SAP CAP Backend Developer (C_CPE) Practice Exam
Prepare for the SAP Certified Associate – Backend Developer – SAP Cloud Application Programming Model exam across all six weighted areas — extension development and deployment, application security, CAP itself, DevOps and continuous delivery, S/4HANA Cloud extensibility, and SAP Build Process Automation — with objective-mapped questions, Learn-mode feedback, and a full timed Exam mode.
Start 24-hour free trial →CAP is only about a fifth of this exam
The credential is named after CAP, so it is natural to assume the paper is CAP mechanics end to end. It is not. SAP Cloud Application Programming Model carries 11–20%, while Application Extension Development and Deployment is the largest area at 21–30%, and application security, DevOps and continuous delivery, and S/4HANA Cloud extensibility each carry 11–20% of their own. SAP Build Process Automation adds a few more marks.
Practically: expect questions on XSUAA and role collections, CI/CD pipelines and DevOps flow principles, side-by-side extensibility for S/4HANA Cloud, and even YAML configuration — alongside CDS and service definitions. Study material that only drills CAP syntax leaves more than half the exam uncovered. Confirm the current outline on the official certification page before scheduling.
CAP backend developer exam at a glance
- Vendor
- SAP
- Exam code
- C_CPE (SAP versions this exam by release — check the current suffix before booking)
- Certification
- SAP Certified Associate – Backend Developer – SAP Cloud Application Programming Model
- Level
- Associate (technical developer credential)
- Blueprint
- Six weighted topic areas; CAP itself is 11–20%, not the whole paper
- Format
- 80 questions, multiple-choice and multiple-response; no true/false questions
- Duration
- 180 minutes (3 hours)
- Cut score
- 65%
- Focus
- Building extension applications to existing SAP applications such as S/4HANA Cloud, using the side-by-side extensibility concept on SAP BTP
- Runtimes
- CAP with Node.js/JavaScript or CAP with Java, plus CDS and Fiori Elements for the UI layer
- Prerequisites
- None required. SAP recommends completing the Discover SAP Business Technology Platform learning journey first, and positions the outcome as contributing to a project team in a mentored role.
Sources: SAP Learning — official certification page · capire — the official CAP documentation. SAP reserves the right to update exam content, items, and weighting at any time; verify current details before scheduling.
About the SAP CAP backend developer (C_CPE) certification
The SAP Certified Associate – Backend Developer – SAP Cloud Application Programming Model credential validates that you can use CAP to design and implement extension applications to existing SAP applications such as S/4HANA Cloud, using the side-by-side extensibility concept on SAP BTP. It is aimed at back-end developers working in CAP with Node.js or Java, alongside CDS for modeling and Fiori Elements for the UI layer, and SAP positions the outcome as being able to contribute to a project team in a mentored role.
Read that description again, because the emphasis is the thing candidates miss: it says extension applications, not CAP applications. The blueprint follows suit — Application Extension Development and Deployment is the largest area at 21–30%, while CAP itself is 11–20%. Around them sit application security, DevOps and continuous delivery, and S/4HANA Cloud extensibility at 11–20% each. The exam is testing whether you can ship an extension into a real landscape, and CAP is the tool you happen to build it with. For where this sits among developer tracks, see the IT certifications guide in our Learning Hub.
CAP backend developer exam topic areas and weights
SAP publishes six topic areas with weight bands. These are bands rather than exact figures and are not intended to total precisely 100 — treat them as an indication of emphasis. The distribution is the story: building and shipping the extension outweighs the framework itself.
Building and deploying the extension: service definitions, custom logic, error handling, synchronous versus asynchronous APIs, events and event handling, deployment to Cloud Foundry and the Kyma runtime, service discovery, and working in SAP Business Application Studio.
Approuter features and configuration, XSUAA, the xs-security file and authorizations, CDS-based security, the difference between user account types, roles and role collections, and restricting access control.
CAP itself: CDS modeling with CDL, service definitions, providing and consuming services, persistence with SAP HANA Cloud in production and SQLite locally, and querying data using OData.
CI/CD pipelines for CAP projects, the DevOps flow principle and what inhibits flow, build and deployment automation, and the practices that keep an extension shippable rather than hand-assembled.
Side-by-side extensibility on BTP, consuming released S/4HANA Cloud APIs from an extension, the Destination service, and how an extension stays clean-core compliant rather than modifying the target system.
The low-code automation layer alongside your extension: process visibility, decision tables as tabular input/output rule expressions, and where automated processes fit next to a CAP service.
Topic areas and weight bands reflect SAP’s published outline for this exam. SAP notes its topic list is a guide, not a guarantee, and reserves the right to update content, items, and weighting at any time. Source: SAP Learning — official certification page. Confirm the current outline before scheduling.
Who this exam is for
SAP aims this credential at back-end developers building extensions on BTP. It is a hands-on technical exam:
- Back-end developers working in CAP with Node.js/JavaScript or Java, plus CDS for modeling.
- S/4HANA Cloud extension developers building side-by-side extensions rather than modifying the core system.
- Full-stack developers on BTP who own the service layer and its deployment, security, and delivery pipeline.
- Developers from other stacks moving into SAP, provided they get hands-on — the exam rewards code you have actually deployed.
Professionals holding this certification commonly work as CAP developers, BTP back-end developers, and S/4HANA Cloud extension developers. Adjacent credentials cover neighbouring stacks: ABAP Cloud back-end developer for the ABAP side of extensions, SAP Integration Developer for connectivity, SAP Build low-code developer for the automation layer this exam touches, and SAP Fiori Developer for the UI consuming your OData services. For the roles this certification supports, see the developer career path.
What this CAP practice exam delivers
Learn mode
Get the correct answer, the explanation, and why each other choice is wrong — immediately after each question. Best for security and extensibility scenarios, where the tempting answer often works but breaks the clean-core or least-privilege principle.
Exam mode
80 questions, 180-minute timer — the real C_CPE format. Build stamina for a three-hour paper covering six areas rather than one framework.
Weighted to the real blueprint
Practice spread across extension development, security, DevOps, and S/4HANA extensibility — not just CAP syntax — matching where the marks actually are.
Score by topic area
Results break down across all six published areas, so practice tells you exactly which to revisit before you book.
Sample CAP backend developer practice questions
Ten free questions across the six published topic areas, with full explanations and source links to SAP resources. The complete bank is available with the 24-hour trial.
A developer is starting a cloud-native business application on SAP BTP. What is the SAP Cloud Application Programming Model primarily used for?
- Configuring SAP Fiori launchpad themes
- Building enterprise-grade cloud-native applications with service definitions, data models, and business logic on SAP BTP
- Administering SAP HANA database backups
- Managing SAP Ariba sourcing events
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B — Building cloud-native applications with data models, services, and business logic. CAP is an open framework combining languages, libraries, and tools for enterprise-grade services and applications, with CDS at the centre.
Why not the others: Fiori theming (A) is a UI configuration task; HANA backup administration (C) is a database operations activity; and Ariba sourcing (D) belongs to spend management — none is a development framework.
Source: capire — Core concepts of CAP → Further reading: PowerKram — ABAP Cloud developer →Which language do you use to create a data model in a CAP project?
- Core Data Services Definition Language (CDL)
- Core Data Services Query Language (CQL)
- ABAP Dictionary definitions
- Standard SQL DDL
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — CDL. CDL is the definition language used to declare entities, associations, and types in a CAP data model — the declarative front end of CDS.
Why not the others: CQL (B) is the sibling query language for reading and writing data, not for declaring the model; the ABAP Dictionary (C) belongs to classic ABAP; and plain SQL DDL (D) is what CDS compiles down to rather than what you author.
Source: capire — Conceptual Definition Language (CDL) →Which runtime environments does CAP support for implementing service logic?
- Python and Ruby
- C and Rust
- Node.js and Java
- PHP only
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C — Node.js and Java. CAP provides runtimes for Node.js/JavaScript and for Java, and the certification explicitly covers developers working in either.
Why not the others: Python and Ruby (A), C and Rust (B), and PHP (D) are not CAP runtimes — you would be writing outside the framework entirely.
Source: capire — Getting started →A team needs production persistence for a CAP application on SAP BTP, plus a fast local setup for development. What does CAP support?
- MongoDB in production and a local file store for development
- Oracle Database on-premise for both
- MySQL Community Edition for both
- SAP HANA Cloud for production and SQLite for local development
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D — SAP HANA Cloud for production, SQLite for development. CAP’s database guides cover exactly this split: HANA Cloud as the production database on BTP, with SQLite giving a fast in-process setup while you build.
Why not the others: MongoDB with a file store (A), Oracle on-premise (B), and MySQL (C) are not the pairing CAP documents for BTP — and the local/production split is the point of the question.
Source: capire — SAP HANA Cloud for production →How does a CAP application on SAP BTP restrict which users may access which entities?
- Every endpoint requires hand-written low-level security code
- All authenticated users receive full access by default
- Declarative authorization annotations in the CDS model, backed by the XSUAA service for authentication and role assignment
- Access control is configured only in the front-end application
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C — Declarative CDS annotations backed by XSUAA. CAP-level authorization is declared in the model with annotations such as @requires and @restrict, and the runtime enforces it against the roles the platform’s identity service supplies.
Why not the others: hand-written checks per endpoint (A) are what the declarative model replaces; default full access (B) inverts least privilege; and front-end-only control (D) is no control at all, since the service is still reachable directly.
Source: capire — CAP-level authorization →In SAP BTP security terms, how does an administrator grant a business user the permissions an application defines?
- By assigning a role collection, which bundles the roles derived from the application’s scopes, to the user
- By adding the user directly to the xs-security file at build time
- By granting the user the Cloud Foundry space developer role
- By editing the CDS model to name each authorized user
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — Assign a role collection. Scopes defined in the security descriptor become role templates and roles, which are bundled into role collections; administrators assign the collection to users, keeping the model free of individual identities.
Why not the others: naming users in the xs-security file (B) or in the CDS model (D) hard-codes identities into build artefacts; and the space developer role (C) is a platform administration permission, not a business authorization.
Source: capire — CAP-level authorization → Further reading: PowerKram — SAP BTP architect →Where can a completed CAP application be deployed on SAP BTP?
- Only to on-premise SAP NetWeaver
- CAP applications cannot be deployed to a managed runtime
- Only to a developer’s local machine
- To the Cloud Foundry environment or the Kyma (Kubernetes) runtime
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D — Cloud Foundry or the Kyma runtime. Those are the two managed BTP runtimes CAP targets, and choosing between them is a real deployment decision the exam expects you to understand.
Why not the others: NetWeaver (A) is the on-premise classic stack, not a BTP runtime; no managed deployment (B) is simply false; and local-only (C) describes the development loop, not delivery.
Source: capire — Deployment →A CAP application must read and write business partner data in SAP S/4HANA Cloud. How should it consume that API?
- By opening a direct database connection to the S/4HANA tables
- By importing the service definition and using CAP’s remote service consumption with the SAP BTP Destination service
- By hand-coding an HTTP client in every request handler
- By replicating the tables into the extension’s own database nightly
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B — Import the service definition and use remote services with the Destination service. That is the side-by-side pattern: the imported definition gives you a typed model of the remote API, and the Destination service holds the connectivity and credentials outside your code.
Why not the others: a direct database connection (A) is not available cross-system and would bypass business logic; hand-coded HTTP clients (C) discard what the framework provides; and nightly replication (D) buys stale data and a synchronization problem.
Source: capire — The CAP cookbook → Further reading: PowerKram — SAP Integration developer →With respect to the DevOps flow principle, which practice is a flow inhibitor?
- Using a source code management tool
- Manual testing of software and manually created environments
- Automating the build and deployment pipeline
- Deploying small changes frequently
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B — Manual testing and manually created environments. Flow is about work moving smoothly from commit to production; manual steps stall it, introduce variation, and are the classic inhibitors the DevOps material names.
Why not the others: source code management (A), pipeline automation (C), and small frequent deployments (D) all accelerate flow rather than impede it — they are the enablers this principle recommends.
Source: capire — Deploy using CI/CD pipelines → Further reading: PowerKram — DevOps certification guide →In SAP Build Process Automation, what is a decision table rule?
- A tabular set of input and output rule expressions
- A set of predefined data objects used by a process
- A tabular set of business process decisions awaiting approval
- A set of rule expressions written in IF-THEN format
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — A tabular set of input and output rule expressions. A decision table maps input conditions to outputs row by row, which is what makes business rules readable and maintainable by non-developers.
Why not the others: predefined data objects (B) describe the data a process works on; decisions awaiting approval (C) invents a workflow state; and IF-THEN expressions (D) describe text rules, the alternative format to a decision table.
Source: SAP Learning — C_CPE certification → Further reading: PowerKram — SAP Build low-code developer →Keep going: Learning & Career resources
CAP sits at the centre of side-by-side extension development on BTP — and it opens onto developer and architect tracks. Two PowerKram hubs back this exam.
Deep dive: scope, security, DevOps, and study path
The exam is about extensions; CAP is the tool
SAP’s own description is precise: the credential validates that you can leverage CAP to design and implement extension applications to existing SAP applications such as S/4HANA Cloud, using side-by-side extensibility on BTP. The blueprint matches — Application Extension Development and Deployment is the largest area at 21–30%, while CAP itself is 11–20%. If you prepare as though this is a CAP syntax exam, you will meet a paper where more than half the questions are about securing, shipping, and integrating the thing you built. SAP’s official certification page →
Security is a full topic area, not a footnote
Application Security carries 11–20% on its own, and it is concrete rather than conceptual: approuter configuration, XSUAA, the xs-security file, scopes and role templates, role collections, CDS-based security annotations, and the difference between user account types. The chain is worth learning end to end — scopes in the security descriptor become roles, roles bundle into role collections, administrators assign collections to users, and your @requires and @restrict annotations check what arrives. Miss a link and the questions become guesswork. capire — CAP-level authorization →
Yes, there is real DevOps on this exam
DevOps and Continuous Delivery is another 11–20%, and it is the area developers most often skip because it feels like someone else’s job. Expect CI/CD pipeline questions for CAP projects, plus DevOps principles — the flow principle and its inhibitors, where manual testing and hand-built environments are the classic answers. There is even YAML configuration in the verified question pools. None of it is hard; all of it is easy to lose marks on by never having looked. capire — Deploy using CI/CD pipelines →
Local first, then HANA
One of the most practical things CAP gives you is a fast inner loop: SQLite in-process for local development and testing, then SAP HANA Cloud for production on BTP, with the same model compiling to both. Knowing the split matters for the exam and for your sanity — you do not need a HANA instance to build. Expect questions that check you know which database belongs where, and that the same CDS model drives both. capire — Database integration →
Realistic study path and versioning
SAP recommends completing the Discover SAP Business Technology Platform learning journey before sitting this exam, and positions the outcome as contributing to a project team in a mentored role — so hands-on practice is the point. Build an extension end to end: CDS model, service, custom logic in Node.js or Java, authorization annotations, a remote service against a released API, and a deployment to Cloud Foundry or Kyma. Note that SAP versions this exam by release, so check the current code suffix before buying study material — a bundle written for an older version may describe a different weighting. capire — Getting started →
Frequently asked questions
What are the exam topic areas and their weights?
Six areas: Application Extension Development and Deployment (21–30%), Application Security (11–20%), SAP Cloud Application Programming Model (11–20%), DevOps and Continuous Delivery (11–20%), SAP S/4HANA Cloud Extensibility (11–20%), and SAP Build Process Automation (under 8%). CAP itself is only about a fifth of the paper.
How many questions is the exam, and what is the cut score?
80 questions in 180 minutes with a 65% cut score, at associate level. The exam uses multiple-choice and multiple-response items and does not ask true/false questions. SAP versions this exam by release, so confirm the current code and format on the certification page before booking.
Is this exam only about CAP?
No — that is the most common misconception. SAP describes it as validating your ability to build extension applications to existing SAP applications using side-by-side extensibility on BTP. Extension development and deployment is the largest area, and security, DevOps, and S/4HANA Cloud extensibility each carry as much weight as CAP itself.
Do I need Node.js or Java?
Either. CAP provides runtimes for Node.js/JavaScript and for Java, and the certification is designed for back-end developers working in either, alongside CDS for modeling and Fiori Elements for the UI layer. Pick the one you will actually build in and get hands-on with it.
Do I need an SAP HANA instance to practise?
No. CAP supports SQLite for local development and testing, with SAP HANA Cloud as the production database on BTP — the same CDS model compiles to both. You can build and test an entire application locally, which is also a distinction the exam expects you to know.
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