PMP Practice Test 34 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a hybrid project. During a sprint, a team member reports that a key deliverable will be delayed because a stakeholder is not providing necessary input. The stakeholder is also the project sponsor. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the stakeholder to understand the delay and find a solution.. Option D is correct because the PM should address the issue with the stakeholder directly. Option A is incorrect as escalating to the sponsor (who is the issue) is not logical. Option B is incorrect; removing the stakeholder is not appropriate. Option C is incorrect; bypassing the stakeholder may worsen the relationship.

Answer

Remove the stakeholder from the project and reassign their responsibilities.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the PMO or higher management.

Answer

Proceed without the input and make assumptions.

Question 2

Your project's CPI is 0.85 and SPI is 0.90 at the midpoint. The project sponsor asks for a status update. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Inform the sponsor of the cost and schedule variances and present a recovery plan. PMI emphasizes clear communication of project status to stakeholders, including variances and corrective actions.

Answer

Implement cost reduction measures without informing the sponsor

Answer

Report that the project is on track and the variances are temporary

Answer

Request additional budget to cover the cost overrun without changing scope

Question 3

Your agile team is working on a mobile app. The product owner wants to add a new feature that was not in the original backlog. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Ask the product owner to submit a change request for formal evaluation. Following change control and prioritizing the new feature against existing work are appropriate. Directly adding or ignoring are not.

Answer

Tell the team to work overtime to include the feature

Answer

Add the feature to the current sprint backlog because the product owner requested it

Answer

Ignore the request because it was not in the original scope

Question 4

Two senior developers on your Scrum team have a disagreement about the technical approach for a user story. The disagreement is causing delays in sprint execution. As the Scrum Master, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the developers to discuss and resolve the issue. The Scrum Master should facilitate a discussion to help the developers resolve the conflict constructively and reach a consensus.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the product owner

Answer

Remove both developers from the story and assign it to someone else

Answer

Decide on the approach yourself to end the conflict quickly

Question 5

Your construction project is 60% complete. Due to a material shortage, the critical path extended by 10 days. You have float on some non-critical tasks. The sponsor is concerned about the project finishing on time. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the schedule for opportunities to crash or fast-track the remaining activities. Option D is correct as per PMI's proactive approach: assess the schedule and determine if compression techniques can recover the delay before escalating. Option A is reactive without analysis. Option B is premature; you haven't yet determined if compression is possible. Option C ignores the sponsor's concern and the delay.

Answer

Increase the budget to procure materials faster

Answer

Immediately notify the sponsor that the project will be delayed

Answer

Fast-track the remaining critical path activities

Question 6

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that velocity has dropped due to too many interruptions. What agile technique should the Scrum Master recommend to address this?

Accepted Answer

Implement a Work in Progress (WIP) limit to reduce multitasking. Option A is correct: limiting Work in Progress (WIP) reduces multitasking and interruptions. Option B does not address interruptions. Option C is about schedule, not interruptions. Option D is a ceremony, not a countermeasure.

Answer

Add buffer time to each task estimate

Answer

Conduct more frequent retrospectives

Answer

Increase the sprint duration to accommodate interruptions

Question 7

You are the project manager for a software development project using Scrum. For the past three sprints, the team's velocity has dropped from 30 story points to 20. The team cites increasing technical debt and unclear requirements. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and implement process improvements.. Option D is correct because the team should be empowered to find solutions. Option A is incorrect as it's a top-down approach that may not address root causes. Option B is incorrect; reducing scope should be a product owner decision. Option C is incorrect; the scrum master facilitates, not directs.

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to two weeks to increase focus.

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase velocity.

Answer

Ask the scrum master to enforce stricter timeboxing for daily standups.

Question 8

You are the project manager for a software development project. During a risk review meeting, the team identifies several new risks. Which THREE actions should you take to update the risk register? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Identify root causes of each risk.. The risk register should include identified risks, root causes, potential responses, and risk owners. Probability and impact assessment is part of qualitative analysis. Prioritization occurs after assessment. Options A, B, and C are standard entries. Option D is incorrect because the response plan comes later. Option E is incorrect as it's part of quantitative analysis.

Answer

Perform a quantitative analysis using Monte Carlo simulation.

Answer

Develop detailed response plans for high-priority risks.

Question 9

An executive stakeholder bypasses you and directly gives instructions to the development team to add a new report. The team starts working on it. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Discuss with the executive the importance of following the change control process and update the communications management plan. PMI recommends addressing the stakeholder's behavior professionally and reinforcing the change control process.

Answer

Immediately stop the team's work on the new report without discussing with the executive

Answer

Allow the team to continue to avoid conflict with the executive

Answer

Confront the executive and demand they stop contacting the team

Question 10

Your construction project is 40% complete. The Earned Value Analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.90. The project budget is $5M. A key vendor just informed you they cannot deliver a critical component on time, causing a 3-week delay. The component is on the critical path. What is the BEST action?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate schedule compression options (crashing or fast-tracking) and submit a change request to the CCB. Since the project is already over budget and behind schedule, and the vendor issue affects the critical path, the best action is to evaluate options such as schedule compression techniques and then submit a change request to address the delay.

Answer

Meet with the vendor to negotiate a new delivery date and update the schedule baseline accordingly

Answer

Immediately authorize overtime for the team to make up the delay

Answer

Consult the risk register to see if this risk was identified and if a response plan exists

Question 11

A team member consistently misses deadlines, causing delays for the rest of the team. You have already spoken to the team member informally, but the behavior continues. What is the BEST next step?

Accepted Answer

Have a formal meeting with the team member to discuss expectations and consequences. The PM should address performance issues formally by documenting the issue and discussing it with the team member, setting clear expectations and consequences. This follows a progressive discipline approach.

Answer

Remove the team member from the project

Answer

Escalate the issue to the team member's functional manager

Answer

Reassign the team member to less critical tasks

Question 12

Your agile project has been experiencing decreasing velocity over the last three sprints. The team is frustrated and morale is low. The product owner is pressuring for more features. What is the BEST action for the project manager to take?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a retrospective to identify impediments and improvement actions.. The PM should facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes. Option C is correct because it addresses the issue using agile ceremonies. Option A avoids the problem; Option B adds pressure; Option D is reactive.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to catch up on velocity.

Answer

Replace the underperforming team members with new resources.

Answer

Increase the sprint length to give the team more time.

Question 13

A project is running over budget due to underestimation of effort. The project manager wants to bring costs under control. Which THREE actions are MOST appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to reduce scope.. Option A involves process improvement (reducing waste). Option B reduces scope through change control. Option D re-estimates remaining work for accuracy. Option C is a potential reaction but not a control action; Option E is not recommended.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime without additional pay.

Answer

Fast-track remaining activities to finish earlier.

Question 14

During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a completed user story because it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The developer argues that the story is functionally complete and the product owner is being too strict. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the product owner and developer to clarify the acceptance criteria. Option B is correct. The product owner is the authority on acceptance criteria. The scrum master should facilitate an objective discussion. Option A is wrong because the product owner's decision is final. Option C is wrong because the scrum master should not take sides. Option D is wrong because skipping the review undermines the process.

Answer

Ask the team to accept the product owner's decision and move on

Answer

Remove the story from the sprint backlog and skip it in the review

Answer

Support the developer by telling the product owner the story is complete

Question 15

During the execution phase of a construction project, you discover that a key vendor will not deliver steel beams on time, threatening the critical path. The risk was identified and the response plan was to use an approved backup supplier. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Contact the backup supplier immediately to activate the contract. Since the risk response plan already identified the backup supplier, the PM should implement the planned response. Activating the contingency plan is the correct proactive step. Communicating with stakeholders is important but secondary to executing the response.

Answer

Ask the team to find a new vendor not on the approved list

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Update the risk register and wait for the vendor to confirm the delay