CAPM Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts Practice Test 4 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is estimating the duration of an activity. The optimistic estimate is 4 days, the pessimistic is 12 days, and the most likely is 6 days. Using the PERT three-point estimate, what is the expected duration?

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

Accepted Answer

6.67 days. The PERT three-point estimate formula is (Optimistic + 4×Most Likely + Pessimistic) / 6. Plugging in the values: (4 + 4×6 + 12) / 6 = (4 + 24 + 12) / 6 = 40 / 6 = 6.67 days. This weighted average gives more influence to the most likely estimate, providing a realistic expected duration.

Answer

12 days

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7.33 days

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6 days

Question 2

A project team is working on a software development project. The project manager notices that the team is spending too much time on unplanned work, resulting in delays to the critical path. What technique should the project manager use to reduce unplanned work and improve focus?

Accepted Answer

Implement critical chain project management.. Critical chain project management (CCPM) is specifically designed to protect the critical path from disruptions like unplanned work by inserting buffers (e.g., feeding buffers, project buffer) and enforcing a 'relay race' work ethic. This technique reduces multitasking and focuses the team on completing tasks in priority order, directly addressing the root cause of delays from unplanned work.

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Apply crashing to the critical path activities.

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Perform resource leveling to smooth resource usage.

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Use fast tracking to overlap activities.

Question 3

A project manager is assigned to a project that is in the planning phase. The sponsor asks the project manager to include a 10% contingency reserve in the budget. The project manager knows that the project has a high degree of uncertainty. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Perform a quantitative risk analysis to determine appropriate contingency reserves.. The project manager should perform a quantitative risk analysis to determine the appropriate contingency reserve based on the project's specific risk exposure, rather than relying on an arbitrary 10% figure. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance that contingency reserves should be derived from risk analysis, not sponsor preference, especially given the high degree of uncertainty.

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Explain that contingency reserves are not allowed in the project budget.

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Refuse the request because it is unethical.

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Add the 10% contingency reserve as requested.

Question 4

A project manager is leading a software development project. The sponsor has requested a new feature that was not part of the original scope. The project manager assesses that adding this feature will require additional resources and will extend the timeline by two weeks. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact on the project constraints and submit a change request.. The correct first step is to analyze the impact on the project constraints (scope, time, cost, quality) and submit a formal change request. This follows the Integrated Change Control process, ensuring the sponsor and change control board (CCB) evaluate the trade-offs before any work begins. In software development, adding a feature without analysis risks scope creep and uncontrolled budget or schedule deviations.

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Refuse the request because it is out of scope.

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Instruct the team to implement the feature and track extra time as overtime.

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Immediately update the project schedule and budget.

Question 5

A project team is working on a construction project. The project manager notices that the actual cost is consistently higher than planned. Which project management process is most directly responsible for monitoring and controlling costs?

Accepted Answer

Control Costs. The Control Costs process is directly responsible for monitoring project expenditures and managing changes to the cost baseline. When actual cost consistently exceeds planned cost, the project manager must use Control Costs to analyze variance, forecast future costs, and implement corrective actions to bring spending back in line with the budget.

Answer

Estimate Costs

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Plan Cost Management

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Determine Budget

Question 6

A project manager is assigned to a project that is in execution phase. The project has a cost performance index (CPI) of 0.8 and a schedule performance index (SPI) of 1.1. Which of the following best describes the current status of the project?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget but ahead of schedule.. A CPI of 0.8 means the project is earning only $0.80 for every $1.00 spent, indicating it is over budget. An SPI of 1.1 means the project is earning $1.10 for every $1.00 of planned work, indicating it is ahead of schedule. Therefore, the project is over budget but ahead of schedule, making option C correct.

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.

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The project is under budget and behind schedule.

Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule.

Question 7

Refer to the exhibit. What is the total float of Task B?

Accepted Answer

1 day. Task B has a total float of 1 day because it lies on a non-critical path. The critical path (A-C-D) has a duration of 11 days, while the path containing Task B (A-B-D) has a duration of 10 days. Total float is calculated as the difference between the duration of the critical path and the duration of the path containing the task, which is 11 - 10 = 1 day.

Answer

3 days

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2 days

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0 days

Question 8

Which TWO of the following are outputs of the Identify Risks process?

Accepted Answer

Risk report. The Identify Risks process produces the risk register and risk report as its primary outputs. The risk register captures individual risks, their causes, and potential responses, while the risk report summarizes overall project risk exposure and key risk information for stakeholders.

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Risk management plan

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Risk response plan

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Project management plan

Question 9

Which THREE of the following are components of the project charter?

Accepted Answer

Project purpose or justification. The project charter formally authorizes the project and the project manager. It includes the project purpose or justification (A) to establish the business need, a summary budget (B) to provide high-level financial constraints, and high-level risks (D) to identify potential uncertainties early. These are key components per the PMBOK Guide.

Answer

Detailed project schedule

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Work breakdown structure

Question 10

A project team is experiencing frequent changes in requirements. The project manager wants to minimize disruptions. Which approach is best to manage changes effectively?

Accepted Answer

Establish a change control board and process.. A formal change control board (CCB) and a documented change control process provide a structured, consistent method for evaluating, approving, and implementing changes. This minimizes disruptions by ensuring that only approved, impact-assessed changes are introduced, preventing ad-hoc modifications that can destabilize the project scope, schedule, and budget.

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Freeze requirements after initial sign-off.

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Let the team implement changes as they come.

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Communicate changes to stakeholders after implementation.

Question 11

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.

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Work breakdown structure (WBS)

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Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)

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Risk register

Question 12

During project execution, a key stakeholder requests a change that would add a new feature. The project manager assesses the impact and finds that it will increase the project cost by 15% and extend the schedule by three weeks. The sponsor is concerned about the budget but sees the value. What should the project manager do next?

Accepted Answer

Submit the change request to the change control board (CCB) for review and decision.. In project management, once a change is assessed for impact, the project manager must follow the formal change control process. Since the change increases cost by 15% and extends the schedule by three weeks, it exceeds typical contingency thresholds and requires approval from the Change Control Board (CCB), which has the authority to approve or reject changes that affect baselines. Option B is correct because submitting to the CCB ensures proper governance and alignment with the project's change management plan.

Answer

Approve the change since the stakeholder is influential and the sponsor sees value.

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Implement the change immediately to avoid delaying the project further.

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Reject the change because it exceeds the budget and schedule constraints.

Question 13

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.

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Risk

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Work package

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Resource calendar

Question 14

You are managing a software upgrade project for a financial institution. The project involves upgrading the core banking system to a new version. During user acceptance testing (UAT), the testers find that the new system does not handle certain legacy data formats correctly, causing errors. The project schedule has no buffer left, and the go-live date is fixed due to regulatory compliance. The team estimates it will take two weeks to fix the issue, but the go-live is in one week. The project manager has already used the contingency reserve for other issues. What should the project manager do next?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the possibility of a partial fix or workaround to meet the go-live date, and escalate to the sponsor if needed.. The project manager must first evaluate feasible alternatives (like a partial fix or workaround) to meet the fixed go-live date, given that the contingency reserve is exhausted and the schedule has no buffer. Escalating to the sponsor is appropriate when the issue impacts regulatory compliance and requires a decision beyond the PM's authority. This aligns with the CAPM principle of managing stakeholder expectations and seeking sponsor guidance when constraints force trade-offs.

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Ignore the issue and proceed with the go-live as planned, since the errors affect only legacy data.

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Request additional budget from the management reserve to hire external consultants to fix the issue faster.

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Direct the team to fix the issue and delay the go-live, then inform the sponsor.

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

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Implement the change and document it later

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