CAPM Practice Exam 4 — 20 Questions

Question 1

During Sprint Planning, the team realizes the password reset story involves a third-party email service that has not been integrated yet. The team has no experience with that service. What is the best action?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Create a time-boxed spike to research the integration.. The team has no experience with the third-party email service, and integrating it involves unknown technical risks. A time-boxed spike (Option B) is the best action because it allows the team to research the integration within a defined timebox, reducing uncertainty before committing to the story in a Sprint. This aligns with the Scrum principle of managing risk through validated learning, not through guesswork or scope changes.

Answer

Accept the story and figure it out during the Sprint.

Answer

Add more developers to the team for this Sprint.

Answer

Remove the story from the Product Backlog.

Question 2

At the daily stand-up meeting, a team member consistently arrives 10 minutes late, causing the meeting to start late. What is the best agile practice to address this?

Accepted Answer

Have the team discuss the issue and agree on a new start time, with a commitment to start promptly.. Agile teams are self-organizing and address impediments through open team discussion and collective agreement rather than external enforcement. Having the team discuss the lateness issue and agree on a start time with a commitment to start promptly respects the team's autonomy and addresses the root cause collaboratively. This is consistent with Scrum values of openness, respect, and courage.

Answer

Impose a fine for lateness to discourage the behavior.

Answer

Escalate the issue to management to enforce punctuality.

Answer

Cancel the daily stand-up until the team member arrives on time.

Question 3

Drag and drop the steps for performing risk management planning in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Plan Risk Management, then Identify Risks, then Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis, then Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis, then Plan Risk Responses. Risk management follows the sequence: planning, identification, qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis, and response planning.

Answer

Identify Risks, then Plan Risk Management, then Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis, then Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis, then Plan Risk Responses

Answer

Plan Risk Management, then Identify Risks, then Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis, then Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis, then Plan Risk Responses

Answer

Plan Risk Management, then Identify Risks, then Plan Risk Responses, then Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis, then Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis

Question 4

In a predictive project, the project manager needs to estimate the cost of each work package with a high level of accuracy. Which technique is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Bottom-up estimating. Bottom-up estimating involves estimating the cost of individual work packages or activities at the lowest level of the WBS and then aggregating them upward to obtain the total project cost. Because it builds from detailed, granular estimates, it provides the highest level of accuracy and is the preferred technique when the project manager needs precise cost figures for each work package. It is most reliable when the WBS is well-defined and the scope is stable, which is typical in predictive projects.

Answer

Parametric estimating

Answer

Expert judgment

Answer

Three-point estimating

Question 5

An agile team is using a burndown chart for the first time. After six days of a two-week sprint, the burndown chart shows that the remaining work has increased compared to the previous day. The team is confused. They had completed several tasks, but new tasks were added to the sprint backlog after the sprint started. The product owner says the additions were urgent and necessary. The development team is frustrated because they feel the sprint goal is at risk. The Scrum Master must address this situation. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Ask the product owner and team to renegotiate the sprint scope, either removing some planned work or deferring the new work to the next sprint. The Scrum Master should facilitate a negotiation between the product owner and the development team to re-evaluate the sprint backlog. In Scrum, the sprint backlog can be clarified or renegotiated with the product owner, but the sprint goal must remain achievable. By asking the team and product owner to either remove planned work or defer the new tasks, the Scrum Master protects the sprint goal and maintains team focus, which is the core responsibility of the Scrum Master in an agile framework.

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore the burndown chart and focus on delivering the original sprint goal

Answer

Explain to the product owner that the sprint backlog is frozen once the sprint starts and cannot be changed

Answer

Manually adjust the burndown chart to show the completed tasks and hide the additional work

Question 6

A business analyst is performing a cost-benefit analysis for a proposed system upgrade. The upgrade costs $50,000 upfront and saves $15,000 per year in operational costs. The project has a 5-year horizon. What is the payback period in years?

Accepted Answer

3.33 years. The payback period is the upfront cost divided by the annual savings: $50,000 ÷ $15,000 = 3.33 years. This is the time required for cumulative savings to equal the initial investment. It is a simple, undiscounted measure that ignores the time value of money and any cash flows beyond the payback point.

Answer

5.00 years

Answer

4.00 years

Answer

0.33 years

Question 7

During a requirements workshop, two key stakeholders disagree on a critical requirement. The project manager asks the business analyst to facilitate a resolution. Which approach is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Use a prioritization matrix to evaluate trade-offs.. A prioritization matrix enables objective comparison of requirements based on predefined criteria such as value, cost, and urgency, facilitating a data-driven consensus. Option A is wrong: asking the sponsor to decide bypasses stakeholder collaboration and may not address the underlying disagreement. Option B is wrong: proceeding with both requirements can lead to scope creep and resource conflicts. Option C is wrong: a vote may not resolve deep disagreements and can alienate minority stakeholders.

Answer

Ask the project sponsor to decide.

Answer

Document both requirements and proceed with both.

Answer

Hold a vote among all stakeholders.

Question 8

During project execution, a key team member leaves the company. The project manager needs to quickly reassign tasks to maintain progress. Which document should be consulted first to understand the team member's current responsibilities?

Accepted Answer

Resource management plan. The resource management plan documents how project resources are acquired, managed, and released, and it includes role assignments, responsibility matrices (RAM/RACI), and team member responsibilities. When a team member departs, the PM consults this plan first to identify exactly what that person was accountable for before reassigning work. It is the authoritative source for 'who does what' on the project.

Answer

Project schedule

Answer

Stakeholder register

Answer

Communications management plan

Question 9

Refer to the exhibit. The team wants to pull a new item into In Progress. What should they do first?

Accepted Answer

Move an item from In Progress to Done.. In a Kanban system, WIP limits are constraints that must be respected — the team cannot simply pull a new item into In Progress when the column is already at its limit. The correct first action is to finish existing work by moving an item from In Progress to Done, which frees a slot and allows the new item to be pulled. This preserves flow, exposes bottlenecks, and honors the pull-based discipline central to Kanban.

Answer

Ignore the WIP limit and pull the item.

Answer

Increase the WIP limit for In Progress.

Answer

Add the item to To Do.

Question 10

In a predictive project, the project sponsor requests a scope change that will significantly increase the project cost. The project manager should FIRST:

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact of the change on the project constraints. When a scope change is requested, the project manager must first evaluate the impact on project constraints (cost, schedule, quality, etc.) before proceeding. Updating the charter or rejecting the change without evaluation is premature.

Answer

Reject the change as it impacts budget

Answer

Update the project charter

Answer

Implement the change immediately

Question 11

A project manager is assigned a project that has a very low tolerance for scope changes. Which development approach is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Predictive. A predictive (waterfall) approach plans the full scope upfront and controls changes through formal change control, making it ideal when scope changes are unacceptable. It emphasizes detailed planning, sequential phases, and baseline management, which aligns with a project that has very low tolerance for scope variation.

Answer

Incremental

Answer

Adaptive

Answer

Iterative

Question 12

Which of the following is a characteristic of the project life cycle?

Accepted Answer

Projects are temporary and unique. Projects are defined as temporary endeavors with a unique product, service, or result. Option A is incorrect because project phases can overlap in iterative or adaptive life cycles. Option C is incorrect because projects are unique and not repetitive; operations produce the same product repeatedly. Option D is incorrect because while projects have a defined end, the exact end date may be adjusted, but the key characteristic is temporary, not a fixed date.

Answer

Project phases are always sequential

Answer

Projects produce the same product repeatedly

Answer

Projects have a fixed end date

Question 13

A milestone in a project schedule is best described as:

Accepted Answer

A task with zero duration.. A milestone is a significant point or event in a project with zero duration — it marks a moment in time rather than representing work. In scheduling tools like MS Project, milestones are entered with a duration of 0 days, which is why they appear as diamond symbols on Gantt charts. Because they consume no time or resources, they are used to flag key decision points, phase completions, or contractual deliverables.

Answer

A work package.

Answer

A control account.

Answer

A summary task.

Question 14

During Sprint Planning, the Development Team realizes that the total effort for the selected Product Backlog items exceeds their historical velocity. What should the team do?

Accepted Answer

Remove some lower-priority items from the Sprint Backlog in agreement with the Product Owner.. When the total effort for selected Product Backlog items exceeds the team's historical velocity, the team should collaborate with the Product Owner to remove lower-priority items from the Sprint Backlog. This keeps the Sprint Goal achievable and respects the team's capacity, which is a core Scrum principle. The Sprint Backlog is a forecast, not a commitment, and can be adjusted as long as the Sprint Goal is not endangered.

Answer

Extend the Sprint duration to accommodate all the work.

Answer

Commit to all items and work extra hours to deliver.

Answer

Lower the Definition of Done to complete items faster.

Question 15

Which of the following best defines a project?

Accepted Answer

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.. The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as 'a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.' The key characteristics are temporality (definite start and end) and uniqueness (the output is different from all other products or services). This definition is foundational to the CAPM exam and distinguishes projects from operations.

Answer

An ongoing process to produce the same product repeatedly.

Answer

A set of tasks that can be completed in any order.

Answer

A routine operation with a defined start and end.

Question 16

What is the primary role of the Product Owner in Scrum?

Accepted Answer

Maximize the value of the product. In Scrum, the Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value the Scrum Team delivers from the product. This is the defining responsibility stated in the Scrum Guide, and it drives backlog ordering, stakeholder engagement, and product vision. The role is not a people-management or technical-execution role, which is why 'maximize the value of the product' is the correct answer.

Answer

Manage the team

Answer

Remove impediments

Answer

Write code

Question 17

Drag and drop the steps for creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) in the correct order.

Accepted Answer

Identify deliverables, then Decompose deliverables into work packages, then Structure in a hierarchical form, then Assign WBS codes, then Verify completeness. The WBS is built by identifying deliverables, decomposing them, structuring hierarchically, coding elements, and verifying completeness.

Answer

Structure in a hierarchical form, then Identify deliverables, then Decompose deliverables into work packages, then Assign WBS codes, then Verify completeness

Answer

Identify deliverables, then Assign WBS codes, then Decompose deliverables into work packages, then Structure in a hierarchical form, then Verify completeness

Answer

Decompose deliverables into work packages, then Identify deliverables, then Structure in a hierarchical form, then Assign WBS codes, then Verify completeness

Question 18

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that they often spend too much time in daily stand-up meetings. What is the recommended timebox for the daily Scrum in Scrum?

Accepted Answer

15 minutes, focused on progress toward the sprint goal. The daily Scrum is timeboxed to 15 minutes to keep it focused and efficient. The purpose is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, not to solve problems. Detailed discussions should be taken offline.

Answer

As long as needed to resolve all blockers

Answer

30 minutes, to allow for detailed discussion

Answer

10 minutes, with a strict agenda

Question 19

A project manager is evaluating two project proposals. Proposal A has a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.2 and a payback period of 3 years. Proposal B has a BCR of 1.5 and a payback period of 4 years. The organization has limited funds and wants to maximize return on investment. Which proposal should the project manager recommend?

Accepted Answer

Proposal B, because it has a higher benefit-cost ratio. Proposal B should be recommended because it has a higher benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.5 versus 1.2 for Proposal A. BCR measures the ratio of benefits to costs, so a higher BCR indicates greater return per unit of investment. Since the organization wants to maximize ROI with limited funds, the higher BCR is the decisive metric, even though Proposal A has a shorter payback period.

Answer

Neither proposal; the organization should wait for better options

Answer

Proposal A, because it has a shorter payback period

Answer

Both proposals are equal; select based on non-financial criteria

Question 20

In a Kanban system, what is the primary purpose of limiting Work in Progress (WIP)?

Accepted Answer

To identify bottlenecks and improve flow by preventing overloading.. Limiting Work in Progress (WIP) in Kanban is primarily to identify bottlenecks and improve flow by preventing overloading. When WIP limits are reached, the team must stop starting new work and focus on finishing existing work, which exposes bottlenecks and encourages flow. Assigning work to available members, measuring velocity, and ensuring quality are not the primary purposes of WIP limits.

Answer

To assign work to the most available team member.

Answer

To measure the team's velocity accurately.

Answer

To ensure each work item has high quality before moving to the next stage.