PMP Practice Test 23 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a new feature that was not in the backlog. The team estimates it will take one week. The project is on schedule and budget. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board for evaluation and approval.. Following PMI's change control process, any new feature must go through integrated change control to assess impact and obtain approval before implementation.

Answer

Refuse the request because the project is already on schedule and budget.

Answer

Add the feature to the product backlog and prioritize it in the next sprint planning.

Answer

Instruct the team to start working on the feature immediately to maintain stakeholder satisfaction.

Question 2

A project manager discovers that a team member has been working on a feature that was not approved. The feature is not in the scope statement. What should the PM do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Stop the work immediately and assess the impact on the project. Gold-plating is not allowed per PMI. The PM must stop the unauthorized work, assess the impact, and follow the change control process.

Answer

Allow the team member to finish the feature since it adds value

Answer

Report the team member to HR for disciplinary action

Answer

Add the feature to the project scope and update the scope statement

Question 3

During a complex construction project, a key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component for another 4 weeks. This component is on the critical path and has no float. You have identified this risk in the risk register with a planned response of 'mitigate' by having a backup vendor. However, the backup vendor also cannot deliver on time. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate alternative options such as fast-tracking other activities or sourcing from a different vendor, and then communicate the impact to stakeholders. Since the planned mitigation failed, the PM must implement the contingency plan or a fallback plan. The first step is to evaluate alternative options to minimize schedule impact.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and request a schedule extension

Answer

Accept the delay and update the project schedule accordingly

Answer

Immediately crash the schedule by adding resources to other activities to compress time

Question 4

You are managing a project using a hybrid approach. Midway through, a new regulatory requirement is introduced that will affect the project scope. The change is mandatory and must be implemented. What is the FIRST step?

Accepted Answer

Initiate a change request to formally document the new requirement and assess its impact on scope, schedule, and cost. Even mandatory changes should go through the change control process to assess impact. Option A is correct. Option B implements without analysis. Option C bypasses planning. Option D is premature.

Answer

Notify stakeholders of the new requirement and proceed with implementation

Answer

Instruct the team to incorporate the new requirement immediately due to its mandatory nature

Answer

Update the risk register to reflect the new regulatory requirement

Question 5

During a sprint review, stakeholders express dissatisfaction with the functionality delivered. The product owner insists the team met the acceptance criteria defined in the sprint. The team feels demotivated. As the project manager, what should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the product owner and stakeholders to clarify expectations and document any gaps. Option D is correct because clarifying expectations and documenting the gap helps prevent future misunderstandings. Option A is wrong because it ignores the stakeholder feedback. Option B is wrong because the team met the criteria; rework without scope change bypasses change control. Option C is wrong because immediate escalation is not needed for a single sprint review issue.

Answer

Direct the team to rework the functionality until the stakeholders are satisfied

Answer

Reassure the team that they did a good job and that stakeholder expectations were unrealistic

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor immediately

Question 6

Your project is using a hybrid approach. During a mid-project review, you discover that the team has been gold-plating deliverables—adding extra features not requested by the customer. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Investigate why the team felt the need to add extra features. Gold-plating adds no value and wastes resources. The PM should stop the behavior, communicate with the team, and reinforce scope boundaries.

Answer

Praise the team for their initiative and innovation

Answer

Update the scope baseline to include the extra features

Question 7

Your project is using a predictive approach. A team member reports that a key deliverable is behind schedule due to an unexpected technical issue. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the issue, determine the impact on the critical path, and evaluate options such as fast-tracking or adding resources. The PM should first analyze the situation to understand the impact and then determine the best response.

Answer

Ask the team member to work overtime to catch up

Answer

Escalate the issue to the sponsor for guidance

Answer

Update the project schedule with the new completion date

Question 8

Your project is 40% complete, and the earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.90. The project sponsor is concerned about the cost overrun. The original budget at completion (BAC) is $1,000,000. What is the Estimate at Completion (EAC) using the typical cost performance index (CPI) assumption?

Accepted Answer

$1,176,471. When the current cost performance is considered typical and expected to continue, the EAC is calculated as BAC / CPI = $1,000,000 / 0.85 ≈ $1,176,471. This is the most common formula for EAC when variances are expected to persist.

Answer

$850,000

Answer

$1,000,000

Answer

$1,111,111

Question 9

Two senior developers have a conflict over which technical approach to use for a module. The disagreement is delaying the sprint. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting with the developers to discuss the pros and cons of each approach and help them reach a consensus. PMI recommends facilitating resolution. Option A allows the team to decide. Option B imposes a solution. Option C escalates too quickly. Option D is passive.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Assign the module to a different developer to avoid the conflict

Answer

Decide on the approach yourself based on your experience

Question 10

Your agile project has experienced a drop in velocity for the past three sprints. The team is frustrated. Which TWO actions should the project manager take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Work with the team to remove any impediments they are facing. Option A and Option D are correct. A: Retrospectives help identify and address root causes. D: Removing impediments is a key scrum master responsibility. Option B is not the PM's role. Option C may not address systemic issues. Option E is reactive and may demotivate.

Answer

Set stricter deadlines to motivate the team

Answer

Replace underperforming team members with more experienced ones

Answer

Increase the sprint length to give the team more time

Question 11

Your project is in the execution phase. An executive stakeholder has been directly assigning tasks to team members without going through you. Several team members are confused about priorities. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Speak with the stakeholder privately to explain the impact of bypassing the PM and reinforce the communication plan. PMI emphasizes communication and stakeholder engagement. The PM should address the issue directly with the stakeholder to clarify the communication protocol and the impact of bypassing the PM.

Answer

Update the stakeholder engagement plan to reduce the stakeholder's influence

Answer

Ignore the issue and try to align the team's priorities yourself

Answer

Inform the sponsor about the stakeholder's behavior

Question 12

A project manager is managing a hybrid project. The team is two weeks into a four-week iteration when the product owner asks to reprioritize the backlog to include a critical regulatory requirement that was just announced. The change will impact the current iteration goal. What should the PM do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact of the change on the iteration goal and discuss with the product owner and team to decide on the best course of action. In a hybrid project, scope changes should still follow a change control process. The PM must assess the impact on the iteration goal and schedule, then facilitate a decision with the product owner and team.

Answer

Tell the product owner that the current iteration commitment cannot be changed

Answer

Immediately add the requirement to the iteration backlog and adjust the sprint goal

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor for a decision

Question 13

Your project is using a predictive approach. The schedule baseline shows that the project should be 50% complete by now, but only 40% of the work is done. The critical path has been impacted. Several team members are idle because of a dependency conflict. What is the BEST scheduling technique to address this?

Accepted Answer

Apply resource leveling to resolve the resource conflict and optimize the schedule. Resource leveling is used to address resource constraints or conflicts. Since team members are idle due to dependency conflicts, leveling can smooth resource usage and reduce idle time.

Answer

Rebaseline the schedule to reflect the current progress

Answer

Fast track the schedule by performing tasks in parallel

Answer

Crash the schedule by adding resources to critical path tasks

Question 14

Your agile team has noticed that sprint velocity has dropped from 30 to 20 story points over the last three sprints. During the retrospective, team members mention unclear requirements and frequent interruptions. As the project manager, what should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to improve user story refinement and establish a 'definition of ready' to reduce ambiguity. The core issue is unclear requirements and interruptions. The PM should address the root cause by improving the refinement process and protecting the team from disruptions.

Answer

Add more team members to the next sprint to increase capacity

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to increase focus

Answer

Ask the team to commit to a lower velocity in the next sprint planning

Question 15

During project execution, you discover that a key vendor will not be able to deliver a critical component on time, which will delay the project by two weeks. The vendor was selected based on the procurement plan. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Contact the vendor to understand the reason for the delay and explore options to expedite delivery.. The PM should communicate the delay to stakeholders as soon as possible to manage expectations and seek resolution. This is proactive and aligns with PMI's emphasis on communication.

Answer

Initiate a change request to replace the vendor with a new one.

Answer

Immediately escalate the issue to senior management and request intervention.

Answer

Update the project schedule and continue working on other tasks.