PMP Practice Test 24 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A new regulatory requirement has been discovered that affects your project's deliverables. The project is halfway through its schedule. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost. D is correct because the PMBOK Guide mandates that any change, including a new regulatory requirement, must first be processed through a formal change request to evaluate its impact on scope, schedule, and cost. Since the project is already halfway through its schedule, the project manager must follow the integrated change control process to ensure the change is assessed before any action is taken. This prevents unauthorized changes that could disrupt project baselines.

Answer

Ignore the requirement because the project is already underway

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Inform the team to start incorporating the new requirement immediately

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Update the project management plan directly to include the change

Question 2

A project manager is closing a project. Several lessons learned were documented throughout the project. What should the PM do with the lessons learned?

Accepted Answer

Submit them to the PMO for inclusion in the organizational process assets. Lessons learned are a key input to organizational process assets (OPA). Submitting them to the PMO ensures they are formally captured, stored, and made available for future projects, enabling continuous process improvement. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on updating OPAs during project closure.

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Include them in the final project report and then discard them

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Archive them in the project file for reference only

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Distribute them to the project team for their personal development

Question 3

A project team member has been consistently missing deadlines for the past two weeks, causing delays for dependent tasks. When you speak with them, they mention personal issues but assure you they will catch up. What is the BEST approach?

Accepted Answer

Offer support such as flexible hours or counseling resources, and set clear expectations with a recovery plan. It aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and emotional intelligence. By offering support (flexible hours, counseling) and collaboratively setting a recovery plan, you address the root cause (personal issues) while maintaining accountability, which is more effective than punitive or escalatory measures for a temporary performance dip.

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Redistribute the team member's tasks to others to avoid delays

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Escalate the issue to the team member's functional manager

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Issue a formal warning to the team member about performance

Question 4

During project execution, a risk event that was identified and listed in the risk register occurs. The risk response plan includes a mitigation strategy. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the risk response as defined in the risk register. The risk response plan is the approved course of action for handling identified risks. When a risk event occurs, the project manager should first implement the predefined mitigation strategy as documented in the risk register, ensuring a timely and controlled response without unnecessary delay.

Answer

Re-evaluate the risk to see if the response is still valid

Answer

Update the risk register and lessons learned

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Inform the sponsor immediately about the risk occurrence

Question 5

You are managing a virtual team across four time zones. Team members report feeling disconnected and communication is becoming fragmented. What is the BEST way to improve team cohesion?

Accepted Answer

Schedule weekly videoconference meetings with a clear agenda and time for informal discussion. It directly addresses the root cause of fragmentation in a virtual team: lack of personal connection. Weekly videoconferences with a clear agenda ensure structured communication, while informal discussion time builds rapport and trust, which are critical for team cohesion across time zones.

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Rotate meeting times to accommodate each time zone fairly

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Encourage team members to use email for all communication

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Assign a team member to act as a communication hub

Question 6

You are the project manager for a large infrastructure project funded by a government grant that requires the project to deliver specific social benefits within three years. The project is currently in its second year, and a recent audit reveals that the project is on track to exceed its budget by 20% due to unexpected material cost increases. The grant terms stipulate that any cost overrun must be absorbed by the organization, not the grant. Additionally, the project benefits are measured based on the number of beneficiaries served, which is currently 70% of the target. The project sponsor is concerned that cutting costs may reduce the number of beneficiaries and jeopardize the grant conditions. The project team has identified two options: (1) reduce the scope of the project to stay within budget, which would lower the beneficiary count to 60% of target; or (2) request additional funding from the organization, but the CFO is reluctant because the project's return on investment is already marginal. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a benefits analysis to determine the minimum viable beneficiary count and then propose a revised plan that optimizes cost and benefits.. It aligns with the PMP's focus on benefits realization management. The project manager should first analyze the minimum beneficiary count required to satisfy grant conditions, then optimize the project plan to balance cost and benefits. This approach ensures data-driven decision-making before escalating or implementing scope changes, directly addressing the sponsor's concern about jeopardizing grant conditions.

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Escalate the issue to the steering committee for a decision.

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Implement option 1 to control costs and then inform the sponsor of the reduced benefits.

Answer

Request additional funding from the CFO, emphasizing the risk of non-compliance.

Question 7

A project manager is developing the business case for a new product. Which of the following is the primary purpose of the business case?

Accepted Answer

To provide justification for undertaking the project based on expected business value.. The business case is a foundational document created during the pre-project phase to justify the investment. Its primary purpose is to provide the economic and strategic justification for undertaking the project, based on the expected business value, such as ROI, payback period, or alignment with organizational goals. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's definition of the business case as a tool to determine if the project is worth the required investment.

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To define how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled.

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To outline how the project's benefits will be delivered and measured.

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To authorize the project manager to use organizational resources.

Question 8

During a project audit, you discover that the quality assurance (QA) team has not been conducting planned inspections, but the quality control (QC) logs show no major defects. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Investigate why QA inspections were skipped and reinforce the importance of preventive activities. QA inspections are preventive and process-oriented; skipping them increases risk even if QC passes now. Option B is reactive. Option C is premature. Option D ignores the root cause.

Answer

Accept the situation since QC shows no defects

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Update the risk register to document this as a low-priority risk

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Ask the team to double-check the QC logs for accuracy

Question 9

During a project, a key team member consistently misses deadlines, causing delays. The project manager has had informal conversations with the team member, but the situation has not improved. What should the project manager do next?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting to discuss the performance gap, identify underlying issues, and create an improvement plan. The project manager should first address performance issues through direct, private communication to understand root causes and collaboratively develop an improvement plan. This aligns with the PMI People domain, emphasizing servant leadership and coaching to resolve team member performance gaps before escalating or reassigning tasks. The informal conversations have not worked, so a structured approach with clear expectations and support is the next logical step.

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Ignore the issue and adjust the schedule to accommodate the delays

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Escalate the issue to the functional manager and request a replacement

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Reassign the task to another team member without discussion

Question 10

Your project is using a predictive approach, and you are at the midpoint. The earned value analysis shows: EV = $450,000, PV = $500,000, AC = $550,000. The CPI is 0.82 and SPI is 0.90. The sponsor asks for a forecast of the total cost at completion. What is the best estimate for EAC assuming the current cost performance is typical of future performance?

Accepted Answer

$1,219,512. The best estimate for EAC when current cost performance is typical of future performance is calculated using the formula EAC = BAC / CPI. First, derive BAC from the given SPI and PV: SPI = EV / PV → 0.90 = $450,000 / PV, so PV = $500,000 (already given). BAC is the total planned budget, which at the midpoint (50% planned) means BAC = PV / 0.5 = $500,000 / 0.5 = $1,000,000. Then EAC = $1,000,000 / 0.82 = $1,219,512. This assumes the cost inefficiency (CPI = 0.82) will continue for the remainder of the project.

Answer

$1,250,000

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$1,100,000

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$1,050,000

Question 11

Your project team is distributed across four countries with significant time zone differences. Communication has been challenging, leading to misunderstandings and delays. Which THREE actions would most effectively improve collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a weekly synchronous meeting at a time that rotates to accommodate different time zones. Rotating the meeting time distributes the inconvenience of early or late hours across all team members, ensuring no single region is consistently disadvantaged. This approach maintains regular synchronous interaction, which is critical for building rapport and resolving complex issues, while respecting the team's global distribution.

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Reduce the frequency of communication to minimize coordination overhead

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Require all team members to be available during a fixed 4-hour overlap window each day

Question 12

A team member reports that a task is 50% complete but has consumed 70% of the budget. Which metric indicates that the project is over budget?

Accepted Answer

Cost Performance Index (CPI). The Cost Performance Index (CPI) is the metric that directly compares the value of work performed (Earned Value) to the actual cost incurred. A CPI less than 1.0 indicates that the project is over budget, as it costs more than planned to achieve the work completed. In this scenario, with 50% of the work done but 70% of the budget spent, the CPI would be 0.5/0.7 ≈ 0.71, confirming a cost overrun.

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Budget at Completion (BAC)

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Estimate at Completion (EAC)

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Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

Question 13

A project is in the planning phase. The project manager wants to ensure that all stakeholders have a common understanding of the project scope. Which document should be used as the primary reference?

Accepted Answer

Project scope statement. The project scope statement is the primary reference for ensuring all stakeholders have a common understanding of the project scope because it formally documents the project's boundaries, deliverables, acceptance criteria, and constraints. Unlike the project charter, which authorizes the project at a high level, the scope statement provides the detailed scope description needed during planning to align stakeholder expectations.

Answer

Project charter

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Work breakdown structure

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Schedule management plan

Question 14

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 15

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that they have started working on an additional feature requested by the product owner, which was not in the sprint backlog. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Remind the team that work should only be added to the sprint through the product owner and should be deferred to the backlog for prioritization. In Scrum, the sprint backlog is frozen during the sprint to protect the team's focus and commitment. The scrum master's role is to enforce this boundary by reminding the team that any new work must first be vetted by the product owner and added to the product backlog for future prioritization. Allowing unplanned work undermines the sprint goal and velocity tracking.

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Escalate the issue to the project manager after the standup

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Allow the work to continue since it adds value to the product

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Praise the developer for being proactive and customer-focused