PMP Practice Test 8 — 10 Questions

Question 1

A project team is in the performing stage of development. The project manager is leaving for a two-week vacation. What is the best way to ensure the team remains productive?

Accepted Answer

Empower the team to make decisions within agreed boundaries and check in periodically.. The team is in the performing stage, characterized by high autonomy, trust, and self-organization. Empowering the team to make decisions within agreed boundaries leverages their maturity and maintains productivity, while periodic check-ins provide necessary oversight without micromanagement. This approach aligns with the Tuckman model and servant leadership principles, ensuring the team remains effective in the project manager's absence.

Answer

Appoint a temporary project manager to oversee the team.

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Ask the team to pause all non-urgent decisions until your return.

Answer

Schedule daily status calls to monitor progress.

Question 2

A new team member from a different cultural background joins your project. They seem hesitant to share opinions during meetings and prefer written communication. Some team members perceive this as disengagement. As the project manager, what is the BEST approach?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a team-building session focused on cultural diversity and communication styles. The best approach because it proactively addresses the root cause—cultural differences in communication styles—by fostering mutual understanding and inclusion. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and creating a collaborative team environment, rather than forcing assimilation or ignoring the issue.

Answer

Assign a mentor to the new team member to help them fit in

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Ignore the situation as it may resolve on its own

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Ask the new team member to adapt to the team's existing communication norms

Question 3

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The sponsor asks you to skip the testing phase in the next sprint to save costs. The project follows a hybrid approach with both predictive and agile elements. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Perform a cost-benefit analysis and present alternative cost-saving measures to the sponsor. As a project manager, you must balance cost constraints with quality and risk. Skipping testing entirely introduces unacceptable technical debt and quality risks, especially in a hybrid project where testing is a critical control point. Performing a cost-benefit analysis allows you to objectively evaluate the impact of skipping testing and present data-driven alternatives, such as reducing test coverage in low-risk areas or deferring non-critical tests, while maintaining the integrity of the deliverable.

Answer

Reduce the scope of testing but not eliminate it entirely

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Inform the sponsor that testing cannot be skipped under any circumstances

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Agree to skip testing to meet the sponsor's request

Question 4

An executive stakeholder bypasses you and gives direct instructions to a team member to add a new feature immediately. The team member is confused and asks you what to do. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Speak privately with the executive to explain the change control process and request they route requests through you. As the project manager, you are responsible for maintaining the change control process and protecting the team from scope creep. Speaking privately with the executive allows you to professionally reinforce the proper escalation path and ensure all changes are evaluated for impact on cost, schedule, and quality before implementation.

Answer

Tell the team member to follow the executive's instructions to avoid conflict

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Ask the team member to ignore the executive's instructions

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Submit a change request for the new feature without further discussion

Question 5

A project team is distributed across three time zones. The project manager wants to improve team collaboration and ensure effective communication. Which tool or technique would best help achieve this?

Accepted Answer

Implement a virtual collaboration platform with chat, video conferencing, and shared document repositories.. A virtual collaboration platform that integrates chat, video conferencing, and shared document repositories directly addresses the core challenges of distributed teams: real-time interaction, synchronous meetings, and centralized document access. This combination reduces communication latency across time zones and ensures all team members have a single source of truth for project artifacts, which is essential for effective collaboration in a multi-timezone environment.

Answer

Use a shared spreadsheet to track tasks and progress.

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Create a project wiki and ask team members to update it regularly.

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Schedule a weekly status email to all team members.

Question 6

Your project team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds. During a meeting, you notice that some team members are uncomfortable with the direct communication style of others. How should you address this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a team discussion to develop a team charter that includes communication norms and cultural respect. It aligns with the PMP's focus on proactive leadership and team development. By facilitating a team discussion to create a team charter with agreed-upon communication norms and cultural respect, you empower the team to collaboratively solve the issue, fostering a respectful and inclusive environment. This approach directly addresses the root cause—differing communication styles—and builds a sustainable framework for future interactions, which is a core responsibility of a project manager in the 'Manage Team' process.

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Ignore the issue as it will likely resolve on its own

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Provide cultural sensitivity training to the entire team

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Tell the direct communicators to soften their tone

Question 7

A project manager is leading a virtual team distributed across three time zones. The team has been performing well, but recently two team members have missed deadlines and seem disengaged. The project manager suspects the cause is related to team member motivation. According to the PMBOK Guide, which theory suggests that people are motivated by achievement, recognition, and growth opportunities?

Accepted Answer

Herzberg's two-factor theory. Herzberg's two-factor theory (also known as the motivation-hygiene theory) distinguishes between hygiene factors (e.g., salary, work conditions) and motivators (e.g., achievement, recognition, growth opportunities). The question specifically points to motivation factors, which aligns directly with Herzberg's motivators. In a virtual team context, the project manager can address disengagement by providing challenging assignments, public recognition, and professional development paths.

Answer

Expectancy theory

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Maslow's hierarchy of needs

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McGregor's Theory X

Question 8

A project manager is reviewing the schedule performance index (SPI) and cost performance index (CPI). The current values are SPI = 0.85 and CPI = 1.10. What is the most likely conclusion about the project?

Accepted Answer

The project is behind schedule and under budget.. An SPI of 0.85 indicates the project is behind schedule (less than 1.0), while a CPI of 1.10 indicates the project is under budget (greater than 1.0). Therefore, the project is behind schedule but under budget, making option B correct.

Answer

The project is behind schedule and over budget.

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The project is ahead of schedule and over budget.

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The project is ahead of schedule and under budget.

Question 9

Your project is 40% complete, but the Earned Value (EV) is $50,000, Planned Value (PV) is $60,000, and Actual Cost (AC) is $70,000. The cost performance index (CPI) is 0.71, and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 0.83. What is the most likely impact on the project?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and behind schedule. With a CPI of 0.71 (less than 1.0), the project is over budget because for every dollar spent, only $0.71 of earned value is received. With an SPI of 0.83 (less than 1.0), the project is behind schedule because only 83% of the planned work has been completed. Therefore, the project is both over budget and behind schedule, making option D correct.

Answer

The project is under budget but behind schedule

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The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

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The project is over budget but ahead of schedule

Question 10

Your project is in the execution phase when a new regulation is passed that affects the project's deliverables. The team is already working at full capacity. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the impact of the regulation on scope, schedule, and cost.. D is correct because the PMBOK Guide requires the project manager to first analyze the impact of a change on the triple constraint (scope, schedule, cost) before taking any action. Since the team is at full capacity, immediate incorporation (A) or stopping work (B) would be premature without understanding the regulation's effect. Updating the risk register (C) without analysis skips the necessary impact assessment step.

Answer

Instruct the team to incorporate the regulation into current work immediately.

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Stop all work until the regulation is fully understood.

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Update the risk register and continue as planned.