PMP Practice Test 40 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a new feature that was not in the backlog. The team estimates it will take 5 days to implement. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request and assess the impact on the project baseline.. In a hybrid environment, any scope change must follow the defined change control process. Option D is correct because the PM should document the request and follow the formal process. Option A bypasses governance; Option B ignores the request prematurely; Option C adds work without approval.

Answer

Tell the product owner that no changes are allowed until the project is completed.

Answer

Ask the team to include it in the next sprint and inform the product owner.

Answer

Add the feature to the current sprint as it's small and the team can handle it.

Question 2

A team member consistently misses deadlines, causing delays in the sprint. The project manager has had informal conversations, but the issue persists. What is the BEST next step?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a formal meeting to discuss the issue, set clear expectations, and document the conversation.. The PM should follow the performance management process, starting with a documented conversation. Option B is correct. Option A escalates too quickly; Option C avoids the issue; Option D is too drastic.

Answer

Reassign the work to other team members to avoid delays.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the team member's functional manager for disciplinary action.

Answer

Remove the team member from the project and request a replacement.

Question 3

Your project is using a hybrid approach. During the execution phase, you notice that the cost performance index (CPI) is 0.8 and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 1.1. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and ahead of schedule. Option D is correct. CPI < 1 means the project is over budget; SPI > 1 means it is ahead of schedule. Option A is wrong because both are not favorable. Option B is wrong because SPI > 1. Option C is wrong because CPI < 1.

Answer

The project is under budget and behind schedule

Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Question 4

You are the project manager for a construction project. During excavation, the team discovers an undocumented underground utility line that was not shown on any plans. This could delay the project and increase costs. Which TWO actions should you take FIRST? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Update the risk register with this new risk. Options A and D are correct. A: The risk register should be updated with this new risk. D: The project management plan may need to be updated to reflect changes in approach. Option B is not first; stop work pending assessment. Option C is reactive; root cause analysis is for after response. Option E is premature; the impact should be assessed first.

Answer

Stop all work until the utility line is removed

Answer

Immediately notify the local utility company to remove the line

Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis to determine why it was missed

Question 5

Your project is 50% complete, and your earned value analysis shows: EV = $200,000, PV = $220,000, AC = $240,000. Based on this data, what is the most accurate assessment of the project's performance?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule. CPI = EV/AC = 200,000/240,000 = 0.833 (over budget); SPI = EV/PV = 200,000/220,000 = 0.909 (behind schedule). The project is both over budget and behind schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is over budget but ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is under budget but behind schedule

Question 6

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the customer expresses dissatisfaction with a recently delivered feature, stating it does not meet their expectations. The feature was built according to the approved requirements. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the customer to clarify their expectations and document the issue in an issue log for further analysis. Option C is correct because the first step is to understand the customer's perspective and document the issue formally. Option A is wrong because it assumes the requirements are wrong without investigation. Option B is wrong because ignoring the customer is not proactive. Option D is wrong because escalating before understanding is premature.

Answer

Immediately escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

Answer

Explain to the customer that the feature was delivered as per the approved requirements and no changes are possible

Answer

Ask the team to revise the requirements document to match the customer's expectations

Question 7

You are managing a project that is 15% over budget at the midpoint. The earned value (EV) is $100,000, actual cost (AC) is $115,000, and planned value (PV) is $110,000. What is the most likely reason for the cost variance?

Accepted Answer

Costs are higher than planned for the work performed. Option B is correct because AC > EV and AC > PV indicates cost overrun. Option A is wrong because EV is less than PV, indicating behind schedule, not ahead. Option C is wrong because the project is behind schedule, not ahead. Option D is wrong because scope increase would likely increase EV as well.

Answer

The project is ahead of schedule

Answer

The project is under budget

Answer

The scope was increased without adjusting the budget

Question 8

A project is halfway through its schedule. The earned value (EV) is $50,000, planned value (PV) is $60,000, and actual cost (AC) is $70,000. The project manager calculates the cost performance index (CPI) and schedule performance index (SPI). Based on these metrics, what is the most likely situation?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule.. CPI = EV/AC = 50,000/70,000 = 0.71 (over budget), SPI = EV/PV = 50,000/60,000 = 0.83 (behind schedule). The project is both over budget and behind schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget but behind schedule.

Answer

The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.

Answer

The project is over budget but ahead of schedule.

Question 9

You are a project manager for a software development project using Scrum. The product owner has been pressuring the team to increase velocity and deliver more features per sprint. The team feels overwhelmed and quality has started to suffer. Which TWO actions should the project manager take to address this situation?

Accepted Answer

Involve the team in sprint planning to ensure they commit to a realistic amount of work.. The correct actions are to facilitate a discussion between the product owner and the team about sustainable pace and to involve the team in estimating and planning. These empower the team and ensure realistic commitments.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to meet the product owner's expectations.

Answer

Encourage the team to reduce testing to save time.

Answer

Add more team members to the project to increase capacity.

Question 10

You are managing a project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint, the development team discovers a critical security vulnerability that was not identified during risk planning. The fix will require significant rework and will cause the sprint goal to be missed. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Perform an impact analysis and submit a change request to address the vulnerability. Option C is correct: the PM should assess the impact and then submit a change request. Option A is wrong because proceeding without addressing the vulnerability is risky. Option B is wrong because the PM should not bypass change control. Option D is wrong because the team should not act without approval.

Answer

Instruct the team to fix the vulnerability immediately without formal change control

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to fix the vulnerability while still achieving the sprint goal

Answer

Allow the team to continue with the sprint and address the vulnerability in a future sprint

Question 11

You are managing a marketing campaign project using an agile approach. During the daily standup, a developer mentions they have started working on a feature that was not agreed upon in sprint planning. The product owner is not aware of this work. What should you do as the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Remind the team that only items from the sprint backlog should be worked on, and ask the developer to stop and discuss with the product owner after the standup. Option A is correct because the Scrum Master should ensure that only planned work is done during the sprint. Option B is wrong because it allows scope creep. Option C is wrong because the product owner should be informed first. Option D is wrong because the team should not work on unplanned items without agreement.

Answer

Allow the developer to continue because the feature might add value

Answer

Ask the developer to work on the feature after the current sprint

Answer

Add the feature to the product backlog and ignore it for now

Question 12

Your project is experiencing scope creep due to informal change requests from stakeholders. Which TWO actions should you take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Review the change management plan with stakeholders and remind them of the formal change control process. Options B and D are correct. Option B reinforces the change control process. Option D ensures documentation. Option A is wrong because the PM should communicate with stakeholders, not just the team. Option C is wrong because the sponsor is not the first point of contact. Option E is wrong because ignoring requests is not proactive.

Answer

Tell the project team to reject any work not approved by you

Answer

Ignore informal requests until a formal change request is submitted

Answer

Ask the project sponsor to intervene and stop stakeholders from making requests

Question 13

A project manager is reviewing the quality metrics of a software development project. The testing team has found that the defect rate has increased significantly in the last two builds. What is the first action the project manager should take?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis to identify why the defect rate increased.. The PM should first investigate the root cause before taking corrective action. Option B is correct because it follows the quality management process.

Answer

Increase the testing resources to catch more defects.

Answer

Ask the development team to redo the last two builds.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor.

Question 14

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the customer is delighted with the product but requests several enhancements that were not in the original backlog. The team estimates these would add two sprints to the schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Document the request and submit a change request through the change control process. The correct approach is to log the request and follow the change control process. Option A is correct. Option B bypasses change control; Option C ignores the request and may cause dissatisfaction; Option D assumes approval without assessment.

Answer

Add the enhancements to the product backlog and prioritize them for the next sprint

Answer

Instruct the team to begin work on the enhancements immediately to maintain customer satisfaction

Answer

Thank the customer for the feedback and explain that the project scope is frozen

Question 15

In a Scrum project, the team's velocity has been declining over the last three sprints. The project manager (also the Scrum Master) notices that team morale seems low. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify the root causes of the decline. Option A is correct: the Scrum Master should facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes. Option B is wrong because adding tasks doesn't address morale. Option C is wrong because the PM should not impose solutions without team input. Option D is wrong because the team should self-organize.

Answer

Replace the underperforming team members

Answer

Add more tasks to the backlog to increase the team's focus

Answer

Assign a senior developer to monitor the team's work