CV0-004 Deployment Practice Question
An organization is using Azure DevOps to implement a CI/CD pipeline. In which stage of the pipeline would automated unit tests typically be executed?
⚠ Common exam trap
CV0-004 often tests the confusion between Build and Verify/Test stages, causing candidates to place unit tests in a later stage when they should be executed during the Build stage for early feedback.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Build
In a typical CI/CD pipeline, automated unit tests are executed during the Build stage, immediately after code compilation, to validate that individual components function correctly before any deployment. This early feedback loop catches defects quickly and prevents broken code from progressing to later stages. The Build stage is where code is compiled, packaged, and unit-tested.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy
Why it's wrong here
Deploy publishes built artefacts to a target environment; unit tests run earlier, during the build stage, against compiled code before release. It is tempting because deployment pipelines do execute post-deployment smoke and integration tests, but automated unit tests belong to build, where failures block the artefact from ever reaching Deploy.
- ✓
Build
Why this is correct
Automated unit tests run during the Build stage, immediately after compilation and before artefacts are published. Executing them here fails fast on broken code, satisfying the stem's CI/CD requirement by gating later Release and Deploy stages on passing tests.
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Verify
Why it's wrong here
Verify is not a standard Azure DevOps pipeline stage; the canonical stages are build and deploy, with testing embedded within them. It is tempting because verification describes testing's purpose, but automated unit tests specifically execute during the build stage, immediately after compilation, so failures prevent the artefact from being released.
- ✗
Source
Why it's wrong here
Source denotes the repository trigger where code commits and pull requests initiate the pipeline, not a test execution phase. It is tempting because source control events can trigger test runs, but the automated unit tests themselves execute in the build stage after compilation, against the assembled artefact, before any deployment occurs.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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