dbt Labs Updated dbt-Analytics-Engineering Exam Questions and Answers by minha

In dbt, singular tests are custom SQL tests that live as standalone .sql files inside the root /tests directory, not inside /tests/generic. A singular test returns rows that indicate failure, and dbt runs the SQL directly as written. Generic tests, on the other hand, live inside the /tests/generic folder and are YAML-based macro-driven tests.

From your test folder structure (shown in the original screenshot), the following SQL files exist:

Inside /tests/generic/

furniture_customers_test.sqlThis file is a generic test, not singular.

Inside the root /tests directory:

macro_stg_tpch_orders_assert_pos_price.sql

macro_stg_tpch_suppliers_assert_pos_acct_bal.sql

stg_tpch_orders_assert_positive_price.sql

These are singular tests, because they are standalone SQL files in the tests root folder.

When you run:

dbt test --select 'test_type:singular'

dbt filters for only tests classified as singular. It ignores generic tests entirely.

Therefore, only the following 3 tests will run:

macro_stg_tpch_orders_assert_pos_price

macro_stg_tpch_suppliers_assert_pos_acct_bal

stg_tpch_orders_assert_positive_price

This matches Option C, making it the correct answer.

model_a contains an in-model config explicitly setting:

{{ config(materialized = "view") }}

In dbt, in-model config overrides project-level config, including folder-level defaults. Even though the staging/ folder is configured as:

staging:

+materialized: ephemeral

…this does not apply because the in-file config has higher precedence.

So model_a is materialized as a view.

A view in dbt is not persisted as data; instead, it stores the SQL definition. When a downstream query selects from that view, the database executes the underlying SQL at query time. As a result:

Queries run slower than selecting from a table, because the underlying computation happens each time.

But the data is always up to date, because views read directly from the current underlying tables.

This matches Option C.

Why the other options are wrong

A & D describe table behavior (faster queries, data only as fresh as last run). model_a is not materialized as a table.

B is incorrect because views are fully queryable; no error occurs.

The --fail-fast flag tells dbt to stop scheduling any new nodes as soon as one node fails. Importantly, dbt does not kill models that are already running; in-flight nodes are allowed to finish.

Here’s what happens step by step with 2 threads:

Roots model_a and model_b start first.

model_a finishes successfully. That makes model_c eligible to run.

dbt now runs model_b and model_c in parallel.

While they are running, model_b fails.

Because --fail-fast is set, dbt immediately stops scheduling any additional models (like model_d, model_e, or model_f).

model_c was already running when model_b failed, so it is allowed to complete successfully.

Downstream models of either branch (model_d, model_e, and model_f) never start, because fail-fast prevents any further nodes from being queued after the first failure.

So, the only models that successfully build during this run are:

model_a (completed before model_b failed)

model_c (already running at the time of failure and allowed to finish)

Hence the correct choice is B: model_a, model_c.

In dbt, a singular test is any SQL file placed directly inside the tests/ directory—not inside the tests/generic/ folder. Singular tests contain a custom SQL query where returning any rows means failure. They are distinct from generic tests, which are YAML-defined and live inside the generic directory, often referencing macros.

Looking at the folder structure:

In tests/generic/

furniture_customers_test.sql → This is a generic test, not a singular test.

In the root tests/ directory

macro_stg_tpch_orders_assert_pos_price.sql → singular test

macro_stg_tpch_suppliers_assert_pos_acct_bal.sql → singular test

stg_tpch_orders_assert_positive_price.sql → singular test

When you run:

dbt test --select 'test_type:singular'

dbt selects only singular tests, meaning tests that are individually written SQL files in the top-level tests/ directory.

Therefore, dbt will run:

macro_stg_tpch_orders_assert_pos_price

macro_stg_tpch_suppliers_assert_pos_acct_bal

stg_tpch_orders_assert_positive_price

It will not run furniture_customers_test, because that file is inside tests/generic/, which is reserved for template-based generic tests and is not classified as singular.

Thus, the correct answer is Option C.