CAPM Practice Test 32 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is planning a predictive project to upgrade a hospital's HVAC system. The project has a fixed budget and a strict regulatory deadline. The project manager needs to determine the total duration of the project by analyzing the sequence of activities and their dependencies. Which technique should the project manager use?

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

Accepted Answer

Critical path method. The critical path method is the correct technique because it analyzes the schedule network to determine the longest path of dependent activities, which defines the shortest possible project duration. It calculates early and late dates and identifies float, enabling the project manager to focus on activities that directly affect the deadline. Other techniques either adjust the schedule for resources, provide probabilistic ranges, or build the network diagram without calculating total duration.

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Monte Carlo simulation

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Precedence diagramming method

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Resource leveling

Question 2

A project manager is leading a project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. The project is in the execution phase. A key stakeholder requests a significant change to the system's functionality. The project manager assesses the change and determines that it will impact the project scope, schedule, and cost. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit the change request to the change control board for review.. When a change is requested during project execution, the project manager should follow the integrated change control process. This involves documenting the change request, assessing its impact, and submitting it to the change control board for a decision. The CCB ensures that changes are evaluated against project constraints and objectives before implementation.

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Implement the change immediately to satisfy the stakeholder.

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Ask the stakeholder to withdraw the request to avoid disruption.

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Reject the change because it impacts the project constraints.

Question 3

A project manager is leading a research project with a fixed budget and a tight deadline. The project team is distributed across three time zones. The project manager needs to ensure that all team members have access to the latest project documents and that changes are tracked. Which tool or technique would best support this requirement?

Accepted Answer

Configuration management system. A configuration management system is the best tool because it provides version control, change tracking, and centralized access to project documents, ensuring all team members have the latest versions. It is a subset of the PMIS but is specifically designed to manage changes to documents and deliverables. Other options like the communication management plan, PMIS, or meetings do not offer the same level of control and tracking.

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Meetings

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Communication management plan

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Project management information system (PMIS)

Question 4

A project manager is leading a software development project. During a team meeting, a team member suggests adding a new feature that was not in the original scope. The project manager wants to evaluate the impact of this change on the project constraints. Which document should the project manager consult first to understand the baseline scope?

Accepted Answer

Project scope statement. The project scope statement is the correct document because it defines what is included in the project and what is excluded, along with assumptions and constraints. It serves as the baseline for scope and is essential for evaluating proposed changes. Other documents like the WBS, requirements management plan, or project charter do not provide the same level of detail for scope baseline evaluation.

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Project charter

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Work breakdown structure

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Requirements management plan

Question 5

A business analyst is facilitating a requirements elicitation session for a new customer relationship management system. Several stakeholders from sales, marketing, and customer support are present, but the discussion keeps drifting into unrelated operational complaints. Which facilitation technique should the business analyst use to keep the session focused on gathering requirements?

Accepted Answer

Use a parking lot to capture off-topic issues and return to the agenda.. A parking lot is a lightweight facilitation technique that captures off-topic items in a visible list so the group can acknowledge them without losing focus. It allows the business analyst to maintain momentum on the agenda while assuring stakeholders that their concerns are recorded. This keeps the elicitation session productive and respects all input, which is essential for effective requirements gathering.

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Immediately end the session and schedule a follow-up with only the key decision makers.

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Ask each stakeholder to submit written requirements after the meeting instead of discussing them.

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Switch to a round-robin format where each participant speaks in turn.

Question 6

A project manager is developing the project charter for a new marketing campaign. The sponsor emphasizes that the project must be completed within six months and cannot exceed a budget of $200,000. Which of the following best describes these constraints?

Accepted Answer

They are project constraints that limit the project's flexibility.. Time and cost limitations are fundamental project constraints that define the boundaries within which the project must be executed. The sponsor's specified deadline and budget cap are clear examples of such constraints. They limit the project team's flexibility and must be managed throughout the project lifecycle to ensure successful delivery.

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They are risks that need to be mitigated.

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They are quality requirements that must be met.

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They are assumptions that need to be validated.

Question 7

A team new to Kanban maps its workflow and discovers that work sits in a 'Code Review' column for many days. The team wants to improve flow without changing its process policies yet. Which Kanban practice should the team apply first to expose the problem and drive improvement?

Accepted Answer

Set an explicit WIP limit on the Code Review column and make blocked or aging items visible on the board.. Kanban starts with visualizing the workflow and then making policies explicit, including WIP limits that constrain how much work can be in each state. Applying a limit to the Code Review column prevents new items from entering when review capacity is saturated, which surfaces the bottleneck and encourages the team to finish work already in progress. Aging visibility then supplies evidence for the next policy change.

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Move the Code Review step after deployment so that review delays no longer block the delivery of working software.

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Increase the number of developers assigned to review so that more reviews can be completed in parallel each day.

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Add a dedicated 'Waiting for Review' column so that items in review are separated from items actually being reviewed.

Question 8

A project manager is working on a project to develop a new mobile application. The project is in the planning phase. The project manager is creating a document that will describe how the project team will acquire, develop, manage, and release project resources. Which document is the project manager creating?

Accepted Answer

Resource management plan. The resource management plan is the document that guides how project resources (both physical and team) will be acquired, developed, managed, and released. It is a subsidiary plan of the project management plan and is developed during the Plan Resource Management process. The other plans focus on different knowledge areas: stakeholder engagement, communications, and procurement, each with distinct purposes.

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Stakeholder engagement plan

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Procurement management plan

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Communications management plan

Question 9

A Scrum Master is coaching a team that is struggling with the Sprint Retrospective. The team often focuses only on what went wrong and leaves the meeting without concrete actions. Which two techniques should the Scrum Master suggest to improve the effectiveness of the retrospective? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Use a structured format like Start-Stop-Continue to guide discussion.. Using a structured format like Start-Stop-Continue and ending with at least one actionable improvement are both effective ways to make retrospectives more productive. They ensure balanced discussion and concrete outcomes. The other options either confuse process with product, shorten the meeting too much, or do not directly solve the problem of lacking actions.

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Ensure the Product Owner prioritizes the retrospective items in the Product Backlog.

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Assign a rotating facilitator to keep the meeting engaging.

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Limit the retrospective to 15 minutes to keep it focused.

Question 10

A project manager is leading a predictive project to develop a new software application. The project sponsor asks for a document that describes how the project scope will be defined, validated, and controlled. Which two elements should the project manager include in this document? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Process for formal acceptance of completed deliverables. The scope management plan documents how scope will be defined, validated, and controlled. It includes the process for preparing the detailed scope statement and the process for formal acceptance of deliverables. The WBS creation process, duration estimation, and budget development belong to other management plans, so they are not appropriate elements of this document.

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Process for developing the project budget

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Process for estimating activity durations

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Process for creating the work breakdown structure (WBS)

Question 11

A Scrum Team's Sprint Review is consistently a one-way presentation where the Product Owner demos completed features to stakeholders. Stakeholder feedback rarely changes the Product Backlog, and the team feels the event adds little value. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team and Product Owner to make the Sprint Review a working session where stakeholders explore the Increment and discuss what to do next.. The Sprint Review should be an interactive working session where the team and stakeholders inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog. When it becomes a one-way demo, feedback and adaptation disappear. The Scrum Master serves the team by coaching participants to collaborate, explore the product, and decide what to do next, restoring the event's empirical purpose without changing its timebox or attendance.

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Invite only the Product Owner and the Developers to the Sprint Review to keep it focused.

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Extend the Sprint Review to three hours so the Product Owner can present every completed item in detail.

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Cancel the Sprint Review and replace it with a written status report emailed to stakeholders.

Question 12

A project manager is leading a project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. The project is in the execution phase. The project manager notices that a team member is consistently late in completing assigned tasks, causing delays. What is the most appropriate action for the project manager to take first?

Accepted Answer

Discuss the issue with the team member to understand the cause. When a team member's performance affects project progress, the project manager should first engage in direct communication to uncover the underlying cause. This approach aligns with the principles of team management and conflict resolution, emphasizing collaboration and problem-solving. Only after understanding the issue can the project manager determine the appropriate corrective action, such as providing support, clarifying expectations, or involving functional management if necessary.

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Reassign the team member's tasks to other team members

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Escalate the issue to the functional manager immediately

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Update the issue log and continue monitoring the situation

Question 13

A project manager is leading a large construction project. The project has a fixed-price contract with a penalty clause for late delivery. During execution, a key supplier fails to deliver materials on time, causing a delay. The project manager needs to decide on the best course of action to minimize the impact. Which action should the project manager take first?

Accepted Answer

Review the contract terms and assess the impact of the delay on the project schedule and costs.. The project manager should first review the contract terms and assess the impact because this provides the necessary information to make informed decisions. Understanding the contractual obligations and the actual impact on the project allows the project manager to choose the best course of action, whether it involves negotiating with the supplier, finding alternatives, or adjusting the schedule.

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Immediately terminate the contract with the supplier and find a new supplier.

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Accept the delay and do nothing, as the penalty clause will cover the costs.

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Immediately issue a change request to extend the schedule and inform the customer.

Question 14

A business analyst is facilitating a requirements workshop for a new HR onboarding system. Attendees include the HR director, two recruiters, an IT security officer, and a payroll supervisor. The HR director dominates the discussion and repeatedly redirects every topic toward executive reporting dashboards, while the recruiters' process concerns go unrecorded. Which facilitation technique should the business analyst apply to ensure balanced input before documenting requirements?

Accepted Answer

Round-robin brainstorming, where each participant contributes one idea in turn before open discussion resumes.. Balanced elicitation in a facilitated workshop requires a technique that structurally guarantees each stakeholder a voice. Round-robin brainstorming does exactly that by rotating contributions in sequence, neutralizing a dominant participant and surfacing the recruiters' process concerns before the group moves to open debate. The other techniques either defer elicitation, target attitudes rather than requirements, or assume dispersed experts, so they do not solve the in-session imbalance.

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Delphi technique, where participants answer anonymous questionnaires over several rounds until consensus is reached.

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Focus group, where a trained moderator probes the group's perceptions and attitudes about the onboarding process.

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Nominal group technique, where the analyst privately interviews each attendee after the workshop and merges the notes.

Question 15

A business analyst is assessing the feasibility of a proposed solution that involves integrating a new mobile app with an existing legacy system. The legacy system has no documented APIs and uses a proprietary protocol. Which factor is most critical to evaluate when determining technical feasibility?

Accepted Answer

The availability of skilled developers who know the proprietary protocol. Technical feasibility evaluates whether the proposed solution can be implemented given the available technology, tools, and expertise. In this scenario, the legacy system's proprietary protocol and lack of APIs mean that specialized knowledge is required. If such skills are unavailable, the integration may be impossible or require significant reverse engineering, making skill availability the most critical factor.

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The cost of licensing the mobile app development platform

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The project timeline as defined in the charter

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The user interface design preferences of the marketing department