CTA ServiceNowCertified Technical Architect (CTA) Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

Automated testing is ideal for scenarios involving repetitive tasks over extended periods. Here's why:  

Efficiency: Automated tests can execute tasks much faster than humans.  

Consistency: Automated tests perform the same steps precisely every time, eliminating human error.  

Endurance: Automated tests can run continuously for long durations without fatigue.

Regression Testing: Automated tests are excellent for regression testing, repeatedly checking that existing functionality hasn't been broken by new changes.  

Why not the other options?

B. Usability testing: Focuses on user experience and requires human observation.

C. Ad hoc testing: Informal, unplanned testing without specific test cases.  

D. Manual testing: Performed by humans, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors for repetitive tasks.  

The primary protocol used for communication between the Identity Provider (IdP) and the enterprise application in IdP-initiated SSO is Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML).

Here's how SAML works in IdP-initiated SSO:

User Authentication: The user initiates the login process at the IdP.

Assertion Generation: After successful authentication, the IdP generates a SAML assertion containing information about the user's identity and attributes.  

Assertion Sending: The IdP sends the SAML assertion to the enterprise application (ServiceNow in this case).

Assertion Validation and Access: ServiceNow validates the assertion and grants access to the user based on the information in the assertion.

Why not the other options?

A. JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication: JWT is a token format, often used with OAuth or OpenID Connect, but not the primary protocol for IdP-initiated SSO.

B. OAuth 2.0 authorization framework: OAuth is primarily used for authorization, granting access to resources, rather than authentication.

C. OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocol: OIDC is an authentication layer built on top of OAuth 2.0, but SAML is more commonly used for IdP-initiated SSO.

Service Mapping in ServiceNow has two primary capabilities:

A. Create a service-centric Configuration Management Database (CMDB): Service Mapping helps shift the focus of the CMDB from individual components to a service-centric view. It achieves this by mapping the relationships between infrastructure components and the services they support, providing a clear understanding of how IT supports business services.

E. Establish links between IT infrastructure components and application services: This is the core function of Service Mapping. It automatically discovers and maps the dependencies between applications, infrastructure (servers, databases, network devices), and the services they deliver. This creates a visual representation of the IT landscape and how it supports business services.

Why not the other options?

B: While Service Mapping can indirectly contribute to cybersecurity by providing visibility into the IT environment, enhancing cybersecurity measures is not its primary function.

C: Automating routine IT infrastructure updates is typically handled by other ServiceNow capabilities like Orchestration, not Service Mapping.

D: Software licensing management is usually handled by Software Asset Management tools, not Service Mapping.

Key considerations for data integrations in ServiceNow include:

B. Accessing and using only authorized data: Ensure that integrations only access and use data that is authorized and necessary for the integration's purpose. This is crucial for data security and privacy.

C. Fetching only clean and accurate data: Data quality is essential for successful integrations. Implement data validation and cleansing processes to ensure that only accurate and consistent data is transferred.

E. Maintaining a single source of truth: Whenever possible, identify a single authoritative source for each data element to avoid inconsistencies and conflicts.

Why not the other options?

A. Duplicating data across all systems: This can lead to data inconsistencies and increased storage costs.

D. Maximizing data transfer volume: The focus should be on transferring the necessary data efficiently, not maximizing volume.

The primary purpose of a go-live plan is to facilitate a seamless and smooth transition process when deploying new software or changes to a production environment. It acts as a roadmap for the go-live event, outlining the steps involved, roles and responsibilities, and timelines.  

A go-live plan typically includes:

Pre-Go-Live Activities: Data migration, system checks, communication to users.

Go-Live Activities: Deployment steps, rollback procedures, monitoring.

Post-Go-Live Activities: Support procedures, user training, issue resolution.  

Why not the other options?

B. To record root causes for problems arising out of the transition: While problem resolution isimportant, it's not the primary purpose of the go-live plan.

C. To establish a backup system for data recovery: Backups are essential, but they are a separate consideration from the go-live plan.

D. To conduct a comprehensive review of all project documents: This review should happen earlier in the project lifecycle.

The two primary methods for populating the CMDB with data from third-party sources are:

C. IntegrationHub ETL:IntegrationHub ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) allows you to connect to various data sources, extract data, transform it to match the CMDB structure, and load it into the CMDB. This is a very flexible and powerful tool for integrating with a wide range of third-party systems.

D. Service Graph Connectors:Service Graph Connectors are pre-built integrations that connect ServiceNow to specific third-party applications and services. They provide a streamlined way to import data from these sources into the CMDB.

Why not the other options?

A:The I&R engine primarily focuses on identifying and reconciling CIs, not on the initial population of data from external sources.

B:Discovery is used to automatically discover and populate information about devices and applications within your own network, not primarily from third-party sources.

E:Service Mapping focuses on discovering and mapping the relationships between applications and infrastructure components, not on importing data from external sources.

The ServiceNow Security Center's daily compliance score represents the security compliance percentage of the ServiceNow instance. It provides an overall measure of how well your instance adheres to defined security policies and best practices.

The score is calculated based on various factors, including:

Vulnerability Management: The number of identified vulnerabilities and their severity.

Configuration Compliance: How well the instance configuration aligns with security standards.

User Access Controls: The effectiveness of user access management and authentication.

Security Incident Management: The handling and resolution of security incidents.

Client-side Encryption is the best solution to encrypt customer credit card numbers before they are stored in the cloud and provide easy key management. Here's why:

Encryption Before Storage: Data is encrypted on the client-side (e.g., user's browser or device) before being sent to the cloud, ensuring that even if the cloud storage is compromised, the sensitive data remains protected.

Key Management: The encryption keys are managed by the client or a trusted key management system, providing greater control and flexibility.

Reduced Risk: Client-side encryption minimizes the risk of sensitive data being exposed in the cloud environment.

Why not the other options?

A. Edge Encryption: This is a broader term that can refer to various encryption techniques applied at the edge of the network.

B. Server-side Encryption: Data is encrypted on the server-side, which means the cloud provider has access to the encryption keys.

D. Database Encryption: This encrypts the entire database, but it doesn't provide the same level of control and key management as client-side encryption.

The KPI that directly relates to the issue of missing required and recommended fields isCompleteness.

Completeness:This KPI measures the extent to which CI records have all the necessary information filled in. Missing required or recommended fields indicate a lack of completeness in the CMDB data.

Why not the other options?

Compliance:Compliance focuses on whether CIs meet defined standards and policies, not necessarily on the completeness of their data.

Correctness:Correctness relates to the accuracy of the data in the CMDB, not whether all required fields are populated.

Relationships:Relationships measure the connections between CIs, not the completeness of individual CI records.

The Automated Testing Framework (ATF) is the best tool for quickly validating critical processes after a ServiceNow instance upgrade. Here's why:

Automated Execution: ATF allows you to create automated tests that can be run quickly and repeatedly after the upgrade. This significantly reduces the time required for testing compared to manual methods.  

Comprehensive Coverage: You can create automated tests for various processes, workflows, UI actions, and business rules, ensuring comprehensive validation of critical functionality.  

Regression Testing: ATF is particularly valuable for regression testing, ensuring that the upgrade hasn't introduced any unexpected issues or broken existing functionality.  

Why not the other options?

A. Test Management 2.0: While Test Management 2.0 provides a framework for managing tests, it doesn't inherently shorten the testing time itself. It can be used with ATF to organize and track automated tests.  

C. Manual testing scripts: Manual testing is time-consuming and prone to errors, especially for repetitive tasks involved in upgrade validation.  

D. System health dashboard: This dashboard provides an overview of system performance and health, but it doesn't directly validate specific processes or workflows.

The most common and recommended way to create new CI classes in ServiceNow is byextending existing classes. This leverages the existing data structure and relationships within the CMDB.

Here's why this approach is preferred:

Inheritance:Extending a class allows the new class to inherit attributes and relationships from the parent class, ensuring consistency and reducing redundancy.

Data Model Integrity:It helps maintain the integrity of the CMDB data model by building upon the established CSDM framework.

Customization:Extending classes provides flexibility to add specific attributes and relationships that are unique to the new CI class.

Why not the other options?

A:While importing data can populate the CMDB, it's not the primary method for creating new CI classes and their relationships.

B:ServiceNow does not offer predefined templates for creating new CI classes.

C:IntegrationHub ETL is a powerful tool for data integration, but it's primarily used for data transformation and loading, not for creating new CI classes.

Ad hoc testing is characterized by an unplanned, informal approach where testers rely on their knowledge and intuition to explore the software and identify potential issues.  

Key characteristics of ad hoc testing:

No predefined test cases: Testers don't follow specific scripts or steps.

Exploratory in nature: Testers freely explore the software, trying different actions and inputs.

Relies on tester experience: The effectiveness of ad hoc testing depends on the tester's understanding of the software and their ability to identify potential problem areas.  

Why not the other options?

A. Usability testing: Focuses on user experience and follows a structured approach.

B. Performance testing: Evaluates system performance under different conditions (e.g., load, stress).  

D. Load testing: A type of performance testing that simulates heavy user load.  

Application layer security in ServiceNow focuses on protecting data and functionality within the ServiceNow application itself. The following components contribute to this:

A. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide multiple forms of authentication (e.g., password, security token, biometric verification) to access the application.

C. Access Control Lists (ACLs): ACLs define which users or roles have permission to access, modify, or delete specific data and functionality within the application.

E. IP address access control: While technically a network layer control, IP address access control is often implemented and managed within the ServiceNow application. It restricts access to the instance based on IP address ranges.

Why not the other options?

B. Platform Encryption (PE): This is a broader encryption solution that protects data at rest across the platform, not specifically at the application layer.

D. Full Disk Encryption (FDE): This encrypts the entire hard drive of the server where the ServiceNow instance is hosted, providing protection at the infrastructure level, not the application layer.