# CCDV-F Practice: Prompt & Context | Your AI Department > 7 free CCDV-F practice questions on prompt and context engineering (11% of the exam), with study notes and explanations. Source: https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-questions/prompt-and-context-engineering CCDV-F domain drill # CCDV-F practice questions: Prompt and context engineering. 7 original questions on Prompt and context engineering, which carries 11% of the Claude Certified Developer – Foundations exam per the published guide. Study notes first, then the questions with an explanation for each. When this domain feels solid, take [the timed CCDV-F practice exam](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-exam) and check the domain breakdown. ## What to know about Prompt and context engineering - System prompt versus user turn, examples, XML structure, prefilling, and long-context ordering. - Managing conversation history: truncation, summarization, and what to keep verbatim. ## Prompt and context engineering questions All domains (7) Prompt and context engineering (7) Prompt and context engineering A multi-turn assistant's history grows until requests fail. What is the sane fix? - Summarize older turns and keep the most recent turns verbatim - Raise max_tokens so the request budget covers the longer history - Add a cache_control breakpoint so older turns stop counting toward the window - Send only the latest user message and rely on the system prompt to carry state Check answer ### Show answer Answer: Summarize older turns and keep the most recent turns verbatim. Summarization keeps the useful state while trimming tokens; recent turns stay verbatim because they matter most. Cached tokens still occupy the context window, and max_tokens only caps output. Prompt and context engineering Where should a long reference document sit relative to the question in a prompt? - Before the question, clearly delimited - In the system prompt instead of a user turn - Split evenly across several user turns - After the question, so the task is read first Check answer ### Show answer Answer: Before the question, clearly delimited. Documents first, question last. Splitting across turns fragments the reference and confuses the conversation structure. Prompt and context engineering Which technique reduces the chance that instructions inside a document are followed? - Shorten the document so injected text has fewer tokens to work with - Wrap documents in tags, label them as data, and keep instructions outside them - Set temperature to 0 so the model sticks to its original instructions - Put the document in the system prompt so it carries top-level authority Check answer ### Show answer Answer: Wrap documents in tags, label them as data, and keep instructions outside them. Separate data from instructions. Putting the document in the system prompt does the opposite: it lends the content authority. Prompt and context engineering What is the benefit of putting the system prompt in the system parameter rather than the first user message? - It removes the instructions from the request's input token count - It lets you change instructions mid-conversation without a new request - Standing instructions stay stable and separate, and the prefix caches well - The model gives the system parameter absolute priority over any later user turn or tool result Check answer ### Show answer Answer: Standing instructions stay stable and separate, and the prefix caches well. Stable, separate, cacheable. The system prompt is still billed as input tokens. Prompt and context engineering How can you make an extraction prompt more reliable without changing the model? - Raise temperature so the model handles unusual inputs flexibly - Remove the schema so the model is not constrained by rigid fields - Give the model a persona of an experienced data analyst - Add examples of input and expected output, including an edge case Check answer ### Show answer Answer: Add examples of input and expected output, including an edge case. Examples anchor format and edge behavior. A persona changes tone more than accuracy. Prompt and context engineering A prompt has grown to 300 lines with contradictory rules. What should you do? - Add a final rule stating that whenever two rules conflict, the later one in the prompt wins - Split it across two models, one per half of the rules - Move it to the system parameter so the model weights it more - Refactor it: remove conflicts, group rules, and test against a golden set Check answer ### Show answer Answer: Refactor it: remove conflicts, group rules, and test against a golden set. Prompts need maintenance like code. A precedence rule leaves the contradictions in place. Prompt and context engineering Which is a good reason to summarize conversation history rather than truncate it? - Summaries are cached, so they do not count as input tokens - Truncated histories are rejected by the API with a 400 invalid_request_error - Summaries let you skip the system prompt on later turns - Summarization keeps decisions and state that truncation would drop Check answer ### Show answer Answer: Summarization keeps decisions and state that truncation would drop. Keep the state, drop the words. Summaries are ordinary input tokens and are billed as such. ## Next - [Timed CCDV-F practice exam](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-exam): 53 questions in 120 minutes, scored against the 720 pass mark. - [All CCDV-F practice questions](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-questions) with a domain filter. - [The CCDV-F exam page](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f): format, weights, registration, study path. ### Other CCDV-F domains - [Applications and integration (20 questions)](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-questions/applications-and-integration) - [Model selection and optimization (10 questions)](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-questions/model-selection-and-optimization) - [Agents and workflows (9 questions)](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-questions/agents-and-workflows) - [Tools and MCPs (6 questions)](https://youraidept.com/network/ccdv-f-practice-questions/tools-and-mcps) ## FAQ ### How much of the CCDV-F exam is prompt and context engineering? + 11% of the marks, per the published CCDV-F exam guide. The full domain list with weights is on the CCDV-F exam page. ### Are these real CCDV-F exam questions? + No. They are 7 original scenario questions written from the blueprint for this domain. Reproducing exam content would violate the candidate agreement. ### How should I study prompt and context engineering for CCDV-F? + Read the domain notes on this page, answer the questions with explanations hidden, then take the timed CCDV-F practice exam and check the per-domain breakdown for this domain. ## Who wrote this ### [Matei Olaru](https://youraidept.com/about/matei-olaru) CEO, Your AI Department Former public-company CEO, corporate attorney, and World Bank consultant. Runs the YAID Network and the partner relationship with Anthropic. ### [Michael Greenberg](https://youraidept.com/about/michael-greenberg) AI Product Lead, Your AI Department AI at Google, Meta, and Samsung. Six patents. Leads member support and the certification prep guidance. Your AI Department is a registered Claude Partner Network company. Our members sit these exams under our partner standing. Facts on this page were last checked on October 15, 2026. ## Ready to sit CCDV-F for real? Registration needs a Claude Partner Network organization. [YAID Network](https://youraidept.com/network) members register under our partner standing. $149 per quarter, exam fee separate. [Apply to join YAID ↗](https://youraidept.com/network/apply?ref=drill)[How registration works →](https://youraidept.com/network/register-for-claude-certification)