PMP Practice Test 24 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Midway through your project, a key vendor informs you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time, which will impact the critical path. The risk was identified in the risk register with a 'mitigate' response. What should you do FIRST?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan that was developed for this risk. Since the risk was already identified and a 'mitigate' response was planned, the correct first action is to implement the contingency plan that was developed for this risk. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's risk response execution process, where pre-planned actions are taken immediately when the risk trigger occurs, without waiting for additional approvals or negotiations.

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Inform the sponsor of the delay and request additional budget

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Issue a change request to update the project schedule

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Meet with the vendor to negotiate an expedited delivery

Question 2

You are the project manager for a construction project. A risk event that was identified in the risk register has just occurred: a key supplier is unable to deliver critical materials on time. The risk response plan includes a contingency reserve. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan as defined in the risk response strategy. The risk response plan already defined a contingency reserve for this specific risk event. When a known risk occurs, the first action is to execute the pre-planned response, not to re-assess or escalate. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on implementing risk responses as soon as the risk trigger is confirmed.

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Immediately notify the project sponsor and ask for guidance

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Assess the impact of the delay on the project schedule and then decide

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Ask the supplier to find an alternative source at no extra cost

Question 3

In a hybrid project, the development team is self-organizing but a senior developer consistently misses sprint commitments. The product owner is frustrated. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Have a private conversation with the developer to understand challenges and offer support. In a hybrid project with a self-organizing team, the project manager should first address performance issues through coaching and support rather than bypassing team autonomy. Option D is correct because a private conversation allows the PM to understand root causes (e.g., technical debt, unclear requirements, or personal blockers) and offer targeted help, preserving the team's self-management while resolving the sprint commitment gap.

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Inform the product owner that the team self-manages and the issue will resolve itself

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Reassign the developer to less critical tasks

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Escalate the issue to the functional manager

Question 4

You are leading a global software development project with team members in three different time zones. Recently, two senior developers from different locations have been in conflict over the design approach for a critical component. The conflict has started to affect team morale and productivity. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with both developers to discuss the issue and find a mutually agreeable solution.. As the project manager, your first responsibility is to address interpersonal conflicts directly and collaboratively. Scheduling a meeting with both developers to discuss the issue and find a mutually agreeable solution aligns with the PMI's emphasis on conflict resolution techniques like 'collaborating/problem-solving,' which seeks a win-win outcome. This approach preserves team morale and productivity by involving the stakeholders in the decision, rather than imposing a solution or avoiding the problem.

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Decide on the design approach yourself to end the conflict quickly.

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Escalate the issue to the sponsors and ask them to intervene.

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Reassign the developers to different tasks to avoid further conflict.

Question 5

You are leading a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, two senior developers have a heated argument about the technical implementation of a feature. The disagreement is causing tension among the team. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with both developers separately and then together to find a solution. As the project manager, your first responsibility is to address the conflict directly using collaborative conflict resolution techniques. Meeting with each developer separately allows you to understand their technical perspectives without group pressure, and then bringing them together facilitates a solution that respects both viewpoints and maintains team cohesion. This approach aligns with the PMI People domain, emphasizing servant leadership and proactive conflict management.

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Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor

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Assign the feature to a different developer

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Ask the team members to resolve it on their own

Question 6

A project manager is leading a digital transformation initiative. Midway through the project, a new regulation is introduced that affects the product's compliance requirements. The project sponsor is concerned about potential scope creep and delays. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Conduct an impact analysis of the regulation on the project. D is correct because the first step when a new regulation emerges is to analyze its impact on the project's scope, schedule, cost, and compliance. Without an impact analysis, the project manager cannot determine whether a change request, risk update, or escalation is appropriate. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's 'Perform Integrated Change Control' process, which requires assessing the effects of any proposed change before taking further action.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for direction

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Update the risk register with the new regulation as a threat

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Submit a change request to modify the project scope

Question 7

During a hybrid project, the product owner frequently bypasses you and gives direct instructions to the development team. The team is confused about priorities, and scope creep is occurring. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Speak privately with the product owner to explain the impact on the team and request that instructions go through you. The first step in resolving a conflict between the product owner and the development team is to have a private, respectful conversation with the product owner. This allows you to explain the negative impact of bypassing you—such as team confusion, priority misalignment, and scope creep—and request that all instructions be routed through you to maintain the agreed-upon workflow and protect the team's focus.

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Tell the team to ignore instructions from the product owner

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Escalate to the project sponsor for resolution

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Update the team charter to include a communication protocol

Question 8

You are managing a project where a key executive stakeholder bypasses you and gives direct orders to the development team. The team is confused about priorities. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the executive to discuss the impact of bypassing the PM and reinforce the communication plan. The first action should be to address the root cause of the confusion—the executive's bypassing behavior—by scheduling a private meeting to discuss its impact on project priorities and team morale, and to reinforce the established communication plan. This aligns with the PMP's focus on proactive stakeholder management and conflict resolution, ensuring the project manager maintains authority and clarity without escalating prematurely.

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Tell the team to follow the executive's orders to avoid conflict

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Report the executive's behavior to the project sponsor

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Update the communication plan to include the executive's approach

Question 9

During a project, the sponsor asks you to skip the testing phase to save time and meet the deadline. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping testing and propose alternatives such as reducing scope or extending the schedule.. As a project manager, your first responsibility is to protect the project's value and quality. Skipping testing introduces significant technical debt and risk of undetected defects, which can lead to costly rework or failure. By explaining the risks and proposing alternatives like scope reduction or schedule extension, you demonstrate proactive stakeholder management and adherence to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

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Comply with the sponsor's request to meet the deadline.

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Ignore the request and continue as planned.

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Ask the quality assurance team to expedite testing.

Question 10

Your project team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds. You notice that some team members are not contributing ideas during brainstorming sessions, while others dominate the conversation. What should you do to promote inclusion?

Accepted Answer

Implement a round-robin technique to give each team member an opportunity to speak. The round-robin technique is a structured facilitation method that ensures every team member has an equal opportunity to speak, directly addressing the cultural and behavioral imbalance in brainstorming. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on inclusive leadership and active listening, as it systematically prevents domination and encourages contributions from quieter members without imposing artificial quotas.

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Assign speaking quotas to ensure equal participation

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Allow the dominant members to lead since they are more engaged

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Send a memo reminding the team to be respectful during meetings

Question 11

During a project retrospective, the team identifies several process improvements that could increase efficiency. What is the BEST way to ensure these improvements are implemented?

Accepted Answer

Add action items to the next sprint backlog with assigned owners. Adding action items to the next sprint backlog with assigned owners directly integrates the improvements into the team's workflow, ensuring accountability and timely execution. This aligns with Agile principles where continuous improvement is operationalized through backlog management and sprint planning, not left as an afterthought.

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Instruct the team to implement the improvements immediately

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Ask the project sponsor to approve the improvements

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Document the improvements in the lessons learned register for future projects

Question 12

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 project manager should address the disruptive behavior directly and privately with the lead engineer, focusing on the impact on team collaboration and setting clear expectations for respectful communication. This aligns with the PMP's focus on conflict resolution and team leadership, as direct, constructive feedback is the most effective way to change behavior without escalating conflict or undermining the engineer's authority.

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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 13

A new regulatory requirement has been announced that will affect your pharmaceutical project's deliverables. The requirement will take effect before your project's planned completion date. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board (CCB). The correct first step is to submit a change request to the change control board (CCB) because a new regulatory requirement that affects project deliverables constitutes a formal change to the project scope, schedule, or cost. The PMBOK Guide mandates that any change to baselined requirements must go through the integrated change control process, where the CCB evaluates the impact on technical specifications, compliance, and project constraints before approval. This ensures the project remains aligned with regulatory standards while managing risks to the pharmaceutical product's validation and market approval.

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Notify the project sponsor and ask for guidance

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Incorporate the new requirement into the project plan immediately

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Ignore the requirement until it is enforced

Question 14

A project manager is developing a process improvement plan to reduce waste in a manufacturing project. The team has identified several non-value-added activities. Which technique should the project manager use to systematically analyze and improve the process?

Accepted Answer

Lean Six Sigma. Lean Six Sigma is the correct technique because it combines Lean's focus on eliminating waste (non-value-added activities) with Six Sigma's DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology for systematic process improvement. This directly addresses the project manager's goal of reducing waste in a manufacturing project through data-driven analysis and continuous improvement.

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Pareto analysis

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Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

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Critical Path Method (CPM)

Question 15

During a sprint retrospective, several team members express frustration that the project manager often overrides their decisions, contradicting the agile principle of self-organization. The project manager believes the team lacks experience and needs guidance. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Acknowledge the feedback, discuss the balance between guidance and autonomy, and agree on decision-making boundaries. It directly addresses the team's frustration by acknowledging their feedback, opening a dialogue about the balance between guidance and autonomy, and collaboratively agreeing on decision-making boundaries. This aligns with the agile principle of self-organization while recognizing the project manager's responsibility to provide necessary guidance, especially for less experienced teams. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement and mutual respect, which is essential for effective team performance in agile environments.

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Ask the product owner to mediate the situation

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Continue as before because the team still needs direction

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Explain to the team that as the project manager, final decisions rest with you