PMP Practice Test 50 — 15 Questions

Question 1

In a hybrid project, the team is struggling with unclear requirements. The project manager wants to improve the situation. Which THREE actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a requirements workshop with key stakeholders to clarify and prioritize. In a hybrid project with unclear requirements, the project manager should take actions that promote collaboration and iterative clarification. Option C (conducting a requirements workshop with key stakeholders) helps clarify and prioritize requirements through direct interaction. Option D (regular backlog refinement sessions) is an agile practice that allows the team to break down and clarify user stories consistently. Option E (increasing communication with the product owner) ensures the product owner provides well-defined requirements before each sprint. Option A is incorrect because assigning a business analyst does not directly address the team's struggle with unclear requirements and may bypass collaborative clarification. Option B is incorrect because creating a detailed requirements document and requiring sign-off adds process overhead and contradicts the hybrid approach which values iterative refinement over upfront detail.

Answer

Request the project sponsor to assign a business analyst to the project

Answer

Create a detailed requirements document and require sign-off before any work begins

Question 2

You are leading a virtual team across three time zones. Team members have expressed feeling isolated and disconnected. Which THREE actions would best improve team cohesion and collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Schedule overlapping work hours for real-time collaboration. The correct actions to improve team cohesion in a virtual team across time zones are B, C, and E. B: Scheduling overlapping work hours enables real-time collaboration, fostering interaction. C: Video conferencing adds a personal touch, reducing feelings of isolation. E: Virtual team-building activities build relationships and trust. A is wrong because email is asynchronous and does not promote immediate interaction or bonding. D is wrong because assigning all work individually increases isolation and reduces collaborative opportunities.

Answer

Encourage team members to communicate primarily via email

Answer

Assign all work individually to minimize coordination overhead

Question 3

You are leading a virtual team using a hybrid methodology. A team member from another country consistently arrives late to daily stand-ups, disrupting the flow. The team member has not responded to private messages about the issue. What should you do next?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private video call to discuss the challenges and find a mutually agreeable solution. As a project manager, you should first seek to understand the root cause of the behavior through a private, empathetic conversation. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and conflict resolution, especially in a virtual, cross-cultural team where time zones or personal challenges may be the issue. Scheduling a private video call allows you to discuss challenges and find a mutually agreeable solution without escalating prematurely.

Answer

Issue a formal warning to the team member for not adhering to team norms

Answer

Remove the team member from the project for non-compliance

Answer

Change the stand-up time to accommodate the team member without consulting the rest of the team

Question 4

You are the project manager for a marketing campaign. A new regulation is announced that affects your project's deliverables. The regulation requires additional compliance steps that were not in the original scope. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Evaluate the impact on scope, schedule, and cost, and submit a change request.. The first step when a new regulation affects the project is to evaluate its impact on scope, schedule, and cost, then submit a change request through the formal change control process. Option D is correct. Option A is incorrect because ignoring the regulation could lead to non-compliance. Option B is incorrect because stopping the project is not the first step; first assess and follow change control. Option C is incorrect because implementing changes without approval bypasses the change control process.

Answer

Ignore the regulation because it was not part of the original plan.

Answer

Stop the project and reassess feasibility.

Answer

Instruct the team to incorporate the compliance steps immediately.

Question 5

Your project's sponsor requests that you skip user acceptance testing (UAT) to recover schedule delays. The team has already performed thorough internal testing. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and propose a compressed UAT schedule. Skipping UAT violates the project's quality management plan and risks delivering a product that does not meet user needs, even if internal testing passed. The first step is to communicate the risks of skipping UAT to the sponsor and propose a compressed schedule as a compromise, which aligns with the PMI's emphasis on stakeholder communication and risk management. This approach balances schedule recovery with maintaining quality assurance through user validation.

Answer

Skip UAT and add a warranty period to address any issues after release

Answer

Proceed with UAT as planned without informing the sponsor

Answer

Agree to skip UAT to accommodate the sponsor's request

Question 6

Your project is running behind schedule. You need to compress the schedule without significantly increasing cost. Which TWO techniques should you consider?

Accepted Answer

Add resources from non-critical path activities to critical path tasks. Adding resources from non-critical path activities to critical path tasks is a form of resource leveling or resource optimization that can compress the schedule without significant cost increase, as it reallocates existing resources rather than hiring new ones. Option B is correct because fast-tracking involves performing activities in parallel that were originally planned sequentially, which can reduce the project duration without adding costs, though it may increase risk.

Answer

Eliminate non-essential deliverables without approval

Answer

Reduce quality standards to save time

Answer

Reduce project scope without change control

Question 7

Your project is in the execution phase and a key vendor has notified you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time due to a labor strike. Which TWO actions should the project manager take? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan that was documented in the risk register. The risk register should contain a contingency plan for identified risks, such as a vendor labor strike. Implementing that plan is the appropriate proactive response to mitigate the delay's impact. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on executing risk responses during the execution phase.

Answer

Travel to the vendor's site to negotiate directly with the labor union

Answer

Wait for the strike to end before taking any action

Answer

Ask the vendor to find an alternative supplier without additional cost

Question 8

Your project team is spread across three continents. You notice that the daily stand-ups are becoming less interactive, and team members are not raising blockers. What should you do first to improve team collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Organize virtual team-building exercises and encourage open communication. The core issue is declining team interaction and psychological safety, which directly impacts collaboration in a distributed team. Virtual team-building exercises and encouraging open communication address the root cause by rebuilding trust and engagement, which is essential for effective daily stand-ups and raising blockers. This aligns with the PMP focus on servant leadership and fostering a collaborative team environment.

Answer

Assign a team lead to monitor participation

Answer

Implement a mandatory weekly status report

Answer

Threaten to report underperformance to management

Question 9

An executive stakeholder has been bypassing you and directly assigning tasks to team members. The team is confused about priorities and some tasks conflict with the project plan. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the executive to discuss the impact of bypassing the project manager. The correct actions are B, C, and E. Option B is correct because scheduling a private meeting with the executive allows you to professionally address the issue without public embarrassment, explain the negative impact on priorities and resource allocation, and seek agreement to follow the project governance. Option C is correct because reinforcing the communication plan with all stakeholders ensures everyone understands the proper channels for task assignments. Option E is correct because clarifying roles with the team reaffirms that task assignments should come through the project manager, reducing confusion and conflicting priorities. Option A is incorrect because publicly reminding the executive can damage the relationship and escalate conflict. Option D is incorrect because ignoring the problem abdicates your responsibility as project manager.

Answer

Publicly remind the executive during a team meeting to follow the communication plan

Answer

Ignore the situation and let the team sort out priorities

Question 10

You are managing a project that is behind schedule. The project sponsor has asked you to explore schedule compression techniques. Which TWO options are valid schedule compression techniques that can be applied without changing scope? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Crashing: adding resources to critical path activities.. Options B and E are the two main schedule compression techniques. Crashing (B) adds resources to critical path activities to shorten duration, and fast tracking (E) performs activities in parallel that were originally sequential. Option A reduces scope, which changes scope. Option C (resource leveling) often lengthens the schedule. Option D (adding contingency) increases time.

Answer

Reducing scope: eliminating non-essential deliverables.

Answer

Resource leveling: adjusting start and finish dates to address resource constraints.

Answer

Adding contingency time to activities.

Question 11

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. Subject matter experts can provide the necessary expertise to decompose complex deliverables through expert judgment and iterative decomposition, ensuring a complete and accurate WBS. Option B is incorrect because freezing scope at the current level risks an incomplete WBS, leading to potential scope gaps later. Option C is incorrect because skipping decomposition undermines the WBS's purpose of breaking work into manageable components. Option D is incorrect because directly using work packages from a similar project may not address the unique aspects of the current deliverable.

Answer

Freeze the scope at this level and move on to scheduling

Answer

Skip decomposition and proceed with the project

Answer

Use the work packages from a similar project directly

Question 12

During project execution, a key stakeholder repeatedly bypasses the formal communication channels and directly contacts team members for status updates. This is causing confusion and rework. Which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand their concerns and reiterate the agreed process. The correct actions are to schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand their concerns and reiterate the agreed process (C), and to reinforce the communication management plan and explain why following it is important (D). These approaches address the root cause and reaffirm the process without escalating unnecessarily. Ignoring the behavior (A) allows confusion to continue. Blocking access (B) is confrontational and damages relationships. Escalating to the sponsor (E) should be a last resort after direct engagement fails.

Answer

Ignore the behavior as it is not causing major issues

Answer

Block the stakeholder's access to team members until they comply

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to enforce compliance

Question 13

During a project closure phase, you realize that several deliverables were completed but not formally accepted by the customer. The contract requires signed acceptance for each deliverable. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the customer to obtain formal acceptance of the outstanding deliverables. The first and most critical step is to obtain formal acceptance of the outstanding deliverables from the customer. Without signed acceptance, the project cannot be considered closed per the contract. Option A is incorrect because informing the sponsor before resolving the acceptance issue would be premature. Option B is incorrect because lessons learned should be documented later, after acceptance, and closing without acceptance violates contractual requirements. Option C is incorrect because archiving records and closing without acceptance is not allowed.

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the project is complete and request closure approval

Answer

Document lessons learned and then close the project

Answer

Archive the project records and close the project as the work is complete

Question 14

Your construction project is halfway through the schedule. Earned value analysis shows EV = $500,000, PV = $600,000, AC = $550,000. The original budget (BAC) is $1,200,000. What is the most appropriate action considering the project's performance?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the root causes of the schedule and cost variances before taking corrective action. Earned value analysis shows SPI = EV/PV = 500,000/600,000 = 0.83, indicating the project is behind schedule. CPI = EV/AC = 500,000/550,000 = 0.91, indicating the project is over budget. Per PMI best practices and the PMBOK Guide, the first step when variances are identified is to analyze the root causes before taking corrective action. Option A reflects this approach. Option B is incorrect because the project is over budget, not under budget. Option C is premature; crashing may be considered after analysis. Option D is incorrect because it assumes a delay without analysis and requests additional budget without justification.

Answer

Celebrate that the project is under budget and slightly behind schedule

Answer

Crash the critical path by adding resources to bring the schedule back on track

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the project will be delayed and request additional budget

Question 15

You are managing a project where the team has been working overtime for several weeks to meet a milestone. The milestone is achieved, but the team is exhausted. What should you do to sustain the team's performance?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a retrospective to identify causes of overtime and implement improvements. A retrospective directly addresses the root cause of unsustainable overtime, enabling the project manager to implement process improvements that prevent recurrence. Sustaining team performance requires addressing systemic issues, not just short-term relief. This aligns with the PMI talent triangle's emphasis on leadership and team motivation through continuous improvement.

Answer

Reward the team with a bonus and move on to the next phase

Answer

Encourage the team to take a few days off to recover

Answer

Increase the team's resources for the next milestone