PMP Practice Test 41 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During the execution phase of a construction project, two senior engineers have a heated disagreement over the technical approach for a critical structural component. The conflict is causing delays and affecting team morale. As the project manager, what should you do FIRST?

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

Accepted Answer

Meet with each engineer separately to understand their perspectives. The PM should first gather facts privately from each engineer to understand the root cause of the technical disagreement without escalating emotions. This aligns with the PMP's conflict resolution process, which starts with data collection before any collaborative or directive action. Addressing the conflict openly or unilaterally could damage trust and miss critical technical nuances.

Answer

Call a team meeting to resolve the conflict openly

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Make a decision yourself based on your technical expertise

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Ask the sponsor to mediate the conflict

Question 2

Your project is in the planning phase, and you are developing the risk management plan. Which THREE tools or techniques should you use to identify risks?

Accepted Answer

SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).. SWOT analysis (B) is a recognized risk identification technique that examines internal Strengths and Weaknesses and external Opportunities and Threats to surface potential project risks. Brainstorming sessions (C) gather stakeholders and team members to generate a broad list of possible risks through open, creative discussion. The Delphi technique (D) is an anonymous expert-consensus method used during risk identification to reduce bias and converge on risks that experts agree are significant. Option A is incorrect here because the risk register is an output (documentation) of the Identify Risks process, not a tool or technique. Option E is incorrect because the probability and impact matrix is a tool used in Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis to prioritize already-identified risks, not to identify them.

Answer

Creating a risk register to document identified risks.

Answer

Probability and impact matrix for ranking risks.

Question 3

Your project is in the execution phase and you discover that a key vendor will not deliver a critical component on time due to production issues. This risk was identified and documented in the risk register with a response plan to mitigate by having a backup vendor. However, the backup vendor requires a contract amendment that will take two weeks to approve. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Initiate the contract amendment process with the backup vendor while assessing schedule impact.. The risk has occurred, and the first step is to execute the planned risk response. Initiating the backup vendor contract amendment is the proactive action aligned with the risk response plan.

Answer

Inform the sponsor and stakeholders immediately about the delay and its impact.

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Update the risk register and document the issue without taking action yet.

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Ask the original vendor to expedite production even if it costs more.

Question 4

During a project status meeting, an executive stakeholder informs the team that they have instructed a developer to add a new feature to the product without going through the change control process. The developer has already completed the work. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Document the change and submit a retroactive change request to the change control board. Since the work is already complete, the PM cannot undo it without causing disruption; the correct next step is to bring the change under governance by documenting it and submitting a retroactive change request to the CCB. This preserves the integrity of the change control process while acknowledging reality.

Answer

Inform the executive that this violates the change control process and ignore the change

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Remove the new feature from the product

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Ask the executive to reverse the change immediately

Question 5

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical design of a feature. The argument is causing tension and delaying the review. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Intervene calmly, acknowledge both viewpoints, and suggest discussing the matter offline after the review. As the project manager, your first responsibility is to restore order and keep the sprint review productive. By calmly acknowledging both viewpoints and suggesting an offline discussion, you de-escalate the conflict without derailing the review or taking sides. This aligns with the PMI People domain principle of addressing interpersonal conflict early and constructively, while preserving the team's focus on the sprint goal.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

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End the meeting early and schedule a separate session to resolve the conflict

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Ignore the argument and continue the review, hoping it resolves on its own

Question 6

In a project closure phase, you are preparing the lessons learned report. The project performed well, but some stakeholders were dissatisfied with the communication frequency. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Document the communication issue and recommend a more frequent communication plan for future projects. The lessons learned report is the appropriate repository for capturing stakeholder feedback on communication frequency, and recommending a more frequent communication plan for future projects directly addresses the root cause of dissatisfaction. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on using lessons learned to improve organizational process assets, particularly in the context of project communications management.

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Add the feedback to the issue log for resolution

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Focus only on technical successes and omit the communication issue

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Explain to stakeholders that communication was adequate and disregard their feedback

Question 7

In a hybrid project, the project sponsor asks you to skip the testing phase to meet the deadline. The product is critical for an upcoming trade show. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping testing and propose reducing the scope of testing to high-risk areas only. The project manager should explain the risks of skipping testing and propose a risk-based compromise, such as reducing testing scope to high-risk areas only. This addresses the sponsor's deadline concern while preserving quality for the most critical functionality. It demonstrates professional responsibility and stakeholder engagement rather than outright refusal or blind compliance.

Answer

Tell the sponsor that testing is mandatory and cannot be skipped

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Skip testing as requested to meet the deadline

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Ask the quality assurance manager to decide

Question 8

You are the project manager for a large infrastructure project. The sponsor has requested that the team skip the quality assurance review for the next deliverable to save two weeks and meet an aggressive deadline. The deliverable is critical to the next phase. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the consequences of skipping QA to the sponsor and propose schedule compression alternatives to meet the deadline without compromising quality. As the project manager, you have a fiduciary duty to protect the quality of deliverables, especially when they are critical to the next phase. Skipping quality assurance (QA) introduces technical debt and potential rework that could delay the project more than the two weeks saved. By explaining the consequences and proposing schedule compression alternatives (e.g., fast-tracking or crashing), you uphold quality standards while addressing the sponsor's deadline concern.

Answer

Comply with the sponsor's request since they have authority over the project

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Skip the QA review but document the risk in the issue log

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Ask the sponsor to put the request in writing to protect yourself

Question 9

Your project is in the execution phase, and you discover that a key vendor will deliver a critical component two weeks late, impacting the critical path. The contract does not include penalties for late delivery. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact on the project schedule and consider schedule compression techniques like fast-tracking or crashing. The project manager should first evaluate the impact of the vendor delay on the project schedule and then consider schedule compression techniques like fast-tracking or crashing. This is a proactive, analytical step that aligns with PMP's emphasis on assessing before acting. It allows the PM to develop options and make informed decisions before escalating or accepting the delay.

Answer

Escalate the issue to senior management immediately

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Enforce penalty clauses in the contract to motivate the vendor

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Accept the delay and inform stakeholders that the project will be late

Question 10

A project is 60% complete. The earned value (EV) is $120,000, the planned value (PV) is $150,000, and the actual cost (AC) is $130,000. What is the cost performance index (CPI) and what does it indicate?

Accepted Answer

CPI = 0.92; the project is over budget. The Cost Performance Index (CPI) is calculated as EV/AC = $120,000 / $130,000 = 0.92. A CPI less than 1.0 indicates that the project is over budget, meaning for every dollar spent, only $0.92 of value is earned. Option D correctly identifies both the CPI value and the over-budget status.

Answer

CPI = 0.80; the project is under budget

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CPI = 1.08; the project is under budget

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CPI = 0.92; the project is behind schedule

Question 11

A project manager is defining the benefits management plan. Which TWO of the following are key components of a benefits management plan?

Accepted Answer

Metrics for measuring benefits and the timing of measurement.. The benefits management plan must define how benefits will be measured (e.g., KPIs, metrics) and when those measurements will occur (e.g., post-implementation review milestones). This ensures objective verification that the expected benefits have been realized. Option C is correct because the plan must explicitly state the target benefits (e.g., cost savings, revenue increase) and demonstrate how they align with the organization's strategic objectives, ensuring the project delivers value beyond its deliverables.

Answer

Work breakdown structure (WBS) for benefit delivery.

Answer

Business case assumptions and constraints.

Answer

Project charter approval signatures.

Question 12

You are leading a Scrum team. For the past three sprints, the team has consistently completed all committed user stories. The product owner wants to increase the team's velocity by 20%. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify process improvements that could sustainably increase velocity. In Scrum, velocity is a measured outcome, not a target that can be mandated. The correct approach is to facilitate a retrospective where the team inspects its process and identifies improvements that could sustainably increase throughput, such as reducing technical debt, improving automation, or refining backlog items. This respects the empirical nature of Scrum and the team's self-managing authority over how work is done.

Answer

Reduce the definition of done to skip testing activities

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Instruct the team to commit to more stories each sprint

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Ask the team to estimate stories with lower story points to increase velocity

Question 13

During a sprint retrospective, the team expresses frustration that they are frequently interrupted by unplanned work from other departments. The project manager wants to improve team focus. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Meet with other department managers to negotiate dedicated team time and establish a process for handling requests. It addresses the root cause of the team's frustration by negotiating dedicated team time with other departments and establishing a formal process for handling unplanned work requests. This aligns with the servant leadership approach in the People domain, where the project manager acts as a buffer and facilitator to protect the team's focus and productivity, rather than imposing a technical fix that ignores the systemic issue.

Answer

Increase the sprint duration to accommodate unplanned work

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Tell the team to ignore unplanned work requests

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Add a daily stand-up to discuss unplanned work

Question 14

An executive stakeholder bypasses the project manager and directly assigns work to a team member. The team member is now overloaded and missing sprint commitments. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the executive stakeholder to explain the impact and request that all work requests go through the project manager.. The project manager should first meet with the executive stakeholder to explain the impact of bypassing the project manager and request that all work requests go through proper channels. This addresses the root cause directly, preserves the relationship, and reinforces the project manager's authority without escalating prematurely. It is the most proactive and professional first step.

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Escalate to the sponsor about the executive's interference.

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Update the risk register and monitor for further occurrences.

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Assign the extra work to another team member to balance the load.

Question 15

A project manager discovers that a team member has been working on a feature that was not approved. The feature is not in the scope statement. What should the PM do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Stop the work immediately and assess the impact on the project. The correct first action is to stop the unauthorized work immediately to prevent further scope creep and resource waste. The project manager must then assess the impact on the project's schedule, budget, and quality before deciding on any corrective actions. This aligns with the PMBOK's guidance on managing scope changes and preventing gold plating.

Answer

Allow the team member to finish the feature since it adds value

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Report the team member to HR for disciplinary action

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Add the feature to the project scope and update the scope statement