PMP Practice Test 31 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is leading a global virtual team with members in three different time zones. The project manager wants to improve collaboration and ensure equitable participation. Which TWO actions are most effective?

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

Accepted Answer

Record meetings and require asynchronous input for those who cannot attend live. Recording meetings and requiring asynchronous input ensures that team members in less convenient time zones can still contribute meaningfully without being forced to attend live sessions at odd hours. This approach leverages technology to promote equitable participation and maintains a record for reference, which is critical for global virtual teams where synchronous attendance is not always feasible.

Answer

Schedule all meetings at the project manager's local time for consistency

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Hold separate meetings for each time zone to avoid conflicts

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Assign a single point of contact for each time zone who will represent the team

Question 2

A project manager is leading a distributed team where members are in different time zones and have varying levels of experience. The team is struggling with knowledge sharing and collaboration. Which TWO tools or techniques should the project manager consider to improve the situation? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Use virtual pair programming sessions for complex tasks. Virtual pair programming sessions are correct because they enable real-time, collaborative problem-solving on complex tasks, directly addressing knowledge sharing and collaboration gaps in a distributed team. This technique fosters active learning and mentorship, which is especially valuable when team members have varying levels of experience and work across different time zones.

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Reduce the number of team meetings to minimize disruption

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Schedule daily 30-minute stand-up meetings at a fixed time

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Assign a single point of contact for all communication

Question 3

You are managing a large, distributed project using a hybrid methodology. The team is experiencing communication breakdowns and conflict between onshore and offshore members. Which THREE actions should you take to improve team collaboration and performance? (Choose three)

Accepted Answer

Establish regular video conference meetings for synchronous collaboration. Establishing regular video conference meetings (A) is correct because it enables synchronous, face-to-face communication, which is critical for bridging cultural and time-zone gaps in distributed teams. Video conferencing reduces misunderstandings by allowing non-verbal cues and real-time clarification, directly addressing the communication breakdowns described in the scenario.

Answer

Separate the team into onshore and offshore sub-teams with their own leads

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Increase the frequency of status reporting

Question 4

A key vendor informs you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time, which will delay the project. You need to decide on next steps. Which THREE actions are most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Update the project management plan with the new delivery date. Updating the project management plan with the new delivery date is correct because it formally documents the revised schedule baseline, which is a key output of the integrated change control process. This ensures all project artifacts reflect the current reality, enabling accurate tracking and communication. Without this update, the plan becomes obsolete and misaligns with actual project execution.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to compensate for the delay

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Immediately terminate the vendor contract

Question 5

During project execution, the project manager notices that two team members are in frequent conflict, which is affecting the team's overall performance. The project manager wants to resolve the conflict effectively. Which THREE actions align with PMI's recommended approach?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a joint meeting to discuss the issue and find common ground. Facilitating a joint meeting aligns with PMI's collaborative conflict resolution approach, where the project manager acts as a neutral facilitator to help conflicting parties discuss issues openly and find common ground. This technique, often called 'confronting' or 'problem-solving,' is the most effective method for resolving interpersonal conflicts and restoring team performance, as it addresses the root cause directly.

Answer

Address the conflict in a team meeting to model transparency

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Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor for resolution

Question 6

A project manager is closing a project. Which THREE activities are essential to perform during project closure?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a lessons learned session and document findings. Conducting a lessons learned session and documenting findings (Option A) is essential during project closure because it captures knowledge about what went well and what could be improved, which is a key output of the Close Project or Phase process. This documentation becomes part of the organizational process assets and helps future projects avoid past mistakes and replicate successes. Without this step, the organization loses valuable experiential learning that could improve project management maturity.

Answer

Update the project management plan for future projects

Answer

Hold a sprint review to demonstrate the final product

Question 7

Your project uses a hybrid methodology. An executive stakeholder emails the development team directly requesting a new feature without going through the product owner. The team starts working on it. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Tell the team to stop work on the feature and meet with the stakeholder to explain the proper process. The first action is to stop the unauthorized work by telling the team to pause. Then, you must meet with the stakeholder to explain the proper process and ensure all requests go through the product owner. This protects the team from scope creep and maintains the defined workflow. Option D alone without stopping work may not prevent further unauthorized work.

Answer

Ask the product owner to include the feature in the backlog

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Reprimand the team for working on unauthorized work

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Inform the stakeholder that all requests must go through the product owner

Question 8

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that low morale is affecting productivity. As a servant leader, which THREE actions should the project manager take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Provide opportunities for professional development and training.. Providing professional development and training directly addresses low morale by investing in the team's growth, which aligns with the servant leader's focus on empowering and supporting the team. This action fosters a sense of value and career progression, counteracting the root cause of low morale rather than just its symptoms.

Answer

Implement a strict performance monitoring system to track productivity.

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Assign blame for the low morale to specific team members.

Question 9

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The sponsor asks you to reduce costs by cutting team training. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the budget to identify other areas where costs can be reduced without impacting quality. It aligns with the project manager's responsibility to optimize the budget without compromising quality. By analyzing the budget, you can identify non-critical areas for cost reduction, such as administrative overhead or non-essential resources, while preserving team training which directly impacts long-term performance and quality. This approach demonstrates proactive cost management and stakeholder negotiation, key aspects of the 'People' domain in leading projects.

Answer

Accept the sponsor's request and cancel all upcoming training

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Submit a change request to increase the budget

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Reduce the project scope to meet the budget

Question 10

Which THREE of the following are common causes of project change requests?

Accepted Answer

Regulatory changes. Regulatory changes are a common cause of project change requests because new laws or compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS) can mandate modifications to project scope, deliverables, or processes. These external mandates often require immediate adjustments to avoid legal penalties, making them a frequent trigger for formal change requests in technology projects.

Answer

Team member vacation

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Budget surplus

Question 11

Which TWO are key components of a project management plan? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Scope management plan. The project management plan is a formal, approved document that defines how the project is executed, monitored, and controlled. The scope management plan and schedule management plan are subsidiary plans that are key components of the overall project management plan, as they detail the processes for defining, developing, monitoring, controlling, and verifying the project's scope and schedule.

Answer

Stakeholder register

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Project charter

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Work performance data

Question 12

You are managing a project that is on schedule and under budget. A key stakeholder requests a significant scope change that would improve the product's value but also extend the schedule by 20%. The change has not been through change control. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Ask the stakeholder to submit a formal change request for evaluation. The project manager must ensure that all changes go through the formal change control process to assess impacts on scope, schedule, budget, and quality. Option A is correct because it follows proper change management procedures. Option B is incorrect because outright refusal ignores potential value and proper process. Option C is incorrect because delaying to a follow-up project may not be justified without evaluation. Option D is incorrect because implementing without change control bypasses governance and could have unforeseen risks.

Answer

Refuse the change to protect the original schedule and budget

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Suggest the stakeholder request the change in a follow-up project

Answer

Implement the change since it adds value and the project has contingency

Question 13

A risk event that was identified in the risk register has occurred. The risk response plan involves implementing a contingency plan. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Update the risk register with the actual outcome and actions taken. When a risk event occurs, the risk register must be updated to document the actual outcome, the effectiveness of the response, and any lessons learned. This ensures the project's risk history is accurate and supports future risk analysis. Option E is correct because the contingency plan was already defined in the risk register as the agreed-upon response; implementing it directly is the proper execution of the risk response plan without needing a new change request.

Answer

Submit a change request to initiate the contingency plan

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Develop a new risk response plan from scratch

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Wait to see if the risk impact materializes further before acting

Question 14

A key stakeholder on your project has been sending emails directly to team members, bypassing you as the project manager. This has caused confusion, as team members are receiving conflicting instructions. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the stakeholder to discuss the communication channels and reinforce the project's governance structure. The project manager should address the issue directly with the stakeholder to clarify communication channels and reinforce the project's governance. Option B is incorrect because escalating to the sponsor should be a last resort after direct communication fails. Option C is incorrect because instructing the team to ignore the stakeholder could damage the relationship and escalate conflict. Option D is incorrect because updating the communications management plan may be needed later, but the first step is to resolve the issue through direct conversation.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and request that the stakeholder be removed from the project

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Instruct the team to ignore any requests from the stakeholder that have not been approved by you

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Submit a change request to update the communications management plan

Question 15

You are managing a project that involves a high-risk activity that was identified in the risk register. A risk response plan was created to mitigate the risk. During execution, a risk event occurs that was not fully mitigated. The risk impact is now threatening the project schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan if one exists, or document the issue and initiate a change request. The first step is to implement the contingency plan if one exists, or else perform a new risk assessment and develop a response. This aligns with the risk management process.

Answer

Immediately update the risk register and move on

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance

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Stop work on the affected activity until the risk is resolved