PMP Practice Test 38 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Your agile project team has been consistently delivering high-quality work, but sprint velocity has dropped over the last three sprints. The team reports feeling overworked and demotivated. What should you do FIRST?

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

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and collaboratively develop improvements. Facilitating a retrospective is the correct first step because it empowers the team to collaboratively identify the root causes of the decreased velocity and demotivation, such as technical debt, unclear requirements, or process inefficiencies. This aligns with the agile principle of continuous improvement and servant leadership, where the project manager acts as a facilitator rather than imposing solutions. Addressing the underlying issues through team-driven improvements is more sustainable than forcing scope or personnel changes.

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Reduce the sprint scope to increase velocity

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Replace the scrum master with a more experienced one

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Ask the team to work overtime to regain velocity

Question 2

During a complex construction project, a key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component for another 4 weeks. This component is on the critical path and has no float. You have identified this risk in the risk register with a planned response of 'mitigate' by having a backup vendor. However, the backup vendor also cannot deliver on time. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate alternative options such as fast-tracking other activities or sourcing from a different vendor, and then communicate the impact to stakeholders. As the project manager, your first duty is to analyze the situation and identify feasible alternatives (e.g., sourcing from a different vendor, fast-tracking other critical path activities) before escalating or accepting the delay. The risk response (mitigate via backup vendor) has failed, so you must reassess options and then communicate the impact to stakeholders, as per the iterative risk management process in the PMBOK Guide.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and request a schedule extension

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Accept the delay and update the project schedule accordingly

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Immediately crash the schedule by adding resources to other activities to compress time

Question 3

During a sprint review, the product owner is unhappy with the delivered functionality and insists that the team redo the work to meet their expectations, even though the team met the acceptance criteria defined in the sprint planning. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the product owner and the team to clarify expectations and revisit the acceptance criteria. The scrum master's primary role is to facilitate communication and remove impediments. In this scenario, the product owner and team have a misunderstanding about the acceptance criteria. The scrum master should first facilitate a discussion to clarify expectations and potentially revise the acceptance criteria if needed. Option A is wrong because redoing work without understanding the issue wastes effort and bypasses the problem. Option B is wrong because ignoring the product owner's feedback damages stakeholder relationships and does not address the underlying concern. Option C is wrong because escalation to the sponsor is premature before attempting to resolve the issue within the scrum team.

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Ask the team to redo the work to satisfy the product owner

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Inform the product owner that the work is complete and cannot be changed

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Question 4

Your project is a traditional waterfall project. You are creating the work breakdown structure (WBS) for a new software development project. The team is having difficulty decomposing a complex deliverable. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Engage subject matter experts to help decompose the deliverable further. Engaging subject matter experts (SMEs) is the best action because the WBS requires decomposition of deliverables to a level where work can be estimated, scheduled, and assigned. When the team lacks the knowledge to decompose a complex deliverable, SMEs provide the domain expertise needed to break it down into manageable work packages. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes that the WBS should be decomposed to the work package level, and expert judgment is a recognized tool and technique for the Create WBS process.

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Freeze the scope at this level and move on to scheduling

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Skip decomposition and proceed with the project

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Use the work packages from a similar project directly

Question 5

You are the project manager for a construction project. A key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time, which will delay the project by at least two weeks. The vendor was already on the risk register with a contingency plan. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Activate the contingency plan outlined in the risk register. D is correct because the risk was already identified and documented in the risk register with a pre-defined contingency plan. According to the PMBOK Guide, when a risk occurs, the first action is to implement the contingency plan if one exists, as it is the planned response to the specific risk event. This ensures a structured, pre-approved approach without unnecessary delays or escalation.

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Immediately contact alternative vendors to find a replacement

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Update the project schedule to reflect the delay and notify stakeholders

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Inform the project sponsor of the delay and ask for guidance

Question 6

You are leading a distributed Scrum team. The product owner consistently interrupts the development team during sprints with new requirements, causing scope creep and reduced velocity. The team is frustrated. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on the importance of maintaining a stable sprint backlog and using the product backlog for new ideas. The Scrum framework explicitly requires the product owner to maintain a stable sprint backlog once the sprint has started. Introducing new requirements mid-sprint violates the sprint goal and causes scope creep, which undermines team velocity and morale. As the Scrum Master or project leader, your role is to coach the product owner to defer new ideas to the product backlog for future sprint planning, preserving the integrity of the current sprint.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

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Ask the development team to work extra hours to accommodate the changes

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Add the new requirements to the sprint backlog and adjust the sprint goal

Question 7

A project manager notices that two senior developers have conflicting work styles, causing delays. What is the best approach to resolve this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting to discuss and resolve differences.. Facilitating a meeting to discuss and resolve differences (D) is the best approach because it directly addresses the root cause of the conflict—work style incompatibility—by fostering open communication and collaborative problem-solving. As a project manager, you act as a servant leader, using conflict resolution techniques like 'confronting' or 'problem-solving' to turn the disagreement into a constructive dialogue that aligns the team toward project goals. This approach preserves team cohesion and leverages the developers' expertise without escalating or avoiding the issue.

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Escalate to the functional manager for reassignment.

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Ask the team to vote on which style to adopt.

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Assign them to separate tasks to avoid interaction.

Question 8

You are managing a project to develop a new mobile application. During a risk review meeting, the team identifies that a key third-party API may be deprecated before the project completes, which could cause significant rework. The probability is assessed as medium, and the impact is high. The team has identified alternative APIs. What is the BEST risk response strategy?

Accepted Answer

Mitigate the risk by developing a fallback plan using alternative APIs and testing integration early.. It proactively reduces both the probability and impact of the API deprecation risk by developing a fallback plan with alternative APIs and testing integration early. This allows the team to switch seamlessly if the primary API is deprecated, minimizing rework and schedule delays.

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Transfer the risk to the API provider by purchasing insurance.

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Accept the risk and take no action, as it may not happen.

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Avoid the risk by not using the API and building all functionality in-house.

Question 9

Your project is experiencing scope creep due to informal requests from stakeholders. The project manager wants to establish better control. Which TWO actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Implement a formal change control process and educate stakeholders on how to submit change requests. Option D is correct because implementing a formal change control process gives the project manager a structured, documented way to evaluate, approve, or reject change requests, and educating stakeholders on how to submit them channels informal requests into that controlled workflow, directly addressing the scope creep. Option E is correct because the scope management plan defines how scope is defined, validated, and controlled, so reviewing and updating it to clarify the change-handling procedure establishes the governance needed to prevent uncontrolled scope expansion. Option A is not appropriate because categorically declining all requests ignores legitimate changes and bypasses proper evaluation rather than controlling them. Option B is wrong because increasing the budget does not control scope and may even encourage further creep. Option C is wrong because accommodating undocumented low-effort requests perpetuates informal changes and undermines the very control the project manager is trying to establish.

Answer

Politely decline all additional requests from stakeholders

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Increase the project budget to accommodate potential changes

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Ask the team to accommodate small requests without documentation if they are low effort

Question 10

You are managing a project using a predictive approach. A key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time, which will impact the critical path. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the schedule impact and evaluate options such as crashing or fast-tracking. In a predictive project, the first step when a critical path delay is identified is to analyze the schedule impact and evaluate recovery options like crashing or fast-tracking. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's 'Plan Schedule Management' and 'Control Schedule' processes, where you assess the variance and determine corrective actions before escalating. Immediately notifying stakeholders or switching vendors without understanding the impact could lead to unnecessary panic or premature decisions.

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Immediately notify the project sponsor and stakeholders about the delay

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Instruct the procurement team to find a new vendor

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Update the risk register and move on

Question 11

An executive stakeholder bypasses the project manager and directly instructs a team member to work on a new feature not in the project scope. The team member is confused. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Tell the executive stakeholder that they must go through the PM for all requests. The project manager must first address the governance breach by directly communicating with the executive stakeholder to reinforce the established communication management plan. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's principle that all formal requests should flow through the project manager to maintain scope control and prevent unauthorized work. The immediate action is to clarify the process, not to escalate or submit a change request without understanding the stakeholder's intent.

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Reprimand the team member for following instructions without consulting the PM

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Instruct the team member to ignore the executive's request

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Submit a change request for the new feature

Question 12

A project manager is building a new project team. Several team members have never worked together before. The project manager wants to accelerate team development and improve collaboration. Which approach is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Organize a team kickoff workshop with icebreakers and create a team charter together. A kickoff workshop with icebreakers and a collaboratively created team charter accelerates Tuckman's forming and storming stages by building trust, clarifying roles, and establishing shared norms and ground rules up front. Co-creating the charter gives team members ownership and reduces later conflict over expectations, which is especially valuable when members have never worked together.

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Assign tasks individually and monitor progress closely

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Send the team to a formal training on teamwork

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Let the team naturally develop norms over time without intervention

Question 13

Your project is 50% complete and 15% over budget. Earned value analysis shows CPI = 0.85 and SPI = 0.95. The team is demoralized due to recent layoffs in the company. An executive suggests reducing the project scope to cut costs. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis of the proposed scope reduction and submit a change request. The correct first step is to perform an impact analysis of the proposed scope reduction and submit a change request. As a project manager, you must follow the formal change control process: any change to scope, even if suggested by an executive, requires an analysis of its impact on cost, schedule, quality, and risks before any decision is made. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance that scope changes must be evaluated through a change request to ensure informed decision-making and maintain project baselines.

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Update the project management plan to reflect the new budget constraints

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Decline the suggestion and implement cost reduction measures elsewhere

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Agree to reduce scope to meet the budget, as suggested by the executive

Question 14

Your project is in execution phase, and a key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time due to a supply chain disruption. This risk was identified in the risk register and a contingency plan was developed. The project timeline is tight, and any delay will impact the critical path. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan as documented in the risk register and communicate with stakeholders. The risk was already identified and a contingency plan exists in the risk register. The first action should be to implement that plan, as it was pre-approved for this exact scenario. Communicating with stakeholders is also essential to manage expectations and coordinate next steps, especially since the delay impacts the critical path.

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Immediately find an alternative vendor who can deliver on time

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Re-baseline the project schedule to accommodate the delay

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Alert the project sponsor about the delay and ask for additional time

Question 15

You are managing a hybrid project to develop a new mobile app. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for integrating a third-party API. The disagreement is causing tension and delaying progress. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution. In a hybrid project using agile practices, the project manager's first responsibility when a conflict arises is to address it directly by facilitating a resolution, which starts with listening to both parties' perspectives. Scheduling a meeting with both developers allows the PM to understand the technical disagreement, mediate, and guide the team toward a consensus, preserving team cohesion and progress. This aligns with PMP's emphasis on servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and conflict management.

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Ignore the argument and hope it resolves on its own

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Escalate the issue to the functional managers of the developers

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Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly