PMP Practice Exam 55 — 20 Questions

Question 1

You are leading a global virtual team across four time zones. Recently, team members have complained about unclear task assignments and lack of collaboration tools. Which THREE actions would best improve team performance?

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

Accepted Answer

Implement a centralized project management tool with task tracking and communication features. Implementing a centralized project management tool with task tracking and communication features directly addresses the team's complaints about unclear task assignments and lack of collaboration tools. For a global virtual team across four time zones, such a tool provides a single source of truth for task ownership, deadlines, and progress, while enabling asynchronous communication through features like threaded discussions, file sharing, and status updates. This reduces ambiguity and ensures all team members can access the same information regardless of their local time.

Answer

Require all team members to work during the same four-hour overlap window

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

Question 2

During a sprint review, the product owner is unhappy with the delivered functionality and insists that the team redo the work to meet their expectations, even though the team met the acceptance criteria defined in the sprint planning. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the product owner and the team to clarify expectations and revisit the acceptance criteria. The scrum master's primary role is to facilitate communication and remove impediments. In this scenario, the product owner and team have a misunderstanding about the acceptance criteria. The scrum master should first facilitate a discussion to clarify expectations and potentially revise the acceptance criteria if needed. Option A is wrong because redoing work without understanding the issue wastes effort and bypasses the problem. Option B is wrong because ignoring the product owner's feedback damages stakeholder relationships and does not address the underlying concern. Option C is wrong because escalation to the sponsor is premature before attempting to resolve the issue within the scrum team.

Answer

Ask the team to redo the work to satisfy the product owner

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Inform the product owner that the work is complete and cannot be changed

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Question 3

Your project team is co-located, but you notice that collaboration has decreased recently. Team members are working in silos, and communication is minimal. You suspect the team is not functioning as a high-performing team. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting to create or revise the team charter with collaboration norms. The team charter establishes shared expectations for collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution. Since the team is co-located but working in silos, the first step is to revisit or create the team charter to realign norms and rebuild a collaborative culture, which directly addresses the root cause of decreased collaboration.

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Organize a team-building event to improve relationships

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Assign specific roles and responsibilities to each team member

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Question 4

A team member has been consistently underperforming, missing deadlines, and delivering low-quality work. You have had informal conversations but no improvement. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Document the performance issues and initiate a formal performance improvement plan. After informal conversations have failed to resolve performance issues, the next step in progressive discipline is to formally document the issues and implement a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). This aligns with the PMI People domain, which emphasizes addressing performance gaps through structured, documented processes before considering escalation or removal.

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Immediately escalate the issue to the project sponsor

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Terminate the team member's assignment to the project

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Reassign the team member to a less critical role on the project

Question 5

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 6

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.

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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 7

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 8

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 9

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

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

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

Question 10

During a daily standup, a developer mentions that a critical integration task is blocked because the API documentation from an external vendor is incomplete. The sprint ends in three days, and this task is on the critical path. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Work with the vendor to obtain the missing documentation and update the team.. The Scrum Master's first responsibility is to remove impediments. Since the task is on the critical path and the sprint ends in three days, the Scrum Master should directly engage with the external vendor to obtain the missing API documentation, thereby unblocking the developer. This action aligns with the Scrum Master's role as a servant leader and facilitator of technical progress.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor immediately.

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Ask the developer to create the missing documentation themselves.

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Inform the product owner and ask them to reprioritize the backlog.

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.

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Decide on the technical approach yourself and instruct the team.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision.

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Reassign the developers to different tasks to avoid further conflict.

Question 12

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.

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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 13

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.

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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 14

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.

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

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Update the business case to reflect the change and proceed.

Question 15

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.

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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 16

During project execution, a key stakeholder requests a change that will increase the scope. The project manager follows the formal change control process. What is the first step the project manager should take?

Accepted Answer

Document the change request in the change log.. The first step in the formal change control process, as defined by the PMBOK Guide, is to document the change request in the change log. This ensures that all proposed changes are formally recorded and tracked before any analysis or approval activities occur. Without this initial documentation, there is no official record of the request, which undermines the integrity of the change control system.

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Communicate the change to the project team.

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Submit the change request to the change control board (CCB).

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Analyze the impact on the project constraints.

Question 17

A key vendor has informed you that they cannot deliver a critical component for another two weeks, which will delay your project. The component is on the critical path. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Update the risk register and review the response plan for this risk. The first action when a known risk materializes is to consult the risk register and execute the pre-defined response plan. Since the vendor delay is a risk that was likely identified and documented, updating the register and reviewing the planned response ensures a structured, data-driven approach rather than a reactive one. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on implementing risk responses as the immediate next step after risk occurrence.

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Ask the team to work overtime to make up for the delay

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Penalize the vendor as per the contract

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Immediately notify the sponsor and request a schedule extension

Question 18

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that the daily standup meetings are running too long and are not focused. They want to improve the effectiveness of the standups. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Ask the team to propose improvements and agree on a new format for the standup. The Scrum Master should facilitate the team's self-organization and continuous improvement. By asking the team to propose improvements and agree on a new format, the Scrum Master empowers the team to own their process, which aligns with the Agile principle of inspecting and adapting. This approach ensures the solution is tailored to the team's specific needs and gains their commitment.

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Cancel standup meetings and replace them with written status reports

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Shorten the standup to 5 minutes and enforce strict time limits

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance

Question 19

Your project team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds. You notice that some team members are hesitant to speak up during meetings due to cultural norms about hierarchy. Which TWO approaches would best promote inclusive participation?

Accepted Answer

Use anonymous polling or chat-based feedback tools during meetings to gather input from everyone. Anonymous polling or chat-based feedback tools create a safe, low-pressure channel for team members who may be hesitant to speak up due to cultural norms about hierarchy. This approach bypasses the social dynamics of face-to-face meetings, allowing everyone to contribute equally without fear of contradicting senior members or violating cultural protocols. It directly addresses the root cause—hesitation due to hierarchy—by removing the need for verbal participation in a hierarchical setting.

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Assign speaking order based on seniority to respect cultural norms

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Ask only the most vocal team members to provide input to keep meetings efficient

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Hold meetings at times that are convenient for the majority of the team

Question 20

A conflict has arisen between two functional managers whose teams are working on your project. They disagree on resource allocation and priorities, and the conflict is delaying progress. Which THREE actions should the project manager take to resolve the situation?

Accepted Answer

Review the project's resource management plan and priorities to align their work with project objectives. The resource management plan and project priorities provide the objective framework for aligning the functional managers' conflicting demands. By reviewing these documents, the project manager can ground the discussion in the project's agreed-upon constraints and objectives, ensuring that resource allocation decisions support the project's goals rather than personal or departmental preferences.

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Document the conflict in the lessons learned register for future projects

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Make a unilateral decision on resource allocation to end the conflict quickly