ab100-item-creator

# Skill: ab100.practice_questions.exam_realistic **Description:** Generate AB-100 practice questions that feel like the real exam without copying it. Every item is grounded in current Microsoft Learn content, uses modern Microsoft product names, and follows Microsoft-style exam item rules: scenario-first stems, plausible distractors, parallel choices, no trick wording. ## Style precedence The **Microsoft Worldwide Learning Exam Writing Style Guide** (WWL) is authoritative for every item. The **Microsoft Writing Style Guide** (MWSG) governs prose voice and tone where WWL is silent. When the two guides conflict, **WWL wins**. Two MWSG conventions overridden by WWL for exam items: - **No contractions** anywhere in an item. - **All uppercase** for key names: TAB, ENTER, CTRL+ALT+DELETE. ## Grounding **Required sources:** - Microsoft Learn (truth source for objectives and product behavior). Access via the **Microsoft Learn MCP server** using `microsoft_docs_search` and `microsoft_docs_fetch`. - Microsoft Learn code samples (for Copilot Studio YAML, Power Platform CLI, Microsoft Foundry SDK accuracy). Access via `microsoft_code_sample_search`. - Canonical AB-100 skills outline: `docs/ab100-exam-objectives.md` (verbatim sync from Microsoft Learn). ## AB-100 domains (canonical) | Domain | Weight | | --- | --- | | Plan AI-powered business solutions | 25-30% | | Design AI-powered business solutions | 25-30% | | Deploy AI-powered business solutions | 40-45% | Pull specific objectives from `docs/ab100-exam-objectives.md`. If that file is unavailable, query the Microsoft Learn MCP for the AB-100 study guide. ## Style and word usage (WWL, mandatory) ### Question sentence - Begin with **What** (stand-alone interrogative pronoun) or **Which** (followed by a noun). - The auxiliary in question sentences is **should**. Do not use *can, must, might, do, would,* or *may* in question sentences. - Approved stems: *What should you do?* / *What should you recommend?* / *Which agent should you use?* / *Which two actions should you perform?* / *What are two possible ways to achieve this goal?* - For Choose-N items, embed the count and use a plural noun: *Which two actions should you perform? Each correct answer presents part of the solution.* - Avoid negatives. If a negative is unavoidable, **CAP** and **bold** it (for example, **NOT**). - Goal statements use *You need to ...* or *You need to ensure that ...* - Use *of the following* sparingly, only when answer choices are non-parallel. - True/False stems are not allowed. ### Word usage - **named**, not *called*, when introducing a name. - **report**, not *complain*, when describing user feedback. - Avoid **determine**. Use *verify, clarify, identify, set, discover, establish, calculate, decide*. - Avoid **may**. Use *can* (valid action) or *might* (possibility). - Avoid **would** in questions; use *should*. Avoid **would like**; use *want* or *need*. - Avoid **using** alone; use *by using*. Avoid **with** in place of *by using*. - Avoid specific determiners: *all, none, only, always, never*. - Avoid indefinite qualifiers: *few, many, multiple, several, some, usually, a number of*. - *site* is logical; *location* is physical -- never interchange. - Use **plural**; do not use *(s)*. - Present tense throughout. ### People (WWL legal rule) - Never use a personal name in an item. Use **the user**. - For multiple people, use **User1, User2, User3** (no spaces). ### Approved fictional companies (WWL Fictitious Names List) Use only these companies. Always use the **entire** company name on every mention (write *Litware, Inc.*, not *Litware*; write *Contoso, Ltd.*, not *Contoso*). Randomize across the full list -- do not default to Contoso, Ltd. | Company | Approved URL | | --- | --- | | A. Datum Corporation | adatum.com | | Adventure Works Cycles | adventure-works.com | | Alpine Ski House | alpineskihouse.com | | Bellows College | bellowscollege.com | | Best For You Organics Company | bestforyouorganics.com | | Blue Yonder Airlines | blueyonderairlines.com | | City Power & Light | cpandl.com | | Coho Vineyard | cohovineyard.com | | Coho Winery | cohowinery.com | | Coho Vineyard & Winery | cohovineyardandwinery.com | | Consolidated Messenger | consolidatedmessenger.com | | Contoso, Ltd. | contoso.com | | Contoso Pharmaceuticals | contoso.com | | Contoso Suites | contososuites.com | | Fabrikam, Inc. | fabrikam.com | | Fabrikam Residences | fabrikamresidences.com | | First Up Consultants | firstupconsultants.com | | Fourth Coffee | fourthcoffee.com | | Graphic Design Institute | graphicdesigninstitute.com | | Humongous Insurance | humongousinsurance.com | | Lamna Healthcare Company | lamnahealthcare.com | | Liberty's Delightful Bakery & Cafe | libertysdelightfulbakeryandcafe.com | | Litware, Inc. | litwareinc.com | | Lucerne Publishing | lucernepublishing.com | | Margie's Travel | margiestravel.com | | Munson's Pickles and Preserves Farm | munsonspicklesandpreservesfarm.com | | Nod Publishers | nodpublishers.com | | Northwind Electric Cars | northwindelectriccars.com | | Northwind Traders | northwindtraders.com | | Proseware, Inc. | proseware.com | | Relecloud | relecloud.com | | School of Fine Art | fineartschool.net | | Southridge Video | southridgevideo.com | | Tailspin Toys | tailspintoys.com | | The Phone Company | thephone-company.com | | Trey Research | treyresearch.net | | VanArsdel, Ltd. | vanarsdelltd.com | | Wide World Importers | wideworldimporters.com | | Wingtip Toys | wingtiptoys.com | | Woodgrove Bank | woodgrovebank.com | ### Approved cities (WWL city list) Use without state, province, or country: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Quebec, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver; Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Helsinki, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Moscow, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw; Beijing, Hong Kong, Kyoto, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo; Auckland, Bangkok, Calcutta, Jakarta, Manila, Melbourne, New Delhi, Perth, Singapore, Sydney; Ankara, Baghdad, Damascus, Riyadh, Tel Aviv; Cairo, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Tangier; Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Sao Paulo. ### Resource names (WWL conventions) - **Servers:** Server1, Server2; Exch1, Exch2; SQL1, SQL2; DC1, DC2; DNS1, DNS2 (no space between the noun and the digit). - **Computers:** Computer1, Computer2. - **Applications:** App1, App2. - **Subnets:** Subnet1, Subnet2. **Sites:** Site1, Site2. - **Offices:** *main office*, *branch office*, *satellite office* (lowercase). - Define each name on first mention. ### Answer choices (WWL) - Default 4 choices (A-D) for AB-100 single-correct items: 1 correct + 3 distractors. - Choose-N items: *N* correct + at least 2 distractors. - Choices are **mutually exclusive** -- no overlap between any two. - Choices are **parallel** in form, length, detail, and grammatical structure. - Choices match the syntax of the question sentence (imperative stem -> imperative choices). - All choices are sentence fragments (lowercase initial, no end punctuation) **OR** all complete sentences (capitalized, period). Do not mix. - No *all of the above*, *none of the above*, *both A and B*. - Eliminate redundant lead-in wording from every choice; move it to the stem. - Distractors must reference real Microsoft services, agent types, Foundry tools, Dynamics 365 features, or Copilot Studio node kinds. Never invent fake names, connectors, or capabilities. - No explanations inside answer choices. - Order choices logically (numerical order; shortest to longest; related pairs together). Disable randomization when answers are numerical. ### Formatting - **Bold** for UI element names and PowerShell cmdlets. - **All uppercase** for key names: TAB, ENTER, CTRL+ALT+DELETE. - File names labelled with the word *file*: *the deploy.bicep file*, not *deploy.bicep* alone. - Sentence-style capitalization elsewhere, except product names and proper nouns. - Oxford comma in every list of three or more. - Plain ASCII only -- no curly quotes, en or em dashes. Use `--` and `->`. - Spell out zero through nine; numerals for 10 and above. - **should** = recommendation; **must** = requirement. - Acronyms: spell out + acronym in parens on first mention (*organizational unit (OU)*); acronym only after. ### Globalization - Sentences 15-20 words. - Active voice (subject + verb + object). - Simple verb tenses. - No `/` or `-` as punctuation. Replace *create/edit/display* with *create, edit, and display*. - No possessives on product names. - No nominalizations, noun stacks, idioms, slang, or US-only references. ## Terminology rename table (non-negotiable) Always use current Microsoft product names. Never use a retired or legacy name, even if the user does. Silently map to the current name. If Microsoft Learn shows a different current name, prefer the Learn name. | Retired / legacy name | Current name | | --- | --- | | Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) | Microsoft Entra ID | | Azure AD tenant | Microsoft Entra tenant | | Azure AD Conditional Access | Microsoft Entra Conditional Access | | Azure AD B2B / B2C | Microsoft Entra External ID | | Azure AD PIM | Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management | | Azure OpenAI Service (standalone, post-rebrand) | Azure OpenAI in Microsoft Foundry | | Azure AI Studio | Microsoft Foundry | | Azure AI Foundry | Microsoft Foundry | | Azure AI Foundry Tools | Microsoft Foundry Tools | | Copilot Studio classic topics | Copilot Studio topics | | Power Virtual Agents | Microsoft Copilot Studio | | Copilot for Microsoft 365 | Microsoft 365 Copilot | | Copilot for Sales / Copilot for Service | Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales / Microsoft 365 Copilot for Service | | Dataverse for Teams | Microsoft Dataverse | ## Guardrails - **Exam integrity:** Do not recreate or paraphrase real exam questions. Do not reference braindumps. Write original scenarios and original stems every time. - **Item quality:** Single skill measured per item. No trivia. No hidden requirements. One problem, one decision. ## Answer choice randomization (non-negotiable) You MUST randomize which letter (A, B, C, or D) is the correct answer for each question. Do not default to any single letter position. ### Batch balance rule When delivering 4 or more items in a single response: - **4 to 7 items:** every letter (A, B, C, D) must be the correct answer at least once. - **8 to 11 items:** every letter must appear at least twice. - **12 or more items:** target an even split of 25 percent per letter; allowed drift is +/- 1. **Procedure before delivery:** 1. Count how many times each letter is the correct answer across the drafted batch. 2. If any letter is missing or under the floor, pick one item where the correct answer falls in an over-represented letter and **rewrite the item** so that the correct answer moves to the under-represented letter. Re-shuffle distractor wording so the rewrite is still mutually exclusive and the rationale still maps cleanly. 3. Re-count. Repeat until the batch is balanced. 4. In the batch summary, state the final A/B/C/D distribution (for example, *Answer position distribution: A=2, B=3, C=2, D=3*). Position must carry no signal. ## Workflow 1. Pull the target objective from `docs/ab100-exam-objectives.md` (or query the Microsoft Learn MCP for the AB-100 study guide if the file is unavailable). 2. Ground the intended correct behavior in Microsoft Learn using `microsoft_docs_search` first, then `microsoft_docs_fetch` for full-page detail. 3. If the item touches Copilot Studio YAML, Power Platform CLI, Microsoft Foundry SDK, or Dynamics 365 configuration specifics, run `microsoft_code_sample_search` to confirm syntax. 4. Pick a random WWL-approved fictional company. Draft a workplace scenario stem that forces a real architect decision (build vs buy vs extend, agent type selection, ALM boundary, governance control, responsible AI mitigation). 5. Randomly assign the correct answer to A, B, C, or D. Write 1 correct answer and 3 distractors based on common-but-wrong architecture assumptions. After the batch is drafted, apply the **batch balance rule**. 6. Run a mutual exclusivity check on answer choices. 7. Run a **WWL style sweep**: stem starts with What/Which + should; no banned auxiliaries (can, must, might, do, would, may); no specific determiners; no indefinite qualifiers; no contractions; no parenthetical clauses; choices are parallel and consistent (all fragments or all complete sentences); resource names follow Server1/Computer1/App1 pattern; companies use the full WWL name; people use *the user* or User1/User2. 8. Run a terminology check: every product name matches the rename table above. 9. Run a candidate clarity check: single skill measured, no trivia, no hidden requirements. 10. Prepare rationale internally but do not deliver it yet (see delivery rules). ## Invalid answer handling When presenting questions interactively: - **hint:** Provide a clue that eliminates one distractor. Re-present the question with all four choices visible but the eliminated option noted. - **skip** or **I do not know:** Immediately reveal the correct answer and full rationale (Phase 2), then move on. - **Unrecognized input:** Prompt: *Please reply with **A**, **B**, **C**, or **D**. You can also enter **hint** for a clue or **skip** to see the answer.* ## Progress tracking When multiple questions are requested: - Prefix each with **Question N of M**. - After the final question, present a summary: total correct, total incorrect, total skipped, and any weak domains identified. ## Scenario-first stem guidance The stem opens with a workplace scenario before asking the question. Keep stems tight; one problem, one decision. **Good example:** > Tailspin Toys plans to extend Microsoft 365 Copilot with an agent that summarizes open service cases from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service and proposes next actions. The solution must honor existing field-level security and must not replicate case data outside Microsoft Dataverse. You need to recommend the agent design. > > What should you recommend? **Bad example (no scenario, banned auxiliary):** > Which agent pattern can use Dataverse as a knowledge source? ## Plausible distractor guidance Distractors reference real Microsoft services, agent patterns, Foundry tools, or Copilot Studio node kinds that are genuinely related to the topic but incorrect for the specific scenario. **Good distractors** (real but wrong): - Build a declarative agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot with an OpenAPI-based plugin that calls the Dynamics 365 Web API. - Create an autonomous agent in Copilot Studio that polls Dataverse on a recurring trigger. **Bad distractors** (fake or implausible): - Use the **ai-summarizer** connector in Copilot Studio. (Fake connector.) - Enable Foundry Autopilot mode on the agent. (Fake feature.) ## Delivery rules (non-negotiable) **Phase 1 -- Question only:** - Show metadata, scenario stem, and choices (A-D). - Do **NOT** include correct answer, rationale, or references. - End the message and wait for the user to reply. **Phase 2 -- Evaluation:** - After the user replies, show: - Whether they were correct or incorrect. - The correct answer letter. - Full rationale for every choice (2 sentences each). - References (Microsoft Learn URLs). If multiple questions were requested, repeat the Phase 1 / Phase 2 cycle sequentially. ## Output format **Phase 1 message (question only):** - **metadata** - exam: AB-100 - domain: "`<one of the three AB-100 domains>`" - objective: "`<specific objective line from docs/ab100-exam-objectives.md>`" - bloom: "`<Remember | Understand | Apply | Analyze | Evaluate>`" - difficulty: "`<easy | medium | hard>`" - **question** - stem: - `<scenario + question. Tight. One problem. One decision.>` - choices: - A: "`<choice>`" - B: "`<choice>`" - C: "`<choice>`" - D: "`<choice>`" *(Stop here. Wait for the user to answer.)* **Phase 2 message (evaluation, after user replies):** - **result:** *Correct! / Incorrect.* The correct answer is `<A | B | C | D>`. - **rationale:** - A: "`<2 sentences. Sentence 1: correct or incorrect, and why. Sentence 2: architect-level context -- when this would apply, the misconception it tests, or how it differs from the correct answer.>`" - B: "`<same 2-sentence format>`" - C: "`<same 2-sentence format>`"