PMP Practice Test 32 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that a critical integration task is blocked because the API documentation from an external vendor is incomplete. The sprint ends in three days, and this task is on the critical path. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Work with the vendor to obtain the missing documentation and update the team.. Option A is correct because the scrum master's role is to remove impediments. Option B is incorrect as the scrum master should not assign a team member to fix the vendor's issue. Option C is incorrect because escalating without first trying to resolve is not the best first step. Option D is incorrect; the product owner can help but removing the impediment is the scrum master's primary responsibility.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor immediately.

Answer

Ask the developer to create the missing documentation themselves.

Answer

Inform the product owner and ask them to reprioritize the backlog.

Question 2

In an agile project, the team's velocity has decreased over the last three sprints from 30 story points to 22. During the retrospective, the team cites increasing technical debt as the cause. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion with the team to identify actions to reduce technical debt and improve velocity.. The scrum master should facilitate the team to identify root causes and create an action plan to address technical debt. This aligns with agile principles of continuous improvement and self-organization.

Answer

Ask the product owner to reduce the sprint backlog to match the lower velocity.

Answer

Report the velocity drop to management and escalate the technical debt issue.

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase velocity.

Question 3

During a project, a new regulation is enacted that requires additional compliance testing. The project is in the execution phase. Which THREE actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Update the risk register with the new regulatory requirement as a threat.. The PM should update the risk register to reflect the new compliance risk, submit a change request to incorporate the testing, and communicate the impact to stakeholders. Ignoring the regulation or proceeding without change control would be incorrect.

Answer

Ignore the regulation because it was not in the original project plan.

Answer

Instruct the team to start compliance testing immediately without formal approval.

Question 4

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that a risk identified in the risk register has occurred and is causing a one-day delay. The risk response plan includes a mitigation strategy that can be implemented immediately. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the planned risk response as documented in the risk register. Option A is correct because the risk response plan already provides a course of action. The PM should implement the planned response without hesitation.

Answer

Update the issue log and inform stakeholders of the delay

Answer

Escalate the issue to the sponsor for guidance

Answer

Conduct a new risk assessment to determine the best response

Question 5

Your project is using a hybrid approach with a fixed-price contract for the predictive portion and a time-and-materials contract for the agile portion. A change request from a stakeholder would affect both portions. The change control board (CCB) has approved the change for the predictive portion but deferred the agile portion to the product owner. How should you proceed?

Accepted Answer

Update the predictive baseline as approved, and coordinate with the product owner to prioritize the agile portion in the product backlog. Option C is correct because the change request impacts both portions, and the CCB has only approved part of it. The PM should update the predictive baseline and then work with the product owner to prioritize the agile portion. Option A is wrong because the CCB approval is partial. Option B ignores the approved predictive change. Option D is incorrect because the change is not fully approved.

Answer

Implement the change for both portions since the CCB approved the overall change

Answer

Request the CCB to also approve the agile portion before taking any action

Answer

Reject the change entirely because it was not fully approved

Question 6

Your project is 40% complete, and the earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.8 and SPI = 0.9. The project sponsor is concerned about the cost overrun and asks you to reduce costs by skipping quality assurance activities. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of reducing QA and propose alternative cost-saving measures that do not compromise quality. Skipping quality assurance increases the risk of defects and rework, which can worsen cost and schedule performance. The PM should communicate the risks and adhere to the quality management plan.

Answer

Submit a change request to reduce the quality management budget

Answer

Agree to skip some QA activities to meet the sponsor's request, as cost is a priority

Answer

Ignore the sponsor's request and continue with the current QA plan

Question 7

Your agile team has been consistently delivering in each sprint, but the product owner is concerned because the customer's needs have changed and some completed features may no longer be valuable. The project uses fixed-price contract. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to reprioritize the remaining backlog and submit a change request to modify the scope. In a fixed-price contract, changes must go through change control to adjust scope, schedule, and cost. The PM should facilitate a discussion about reprioritizing the backlog and submit a change request if needed.

Answer

Continue with the current sprint plan since the contract is fixed-price

Answer

Advise the product owner to accept the current features and add new ones in a separate project

Answer

Stop the project and renegotiate the contract with the customer

Question 8

During a sprint review, the product owner is dissatisfied with the increment and wants to revert to a previous version of a feature. The development team believes the current version meets the acceptance criteria. As Scrum Master, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion to clarify the acceptance criteria and expectations. Option A is correct: facilitate a conversation between the product owner and team to clarify expectations. Option B is reactive and may not be needed after discussion. Option C escalates prematurely. Option D bypasses collaboration.

Answer

Escalate to the program manager to resolve the conflict

Answer

Instruct the team to revert the feature as requested

Answer

Update the issue log with the product owner's concern

Question 9

A new regulatory requirement is discovered mid-project that will require additional deliverables. The project uses a hybrid approach. What THREE actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to formally evaluate the impact of the new requirement. Option A (submit change request) is correct as per Integrated Change Control. Option C (update risk register) is correct as new regulatory risks may arise. Option D (inform stakeholders) is correct to manage expectations. Option B is reactive (stop work) without analysis. Option E bypasses the team.

Answer

Have the team begin working on the new requirement immediately

Answer

Instruct the team to stop all work until the requirement is analyzed

Question 10

You are managing a project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. During a status meeting, the IT director (a key stakeholder) announces that the team must use a different database platform than planned, citing corporate policy. This change will require significant rework. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis on scope, schedule, and cost, and then submit a change request.. Option C is correct because the PM should assess the impact before taking further action. Option A is incorrect because the change may not be feasible or cost-effective. Option B is incorrect because the PM should not simply follow orders without analysis. Option D is incorrect; escalation is premature.

Answer

Update the project management plan to reflect the new platform.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision.

Answer

Agree to the change because it's a corporate policy.

Question 11

Your project is behind schedule due to an unexpected delay from a key supplier. The critical path analysis shows that the total float is now negative. What is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Crash the schedule by adding resources to critical path activities. Crashing the schedule involves adding resources to critical path activities to compress the schedule, which is appropriate when float is negative.

Answer

Reduce project scope by eliminating non-essential deliverables

Answer

Update the risk register and inform stakeholders of the delay without taking action

Answer

Immediately apply fast tracking to overlap activities on the critical path

Question 12

A change request that affects the critical path has been approved. What is the NEXT step for the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Communicate the change to stakeholders and update the project management plan and baselines. After approval, the PM must update the project management plan and baselines to reflect the change.

Answer

Implement the change immediately without updating documents

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore the change until next sprint

Answer

File the change request in the project archives

Question 13

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. Option C is correct because 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 14

A key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to raw material shortages. This component is on the critical path and has no float. The vendor suggests using a substitute material that meets specifications but costs 20% more. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to evaluate the substitute material, including cost and schedule impacts. Option C is correct because any change to the procurement approach (substitute material) requires a change request to assess cost and schedule impacts before approval.

Answer

Invoke the penalty clause in the vendor contract for late delivery

Answer

Accept the vendor's suggestion to use the substitute material to avoid delay

Answer

Look for alternative vendors who can deliver the original component on time

Question 15

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. Option C is correct because the project manager should first analyze the impact on the critical path and then evaluate compression options like fast tracking or crashing. Option A avoids solving the problem. Option B is reactive and may not be justified if compression can recover the delay. Option D escalates prematurely.

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