CAPM Practice Exam 1 — 20 Questions

Question 1

Using the risk register entry shown, what is the expected monetary value (EMV) of this risk?

Accepted Answer

$40,000. $40,000. EMV = Probability * Impact = 0.8 * $50,000 = $40,000. Option A ($10,000) incorrectly uses a probability of 0.2. Option B ($50,000) uses the impact alone without probability. Option C ($80,000) is likely from multiplying 0.8 by $100,000 or a calculation error.

Answer

$10,000

Answer

$50,000

Answer

$80,000

Question 2

Which TWO of the following are examples of project constraints? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Scope. Scope is a classic project constraint because it defines the boundaries of what the project will deliver. Any change to scope directly impacts time, cost, and quality, making it one of the triple constraints in project management.

Answer

Risk

Answer

Work package

Answer

Resource calendar

Question 3

A project manager is estimating activity durations for a software development project. The team has historical data from similar projects, but the current project involves new technology that could cause delays. Which estimating technique should the project manager use to account for uncertainty?

Accepted Answer

Three-point estimating. Three-point estimating (C) is correct because it explicitly accounts for uncertainty by using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates. The new technology introduces unknown risks, making the triangular or PERT distribution ideal for modeling the potential delay range.

Answer

Parametric estimating

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Analogous estimating

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Bottom-up estimating

Question 4

In a project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, the business analyst needs to understand the current workflows and identify areas for improvement. Which technique should be used?

Accepted Answer

Process modeling. Process modeling is the correct technique because it visually maps out the current workflows, showing the sequence of activities, decision points, and handoffs in the CRM system. This allows the business analyst to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement in the existing processes before designing the new system.

Answer

Document analysis

Answer

Benchmarking

Answer

Root cause analysis

Question 5

A project is in the monitoring and controlling phase. The project manager calculates the cost performance index (CPI) as 0.8 and the schedule performance index (SPI) as 1.0. The project budget is $500,000, and the actual costs to date are $200,000. The project is behind schedule? Actually SPI=1.0 means on schedule. But the question: What does this indicate about the project performance?

Accepted Answer

The project is on schedule but over budget. CPI < 1 indicates the project is over budget relative to work performed. SPI = 1 indicates the project is on schedule. Therefore, the project is on schedule but over budget, which corresponds to option C. Option A is incorrect because CPI < 1 means over budget, not under. Option B is incorrect because SPI = 1 means on schedule, not behind. Option D is incorrect because CPI < 1 means over budget, not under.

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is both over budget and behind schedule

Answer

The project is behind schedule but under budget

Question 6

A business analyst is using a requirements management tool to store and track requirements. During a review, the BA notices that two stakeholders have conflicting requirements for the same system feature. What is the best approach to resolve this conflict?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting with both stakeholders to discuss and reach a consensus.. The business analyst's role includes facilitating stakeholder collaboration to resolve conflicts, ensuring that requirements are aligned with business needs. Using a requirements management tool to track conflicting requirements is insufficient; the BA must actively mediate a discussion to reach consensus, as this is a core competency in business analysis frameworks like the BABOK.

Answer

Choose the requirement from the stakeholder with higher authority.

Answer

Document both requirements and let the development team decide.

Answer

Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor immediately.

Question 7

A project team is struggling with unclear roles and responsibilities, leading to duplicated work and missed tasks. Which document should the project manager create or update to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) in RACI format. The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), particularly in RACI format, is the correct document to resolve unclear roles and responsibilities because it explicitly maps project tasks to team members, defining who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. This eliminates ambiguity, prevents duplicated work, and ensures no tasks are missed by providing a clear, traceable assignment of duties.

Answer

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

Answer

Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)

Answer

Risk register

Question 8

A project has a critical path duration of 45 days. Activity X on the critical path can be crashed by 3 days at an additional cost of $500 per day. Activity Y, a non-critical activity with 10 days of float, can also be crashed by 3 days at $600 per day. The project manager wants to reduce the project duration by 3 days at minimum cost. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Crash Activity X by 3 days for $1,500. Crashing Activity X on the critical path directly reduces the project duration. Option B is wrong because crashing Activity Y does not reduce the overall project duration since it has float. Option C is wrong because crashing both is unnecessary and more expensive. Option D is wrong because crashing a non-critical activity does not affect the critical path.

Answer

Crash both activities by 3 days for $3,300

Answer

Crash Activity Y by 1 day for $600 and Activity X by 2 days for $1,000

Answer

Crash Activity Y by 3 days for $1,800

Question 9

Which TWO are core practices of Extreme Programming (XP)?

Accepted Answer

Test-driven development (TDD).. Test-driven development (TDD) (option B) and pair programming (option C) are core practices of Extreme Programming (XP). TDD involves writing automated tests before writing the code, and pair programming involves two programmers working together at one workstation. The other options are not XP core practices: Sprint review (A) is a Scrum ceremony, product backlog grooming (D) is a Scrum activity, and retrospectives (E) are also a Scrum event.

Answer

Sprint review.

Answer

Product backlog grooming.

Answer

Retrospectives.

Question 10

A business analyst is creating a requirements traceability matrix. Which purpose does this serve?

Accepted Answer

Link requirements to business objectives and deliverables.. The requirements traceability matrix (RTM) is a tool used to trace requirements throughout the project lifecycle. Its primary purpose is to link requirements to business objectives and deliverables, ensuring that every requirement contributes to the project's goals and can be traced forward to deliverables and backward to origin. Option A correctly identifies this purpose. Option B is incorrect because tracking the status of requirement approval is a function of a requirements status report, not the RTM. Option C is incorrect because documenting the rationale for requirement changes is typically done in a change log or requirements management plan. Option D is incorrect while mapping requirements to test cases is a common use of the RTM, it is not its primary purpose.

Answer

Track the status of requirement approval.

Answer

Document the rationale for requirement changes.

Answer

Ensure each requirement maps to a test case.

Question 11

Drag and drop the steps for conducting a procurement process in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Plan Procurement, then Conduct Procurements, then Select Sellers, then Award Contract, then Control Procurements. The correct procurement process sequence according to PMI is: Plan Procurement Management → Conduct Procurements (solicit bids) → Select Sellers (evaluate and choose) → Award Contract (formalize agreement) → Control Procurements (manage and close). This order ensures that each step logically builds on the previous one.

Answer

Conduct Procurements, then Plan Procurement, then Select Sellers, then Award Contract, then Control Procurements

Answer

Plan Procurement, then Select Sellers, then Award Contract, then Conduct Procurements, then Control Procurements

Answer

Plan Procurement, then Conduct Procurements, then Award Contract, then Select Sellers, then Control Procurements

Question 12

A project manager is estimating the duration of a task using parametric estimation. Historical data shows that a similar task took 10 hours per unit, and 50 units are required. The team's productivity is expected to be 20% slower due to new team members. What is the estimated duration?

Accepted Answer

600 hours. 10 hours/unit * 50 units = 500 hours. With 20% slower productivity, the total hours = 500 * 1.2 = 600 hours. Option A (400 hours) is wrong because it uses a 20% reduction instead of increase. Option B (550 hours) is wrong because it uses a factor of 1.1 or incorrect calculation. Option C (500 hours) is wrong because it does not account for the 20% slowdown.

Answer

400 hours

Answer

550 hours

Answer

500 hours

Question 13

A manufacturing company is planning to install a new production line using a predictive project management approach. The project has a fixed price contract with a supplier for a critical machine. During the plan risk management process, the project manager identifies a risk that the key supplier might declare bankruptcy before delivering the machine. This risk has a high probability due to the supplier's financial instability, and a high impact because the machine is on the critical path and has a long lead time. The project manager must decide on a risk response strategy that will minimize the potential impact on the project. The team suggests several options.

Accepted Answer

Transfer the risk by requiring the supplier to obtain a performance bond.. Transferring the risk via a performance bond is the most appropriate response for this high-probability, high-impact risk. A performance bond guarantees that the supplier will fulfill its obligations; if the supplier defaults, the bonding company covers the financial loss, thereby protecting the project. This minimizes the potential impact without requiring a change in machine or relying on a backup supplier that may not meet lead time requirements. Option A (avoid) might be impractical or costly; option B (mitigate) does not fully address the risk; option D (accept) is insufficient for a high-priority risk. Therefore, option C is correct.

Answer

Avoid the risk by selecting a different machine that is available from multiple suppliers.

Answer

Mitigate the risk by establishing a backup supplier.

Answer

Accept the risk and document it in the risk register.

Question 14

You are a business analyst on a project to develop a new online banking portal. The project is using a hybrid approach with both predictive and adaptive elements. The requirements have been documented in a functional specification, but during development, the product owner requests significant changes based on user feedback. The change control board (CCB) is slow to approve changes, causing delays. The project manager wants to minimize rework while still incorporating valuable feedback. As the business analyst, what is the best course of action?

Accepted Answer

Use requirements traceability to evaluate the impact of each change and prioritize accordingly.. Requirements traceability allows the business analyst to assess the impact of each requested change on existing requirements, test cases, and deliverables. This enables informed prioritization, minimizing rework while incorporating valuable feedback. Option A (stricter change control) would further slow down the process, contrary to the goal. Option C (freezing requirements) ignores user feedback and may lead to a product that doesn't meet needs. Option D (allowing the product owner to approve directly) bypasses governance and could introduce uncontrolled changes, causing rework.

Answer

Implement a stricter change control process requiring more documentation.

Answer

Freeze the requirements and defer all changes to a future release.

Answer

Allow the product owner to approve changes directly to speed up the process.

Question 15

During project execution, a key stakeholder requests a change that would add a new feature to the product. The project manager evaluates the impact on scope, schedule, and cost. According to the change management plan, which step should the project manager take first?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact of the change on the project constraints. The change management plan requires the project manager to first analyze the impact of the proposed change on scope, schedule, and cost before any further action. This analysis provides the necessary data to determine whether the change should be submitted to the CCB for approval. Skipping this step would violate the defined change control process.

Answer

Submit the change request to the change control board (CCB) for approval

Answer

Implement the change and document it later

Answer

Reject the change because it was not part of the original scope

Question 16

A project manager notices that the project is behind schedule. Which of the following actions is most appropriate to bring the project back on track?

Accepted Answer

Add more resources to critical path tasks.. Adding resources to critical path tasks is a schedule compression technique known as crashing, which can help bring the project back on track. Option A is incorrect because reducing scope without stakeholder approval violates change control and is unethical. Option B is incorrect because asking for overtime without compensation can cause burnout, poor quality, and is often against labor policies. Option C is incorrect because ignoring the delay is not proactive and will likely worsen the situation.

Answer

Reduce the project scope without stakeholder approval.

Answer

Ask team members to work overtime without compensation.

Answer

Ignore the delay as it will recover later.

Question 17

Drag and drop the steps for managing project communications in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Plan Communications Management, then Manage Communications, then Monitor Communications. Communications management: plan (including requirements and technology), manage, and monitor.

Answer

Manage Communications, then Plan Communications Management, then Monitor Communications

Answer

Monitor Communications, then Plan Communications Management, then Manage Communications

Answer

Plan Communications Management, then Monitor Communications, then Manage Communications

Question 18

A business analyst is using a business analysis framework to identify stakeholders. Which technique is most effective for ensuring all affected parties are considered?

Accepted Answer

Creating a stakeholder map and validating with experts. Stakeholder mapping, when validated with experts, systematically identifies all affected parties by visually representing relationships, influence, and impact. This technique leverages expert judgment to cross-check the map against organizational knowledge, ensuring no stakeholder group is overlooked. It is more comprehensive than ad-hoc methods because it follows a structured framework (e.g., PMI's stakeholder identification process) and incorporates validation to fill gaps.

Answer

Brainstorming with the project team

Answer

Conducting one-on-one interviews with known stakeholders

Answer

Distributing a questionnaire to the organization

Question 19

During stakeholder analysis, a business analyst identifies a key stakeholder who rarely speaks in meetings but provides detailed written feedback. Which engagement strategy is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Use surveys or structured feedback forms. The stakeholder prefers written communication and rarely speaks in meetings. Surveys or structured feedback forms align with this preference, allowing them to provide detailed input comfortably. Frequent one-on-one meetings (B) may be intimidating or uncomfortable for this stakeholder. Continuing the current approach (C) fails to actively engage the stakeholder and may miss opportunities to gather their valuable input. Assigning a proxy (D) is unnecessary because the stakeholder is willing to provide input through written channels, and a proxy might not accurately represent their views.

Answer

Schedule frequent one-on-one meetings

Answer

Continue current approach without changes

Answer

Assign a proxy to represent them

Question 20

In earned value management, if the Cost Performance Index (CPI) is 0.8 and the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is 1.2, what does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and ahead of schedule.. A Cost Performance Index (CPI) of 0.8 is less than 1, indicating that the project is over budget (earned value is less than actual cost). A Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 1.2 is greater than 1, indicating that the project is ahead of schedule (earned value exceeds planned value). Therefore, the project is over budget and ahead of schedule, which corresponds to option C.

Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget and behind schedule.

Answer

The project is on budget and on schedule.