PMP Practice Test 44 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are the project manager for a software upgrade project. The team is using a hybrid approach with two-week sprints. During sprint planning, the product owner wants to include a user story that the team believes is too large to complete in one sprint. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate breaking the story down into smaller, manageable stories for the sprint. Option B and D are correct. B: Breaking down the story into smaller pieces is a standard agile technique. D: Documenting and managing the expectation through the change control process ensures alignment. A is wrong because not all stories can be completed in one sprint; C is wrong because the team should estimate; E is wrong because the story should be refined, not rejected outright.

Answer

Remove the story from the backlog since it cannot be completed in one sprint

Answer

Accept the story without changes and adjust the sprint duration

Answer

Insist that the team commit to the story to satisfy the product owner

Question 2

During an agile project, the product owner frequently changes priorities during the sprint, causing the team to lose focus and miss sprint goals. The team expresses frustration in the retrospective. As the project manager, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on the importance of not changing priorities during a sprint to protect the team's focus. Option A is correct because the product owner should respect the sprint backlog and not change priorities once the sprint starts. The PM should coach the product owner on agile principles. Option B is wrong because the team should not ignore the product owner; collaboration is key. Option C is wrong because adding buffer time does not address the root cause. Option D is wrong because extending the sprint without addressing the issue may lead to further disruptions.

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore the product owner's changes until the next sprint planning

Answer

Add a buffer to the sprint backlog to accommodate potential changes

Answer

Extend the sprint duration to allow the team to accommodate changes

Question 3

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the customer expresses satisfaction but requests a small additional feature that was not in the original backlog. The team believes it can be completed in two days without affecting the critical path. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board for evaluation and approval.. According to PMI, any change to scope must go through the change control process. Even if the change seems small, it requires formal evaluation and approval to prevent scope creep and ensure all impacts are considered.

Answer

Ask the team to implement the feature and document it as a scope change later.

Answer

Inform the customer that no changes are allowed after the sprint review.

Answer

Approve the request since it is small and won't affect the schedule.

Question 4

During project execution, a team member discovers a defect in a deliverable that was completed two weeks ago. The defect is minor and can be fixed quickly, but fixing it will require rework that is not in the current sprint. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Log the defect in the issue log and decide with the team whether to fix it now or in a future sprint.. The defect should be documented in the issue log, and the team should determine whether to fix it immediately or in a future sprint based on priority. PMI emphasizes documenting and tracking issues.

Answer

Ignore the defect since it is minor and does not affect functionality.

Answer

Fix the defect immediately to avoid a potential quality issue.

Answer

Report the defect to the change control board to get approval for rework.

Question 5

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that a third-party API integration is more complex than anticipated and will take an extra two days. The sprint ends in four days. The product owner is not in the meeting. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Help the team assess the impact and discuss options to adjust the sprint backlog, then inform the product owner.. The scrum master should facilitate the team in adjusting the sprint backlog and then communicate the impact to the product owner for reprioritization.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project manager immediately.

Answer

Remove the task from the sprint and add it to the backlog.

Answer

Tell the developer to work overtime to complete the task on time.

Question 6

Your agile team's velocity has dropped over the last three sprints. During the retrospective, the team cites increasing technical debt and lack of automated testing. Which TWO actions should you take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Allocate time each sprint to address technical debt and improve code quality.. To improve velocity, the team should allocate time to reduce technical debt (e.g., refactoring) and implement automated testing to improve efficiency.

Answer

Reduce the definition of done to skip testing.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to complete more story points.

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase capacity.

Question 7

Your project is using a hybrid approach with both predictive and agile elements. The team is struggling with the daily standup because some members treat it as a status report for management. Which THREE actions should you take to improve the standup?

Accepted Answer

Enforce the 15-minute timebox to keep the meeting efficient. Option A is correct because the standup is for the team, not management. Option B is correct because focusing on impediments and collaboration improves effectiveness. Option D is correct because the timebox keeps the standup concise. Option C is wrong because the product owner can attend but should not run it. Option E is wrong because canceling the standup is not recommended.

Answer

Cancel the standup and replace it with a weekly status meeting

Answer

Ask the product owner to run the standup to keep it focused

Question 8

You are the project manager for a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner requests a change that would add a new feature to the current release. The team estimates it will take two additional sprints. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request through the Integrated Change Control process to assess the impact on scope, schedule, cost, and quality. Option D is correct because PMI requires all changes to go through Integrated Change Control to evaluate impact on scope, schedule, cost, and quality before approval. Option A bypasses formal control. Option B rejects without analysis. Option C ignores governance.

Answer

Ask the team to start working on the new feature immediately to meet the stakeholder's needs

Answer

Explain that no changes can be made after the sprint review to maintain the schedule

Answer

Add the feature to the backlog and prioritize it for the next release without further analysis

Question 9

Your project is using a predictive lifecycle. The team has identified a potential risk that could cause a two-week delay. The risk has a probability of 30% and an impact of $50,000. The project has a contingency reserve of $100,000. What is the most appropriate risk response?

Accepted Answer

Add the risk to the risk register, monitor it, and prepare a contingency plan. Option A is correct: The risk is moderate; monitoring and preparing a contingency plan is appropriate. Option B is overly conservative, C is premature, D is reactive.

Answer

Transfer the risk to the customer through a contract clause

Answer

Accept the risk and take no further action, since the contingency reserve is sufficient

Answer

Immediately allocate $50,000 from the contingency reserve to mitigate the risk

Question 10

A team member consistently misses deadlines, causing delays in dependent tasks. During a one-on-one meeting, the team member admits to feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to prioritize work. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Provide coaching and training on time management and prioritization techniques. Option C is correct because the root cause is a skill gap in prioritization, so the PM should provide support through training or coaching. Option A is wrong because reassigning tasks without addressing the root cause may not solve the problem. Option B is wrong because formal escalation should be a last resort. Option D is wrong because notifying the sponsor prematurely bypasses the PM's responsibility to manage the team.

Answer

Reassign the team member's tasks to other team members to avoid further delays

Answer

Inform the project sponsor that a team member is underperforming and may need to be replaced

Answer

Formally document the issue in the team member's performance record

Question 11

You are managing a project that has a cost performance index (CPI) of 0.8 and a schedule performance index (SPI) of 1.1. The project is behind schedule? The earned value data shows EV = $80,000, PV = $72,727, and AC = $100,000. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the cost variance to identify root causes, such as inefficiencies or inaccurate estimates. Options A, C, and E are correct. A: The cost variance is negative ($20,000), so investigate the root cause. C: The project is ahead of schedule (SPI>1), but cost overruns may be due to fast-tracking; consider schedule compression techniques that are more cost-effective. E: The overrun could be due to scope creep; ensure all changes go through change control. Option B is incorrect because the project is ahead of schedule, not behind. Option D is incorrect because reducing scope unilaterally is not appropriate without change control.

Answer

Reduce the project scope to cut costs

Answer

Implement schedule compression techniques like crashing to bring the schedule back on track

Question 12

You are managing a project to build a new mobile application. An executive stakeholder has been bypassing you and giving direct instructions to team members, causing rework and confusion. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the executive stakeholder to discuss the importance of following the communication plan.. The PM should address the issue directly with the stakeholder to clarify roles and communication protocols. This is a stakeholder management and communication issue that requires a proactive conversation.

Answer

Send an email to all stakeholders reminding them to communicate through the project manager.

Answer

Update the communications management plan to include stricter protocols.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to intervene.

Question 13

You are managing a construction project. During a quality audit, you find that the concrete used in the foundation does not meet the specified strength requirements. The team has already poured the concrete. The project is on a tight schedule, and rework will delay the project by three weeks. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to perform rework and update the project management plan accordingly.. Since the non-conformance has been identified, the next step is to create a corrective action request and follow the change control process to address the issue properly.

Answer

Reinforce the concrete to meet strength requirements without removing it.

Answer

Instruct the team to continue work and document the deviation as a lesson learned.

Answer

Replace the project manager responsible for quality control.

Question 14

You are closing a project phase. Which THREE activities should be performed during the project closure process?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a lessons learned session with the team.. Project closure includes obtaining formal acceptance, archiving documents, and conducting lessons learned. Updating the risk register is done throughout the project, and team performance appraisals may be done separately.

Answer

Evaluate team member performance and provide feedback.

Answer

Update the risk register with residual risks.

Question 15

You are managing a marketing campaign project. Midway, you discover that the team has been working on additional features requested by the sales director without formal approval. The project is now 10% over budget. Which TWO actions should you take FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the sales director to explain the change control process and the consequences. Option A is correct because the unauthorized changes must be documented and assessed. Option B is correct because the sales director must be informed of the impact. Option C is wrong because the issue should be addressed with the director, not the sponsor immediately. Option D is wrong because accepting without correction may not be appropriate. Option E is wrong because reporting without resolution first is premature.

Answer

Accept the changes and update the project baseline accordingly

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Report the budget overrun to the finance department immediately