PMP Practice Test 12 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is managing a large infrastructure project. The lead engineer has a strong personality and often dismisses ideas from other team members during meetings, causing some to withdraw from participation. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Speak privately with the lead engineer about the impact of their behavior and set expectations for collaboration. The PM should address the behavior privately with the lead engineer, emphasizing the value of diverse input and collaboration. This aligns with conflict management and servant leadership.

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Redistribute the lead engineer's tasks to reduce their influence

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Ignore the behavior and hope the team members will stand up for themselves

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Schedule a team meeting to discuss meeting etiquette without singling out the engineer

Question 2

A team member has been consistently missing deadlines for the past three sprints. Their work quality is also declining. You have had informal conversations with them, but the problem persists. What is the BEST next step for the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting to discuss the performance issues, identify underlying causes, and agree on an improvement plan. Option B is correct because the PMBOK Guide emphasizes addressing performance issues through direct, collaborative communication. A private meeting allows the project manager to explore root causes (e.g., skill gaps, personal challenges, or unclear requirements) and co-create a performance improvement plan, which aligns with the 'Manage Team' process and the principle of servant leadership.

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Escalate the issue to human resources to initiate a replacement process

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Reassign the team member to less critical tasks to minimize impact

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Ignore the issue for now and hope the team member improves on their own

Question 3

As a project manager in an agile environment, you need to empower the development team to self-organize. Which THREE practices support this goal? (Choose three)

Accepted Answer

Provide the team with clear goals and boundaries, then trust them to deliver. Option C is correct because empowering a self-organizing team in agile requires providing clear goals and boundaries (e.g., sprint goals and Definition of Done) and then trusting the team to determine the best way to achieve them. This aligns with the Agile Manifesto's principle of 'build projects around motivated individuals' and the Scrum Guide's emphasis on self-management, where the team decides how to accomplish its work within the sprint.

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Make all final decisions on technical approaches to maintain control

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Assign specific tasks to each team member to ensure efficiency

Question 4

Your agile project has seen a consistent drop in velocity over the last three sprints. The team is demotivated and blaming external dependencies. Retrospectives have not yielded actionable improvements. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a root cause analysis with the team to identify underlying issues and create an action plan.. Option C is correct because the first step when facing a consistent drop in velocity and team demotivation is to facilitate a root cause analysis with the team. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and empowering the team to identify and solve their own problems, rather than imposing external solutions. The retrospective has failed to produce actionable improvements, so a deeper, facilitated analysis is needed to uncover the true underlying issues, which may include but are not limited to external dependencies.

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Remove the team's external dependencies by negotiating with stakeholders.

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Replace the scrum master with a more experienced one.

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Increase the sprint duration to give the team more time.

Question 5

During a sprint review, the product owner expresses dissatisfaction with the delivered increment because it does not meet their expectations. The team followed the agreed-upon acceptance criteria. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a conversation between the product owner and the team to clarify expectations and update the acceptance criteria for next sprint. The PM should facilitate a discussion between the product owner and the team to clarify expectations. This demonstrates servant leadership and proactive communication. Adjusting the acceptance criteria for future sprints ensures alignment.

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Inform the product owner that the work meets the agreed criteria and cannot be changed

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

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

Question 6

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The project sponsor asks you to reduce costs by cutting the quality assurance phase. As a servant leader, what is the BEST response?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping QA and propose other cost-saving options, such as reducing scope or using less expensive resources. Option A is correct because, as a servant leader, your primary responsibility is to protect the project's value and stakeholder interests. Cutting the quality assurance phase introduces significant technical debt and risk of defects, which could lead to rework, schedule delays, and higher costs later. By explaining these risks and proposing alternatives like scope reduction or resource optimization, you demonstrate ethical leadership and a focus on long-term project success.

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Agree to the sponsor's request to reduce costs, as the sponsor has authority over the budget

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Update the risk register to reflect the sponsor's request and proceed without QA

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Refuse to cut QA and continue with the current project plan

Question 7

During a sprint review, the product owner expresses dissatisfaction with a feature delivered by the team, stating it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The team insists they followed the requirements as written. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a conversation between the product owner and the team to clarify the acceptance criteria.. Option B is correct because the immediate priority is to resolve the misunderstanding between the product owner and the team. The project manager should facilitate a conversation to clarify the acceptance criteria, ensuring both parties have a shared understanding before any rework or documentation changes occur. This aligns with the PMP's focus on stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution within the 'People' domain.

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Ask the team to redo the feature to meet the product owner's expectations.

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Update the project documents to reflect the product owner's new requirements.

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Refer to the project charter to determine the original scope.

Question 8

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The variance is due to higher-than-expected costs for raw materials. The sponsor is concerned and wants to know how you will bring the project back on budget. What is the BEST response?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a variance analysis to identify corrective actions and present options to the sponsor.. The PM should perform a variance analysis, determine the root cause, and then explore options such as cost reduction, schedule compression, or submitting a change request if additional funding is needed. The PM should then communicate the analysis and proposed actions to the sponsor.

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Assure the sponsor that the team will work overtime to recover the cost overrun.

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Reduce the scope of the project to align with the budget.

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Submit a change request for additional budget to cover the variance.

Question 9

You are leading a globally distributed team with members in three time zones. During a virtual sprint retrospective, team members express frustration that decisions are often made without their input, leading to rework. What is the BEST action to improve team empowerment and collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Establish a decision-making framework that includes input from all time zones before finalizing decisions. Option B is correct because establishing a decision-making framework that explicitly includes input from all time zones addresses the root cause of the frustration: lack of inclusion in decisions. This directly improves team empowerment and collaboration by ensuring asynchronous participation, reducing rework caused by decisions made without full team input.

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Introduce a new collaboration tool to facilitate asynchronous communication

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Implement a strict decision-making hierarchy where the project manager makes all final decisions

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Encourage team members to speak up more during meetings

Question 10

Your project uses a hybrid approach with a fixed-price contract. Midway through, the client requests a significant scope change that would increase project duration by two months. The project manager has assessed the impact and believes the change is beneficial. However, the sponsor is reluctant because of the schedule extension. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Prepare a change request with impact analysis and submit it to the CCB for approval.. In a hybrid project with a fixed-price contract, any scope change must follow the formal change control process. The project manager has assessed the change as beneficial, but the sponsor's reluctance requires a documented impact analysis to enable an informed decision by the Change Control Board (CCB). Submitting a formal change request ensures contractual compliance, protects against scope creep, and provides a clear audit trail, which is critical when the schedule extension affects fixed-price terms.

Answer

Negotiate with the client to drop another requirement to keep the schedule.

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Accept the change informally and adjust the schedule to accommodate it.

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Reject the request because it will delay the project and risk penalties.

Question 11

During a project status meeting, a sponsor mentions that they have been directly assigning tasks to a team member without going through you. The team member is now confused about priorities. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the sponsor to review the communication management plan and roles. Option A is correct because the first step in resolving a communication breakdown is to address the root cause: the sponsor is bypassing the project manager's authority and the established communication management plan. By scheduling a meeting with the sponsor to review the plan and their roles, you reaffirm the agreed-upon escalation and task assignment processes, which is a proactive, professional approach aligned with PMBOK's principles of managing stakeholder expectations and enforcing the project's governance framework.

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Report the sponsor's behavior to the PMO or senior management

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Tell the team member to ignore the sponsor's requests

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Update the team member's task list to include the sponsor's assignments

Question 12

A project manager is forming a new virtual team with members from different countries. During the kick-off, the PM wants to build trust and establish norms. Which of the following actions should the PM take FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a session to create a team charter that defines communication protocols and values. Option B is correct because a team charter helps set expectations and norms collaboratively. Option A is wrong because scheduling social events is good but not the first step. Option C is wrong because assigning roles without team input may reduce buy-in. Option D is wrong because setting rules unilaterally does not foster team ownership.

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Assign roles and responsibilities based on each member's functional expertise

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Schedule weekly virtual coffee chats to encourage informal bonding

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Send a detailed email outlining the team's ground rules and expectations

Question 13

During a project status meeting, an executive stakeholder interrupts and instructs a team member to change a deliverable without going through change control. The team member looks to you for guidance. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Politely interrupt the executive and explain that changes must go through the formal change control process, then schedule a meeting to discuss the request. Option A is correct because the project manager must uphold the change control process to protect the project's scope, schedule, and budget. By politely interrupting the executive and explaining the need for formal change control, you demonstrate leadership and adherence to the PMBOK Guide's principles. Scheduling a follow-up meeting ensures the request is properly evaluated through the integrated change control process, preventing unauthorized changes that could lead to scope creep.

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Note the request and discuss it with the executive after the meeting

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Send an email to the executive after the meeting explaining the change control process

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Allow the team member to follow the executive's instruction to maintain stakeholder satisfaction

Question 14

You are managing a hybrid project to develop a new mobile app. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for integrating a third-party API. The disagreement is causing tension and delaying progress. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution. Option C is correct because the PM should first listen to both sides to understand the root cause of the conflict before intervening. This aligns with servant leadership and emotional intelligence. Option A escalates too quickly without understanding the issue. Option B imposes a decision without collaboration. Option D avoids addressing the conflict directly.

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Ignore the argument and hope it resolves on its own

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Escalate the issue to the functional managers of the developers

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Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly

Question 15

In a hybrid project, the product owner wants to add a high-priority feature to the current sprint, but the team has already committed to the sprint backlog. The product owner insists it is critical for the upcoming release. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Explain to the product owner that the current sprint is committed and the feature can be added to the product backlog for the next sprint. In a hybrid project, the sprint backlog is a commitment made by the team for the current iteration. The project manager should protect the team from scope changes mid-sprint to maintain velocity and predictability. Option D is correct because it respects the sprint commitment and follows the agile principle of not changing the sprint backlog once it is set; the new feature is deferred to the product backlog for prioritization in the next sprint.

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Escalate the request to the steering committee to force the change

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Allow the team to swap the new feature for an equivalent amount of existing work

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Ask the team to add the feature to the current sprint and work overtime