Research and Planning as Exploratory Acceleration

Research

Claude accelerates gathering and synthesizing information, comparing options, and summarizing long material. Because research output is a set of factual claims, it must always be paired with verification -- this connects directly to the verification practices covered elsewhere in the exam (Domain 2). Research output is a fast draft of what might be true, not a confirmed answer.

Planning

Claude turns a goal into an ordered plan: drafting project outlines, timelines, and checklists, and stress-testing assumptions by asking Claude to poke holes in a draft plan before committing to it. This is faster iteration on structure and sequencing than doing it alone from scratch.

The Shared Goal

Both research and planning exist to compress the time from question to a reviewable draft or plan -- not to replace human judgment. The output is a starting point a person evaluates and refines, not a decision made on the user's behalf.

Common exam traps

• Treating Claude's research output as final truth rather than a starting draft that still needs verification -- this is the single most common misconception in this area.
• Confusing "compressing time to a draft" with "replacing judgment" -- the human still decides, Claude just gets them to a decision-ready draft faster.