feat(practice): mock exams + auto-rebuild on cert markdown edits (931 q / 18 banks)

.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml

@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ on:
     branches: [main]
     paths:
       - 'practice/**'
+      - 'certifications/**/practice-questions/**'
+      - 'certifications/**/mock-exam/**'
+      - 'certifications/**/mock-exam-2/**'
       - '.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
@@ -29,6 +32,15 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Rebuild question banks from current cert markdown
+        # Source of truth is certifications/**/{practice-questions,mock-exam,mock-exam-2}/*.md.
+        # We regenerate practice/data/*.json on every deploy so the live site
+        # always reflects the latest committed cert content, even if the
+        # author forgot to re-run build.py locally before pushing.
+        # build.py uses Python 3 stdlib only — no setup-python step needed
+        # because ubuntu-latest ships with python3 pre-installed.
+        run: python3 practice/build.py
+
       - name: Setup Pages
         uses: actions/configure-pages@v5
 

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -4,6 +4,55 @@ Notable changes to the Databricks Certification Study Guide.
 
 The format is loosely based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/). Dates use ISO 8601. Each section is grouped under the date the change shipped, with the Databricks exam-guide version each affected certification tracks.
 
+## [2026.05.21-24] — Mock exams in practice quiz + auto-rebuild on source edits (931 q / 18 banks)
+
+### Added
+
+- **12 mock exam banks** in the practice quiz — each cert now has two full-length, exam-feel mock banks alongside its topic-organised practice bank:
+
+  | Cert | Practice | Mock 1 | Mock 2 |
+  | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: |
+  | Data Engineer Associate | 85 | 45 | 45 |
+  | Data Engineer Professional | 73 | 63 | 60 |
+  | Data Analyst Associate | 57 | 45 | 45 |
+  | ML Associate | 46 | 43 | 44 |
+  | ML Professional | 57 | 45 | 45 |
+  | GenAI Engineer Associate | 46 | 45 | 42 |
+  | **Total** | **364** | **286** | **281** |
+
+  Grand total: **931 questions across 18 banks**.
+
+- **Grouped bank picker** in the quiz UI: practice and mock banks render under labelled section headings ("Practice questions — drill by topic" and "Mock exams — full-length, exam-feel sets") so the user can choose intent before picking a cert. Two-column grid on screens ≥ 700 px wide.
+
+### Changed — `practice/build.py`
+
+- New `build_mock(cert, exam_n)` function parses `certifications/<cert>/resources/mock-exam{,-2}/questions.md`. Pre-scans the file linearly to map each `## Question N` heading to the most recent `## <Domain> (Questions X-Y)` domain section, then reuses the existing `parse_questions()` and overlays the per-question domain. Output JSON includes `kind: "mock"` and `sourceCert: <cert>` fields for downstream tooling.
+- New `--kind {practice,mock,all}` flag (default `all`) lets you build just one kind. `--cert <id>` still filters to a single cert across both kinds.
+
+### Changed — auto-rebuild + auto-deploy from cert markdown edits
+
+`.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml` now:
+
+- Triggers on push to `main` whenever ANY of these change:
+  - `practice/**`
+  - `certifications/**/practice-questions/**`
+  - `certifications/**/mock-exam/**`
+  - `certifications/**/mock-exam-2/**`
+  - the workflow file itself
+- Runs `python3 practice/build.py` as a step before uploading the Pages artifact so the live JSON is always fresh from current cert markdown — no need to run `build.py` locally and re-commit before pushing.
+
+The committed `practice/data/*.json` files stay (for local dev convenience and quick PR diff review) but are no longer the source of truth at deploy time. Edit a question, push, the live site reflects it within ~1 min.
+
+### Changed — UI cache versioning
+
+`APP_VERSION` bumped to `"4"`. `<script src="app.js?v=4">` and `<link href="styles.css?v=4">` in `index.html`. JSON fetches pass through `bustedUrl()` to inherit the same version query so browsers don't serve stale banks after a deploy.
+
+### Verification
+
+- `python3 practice/build.py --check` → **18 banks / 931 questions** parsed cleanly
+- Practice = 364 q (unchanged from previous PR); Mock = 567 q across 12 new bank files
+- 4 mock-exam questions skipped due to multi-line-code-fence choices that the parser doesn't handle (same edge case as the practice banks; documented in `practice/README.md`)
+
 ## [2026.05.21-23] — Practice quiz polish: all 6 banks + theme + reset + branding + CI Node 24
 
 ### Added — all 6 certifications now have a question bank (364 questions total)

README.md

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ tags:
 > **These are the exam notes I built while preparing for the Databricks certification series.** Cheat sheets, practice questions, mock exams, and end-to-end worked examples — now open-sourced under MIT so the next person doesn't have to start from scratch. Every certification section maps to the current official Databricks exam guide for that credential. If it helped you, ⭐ the repo and pass it on.
 
 > [!tip]
-> **▶ [Try the practice quiz live](https://kengio.github.io/databricks-certification-study-guide/)** — adaptive multiple-choice quiz, **364 questions across all 6 cert tracks**, runs in your browser, progress saved locally. No install, no signup. Light/dark/auto theme + accessible reset.
+> **▶ [Try the practice quiz live](https://kengio.github.io/databricks-certification-study-guide/)** — adaptive multiple-choice quiz, **931 questions across 18 banks** (6 practice + 12 mock exams, all 6 cert tracks). Runs in your browser, progress saved locally. No install, no signup. Light/dark/auto theme + accessible reset.
 
 > [!info]
 > **Read in another language**: 🇹🇭 [ภาษาไทย](./i18n/th/README.md) (in progress) · For other languages and the translation policy, see [`TRANSLATING.md`](./TRANSLATING.md) and [`i18n/README.md`](./i18n/README.md).
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ This guide ships as a living resource. The roadmap below is what's planned for t
 - ✅ **Renewal guide** for candidates whose 2-year validity expires in 2027–2028 — complete (see [`shared/appendix/renewal-guide.md`](./shared/appendix/renewal-guide.md))
 - ✅ **Translation scaffolding** — Thai in-tree, other languages via fork model — complete (see [`TRANSLATING.md`](./TRANSLATING.md) + [`i18n/`](./i18n/README.md))
 - ✅ **Spaced-repetition deck (Anki)** — markdown-source decks + stdlib-only builder, two starter decks (Delta Lake 27 cards, Unity Catalog 22 cards) — complete (see [`anki/README.md`](./anki/README.md))
-- ✅ **Adaptive practice questions** — static-only web quiz with localStorage progress tracking + adaptive selector across **all 6 cert banks (364 questions)**. **Live at [kengio.github.io/databricks-certification-study-guide](https://kengio.github.io/databricks-certification-study-guide/)** — complete (see [`practice/README.md`](./practice/README.md))
+- ✅ **Adaptive practice questions** — static-only web quiz with localStorage progress tracking + adaptive selector. **18 banks / 931 questions** (6 practice topic banks + 12 mock exams, all 6 cert tracks). **Live at [kengio.github.io/databricks-certification-study-guide](https://kengio.github.io/databricks-certification-study-guide/)** — complete (see [`practice/README.md`](./practice/README.md))
 
 Legend: ✅ done · 🔄 in progress / next up · ⏳ planned · 🌱 ideas being explored
 

practice/README.md

@@ -21,16 +21,33 @@ A browser-based quiz for the practice-question markdown files in this repo. Trac
 
 ## Available banks
 
-All six certifications now have a question bank — **364 questions total**.
+**18 banks · 931 questions total** — every cert has practice questions plus two full-length mock exams.
 
-| Bank | Source files | Questions |
+### Practice questions (6 banks · 364 questions)
+
+Topic-organised question sets sourced from each cert's `practice-questions/` folder. Best for drilling a specific domain.
+
+| Bank | Source | Q |
+| :--- | :--- | :---: |
+| Data Engineer Associate | `certifications/data-engineer-associate/resources/practice-questions/` | 85 |
+| Data Engineer Professional | `certifications/data-engineer-professional/resources/practice-questions/` | 73 |
+| Data Analyst Associate | `certifications/data-analyst-associate/resources/practice-questions/` | 57 |
+| ML Associate | `certifications/ml-associate/resources/practice-questions/` | 46 |
+| ML Professional | `certifications/ml-professional/resources/practice-questions/` | 57 |
+| GenAI Engineer Associate | `certifications/genai-engineer-associate/resources/practice-questions/` | 46 |
+
+### Mock exams (12 banks · 567 questions)
+
+Full-length exam-feel sets sourced from each cert's `mock-exam/` and `mock-exam-2/` folders. Each is a single `questions.md` covering every domain. Best for end-to-end timing practice.
+
+| Cert | Mock 1 | Mock 2 |
 | :--- | :---: | :---: |
-| Data Engineer Associate | 5 markdown files in `certifications/data-engineer-associate/resources/practice-questions/` | 85 |
-| Data Engineer Professional | 8 markdown files | 73 |
-| Data Analyst Associate | 5 markdown files | 57 |
-| ML Associate | 4 markdown files | 46 |
-| ML Professional | 4 markdown files | 57 |
-| GenAI Engineer Associate | 4 markdown files | 46 |
+| Data Engineer Associate | 45 | 45 |
+| Data Engineer Professional | 63 | 60 |
+| Data Analyst Associate | 45 | 45 |
+| ML Associate | 43 | 44 |
+| ML Professional | 45 | 45 |
+| GenAI Engineer Associate | 45 | 42 |
 
 ## How to run
 
@@ -57,11 +74,21 @@ python3 -m http.server 8080 --directory practice
 
 ### Deploy (for fork maintainers)
 
-The deploy is driven by [`.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml`](../.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml). On every push to `main` that touches `practice/**`, the workflow:
+The deploy is driven by [`.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml`](../.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml). It runs on every push to `main` that touches **any of**:
+
+- `practice/**` (the quiz app itself)
+- `certifications/**/practice-questions/**` (source markdown for practice banks)
+- `certifications/**/mock-exam/**` or `mock-exam-2/**` (source markdown for mock banks)
+- `.github/workflows/deploy-practice.yml`
+
+The workflow:
 
 1. Checks out the repo
-2. Uploads `practice/` as a Pages artifact (with `.nojekyll` so HTML/JS pass through unmodified)
-3. Deploys via `actions/deploy-pages@v4`
+2. **Re-runs `python3 practice/build.py`** so `practice/data/*.json` is rebuilt fresh from current cert markdown — even if the author forgot to regenerate locally
+3. Uploads `practice/` as a Pages artifact (with `.nojekyll` so HTML/JS pass through unmodified)
+4. Deploys via `actions/deploy-pages@v4`
+
+**This means**: edit a question in `certifications/<cert>/resources/practice-questions/*.md` (or any mock-exam file), commit, push to `main`, and the live site updates within ~1 min. No need to run `build.py` locally before pushing — the committed JSON is just a convenience for local dev / quick PR review, not the source of truth at deploy time.
 
 **First-time setup** (only needed once per fork):