PMP Practice Exam 53 — 20 Questions

Question 1

During a project, a new regulation is introduced that will affect the project's deliverables. The regulation is mandatory and will require changes to the scope. What should the project manager do first?

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

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact of the regulation on scope, schedule, and cost, and then initiate a change request.. When a mandatory regulation impacts project deliverables, the project manager must first analyze the impact on scope, schedule, and cost to understand the full implications. This analysis provides the data needed to initiate a formal change request through the integrated change control process, ensuring the change is evaluated, approved, and documented before implementation. Option C correctly follows the PMBOK Guide's sequence of assess, then request change, rather than jumping to implementation or notification without analysis.

Answer

Update the risk register with the regulation as a new risk.

Answer

Inform the sponsor that the project will be delayed due to the new regulation.

Answer

Immediately implement the changes to comply with the regulation.

Question 2

A project team is using a deployment tool to release an application. The deployment failed with an error indicating that a required component is missing from the target environment. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A necessary environment configuration is missing or not specified in the deployment settings.. The error indicates a missing prerequisite in the deployment environment. This most commonly occurs when the environment's required configuration (such as a default resource or connectivity setup) is either absent or not explicitly specified in the deployment settings, causing the tool to fail.

Answer

The deployment environment is not compatible with the selected resource type.

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The access credentials for the environment are invalid.

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The specified resource identifier is incorrect.

Question 3

You are the project manager for a software development project using a hybrid approach. Two senior developers, Maria and John, have a disagreement about the technical approach for implementing a critical feature. Their conflict is causing delays and affecting team morale. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet privately with Maria and John to understand each perspective and facilitate a resolution. As the project manager using a hybrid approach, your first responsibility is to address the conflict directly by understanding each developer's perspective and facilitating a collaborative resolution. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and conflict management, ensuring that technical decisions are made based on merit and team consensus rather than authority or voting, which could undermine team cohesion and the hybrid model's flexibility.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the functional manager to resolve the technical disagreement

Answer

Tell the team to vote on the technical approach and proceed with the majority decision

Answer

Reassign one of the developers to a different task to reduce friction

Question 4

You are leading a project to develop a new product. The marketing department requests a last-minute change that would increase the project's scope significantly. The project is on track and within budget. Which TWO actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to the change control board. Any change that significantly increases scope must go through the formal change control process, even if the project is on track. The project manager must submit a change request to the Change Control Board (CCB) for evaluation and approval, ensuring proper governance and alignment with project objectives.

Answer

Reject the change because the project is on track

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Answer

Incorporate the change to satisfy the marketing department

Question 5

A project manager is conducting a lessons learned workshop at project closure. The team identifies that the project's success was hindered by unclear requirements and lack of stakeholder engagement. Which THREE actions should the PM recommend to improve future projects?

Accepted Answer

Involve stakeholders earlier in the requirements gathering process. Options A, D, and E are correct because they directly address the root causes identified in the lessons learned: unclear requirements and lack of stakeholder engagement. Involving stakeholders earlier (A) ensures their input is captured, reducing ambiguity. A clear decision-making framework with documented decisions (D) provides accountability and clarity. A formal requirements traceability matrix (E) links requirements to deliverables, ensuring nothing is missed. Option B is incorrect as simply increasing the budget doesn't fix requirement or engagement issues. Option C is counterproductive as reducing meetings likely worsens communication.

Answer

Increase the budget for future projects

Answer

Reduce the number of meetings to save time

Question 6

A project manager is reviewing lessons learned from a completed project. The project delivered on time and on budget but did not achieve the expected market share increase. Which document would most likely explain this discrepancy?

Accepted Answer

Benefits realization plan. The benefits realization plan defines how and when the project's expected benefits (such as market share increase) will be achieved and measured. Since the project delivered on time and on budget but missed the market share target, the benefits realization plan would contain the specific metrics, assumptions, and measurement methods that explain why the expected business value was not realized despite successful delivery.

Answer

Work breakdown structure

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Project charter

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Risk register

Question 7

In the middle of a project, a new regulation is introduced that impacts your project's deliverables. The team needs to make adjustments, but the change will affect the critical path. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Submit a change request to formally assess the impact on scope, schedule, and cost. When a new regulation impacts project deliverables and the critical path, the first step is to submit a formal change request. This initiates the integrated change control process, ensuring that the impact on scope, schedule, and cost is assessed through a structured review before any action is taken. Bypassing this formal process risks uncontrolled changes and non-compliance with project governance.

Answer

Update the risk register and assess the impact on the critical path

Answer

Direct the team to immediately implement the changes to ensure compliance

Answer

Inform the team to continue working as planned since the regulation may not be enforced

Question 8

You are the project manager for a software development project using Scrum. During the daily standup, two senior developers engage in a heated argument about the technical approach for a user story. The argument is consuming valuable time and escalating. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with both developers after the standup to facilitate a resolution. The project manager's role in a self-managing Scrum team is to facilitate conflict resolution without imposing decisions. By scheduling a private meeting after the standup, you allow the developers to resolve the technical disagreement collaboratively, preserving team autonomy and avoiding disruption to the daily Scrum's timebox. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and conflict management techniques like 'collaborating' or 'problem-solving'.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for immediate intervention

Answer

Decide on the technical approach yourself to resolve the conflict quickly

Answer

Ignore the argument and move on to other team members' updates

Question 9

A project manager is leading a software development project. During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a feature because it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The development team claims they followed the design documents. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting with the product owner and team to review the acceptance criteria.. The immediate priority is to clarify the acceptance criteria with both the product owner and the development team. The discrepancy between the design documents and the acceptance criteria indicates a potential misunderstanding or misalignment in requirements, which must be resolved collaboratively before any rework or escalation. Facilitating a meeting ensures that the team understands the exact criteria and can align their technical implementation accordingly, preventing further wasted effort.

Answer

Instruct the team to modify the feature to match the product owner's expectations.

Answer

Request that the team attend additional training on requirements analysis.

Answer

Escalate to the steering committee for a decision.

Question 10

A key vendor informs you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to a raw material shortage. This component is on the critical path. The risk was identified and documented in the risk register. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan defined in the risk register. Since the risk was already identified and documented in the risk register, the project team should have prepared a contingency plan for this specific scenario. The PMBOK Guide states that when a risk occurs, the first action is to implement the pre-defined contingency plan to minimize impact. This is a proactive, planned response rather than a reactive scramble, and it aligns with the 'Plan Risk Responses' and 'Implement Risk Responses' processes.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Answer

Contact the vendor to negotiate a new delivery date

Answer

Immediately look for an alternative vendor

Question 11

Your IT infrastructure project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. After analyzing the variance, you find that the cost overrun is due to a one-time increase in licensing fees that will not recur. The project is on schedule. What is the BEST estimate for the Estimate at Completion (EAC)?

Accepted Answer

EAC = AC + (BAC - EV). The cost overrun is due to a one-time increase in licensing fees that will not recur, meaning the remaining work will be performed at the original budgeted rate. This scenario calls for the EAC formula that adds the actual costs incurred to the remaining budget (BAC - EV), which assumes future cost performance will match the planned rate. This is the 'atypical variance' formula, as the cause of the variance is not expected to continue.

Answer

EAC = BAC / CPI

Answer

EAC = AC + [(BAC - EV) / (CPI * SPI)]

Answer

EAC = AC + ETC

Question 12

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.

Answer

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

Answer

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

Question 13

You are the project manager for a software development project using Scrum. For the past three sprints, the team's velocity has dropped from 30 story points to 20. The team cites increasing technical debt and unclear requirements. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and implement process improvements.. The first step when facing a drop in velocity due to technical debt and unclear requirements is to understand the root causes. Facilitating a retrospective allows the team to analyze the issues and collaboratively identify process improvements. Option A is incorrect: reducing sprint length may increase overhead but does not address underlying causes. Option B is incorrect: adding developers often disrupts team dynamics and does not solve technical debt. Option D is incorrect: stricter timeboxing for standups does not resolve unclear requirements or technical debt.

Answer

Reduce the sprint length to two weeks to increase focus.

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase velocity.

Answer

Ask the scrum master to enforce stricter timeboxing for daily standups.

Question 14

A new project manager is assigned to a project where the team is geographically distributed across three time zones. Which communication method is most effective for ensuring alignment?

Accepted Answer

Hold a daily video call at a time that rotates across time zones.. Rotating the daily video call across time zones ensures that no single team is consistently disadvantaged by an inconvenient meeting time, promoting equitable participation and alignment. This synchronous communication method is most effective for real-time collaboration and immediate clarification, which is critical for a geographically distributed team to maintain shared understanding and project momentum.

Answer

Send a weekly status email to all team members.

Answer

Record video updates and share them asynchronously.

Answer

Use a group chat for all project communication.

Question 15

During a project to implement a new CRM system, the sponsor asks you to skip the user acceptance testing (UAT) phase to meet the go-live date, stating that the system has been thoroughly tested by the IT team. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and propose a compressed UAT focusing on critical functions.. As the project manager, your first responsibility is to address the sponsor's request by communicating the technical risks of skipping UAT—such as undetected integration failures, data migration errors, or workflow logic defects that IT testing alone cannot uncover—and proposing a compressed UAT that still validates critical business processes. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on proactive risk management and stakeholder communication, ensuring the system meets user requirements before go-live.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the PMO for a decision.

Answer

Agree to skip UAT to meet the deadline and update the project schedule.

Answer

Proceed with the go-live and document the decision as a risk in the risk register.

Question 16

You are managing a hybrid project. During the last two sprints, velocity has dropped significantly. The team members complain about unclear priorities and frequent context switching. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Hold a retrospective with the team to identify root causes and improve processes. The first step in addressing a velocity drop caused by unclear priorities and context switching is to hold a retrospective. This aligns with the hybrid project management principle of continuous improvement and servant leadership, where the team collaboratively identifies root causes and adapts their processes. Reassigning the product owner or escalating prematurely bypasses the team's self-organization and fails to address the underlying issues.

Answer

Reassign the product owner and replace with a more decisive person

Answer

Escalate the velocity drop to the steering committee

Answer

Ask the team to work extra hours to catch up on the velocity

Question 17

A new team member joins your agile project. They have no experience with Scrum and seem overwhelmed. What should you do to onboard them effectively?

Accepted Answer

Assign them a mentor and provide training on agile principles. Onboarding a new team member with no Scrum experience requires a structured approach that combines mentorship with formal training on agile principles. This ensures they understand the Scrum framework, roles, events, and artifacts, which is critical for them to contribute effectively and reduce overwhelm. Simply pairing them for coding tasks (A) or leaving them to observe (D) neglects the foundational knowledge needed to participate in Scrum ceremonies and collaborate with the team.

Answer

Pair them with a senior developer only for coding tasks

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Give them the project documentation and ask them to read it

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Let them learn by observing the team for the first few sprints

Question 18

A project manager is leading a hybrid project. An executive stakeholder bypasses the PM and gives direct orders to the development team. What should the PM do?

Accepted Answer

Have a private conversation with the executive to explain the impact of bypassing the PM and request they communicate through the proper channels. Have a private conversation with the executive to explain the impact of bypassing the PM and request they communicate through the proper channels. This is the best first step because it addresses the issue directly with the stakeholder, maintaining the project manager's authority while preserving the relationship. Option A (reporting to the sponsor) escalates without first attempting to resolve the issue, which can damage trust. Option B (updating the communications management plan) is a procedural fix that does not address the immediate behavior. Option D (telling the team to ignore the orders) undermines the executive's authority and may create conflict. Therefore, a private conversation is the most appropriate initial action.

Answer

Report the executive's behavior to the sponsor

Answer

Update the communications management plan to include reporting requirements

Answer

Tell the team to ignore the executive's orders

Question 19

In a Scrum project, the development team consistently fails to complete all committed stories in each sprint. The daily stand-up meetings are running long and often devolve into problem-solving sessions. As the Scrum Master, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team to keep the stand-up focused and time-boxed, and facilitate separate sessions for detailed discussions. The Scrum Master's role is to enforce the time-boxed nature of the daily stand-up (15 minutes) and prevent it from becoming a problem-solving session, which violates the Scrum Guide. By coaching the team to keep the stand-up focused on the three key questions (what was done, what will be done, and impediments) and facilitating separate sessions for detailed discussions, the Scrum Master addresses the root cause of the long meetings and helps the team improve sprint commitment completion. This aligns with the 'Process — Managing Technical Aspects' domain, as it involves optimizing team workflow and meeting efficiency.

Answer

Add more stories to the sprint backlog to increase velocity

Answer

Cancel the daily stand-up and replace it with email updates

Answer

Allow the stand-up to run longer to ensure issues are resolved

Question 20

A project is in the planning phase. The team has identified 50 risks. The project manager wants to prioritize risks for further analysis. Which tool or technique is BEST suited for this?

Accepted Answer

Probability and impact matrix. The probability and impact matrix is the best tool for prioritizing risks because it combines the likelihood of each risk occurring with its potential impact on project objectives, allowing the project manager to rank risks by their overall severity. This prioritization is essential during the planning phase to focus further qualitative or quantitative analysis on the most critical risks.

Answer

Risk register

Answer

SWOT analysis

Answer

Decision tree analysis