records to an update set, which is then moved to the target instance
    4. DCreate a scheduled job that copies the code to production each night at a fixed time
    Show answer and explanation
    Correct answer: C

    An update set captures both records together so they move as one package and can be reviewed before commit. Screenshots and emailed code cannot be applied, and a scheduled job copying code is an uncontrolled deployment.