PMP Practice Exam 4 — 20 Questions

Question 1

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. 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.

Answer

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

Answer

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

Answer

Refuse to cut QA and continue with the current project plan

Question 2

Your project is using a hybrid approach. Mid-project, the sponsor asks you to skip the testing phase to save time and meet the deadline. The team is concerned about quality. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Consult with the team to identify the most critical tests that can be performed within the remaining time. Consulting with the team to identify the most critical tests aligns with the hybrid approach's principle of balancing agility with quality. By focusing on high-risk or high-value test cases, you can reduce testing time while still mitigating key defects, preserving the project's quality standards within the sponsor's deadline constraint.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the PMO or steering committee without further discussion

Answer

Agree to skip testing to meet the sponsor's request

Question 3

During project execution, a team member reports that a critical path activity is delayed by two days because a required component failed quality inspection. The project has no schedule contingency. What is the BEST course of action for the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate schedule compression techniques such as crashing or fast tracking to recover the two days. Delaying a critical path activity threatens the project end date. The project manager should first evaluate schedule compression techniques like crashing (adding resources) or fast tracking (performing activities in parallel) to recover the two-day delay without automatically changing scope, baseline, or escalating. Option A (reduce scope) requires a change request and may not be necessary if compression works. Option B (update baseline) is premature; baseline changes should only occur after recovery options are exhausted. Option C (escalate to sponsor and request budget) is an overreaction; escalating for budget before trying compression is not best practice.

Answer

Reduce the scope of the next deliverable to compensate for the lost time

Answer

Update the schedule baseline to reflect the delay and inform stakeholders

Answer

Escalate the issue to the sponsor and request additional budget for overtime

Question 4

A new regulatory requirement has been introduced that affects your project's deliverables. The requirement must be implemented within the current timeline. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact on the project and submit a change request through change control. When a new regulatory requirement emerges mid-project, the project manager must first assess its impact on scope, schedule, cost, and quality before any action. Submitting a change request through the formal change control process ensures that the change is evaluated, approved, and documented, maintaining alignment with the project management plan and avoiding unauthorized scope creep. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's 'Perform Integrated Change Control' process, which mandates that all changes be reviewed and approved before implementation.

Answer

Direct the team to incorporate the requirement immediately to avoid non-compliance

Answer

Ignore the requirement since the project is already underway

Answer

Update the project management plan to include the new requirement

Question 5

In a daily standup, a developer mentions that a task is taking longer than expected due to an unfamiliar technology. The sprint goal may be at risk. As a Scrum Master, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Work with the developer and team to find a solution or pair with an expert. The Scrum Master's first responsibility is to facilitate the team in self-organizing to remove impediments. In this scenario, the developer is blocked due to unfamiliar technology; the Scrum Master should coach the team to collaborate, such as through pair programming or knowledge sharing, to keep the sprint goal on track. Option A is incorrect as it undermines the team's self-organization and imposes a command-and-control approach. Option B is premature; descoping should only be considered after the team has attempted to resolve the issue internally and determined it's not feasible. Option D delays the issue unnecessarily; the Scrum Master should address impediments immediately, not defer them to a risk register.

Answer

Assign the task to a more experienced developer

Answer

Escalate to the product owner to descope the task

Answer

Add the issue to the risk register for future sprints

Question 6

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.. 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.

Answer

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

Answer

Replace the scrum master with a more experienced one.

Answer

Increase the sprint duration to give the team more time.

Question 7

During a project's execution phase, the sponsor asks you to skip the user acceptance testing (UAT) phase to expedite delivery, stating that the client is eager to use the system. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and recommend proceeding with the planned testing.. Skipping UAT poses significant quality and acceptance risks. The PM should communicate the risks to the sponsor and recommend following the quality plan. PMI emphasizes the importance of quality assurance and control processes.

Answer

Skip UAT but add a note in the lessons learned about the decision.

Answer

Compromise by reducing UAT to only critical test cases.

Answer

Agree to skip UAT to meet the sponsor's request and expedite delivery.

Question 8

Your project team is using a hybrid approach. During a sprint, an executive stakeholder contacts a developer directly and asks them to add a new feature without going through the product owner. The developer is confused about what to do. What should you, as the project manager, do to address this?

Accepted Answer

Speak with the executive stakeholder privately and remind them that all scope changes must go through the product owner and change control process. The stakeholder is bypassing the agreed process. The PM should communicate the importance of following the change control process and reinforce the roles and responsibilities.

Answer

Submit a change request on behalf of the executive stakeholder to formalize the request

Answer

Allow the developer to add the feature since it comes from an executive

Answer

Tell the developer to ignore the executive's request and continue with the sprint backlog

Question 9

You are managing a virtual team where members are in different time zones. Some team members feel left out of decision-making because meetings are scheduled at times convenient for the majority. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Rotate meeting times to accommodate different time zones periodically. Rotating meeting times periodically ensures equitable access to synchronous decision-making for all team members, directly addressing the core issue of inclusion in a virtual team with diverse time zones. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and stakeholder engagement by proactively mitigating the negative impact of time zone differences on team cohesion and participation.

Answer

Schedule all meetings during the time zone of the project manager

Answer

Record meetings and ask those who cannot attend to comment later

Answer

Use asynchronous communication tools for all decisions

Question 10

You are managing a hybrid project that uses both predictive and agile approaches. The team has been delivering consistently, but recently the customer requested a critical feature that was not in the original scope. The feature is high value but will require rework of a completed component. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board (CCB) to evaluate the impact on scope, schedule, and cost.. To submit a change request through the formal change control process. This ensures proper evaluation and approval before any work begins, aligning with PMI's emphasis on following the change control process.

Answer

Add the feature to the product backlog and prioritize it for the next sprint without formal approval.

Answer

Ask the team to implement the feature immediately to maintain customer satisfaction, and document it later.

Answer

Update the project management plan to include the new feature and communicate the change to the team.

Question 11

In an agile project, the team has missed their sprint commitment for the third consecutive sprint. During the retrospective, team members cite unclear requirements and frequent interruptions from stakeholders. As the project manager, what is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to refine user stories and shield the team from external interruptions. The best action because the root cause is unclear requirements and frequent interruptions. The project manager should work with the product owner to refine user stories and ensure they are clear, and also shield the team from stakeholder interruptions. Option A (reducing story points) does not address the root cause; the team would still face unclear requirements and interruptions. Option C (adding developers) does not solve the clarity or interruption issues and may disrupt the team. Option D (increasing sprint duration) is not appropriate as it does not address the root cause and violates timeboxing principles.

Answer

Require the team to commit to fewer story points next sprint

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase velocity

Answer

Increase the sprint duration to give the team more time

Question 12

You are managing a project to develop a new mobile app. During the testing phase, the quality assurance team discovers a critical bug that could delay the release by two weeks. The product owner insists on releasing on the original date to meet a market opportunity. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Present the impact of the bug to the product owner and recommend either fixing it or accepting the risk of releasing with the bug. It involves transparent communication with the product owner about the bug's impact and provides a choice between fixing it (which delays release) or accepting the risk. This aligns with the PM's responsibility to manage trade-offs and keep stakeholders informed. Option B is wrong because releasing on time without addressing the bug disregards the risk and could lead to customer dissatisfaction. Option C is wrong because skipping regression testing violates quality standards and increases the likelihood of further issues. Option D is wrong because unilaterally delaying the release without consulting the product owner ignores their authority and the business context.

Answer

Agree to release on time and fix the bug in the next update

Answer

Release as planned but skip the regression testing to save time

Answer

Delay the release without consulting the product owner to fix the bug

Question 13

During a daily standup, a developer mentions she is blocked because two senior engineers are in a heated argument about the technical approach for a critical feature. The disagreement has been ongoing for two days and is affecting the team's velocity. As the Scrum Master, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the two engineers to help them reach a consensus, and involve other team members if needed. The Scrum Master's role is to facilitate conflict resolution and remove impediments. By facilitating a meeting between the two engineers, the Scrum Master helps them reach a consensus without imposing a solution, which aligns with servant leadership. Option B is wrong because the Scrum Master should not impose technical decisions; that undermines team autonomy. Option C is wrong because advising the developer to wait does not address the root cause and further delays the team. Option D is wrong because escalating to the sponsor bypasses the team's ability to self-organize and is not appropriate for technical disagreements.

Answer

Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly to unblock the team

Answer

Advise the developer to wait until the disagreement is resolved before proceeding

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to resolve the technical disagreement

Question 14

A project manager is working on a predictive project. A team member identifies a risk that was not previously identified. The risk has a low probability but high impact. What should the PM do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Add the risk to the risk register and assess its impact. In predictive project management, the first step upon identifying a new risk is to document it in the risk register and perform a qualitative analysis to assess its probability and impact. This ensures the risk is formally captured and prioritized before any further action, such as escalation or response planning, is taken. Option A correctly follows this standard risk management process.

Answer

Escalate the risk to the project sponsor

Answer

Accept the risk because it has low probability

Answer

Implement a contingency plan immediately

Question 15

You are leading a virtual team that includes members from different cultural backgrounds. Several team members have expressed that they feel left out of decision-making because most discussions happen in the project manager's time zone. What is the BEST action to foster inclusion?

Accepted Answer

Implement an asynchronous collaboration tool for decision-making and rotate meeting times.. It directly addresses the core issue of time zone exclusion by using asynchronous collaboration tools (e.g., shared documents, discussion boards) to allow all members to contribute to decisions at their convenience, and rotating meeting times ensures no single time zone is consistently disadvantaged. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on inclusive leadership and adapting communication methods to foster team cohesion in a virtual, multicultural environment.

Answer

Tell the team that decisions will be made by you and communicated via email.

Answer

Schedule all meetings during your own working hours to maximize your availability.

Answer

Hold separate meetings for each time zone and compile the results.

Question 16

Your agile team has been working remotely for the past three months. You notice that sprint velocity has dropped significantly over the last two sprints. Team members seem disengaged during daily stand-ups and collaboration has decreased. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule virtual team-building activities and one-on-one check-ins to understand concerns. The first step in addressing a drop in velocity and team disengagement is to understand the root cause through direct communication. As a servant leader, you should schedule virtual team-building activities and one-on-one check-ins to uncover concerns such as burnout, isolation, or unclear expectations, which aligns with the PMI People domain of leading projects. This approach fosters psychological safety and collaboration, which are essential for remote agile teams.

Answer

Implement a new project management tool to track tasks more closely

Answer

Ask the team to work longer hours to make up for lost velocity

Answer

Report the velocity drop to the sponsor and ask for more resources

Question 17

You are managing a portfolio of three projects. Project A is on track and aligned with strategic goals. Project B is behind schedule but has high strategic value. Project C is on time but its strategic value has diminished due to market changes. The steering committee asks you to recommend which project to prioritize. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Present the status and strategic alignment of each project to the committee and facilitate a decision. The project manager's role is to provide objective information to the steering committee, including the status and strategic alignment of each project, and then facilitate their decision-making. This aligns with the project manager's responsibility to present trade-offs and let the governance body prioritize. Option A is incorrect because unilaterally increasing resources for Project B bypasses the committee's authority. Option C is incorrect because it makes a biased recommendation without considering other factors. Option D is incorrect because it delays the decision and avoids the collaborative governance process.

Answer

Recommend increasing resources for Project B to get it back on track

Answer

Recommend stopping Project C and reallocating resources to Project B

Answer

Ask each project manager to submit a recovery plan and then decide

Question 18

A new team member joins your project and is struggling to understand the technical domain and the team's culture. Their productivity is low, and they seem hesitant to ask questions. As project manager, what is the BEST way to support this team member?

Accepted Answer

Assign a senior team member to mentor and pair with them on tasks. Assigning a senior team member to mentor and pair with the new member directly addresses both the technical domain gap and the cultural hesitancy. Pairing provides real-time, context-rich learning and psychological safety, which is more effective than passive documentation or isolated training for accelerating integration and productivity.

Answer

Provide them with detailed documentation and ask them to read it on their own time

Answer

Extend their deadlines to reduce pressure

Answer

Enroll them in an online training course for the technical domain

Question 19

Your project is developing a new mobile app using Scrum. The team has consistently delivered 30 story points per sprint for the last three sprints. Suddenly, velocity drops to 20 story points in the current sprint. The team members report that they are spending extra time fixing defects from previous sprints. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes of defects and implement process improvements. The root cause of the velocity drop needs to be understood before taking corrective action. A retrospective is the appropriate forum to discuss process improvements.

Answer

Reduce the definition of done to lower the quality bar

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase velocity

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to catch up

Question 20

Your agile team has recently formed and is struggling to agree on work methods and communication norms. Several team members are frustrated with the lack of consistency. What should you do as the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a workshop to develop a team charter that defines working agreements and communication norms. The team is in the forming stage and needs explicit guidance to establish shared expectations. Facilitating a workshop to create a team charter directly addresses the root cause—lack of agreed-upon work methods and communication norms—by providing a structured, collaborative process that aligns with agile principles while still leveraging the project manager's leadership to resolve the impasse.

Answer

Let the team work out the issues on their own since they are self-organizing

Answer

Assign a team lead to make decisions on work methods

Answer

Replace the frustrated team members with more collaborative ones