PMP Practice Test 5 — 10 Questions

Question 1

Your project is in the execution phase when a key risk event from the risk register occurs: a critical team member resigns unexpectedly. You need to minimize the impact on the project. Which THREE actions should you take?

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

Accepted Answer

Implement the planned risk response from the risk register. The risk register contains a pre-planned risk response for this identified risk event. Implementing that response is the most efficient and effective way to minimize impact, as it was designed and approved during risk planning. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on executing risk responses during the execution phase.

Answer

Inform the sponsor and ask for a project extension

Answer

Immediately hire a replacement with the same skills

Question 2

A project team is composed of members from diverse cultural backgrounds. The PM notices that some team members are not voicing their opinions in meetings due to cultural norms. What is the BEST approach to foster inclusion?

Accepted Answer

Implement anonymous polling or virtual collaboration tools for input. It addresses the root cause of the issue—cultural norms that discourage direct verbal participation—by providing an alternative, low-pressure channel for input. Anonymous polling and virtual collaboration tools (e.g., real-time chat, shared documents) allow team members to contribute without violating their cultural norms, thereby fostering inclusion without forcing confrontation. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on adapting communication styles and leveraging technology to create a psychologically safe environment.

Answer

Pair team members from similar cultures to encourage participation

Answer

Document the issue and ignore it if it does not affect project outcomes

Answer

Ask each team member directly for their opinion during meetings

Question 3

A project manager is forming a new project team. To build a high-performing team, the project manager wants to establish clear expectations for behavior and communication. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a team charter workshop to collaboratively define ground rules, values, and communication protocols. A team charter workshop is a collaborative, facilitated process where the team collectively defines ground rules, values, and communication protocols. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on building a high-performing team through mutual agreement and shared ownership, which fosters trust and reduces ambiguity in behavior and communication from the start.

Answer

Create a detailed project schedule and assign tasks immediately

Answer

Ask each team member to submit a list of their personal expectations

Answer

Send an email listing team rules and ask for acknowledgment

Question 4

Your agile team's velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. The team says they are overwhelmed by the number of user stories and that the definition of 'done' keeps changing. As the Scrum Master (project manager), what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a sprint retrospective to identify the causes of the velocity drop and collaboratively develop an improvement plan. The Scrum Master's first responsibility is to facilitate a retrospective to uncover the root causes of the velocity drop and the changing definition of 'done.' This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on leading the team through collaborative problem-solving rather than imposing top-down solutions. The team's feedback about being overwhelmed and the shifting 'done' criteria indicates a process breakdown that requires team-driven improvement.

Answer

Reduce the sprint backlog to lower the team's workload

Answer

Ask the functional manager to add more developers to the team

Answer

Ask the product owner to prioritize fewer stories in the next sprint

Question 5

Your project team is experiencing conflict between two senior members who have different opinions on the technical approach. The conflict is starting to affect the entire team's morale. Which THREE actions should you take to resolve the conflict effectively?

Accepted Answer

Use a collaborative problem-solving approach to find a win-win solution. Collaborative problem-solving directly addresses the root cause of the conflict by seeking a win-win solution that satisfies both senior members' technical concerns. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on conflict resolution techniques that preserve team relationships and leverage diverse expertise to improve the technical approach. By focusing on mutual gains, you avoid the morale damage of a win-lose outcome and foster a culture of shared ownership.

Answer

Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor for resolution

Answer

Make a unilateral decision on the technical approach to end the conflict quickly

Question 6

During a sprint planning meeting, the product owner proposes a user story that the team believes is too vague and lacks clear acceptance criteria. The product owner insists it must be included in the sprint to meet a stakeholder deadline. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion to refine the story with the product owner and team, and suggest splitting it. The Scrum Master's primary responsibility is to facilitate collaboration and ensure the team works with clear, actionable items. By facilitating a discussion to refine the story and suggesting splitting it, the Scrum Master helps the team achieve a shared understanding and create acceptance criteria, while still addressing the stakeholder deadline. This approach aligns with the Agile principle of delivering value incrementally and avoids committing to vague work that could lead to rework or failure.

Answer

Accept the story as is to meet the deadline

Answer

Escalate to the project sponsor

Answer

Remove the product owner from the meeting

Question 7

A project team member has been underperforming for several weeks. You have had informal conversations with them, but performance has not improved. What should you do next?

Accepted Answer

Initiate a formal performance improvement plan with clear expectations and milestones. After informal coaching has failed, the project manager must follow a structured performance management process. Initiating a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with clear expectations, measurable milestones, and a defined timeline aligns with the PMBOK Guide's principles for leading the team and managing performance issues. This approach provides the underperforming team member with a documented opportunity to improve while protecting the project's objectives.

Answer

Ignore the underperformance and hope it resolves on its own

Answer

Immediately replace the team member with a new resource

Answer

Escalate the issue to human resources for termination

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 significant change to a feature that has already been accepted in a previous sprint. The change would require rework and impact the critical path. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request and evaluate the impact on the project constraints. In a hybrid project, changes to accepted deliverables must follow a formal change control process. Submitting a change request (Option B) ensures the impact on the critical path, schedule, and budget is evaluated before any rework begins, aligning with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on integrated change control.

Answer

Add the change to the product backlog for a future sprint without formal approval

Answer

Instruct the team to implement the change immediately to maintain stakeholder satisfaction

Answer

Reject the change because the feature was already accepted

Question 9

A project manager is leading a large, distributed team. Several team members have expressed feeling isolated and disconnected from the project's goals. The project manager wants to improve team cohesion and motivation. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Create a team charter with agreed-upon communication norms, shared values, and goals. Creating a team charter establishes a foundational agreement on communication norms, shared values, and goals, which directly addresses the root cause of isolation and disconnection in a distributed team. This aligns with the PMP People domain's emphasis on building a cohesive team environment through collaborative rule-setting before implementing tactical solutions.

Answer

Implement daily stand-up meetings to increase communication

Answer

Send a motivational email to the team emphasizing the project's importance

Answer

Organize an in-person team-building event to boost morale

Question 10

Your project is using a hybrid approach with both predictive and agile elements. The team is working on a critical feature that has a high degree of uncertainty. The product owner wants to use a time-boxed sprint to explore the feature. However, the sponsor insists on a detailed upfront plan. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the sponsor and product owner to agree on a hybrid approach that includes both planning and exploration. The project manager must facilitate a collaborative resolution between the sponsor and product owner to define a hybrid approach that balances upfront planning with iterative exploration. This aligns with the PMI's principle of stakeholder engagement and adaptive planning, where the team uses a time-boxed sprint (e.g., a 2-week spike) to reduce technical uncertainty while still producing a lightweight roadmap for the sponsor. The hybrid model allows for a high-level plan (e.g., a release plan with milestones) and a detailed backlog for the exploratory sprint, satisfying both parties without sacrificing agility.

Answer

Escalate the disagreement to senior management

Answer

Follow the sponsor's directive and create a detailed plan

Answer

Use a time-boxed sprint without informing the sponsor