CPSA Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CPSA facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is the effect of marking a step as 'optional' in a Pega case process? → The step can be skipped by the assigned operator without completing it
2. When configuring a parallel process in Pega, which statement is TRUE about the branches? → All branches must complete before the flow can continue
3. What is the primary purpose of a case type in Pega? → To represent a business process and manage its lifecycle
4. Which tool in Pega would you use to identify which rules are executed most frequently and consume the most time? → Performance Analyzer (PAL)
5. Which report definition would help a manager see all assignments currently sitting in a specific work queue? → List report on Assign-Workbasket class filtered by work queue name
6. In Pega, which authentication mechanism allows users to log in using credentials from an external identity provider without re-entering passwords? → OAuth 2.0 / SAML-based SSO
7. Which Pega data model best practice recommends embedding a page property directly in the case class rather than storing it in a separate database table? → Embedding for performance
8. A business analyst wants to apply a different discount rate based on customer tier WITHOUT writing code. Which rule type best supports this requirement? → Decision Table
9. How does Pega support application scalability? → By using reusable rules and hierarchical design
10. Which Pega rule controls the options available in a dropdown or radio button list by referencing a defined set of values? → Field value rule
11. A Pega flow includes a Utility shape that runs after an assignment completes. Where does flow execution resume after the Utility shape? → At the next connected shape in the flow
12. When does Pega execute the 'pyDefault' Data Transform in relation to other initialization logic? → Before the New flow runs
13. When integrating with an external system using a Pega File Listener, what does the File Listener do with an incoming file? → Triggers a service rule that processes the file content to create or update cases
14. Which of the following scenarios is BEST handled by a Map Value rule rather than a Decision Table? → Looking up a tax rate based on a single state code input
15. Which Pega feature allows developers to create automated validations that confirm a rule produces expected outputs for given inputs? → Unit Test Cases
16. In Pega, a Decision Table returns a single result based on conditions. What happens when multiple rows in a Decision Table match the input conditions? → The first matching row in the table is returned
17. Which Pega concept enables an application to use data from multiple source systems by combining results without storing duplicates locally? → Data federation
18. What is the purpose of using a Data Transform in Pega business logic? → To transform and map data between pages
19. In Pega, what is the purpose of a 'Report Definition' rule in the context of data access? → To query and retrieve data from the PegaRULES database for display or processing
20. In Pega, what is the purpose of a 'resolution stage' in a case lifecycle? → It marks the case as complete and triggers close-out processing
21. Which Pega integration pattern should be used when a case must wait for an asynchronous response from an external system before continuing? → Wait shape with a data page poll
22. Which Pega approach should be used to enforce that a case cannot move to the 'Approved' stage unless the loan amount is less than $500,000? → When Rule referenced in a flow connector condition
23. In a data transform, a developer uses the 'Append and Map' action on a Page List property. What does this action do? → Adds a new page to the end of the list and maps values into it
24. In Pega, what is the purpose of configuring 'Optimistic Locking' on a case? → To allow multiple users to open a case simultaneously and detect conflicts only on save
25. When building a Validate rule, which keyword must be returned for the validation to pass without errors? → Pass
26. In Pega, 'personas' defined during the application design phase map to which runtime security construct? → Access Groups
27. What Pega feature allows an application developer to preview how a UI form will render on a mobile device directly in Dev Studio? → Responsive preview mode in the section designer
28. Which Pega UI control automatically adjusts its layout based on the device screen size? → Responsive layout
29. A Pega data page returns a single record rather than a list. Which data page structure should be configured? → Single Page
30. In Pega, what does the 'Spin-off' case action do? → Creates a child case and continues the parent without waiting