PMP Practice Exam 51 — 20 Questions

Question 1

You are managing a hybrid project with a co-located core team and remote subject matter experts. Two senior developers argue daily about the technical approach for a critical module. The conflict is delaying sprint planning and affecting team morale. Which TWO actions should you take first?

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

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a private meeting between the two developers to understand their perspectives and guide them toward a resolution. Option B is correct because a private facilitated meeting is the standard first step in conflict management: it lets the two senior developers air their perspectives in a safe setting and lets the project manager guide them toward a collaborative resolution, which directly addresses the sprint-planning delay and morale problem. Option E is correct because reviewing and reinforcing the team charter re-anchors the team on agreed behavioral norms and ground rules, which is a preventive, team-level action appropriate when recurring interpersonal friction threatens team cohesion. Option A is not appropriate as a first action because reassigning a developer merely avoids the conflict, removes a key contributor from a critical module, and does not resolve the underlying technical disagreement. Option C is wrong because ignoring conflict lets it escalate and further damage morale and schedule. Option D is premature: escalating to the sponsor for a decision bypasses the project manager's responsibility to facilitate resolution and undermines team ownership.

Answer

Reassign one developer to a different module to reduce interaction

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Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves on its own

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Question 2

Your agile team has experienced a drop in velocity for the past three sprints. During the retrospective, team members mention that they are spending too much time on unplanned work and context switching. As the project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the sources of unplanned work and discuss with the team how to minimize interruptions. The PM should first investigate the root cause of unplanned work and context switching. This involves analyzing the situation before taking corrective action. Jumping to solutions like reducing scope or adding resources without understanding the cause may be ineffective.

Answer

Add more team members to the project to increase capacity

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Reduce the sprint backlog size to lower the team's workload

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Ask the product owner to prioritize all unplanned work into upcoming sprints

Question 3

Your project is using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the customer is unhappy with the progress and requests a major change in direction. This change will require significant rework and affect the project's critical path. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact of the change on scope, schedule, cost, and quality. When a major change is requested, the PM should document it as a change request, assess the impact on the project constraints, and communicate with stakeholders to manage expectations.

Answer

Instruct the team to start implementing the change immediately to satisfy the customer

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Reject the change because it was not part of the original scope

Question 4

Your agile team has been consistently delivering high-quality increments, but the product owner recently started bypassing you and giving direct instructions to the development team. The team is confused and some have started working on unapproved features. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the product owner to discuss roles and the importance of following the agreed communication protocols. The first step in resolving this conflict is to have a private, collaborative discussion with the product owner to clarify roles, responsibilities, and the agreed communication protocols. This aligns with the PMI-ACP and PMP focus on servant leadership and stakeholder management, where direct confrontation is avoided in favor of coaching and realignment. Bypassing the Scrum Master undermines the agile framework and can lead to scope creep, so addressing the root cause with the product owner is the most appropriate initial action.

Answer

Report the product owner's behavior to the project sponsor for disciplinary action

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Call a team meeting to remind everyone of the proper change control process

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Instruct the team to ignore the product owner's instructions and follow only your directions

Question 5

During a project status meeting, a stakeholder requests a change that would improve the product but significantly impact the critical path. The project manager has not yet evaluated the change. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Document the change request, assess the impact, and submit it to the change control board for approval. The PMBOK Guide mandates that all change requests must be formally documented and assessed for impact on constraints like the critical path before any decision is made. Submitting the evaluated change to the Change Control Board (CCB) ensures proper governance and prevents unauthorized scope creep, even if the stakeholder is influential.

Answer

Accept the change to satisfy the stakeholder and update the project plan immediately

Answer

Reject the change because it impacts the critical path and would delay the project

Answer

Inform the stakeholder that the change will be considered after the current phase is complete

Question 6

A project manager is reviewing the earned value report. The SPI is 0.85 and the CPI is 0.90. The project is behind schedule and over budget. Several team members are working overtime to catch up. What should the PM do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis of the cost and schedule variances. The SPI of 0.85 and CPI of 0.90 indicate the project is both behind schedule and over budget. Before taking corrective action like requesting more budget or rebaselining, the PM must first understand why the variances occurred. Conducting a root cause analysis (B) aligns with the PMBOK's principle of analyzing performance data to identify the underlying issues, ensuring that any subsequent corrective or preventive actions are targeted and effective.

Answer

Mandate mandatory overtime for all team members

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Request additional budget from the sponsor

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Rebaseline the project schedule and budget

Question 7

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 contract explicitly requires signed acceptance for each deliverable, and formal acceptance is a prerequisite for closing the project or phase. Before any closure activities (lessons learned, archiving, sponsor notification), the PM must obtain the missing customer sign-offs. Scheduling a meeting with the customer to secure formal acceptance directly addresses the contractual gap and unblocks closure.

Answer

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

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Document lessons learned and then close the project

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

Question 8

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. The project has EV = $500,000, PV = $600,000, and AC = $550,000. This means it is behind schedule (SV = EV - PV = -$100,000) and over budget (CV = EV - AC = -$50,000). The most appropriate action is to analyze the root causes of these variances before taking corrective action, as prescribed by PMBOK's Monitor and Control Project Work process.

Answer

Celebrate that the project is under budget and slightly behind schedule

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

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

Question 9

During a sprint review, stakeholders express disappointment with the product increment, stating it does not meet their expectations. The team believed they were on track based on the user stories. What should the project manager do to prevent this in the future?

Accepted Answer

Ensure stakeholders are involved in the sprint review and provide feedback early and often. The root cause of the disconnect is a lack of early and continuous stakeholder involvement. By engaging stakeholders in the sprint review and soliciting feedback frequently, the project manager ensures that expectations are validated against the increment throughout the development cycle, not just at the end. This aligns with the Agile principle of customer collaboration over contract negotiation and prevents the team from building features based on assumptions.

Answer

Document the feedback and adjust the next sprint accordingly

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Ask the product owner to write more detailed user stories

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Have the team present their work to stakeholders more frequently

Question 10

Arrange the steps for controlling project changes.

Accepted Answer

Receive change request, Log change request, Evaluate change request, Submit to CCB, Implement if approved. Change control process: receive, log, evaluate, submit to CCB, and implement if approved.

Answer

Log change request, Receive change request, Evaluate change request, Submit to CCB, Implement if approved

Answer

Receive change request, Evaluate change request, Log change request, Submit to CCB, Implement if approved

Answer

Receive change request, Log change request, Submit to CCB, Evaluate change request, Implement if approved

Question 11

A project manager notices that two senior developers are in constant disagreement about the technical approach for a critical feature. The conflict is causing delays and lowering team morale. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss their perspectives and find a compromise.. The project manager's first responsibility in a conflict between team members is to facilitate a collaborative resolution. By bringing both developers together to discuss their perspectives, the PM demonstrates servant leadership and leverages the team's expertise to find a compromise, which aligns with the PMP's focus on leading people and managing conflict constructively. This approach directly addresses the root cause—disagreement on technical approach—without imposing a top-down decision or avoiding the issue.

Answer

Decide on the technical approach yourself and instruct the team.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision.

Answer

Reassign the developers to different tasks to avoid further conflict.

Question 12

A project manager is leading a global team with members in three different time zones. The team is experiencing communication delays and misunderstandings. Which of the following is the BEST way to improve project communication?

Accepted Answer

Develop a communication management plan that defines channels, frequency, and escalation paths.. A Communication Management Plan is the foundational document that systematically defines how information flows across a distributed team. For a global team spanning three time zones, the plan must specify appropriate channels (e.g., asynchronous tools for non-urgent updates, synchronous tools for critical issues), set clear frequency expectations (e.g., daily updates via a shared dashboard, weekly video calls), and establish escalation paths to resolve misunderstandings quickly. This structured approach prevents the ad-hoc, one-size-fits-all methods that cause delays and confusion.

Answer

Use email as the primary communication channel for all project updates.

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Create a group instant messaging chat for real-time problem solving.

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Schedule daily stand-up meetings at a fixed time convenient for the project manager.

Question 13

Your project is using a hybrid approach. The client has requested a change that would significantly alter the product's core functionality. The change is not aligned with the project's business case. Which TWO actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Consult with the project sponsor or steering committee for guidance.. When a proposed change conflicts with the project's business case, the project manager should escalate to the project sponsor or steering committee, who have the authority to approve deviations from the business case. Option D is correct because the project manager must first discuss the impact of the change with the client to ensure they understand the implications on business objectives before any formal action is taken. This aligns with the PMI's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and maintaining alignment with the business case in a hybrid approach.

Answer

Submit a change request to the CCB and let them decide.

Answer

Reject the change outright because it is not in the business case.

Answer

Update the business case to reflect the change and proceed.

Question 14

A key stakeholder on your agile project frequently attends the daily standup and redirects team members to work on tasks that are not part of the sprint backlog. This is causing confusion and reducing the team's velocity. As the project manager, what should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Have a private conversation with the stakeholder about the purpose of the daily standup and the impact of their actions.. The first step in servant-leadership and stakeholder management is to address the behavior directly and privately with the stakeholder. A private conversation preserves the relationship, educates the stakeholder on the purpose of the daily standup (a team synchronization event, not a status meeting for stakeholders), and clarifies the impact of redirecting work. Escalating or changing the process before attempting direct resolution violates PMI's preference for collaborative, lowest-level resolution.

Answer

Remove the stakeholder from the daily standup invitations to prevent disruption.

Answer

Ask the team to accommodate the stakeholder's requests to maintain a good relationship.

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Update the sprint backlog to include the stakeholder's requests and adjust the sprint goal.

Question 15

Your project team is co-located, but you have noticed a lack of collaboration and trust among members. Which TWO actions would BEST help build a high-performing team? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Organize team-building activities to improve relationships. Option C is correct because organizing team-building activities directly targets the lack of collaboration and trust by creating informal, positive interactions that strengthen interpersonal relationships and psychological safety among co-located members. Option E is correct because a team charter with shared values, norms, and goals establishes a common purpose and agreed-upon behavioral expectations, which is a foundational PMI practice for building a high-performing team and resolving the trust deficit. Option A is wrong because isolating members on separate tasks reduces interaction and would worsen the collaboration and trust problem rather than fix it. Option B is wrong because issuing formal warnings for underperformance is a disciplinary/punitive response that does not address relationship and trust issues and can further erode team cohesion. Option D is wrong because one-on-one meetings, while useful for surfacing individual concerns, address issues individually rather than building the collective trust and shared norms needed for a high-performing team.

Answer

Assign team members to work independently on separate tasks to avoid conflict

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Immediately address any underperformance with formal warnings

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Conduct one-on-one meetings with each team member to discuss their concerns

Question 16

A new regulation is announced that will affect your project's deliverables. The compliance team has determined that the project must adapt to the new regulation before completion. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board with an analysis of the impact on scope, schedule, and cost.. The correct first step is to submit a formal change request with an impact analysis because the new regulation represents a change that must be evaluated and approved through the established change control process. This ensures that scope, schedule, and cost impacts are documented and authorized before any work begins, maintaining project governance and compliance with organizational policies.

Answer

Update the risk register and continue with the original plan until the change request is approved.

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Instruct the team to implement the necessary changes immediately to ensure compliance.

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Ask the sponsor to approve an exception to the change control process due to regulatory urgency.

Question 17

A project manager is working on a portfolio of projects. One project has a business case that is no longer aligned with the organization's strategic goals due to a shift in market conditions. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Recommend to the portfolio governance board that the project should be terminated.. The project manager's responsibility is to ensure projects align with organizational strategy. When a business case no longer supports strategic goals, the PM should escalate to the portfolio governance board, which has the authority to terminate, pause, or redirect projects. Recommending termination is the correct action because it follows governance processes and avoids wasting resources on a misaligned project.

Answer

Continue the project as planned but monitor for further strategic changes.

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Update the business case to align with the new strategy without formal approval.

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Seek additional funding to make the project more profitable.

Question 18

During a sprint review, the customer expresses dissatisfaction with the user interface, stating it does not meet their expectations. The team followed the specifications agreed upon during sprint planning. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the customer to review their expectations and discuss potential adjustments. The project manager must first understand the customer's unmet expectations before taking any corrective action. The team followed the agreed specifications, but the customer's dissatisfaction indicates a gap between those specifications and their actual needs. Scheduling a meeting to review expectations and discuss adjustments aligns with the agile principle of customer collaboration and ensures any changes are properly evaluated before being implemented.

Answer

Log the issue in the issue log and address it in a future sprint

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Instruct the team to rework the UI immediately to satisfy the customer

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Explain to the customer that the team adhered to the agreed specifications

Question 19

A project manager discovers that a key vendor will be unable to deliver a critical component on time, which will delay the project. The contract includes penalties for late delivery. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact on the project schedule and explore alternative solutions.. The project manager should first assess the impact on the project schedule and explore alternative solutions. This proactive approach gathers necessary information to make informed decisions and potentially mitigate the delay. Informing the sponsor without analysis or immediately invoking penalties may be premature and could damage relationships or escalate costs.

Answer

Inform the sponsor and wait for instructions.

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Immediately invoke the penalty clause to incentivize the vendor.

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Terminate the contract and find a new vendor.

Question 20

During a project's execution phase, the sponsor asks the project manager to skip the user acceptance testing (UAT) phase to save time and meet a tight deadline. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and recommend following the project management plan.. The project manager should explain the risks of skipping UAT and recommend following the project management plan, because UAT is a quality control gate that validates deliverables against requirements and stakeholder expectations. Skipping it introduces unmitigated risk of defects reaching production and violates the approved plan and quality management approach. The PM's role is to advise and influence, not to silently comply or unilaterally ignore the sponsor.

Answer

Ignore the request and proceed with UAT as planned.

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Escalate the issue to the PMO without discussing with the sponsor.

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Comply with the sponsor's request to maintain a good relationship.