Free OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA) Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA) practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Which telemetry type records the path taken by one request across multiple services?

   1. A. A metric time series
   2. B. A distributed trace
   3. C. A resource descriptor
   4. D. A baggage entry

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "records the path taken by a single request" A trace preserves the request's path; metrics aggregate measurements, resources describe producers, and baggage carries context.

   Reference: Observability primer | OpenTelemetry — Distributed traces

2. 2An external log is created at 10:00:00 and first seen by OpenTelemetry at 10:00:03. What should Timestamp represent?

   1. A. 10:00:03, the collection system's observation time
   2. B. 10:00:00, the event time measured at the source
   3. C. The midpoint between creation and collection
   4. D. The next scheduled exporter flush time

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "Time when the event occurred measured by the origin clock" Timestamp is source event time; ObservedTimestamp separately captures when collection saw it.

   Reference: Logs Data Model | OpenTelemetry — Field: Timestamp

3. 3A Collector receiver is defined under receivers but is absent from every service pipeline. What is its operational state?

   1. A. It automatically receives every supported signal
   2. B. It is configured but not enabled
   3. C. It is enabled only for internal Collector telemetry
   4. D. It forwards data to the first declared exporter

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "Configuring a receiver does not enable it." Components must be referenced in the appropriate service pipeline; a definition alone does not activate this receiver.

   Reference: Collector Configuration | OpenTelemetry — Receivers

4. 4A custom HTTP getter finds trace context only when header capitalization exactly matches its hard-coded key. What should be corrected?

   1. A. Make the HTTP carrier getter compare header names case insensitively
   2. B. Make the getter compare only exact lowercase spelling without normalizing input
   3. C. Make the getter accept only exactly capitalized Traceparent headers
   4. D. Make the getter select a header by its position instead of its name

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "the getter MUST be case insensitive." HTTP propagation getters must handle case-insensitive field names. Requiring one exact spelling or using positional lookup can miss valid trace headers.

   Reference: Propagators API | OpenTelemetry — Get

5. 5In OpenTelemetry tracing, what does an individual span represent?

   1. A. A complete metric collection interval
   2. B. A set of service resource labels
   3. C. A single unit of work or operation
   4. D. A collection of unrelated log records

   Answer: C

   Explanation: "A span represents a single unit of work or operation." The unit represented is an operation, rather than an aggregation interval, resource, or log batch.

   Reference: Observability primer | OpenTelemetry — Spans

6. 6A log format accepts one timestamp, and both OpenTelemetry timestamps are present. Which conversion is recommended?

   1. A. Always use ObservedTimestamp
   2. B. Use whichever timestamp is later
   3. C. Use Timestamp when it is present
   4. D. Average Timestamp and ObservedTimestamp

   Answer: C

   Explanation: "Use Timestamp if it is present, otherwise use ObservedTimestamp." The recommended preference preserves source event time, falling back only when it is unavailable.

   Reference: Logs Data Model | OpenTelemetry — Field: ObservedTimestamp

7. 7How can a Collector configuration define two instances of the same receiver type?

   1. A. Give both entries the identical key otlp
   2. B. Use the exporter name as a receiver's type
   3. C. Use unique identifiers such as otlp/primary and otlp/secondary
   4. D. Put one receiver under the top-level processors section

   Answer: C

   Explanation: "component identifiers following the type[/name] format" Unique type/name identifiers allow multiple configured instances without changing their component type.

   Reference: Collector Configuration | OpenTelemetry — Configuration structure

8. 8A mutable request object is reused for retries, and stale propagation fields remain before reinjection. What does the Propagators API recommend?

   1. A. Append new propagation values while retaining the old fields on retries
   2. B. Clear the propagator's predefined fields before reinjecting the current context
   3. C. Inject the new context first, then delete every propagation field
   4. D. Skip reinjection and retain the first request's context for all retries

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "If your carrier is reused, you should delete the fields here before calling Inject." Clear predefined propagation fields before Inject. Appending can leave stale values, clearing afterward removes the new context, and retaining old context ignores the current context.

   Reference: Propagators API | OpenTelemetry — Fields

9. 9Which description matches a log in the observability primer?

   1. A. A timestamped message emitted by a component
   2. B. A numeric aggregation over a reporting interval
   3. C. A request hierarchy covering multiple services
   4. D. An immutable identifier for an entire trace

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "A log is a timestamped message emitted by services or other components." Logs record messages and need not belong to a request. The alternatives describe metrics, traces, and trace identification.

   Reference: Observability primer | OpenTelemetry — Logs

10. 10How should a log record's trace context normally be populated when SpanId is provided?

    1. A. Include the associated TraceId as well
    2. B. Replace TraceId with the service name
    3. C. Put the SpanId into SeverityText
    4. D. Omit TraceId to avoid redundant identifiers

    Answer: A

    Explanation: "If SpanId is present TraceId SHOULD be also present." The trace identifies the request containing that span; service names and severity do not substitute for trace identity.

    Reference: Logs Data Model | OpenTelemetry — Field: SpanId