PMP Practice Exam 55 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is leading a globally distributed team with members in four time zones. During a virtual sprint retrospective, two senior developers accuse each other of not completing tasks on time, causing delays. Emotions are high, and the rest of the team is watching. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private video call with both developers to listen to their perspectives and mediate a solution. Option C is correct because the immediate priority for a project manager is to de-escalate the conflict privately and understand each developer's perspective before making any decisions. This aligns with the PMI People domain principle of servant leadership and conflict resolution, where the first step is to listen and mediate in a safe, private environment to preserve team trust and psychological safety.

Answer

Reprimand both developers publicly during the retrospective for unprofessional behavior

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Escalate the issue to the functional managers of both developers

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Ask the team to ignore the conflict and focus on the upcoming sprint goals

Question 2

You are managing a project using a hybrid approach. A team member has been underperforming for several weeks. You have had informal conversations and provided coaching, but there has been no improvement. What should you do next?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a formal meeting to discuss the performance gap, set clear expectations, and agree on a performance improvement plan. Option C is correct because, after informal coaching has failed, the next step in progressive performance management is to hold a formal meeting to document the performance gap, set clear expectations, and create a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on addressing issues through a structured, documented process before escalating or removing a team member, especially in a hybrid approach where the project manager retains team leadership responsibilities.

Answer

Escalate to the functional manager to handle the situation

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Reassign the team member to less critical tasks to minimize impact

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Remove the team member from the project and request a replacement

Question 3

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. Option A is correct because 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

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

Question 4

During a risk review meeting, a risk that was identified and registered occurs. The risk response plan is implemented, but it does not fully mitigate the impact, and the project is now behind schedule. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the situation, implement a workaround, and communicate the impact to stakeholders.. Option A is correct because when a risk response plan fails to fully mitigate the impact, the project manager must immediately analyze the situation to understand the residual effect, implement a workaround (an unplanned response to an emerging issue), and communicate the impact to stakeholders. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on managing risks and issues: after a risk occurs and the planned response is insufficient, the PM must take corrective action and keep stakeholders informed to maintain transparency and support decision-making.

Answer

Blame the risk owner for inadequate response planning.

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Update the risk register and continue with the project as planned.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance.

Question 5

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. Option B is correct because 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

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Decide on the technical approach yourself to resolve the conflict quickly

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

Question 6

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that low morale is affecting productivity. As a servant leader, which THREE actions should the project manager take to address this?

Accepted Answer

Provide opportunities for professional development and training.. Option A is correct because providing professional development and training directly addresses low morale by investing in the team's growth, which aligns with the servant leader's focus on empowering and supporting the team. This action fosters a sense of value and career progression, counteracting the root cause of low morale rather than just its symptoms.

Answer

Implement a strict performance monitoring system to track productivity.

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Assign blame for the low morale to specific team members.

Question 7

In a large-scale project using a predictive approach, you discover that a key team member, who is critical for the next deliverable, has been consistently missing deadlines and producing low-quality work. The project is already behind schedule. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the team member to discuss performance issues and offer support. Option A is correct because, as a project manager, your first responsibility is to address performance issues directly with the team member through a private, supportive conversation. This aligns with the PMI People domain's emphasis on servant leadership and conflict resolution, allowing you to understand root causes (e.g., unclear requirements, personal challenges) before taking corrective action. In a predictive project, reassigning tasks or escalating prematurely can damage trust and team morale, while ignoring the issue risks further schedule slippage.

Answer

Reassign the critical tasks to other team members to keep the project on schedule

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Immediately escalate to the team member's functional manager and request a replacement

Answer

Document the missed deadlines in the performance log and ignore for now

Question 8

A project manager is leading a hybrid project where the team uses Scrum for development but has a fixed end date for regulatory compliance. Halfway through, a key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the schedule to determine the impact on the critical path and identify possible mitigation options. In a hybrid project with a fixed regulatory deadline, the first step when a vendor fails to deliver a critical component is to analyze the schedule impact on the critical path and identify mitigation options. This aligns with the PMI approach of assessing the situation before escalating or making changes, ensuring the project manager maintains control and explores all feasible alternatives to meet the compliance date.

Answer

Adjust the sprint backlog to deprioritize features dependent on the component

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Escalate the issue immediately to the project sponsor and request additional budget

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Initiate legal proceedings against the vendor for breach of contract

Question 9

During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a completed user story because it does not meet their expectations, even though it meets the acceptance criteria defined in the sprint planning. The team is frustrated. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the team and product owner to clarify expectations and update the acceptance criteria for the next sprint. Option C is correct because the Product Owner's rejection indicates a misalignment between the acceptance criteria and their actual expectations. As a servant leader, the Scrum Master should facilitate a meeting to clarify these expectations and update the acceptance criteria for future sprints, ensuring the Definition of Done reflects true business value. This approach maintains team morale while improving the process, rather than forcing rework or escalating unnecessarily.

Answer

Ask the team to redo the story to meet the product owner's expectations without changing the acceptance criteria

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Escalate to the project sponsor to mediate the disagreement

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Support the team and insist that the story is complete according to the agreed criteria

Question 10

Your project uses a hybrid approach. The team has been working remotely for six months, and you notice a decline in collaboration and an increase in misunderstandings. What is the BEST action to improve team cohesion?

Accepted Answer

Organize virtual team-building activities and encourage video calls for key meetings. Option B is correct because virtual team-building activities and encouraging video calls directly address the root cause of declining collaboration and misunderstandings in a remote team. Video calls enhance non-verbal communication cues and social presence, which are critical for building trust and reducing ambiguity in a hybrid project environment. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on developing the team and using virtual collaboration tools to foster cohesion.

Answer

Increase the frequency of status meetings

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Request that team members relocate to a central office for the remainder of the project

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Send a detailed communication protocol to all team members

Question 11

A new regulatory requirement has been discovered mid-project. The change will affect the project scope and schedule. Which TWO actions should the project manager take FIRST? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact of the regulation on scope, schedule, and cost. Option A is correct because the first step when a new regulatory requirement emerges mid-project is to analyze its impact on the triple constraint (scope, schedule, cost). This analysis provides the data needed to determine whether a change request is warranted and what its implications will be. Without this impact analysis, the project manager cannot make an informed decision or properly communicate the change to stakeholders.

Answer

Inform the team to ignore the regulation until the project is complete

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Update the risk register and move on

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Immediately instruct the team to implement the changes to ensure compliance

Question 12

During a project, you discover that a team member is being excluded from social interactions by others because of cultural differences. The team member has not complained, but you sense low morale. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Organize a team session on cultural awareness and inclusion. Option A is correct because the PMBOK Guide emphasizes proactive leadership in fostering an inclusive team environment. By organizing a cultural awareness session, you address the root cause of exclusion without waiting for a formal complaint, which aligns with the 'Servant Leadership' principle and the 'Manage Team' process. This approach prevents escalation and improves team cohesion, directly tackling low morale.

Answer

Reprimand the team members who are excluding the individual

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Ignore it since no one has complained

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Speak privately with the team member to see if they are bothered

Question 13

An executive stakeholder bypasses the project manager and directly assigns tasks to a team member, causing confusion about priorities. The team member is unsure which tasks to work on. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Clarify priorities with the team member and schedule a private meeting with the executive to discuss the communication protocol. Option B is correct because the project manager must first clarify priorities with the team member to resolve immediate confusion, then address the root cause by meeting privately with the executive to reinforce the communication protocol. This aligns with PMI's emphasis on proactive stakeholder management and conflict resolution without public escalation.

Answer

Ignore the situation to avoid conflict with the executive

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File a formal complaint with the HR department

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Politely remind the executive during a meeting that all task assignments must go through the PM

Question 14

A key vendor informs you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time due to a supply chain disruption. This risk was identified and included in the risk register. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan that was defined for this risk. Since the risk was identified and included in the risk register, a contingency plan should have been defined. The correct first action is to implement that pre-planned contingency plan to address the supply chain disruption, as it is the most efficient and proactive response to a known risk.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the steering committee for guidance

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Brainstorm new solutions with the team since the risk was not anticipated

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Wait to see if the vendor can resolve the issue before taking action

Question 15

You are managing a project in a virtual environment. A team member from a different time zone misses an important deadline because he was not aware of the priority due to a language barrier. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Have a one-on-one video call with the team member to discuss the communication breakdown and offer language support tools. Option B is correct because the first step in addressing a missed deadline caused by a language barrier in a virtual environment is to have a one-on-one video call with the team member. This allows you to understand the specific communication breakdown, clarify the priority, and offer language support tools (e.g., translation software or written summaries) to prevent recurrence. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes that the project manager should first use interpersonal skills to resolve issues and support the team, not escalate or penalize immediately.

Answer

Update the team charter to include clearer communication protocols for virtual teams

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Reassign the task to another team member who can complete it on time

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Issue a formal warning to the team member about the missed deadline

Question 16

Your project team is experiencing conflict due to different working styles: some members prefer detailed plans, while others prefer flexibility. The conflict is affecting morale and productivity. Which THREE actions should you take to resolve the situation?

Accepted Answer

Develop a team charter that includes agreed-upon norms for planning and flexibility. Developing a team charter that includes agreed-upon norms for planning and flexibility is correct because it formalizes a shared understanding of how the team will operate, directly addressing the root cause of the conflict—differing working styles. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on establishing team ground rules early to prevent and resolve interpersonal conflicts, thereby improving morale and productivity.

Answer

Ignore the conflict and focus on delivering the project on time

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Decide on a single working style and enforce it across the team

Question 17

A project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The sponsor is concerned and asks the PM to reduce costs by cutting team training and team-building activities. What should the PM do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the importance of these activities and propose other cost-saving measures. Option C is correct because the PM should protect the project's long-term success by explaining the critical role of team training and team-building in maintaining performance and morale, especially when the project is under budget pressure. Cutting these activities can lead to decreased productivity, higher turnover, and ultimately greater cost overruns. The PM should propose alternative cost-saving measures that do not compromise the team's capability or the project's quality.

Answer

Agree to cut training and team-building to meet the sponsor's request

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Reduce the project scope to cut costs

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Escalate to the PMO for a decision

Question 18

You are managing a virtual team where members are in different time zones. Some team members feel left out of decision-making because meetings are scheduled at times convenient for the majority. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Rotate meeting times to accommodate different time zones periodically. Option D is correct because rotating meeting times periodically ensures equitable access to synchronous decision-making for all team members, directly addressing the core issue of inclusion in a virtual team with diverse time zones. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and stakeholder engagement by proactively mitigating the negative impact of time zone differences on team cohesion and participation.

Answer

Schedule all meetings during the time zone of the project manager

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Record meetings and ask those who cannot attend to comment later

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Use asynchronous communication tools for all decisions

Question 19

Your project is in the execution phase when a new government regulation is announced that could affect your project's compliance requirements. The regulation is not yet in effect but will be before project completion. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the regulation's impact on the project and initiate a change request if needed. Option A is correct because the PMBOK Guide requires that when a new regulation is announced, the project manager must first analyze its impact on the project's compliance requirements. Since the regulation will be in effect before project completion, proactive assessment is needed to determine if a change request is necessary to align the project with future legal obligations. This follows the 'plan-do-check-act' cycle and ensures the project remains compliant without unnecessary disruption.

Answer

Inform the team to assume compliance and adjust their work accordingly

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Stop all project work until the regulation is clarified

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Continue the project as planned since the regulation is not yet in effect

Question 20

During a large infrastructure project, the sponsor requests that the project manager skip the final round of user acceptance testing (UAT) to meet the regulatory deadline, stating that the system has passed all previous tests. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and propose a formal change request to the schedule or scope. Option B is correct because the project manager must protect the project from risks that could compromise quality or regulatory compliance. Skipping UAT, even after successful earlier tests, could miss critical integration or user-specific defects that only emerge in a production-like environment. The correct action is to explain these risks to the sponsor and initiate a formal change request to adjust the schedule or scope, ensuring any decision is documented and approved through the change control process.

Answer

Delay the deadline by two weeks to conduct UAT as planned

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Conduct a shorter UAT with only critical test cases to save time

Answer

Agree to skip UAT to meet the deadline as the sponsor has authority