PMP Practice Test 11 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is leading a software development project. The sponsor insists on using a waterfall approach, but the team has experience with agile and believes it would be more effective. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting with the sponsor and team to discuss trade-offs.. Option A is correct because the project manager's first responsibility is to facilitate a data-driven discussion between the sponsor and the team. By presenting trade-offs—such as the waterfall's rigid phase-gate structure versus agile's iterative feedback loops—the PM can align the project's delivery approach with its business environment and benefit realization strategy, without prematurely escalating or bypassing authority.

Answer

Adopt agile without informing the sponsor.

Answer

Follow the sponsor's directive and use waterfall.

Answer

Escalate to the PMO to resolve the conflict.

Question 2

During a team meeting, a junior developer hesitates to share an innovative idea due to fear of criticism. The project manager notices this and wants to foster a culture of psychological safety. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Explicitly invite the developer to share and reassure that all ideas are valued.. Option B is correct because the project manager's first action should be to directly invite the hesitant developer to share their idea in the moment, explicitly stating that all ideas are valued. This immediate, public invitation and reassurance directly addresses the fear of criticism and models psychological safety, which is a foundational behavior for fostering an innovative team culture. In the PMP context, this aligns with the 'Servant Leadership' principle and the 'Team Performance Domain,' where the PM actively creates an environment of trust and safety.

Answer

Move on to the next agenda item to avoid discomfort.

Answer

Assign the developer a task to present the idea next week.

Answer

Privately praise the developer for past contributions.

Question 3

During a project's execution phase, a key stakeholder requests a change that would add a new feature. The project manager estimates the impact: 2 additional weeks to schedule and $15,000 to budget. The project currently has 0 schedule reserve and $5,000 contingency reserve. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Document the change request and conduct a formal impact analysis. Option D is correct because the PMBOK Guide mandates that all change requests must be formally documented and analyzed for impact before any approval or rejection. Even though the project has a contingency reserve, the change introduces a new feature, which is a scope change requiring a formal change control process. The project manager must first document the request and conduct a thorough impact analysis to assess alternatives, risks, and stakeholder implications before deciding on the change.

Answer

Approve the change using contingency reserve and inform the stakeholder

Answer

Implement the change immediately since the stakeholder is key

Answer

Reject the change because there is insufficient reserve

Question 4

Which TWO of the following are components of the project management plan?

Accepted Answer

Risk management plan. The risk management plan is a subsidiary component of the project management plan that defines how risk management activities will be structured and performed. It is formally part of the project management plan, as outlined in the PMBOK Guide, and is created during the planning process group.

Answer

Stakeholder register

Answer

Issue log

Answer

Project charter

Question 5

During a sprint review, the product owner expresses dissatisfaction with the feature delivered, stating it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The team disagrees, claiming it meets the definition of done. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the product owner and the team to review the acceptance criteria and define done. Clarifying expectations by reviewing the acceptance criteria together resolves the misunderstanding and aligns both parties.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Support the team's position and ask the product owner to accept the deliverable

Answer

Ask the team to redo the work to meet the product owner's expectations

Question 6

During a retrospective, the team identifies that the root cause of low morale is the project manager's micromanagement style. The team wants more autonomy. What should the PM do?

Accepted Answer

Acknowledge the feedback and agree to transition to a more empowering leadership style. Option C is correct: Servant leadership involves empowering the team and adapting one's style. Option A is dismissive. Option B contradicts the team's feedback. Option D escalates unnecessarily.

Answer

Increase oversight to ensure the team stays on track

Answer

Explain that micromanagement is necessary to ensure quality

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance

Question 7

Your project is in the middle of execution when a key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time due to a raw material shortage. The component is on the critical path. The risk was identified and logged in the risk register with a mitigation plan. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan documented in the risk register. The PM should implement the agreed-upon contingency plan as per the risk response strategy. This is proactive and follows the plan.

Answer

Ask the vendor to expedite the delivery at no extra cost

Answer

Immediately source an alternative vendor without formal approval

Answer

Notify the sponsor and request a schedule extension

Question 8

During a project transition, a key team member resigns unexpectedly. The project manager needs to ensure knowledge transfer and minimize impact. Which THREE actions should the project manager take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Redistribute the departing member's tasks among the team based on capacity and skills, and update the work breakdown structure. Option A is correct because redistributing the departing member's tasks based on team capacity and skills is a proactive resource management action that maintains project continuity. Updating the work breakdown structure (WBS) ensures the project scope and task assignments are accurately reflected, preventing scope creep and confusion. This approach leverages existing team knowledge and avoids the delays associated with external hiring.

Answer

Ask the remaining team members to absorb the departing member's tasks

Answer

Immediately hire a replacement with similar skills

Question 9

A project manager is leading a team in a country with a high power distance culture. The team members are reluctant to speak up in meetings or challenge the project manager's ideas. How should the project manager foster an inclusive environment?

Accepted Answer

Use anonymous surveys and one-on-one meetings to gather input and encourage participation. In high power distance cultures, direct confrontation or open disagreement with authority figures is often seen as disrespectful. Using anonymous surveys and one-on-one meetings allows the project manager to gather honest input without putting team members in a culturally uncomfortable position, thereby fostering an inclusive environment while respecting cultural norms.

Answer

Tell the team that they must speak up and share their opinions openly

Answer

Appoint a team representative who will speak on behalf of the group

Answer

Ignore the behavior because it is culturally appropriate

Question 10

A project manager is building a new project team. Several team members have never worked together before. The project manager wants to accelerate team development and improve collaboration. Which approach is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Organize a team kickoff workshop with icebreakers and create a team charter together. Initiating team-building activities and setting clear expectations early helps form a cohesive team quickly. This aligns with the Forming stage of Tuckman's model and PMI's emphasis on team charter.

Answer

Assign tasks individually and monitor progress closely

Answer

Send the team to a formal training on teamwork

Answer

Let the team naturally develop norms over time without intervention

Question 11

Two senior developers on your project have a heated disagreement about the technical approach for implementing a key feature. They both have strong arguments, and the conflict is delaying the sprint. As the project manager, what is the BEST first step to resolve this conflict?

Accepted Answer

Meet with each developer separately to understand their perspectives before facilitating a joint discussion. Option B is correct because it follows the PMI conflict resolution principle of 'collaborate/problem-solve' by first gathering individual perspectives privately before facilitating a joint discussion. This approach ensures each developer feels heard, reduces emotional tension, and allows the project manager to identify the underlying technical merits of each argument without group bias. It is the best first step because it addresses the root cause of the conflict—differing technical opinions—before attempting any resolution or escalation.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Tell the developers to set aside their differences and move forward with the current plan

Answer

Choose the approach that aligns with the project's objectives and instruct the team to implement it

Question 12

You are a project manager overseeing a 12-month ERP implementation. During sprint 6 of 20, the product owner informs you that a key stakeholder wants to add a new reporting module that was not in the original scope. The team estimates this would add 3 weeks to the schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request through the Integrated Change Control process and assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost. Option A is correct because the addition of a new reporting module represents a change to the approved scope baseline. According to the PMBOK Guide, any change to scope must go through the Integrated Change Control (ICC) process, which includes submitting a formal change request, assessing impacts on scope, schedule, cost, and quality, and obtaining approval before implementation. This ensures that all changes are evaluated and controlled, preventing scope creep and maintaining project alignment with business objectives.

Answer

Ask the team to begin work on the module immediately to accommodate the stakeholder

Answer

Inform the stakeholder that no changes can be made once the project has started

Answer

Add the requirement to the product backlog and let the team address it in a future sprint without formal approval

Question 13

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that a major risk was not properly mitigated because the contingency plan was not executed on time. The risk event caused a two-week delay. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Document lessons learned and update the risk management plan to improve future contingency execution. Option C is correct because lessons learned help prevent recurrence. Option A is wrong because blaming is not constructive. Option B is wrong because updating the risk register is important but should be informed by lessons learned. Option D is wrong because creating a new plan without root cause analysis may be premature.

Answer

Update the risk register to remove the risk since it has occurred

Answer

Identify who was responsible for the contingency plan and address the performance issue

Answer

Create a new contingency plan for the risk, as the original plan failed

Question 14

In an agile software project, the sprint velocity has dropped from 30 story points to 18 over the last two sprints. The team members report that they are spending too much time on unplanned technical debt. The product owner is pushing for more features. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the team and product owner to prioritize technical debt alongside new features. Option D is correct because the project manager's first responsibility is to facilitate a collaborative discussion between the team and the product owner to address the root cause—unplanned technical debt—while balancing the need for new features. This aligns with the agile principle of transparency and stakeholder collaboration, ensuring that technical debt is explicitly prioritized in the backlog alongside feature work. Removing or ignoring the debt would only compound the velocity drop and degrade product quality.

Answer

Reassign two team members to a separate 'debt reduction' team to isolate the issue

Answer

Remove testing from the definition of done to increase velocity

Answer

Increase the sprint workload to motivate the team to deliver more features

Question 15

In the middle of a project, a new regulation is introduced that impacts your project's deliverables. The team needs to make adjustments, but the change will affect the critical path. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to formally assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost. Option B is correct because when a new regulation impacts project deliverables and the critical path, the first step is to submit a formal change request. This initiates the integrated change control process, ensuring that the impact on scope, schedule, and cost is assessed through a structured review before any action is taken. Bypassing this formal process risks uncontrolled changes and non-compliance with project governance.

Answer

Update the risk register and assess the impact on the critical path

Answer

Direct the team to immediately implement the changes to ensure compliance

Answer

Inform the team to continue working as planned since the regulation may not be enforced