PMP Practice Test 9 — 10 Questions

Question 1

You are leading a globally distributed team with members in three time zones. During a virtual sprint retrospective, team members express frustration that decisions are often made without their input, leading to rework. What is the BEST action to improve team empowerment and collaboration?

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

Accepted Answer

Establish a decision-making framework that includes input from all time zones before finalizing decisions. Establishing a decision-making framework that explicitly includes input from all time zones addresses the root cause of the frustration: lack of inclusion in decisions. This directly improves team empowerment and collaboration by ensuring asynchronous participation, reducing rework caused by decisions made without full team input.

Answer

Introduce a new collaboration tool to facilitate asynchronous communication

Answer

Implement a strict decision-making hierarchy where the project manager makes all final decisions

Answer

Encourage team members to speak up more during meetings

Question 2

You are the project manager for a 9-month product launch. At the midpoint review, the earned value analysis shows: EV = $450,000, PV = $500,000, AC = $550,000. The project is underperforming. The sponsor asks for a recovery plan. Which metric should you use to estimate the new total cost at completion assuming no change in cost performance?

Accepted Answer

EAC = BAC / CPI. With no change in cost performance, the Estimate at Completion (EAC) using the cost performance index (CPI) is appropriate: EAC = BAC / CPI. Given EV = $450,000, AC = $550,000, CPI = EV/AC = 0.818, so EAC = BAC / 0.818. Option D is correct. Option A (EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) / (CPI * SPI)) applies when both cost and schedule performance are expected to continue. Option B and C (EAC = AC + (BAC - EV)) assume future work is performed at the budgeted rate, not the current cost performance. Thus, only D is correct under the assumption of no change in cost performance.

Answer

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

Answer

EAC = AC + (BAC - EV)

Answer

EAC = AC + BAC - EV

Question 3

At the midpoint of your 18-month project, the earned value analysis shows: EV = $450,000, PV = $500,000, AC = $550,000. What should you be most concerned about?

Accepted Answer

The project is both behind schedule and over budget.. With EV < PV and EV < AC, the project is behind schedule and over budget. The cost performance index (CPI) is 0.82, indicating cost efficiency is poor. Both schedule and cost are concerns, but cost overrun is more severe.

Answer

The project is ahead of schedule but over budget.

Answer

The project is on schedule and on budget.

Answer

The project is behind schedule but on budget.

Question 4

During a project's execution phase, you discover that a team member has been delivering work that does not meet the quality standards defined in the quality management plan. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Review the quality reports and perform a root cause analysis to prevent recurrence. The first step when quality standards are not met is to analyze the quality reports and perform root cause analysis to identify the underlying cause of the defect. This aligns with the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and the principle of continuous improvement, ensuring the issue is corrected and prevented from recurring rather than just fixing the symptom.

Answer

Ask the team member to redo the work without further discussion

Answer

Escalate the issue to the human resources department

Answer

Update the quality management plan to lower the standards

Question 5

During the execution phase of a construction project, you discover that a key vendor will not deliver steel beams on time, threatening the critical path. The risk was identified and the response plan was to use an approved backup supplier. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Contact the backup supplier immediately to activate the contract. Since the risk response plan already identified the backup supplier, the PM should implement the planned response. Activating the contingency plan is the correct proactive step. Communicating with stakeholders is important but secondary to executing the response.

Answer

Ask the team to find a new vendor not on the approved list

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Answer

Update the risk register and wait for the vendor to confirm the delay

Question 6

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The cost variance is due to higher-than-expected material costs. What is the BEST action?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the variance and implement corrective actions such as reducing scope or using cheaper materials. The PM should analyze the variance, determine root cause, and develop corrective actions, then communicate to stakeholders.

Answer

Reduce the quality of deliverables to cut costs

Answer

Request additional budget from the sponsor

Answer

Inform the sponsor of the overrun and wait for instructions

Question 7

A project manager is managing a construction project that is currently 15% over budget at the midpoint. The sponsor asks the PM to reduce quality testing to save costs. What should the PM do first?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of reducing quality and recommend submitting a change request if cost reduction is necessary. Reducing quality without change control and impact analysis is risky and violates PMI principles. Option B is reactive, option C bypasses analysis, option D ignores the issue.

Answer

Ignore the sponsor's request and continue with the current plan

Answer

Agree with the sponsor and reduce testing immediately

Answer

Review the budget and identify other areas to cut costs without affecting quality

Question 8

In a Scrum project, the product owner asks the team to add a new user story during the sprint. The team is currently working on committed stories. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Explain to the product owner that new stories cannot be added during the sprint without removing an equal amount of work. In Scrum, the sprint backlog is fixed once the sprint starts. The product owner can add new stories only after the current sprint is completed, unless a story is swapped out with equal effort. The Scrum Master should protect the team from scope changes during the sprint.

Answer

Immediately schedule a sprint planning meeting to add the new story

Answer

Add the story to the sprint backlog and ask the team to work overtime

Answer

Tell the team to finish current stories first and then work on the new story

Question 9

During a daily standup meeting, a team member mentions that they encountered a technical issue that will delay their task by two days. The project is time-sensitive. What should the scrum master do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Remove the impediment by helping the team member find a solution or escalating if necessary. The scrum master's role is to remove impediments and help the team resolve issues. Addressing the block immediately aligns with agile principles.

Answer

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

Answer

Report the issue to the project sponsor

Answer

Update the project schedule to reflect the two-day delay

Question 10

In your Scrum project, the development team has been consistently missing sprint commitments. During the retrospective, the team identifies that scope is often added during the sprint by the product owner without consulting the team. What should you do as the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on the importance of not changing scope during a sprint.. The Scrum Master is responsible for protecting the team and ensuring the Scrum process is followed. The product owner should not add scope during a sprint; changes should be deferred to the next sprint. The Scrum Master should coach the product owner.

Answer

Ask the product owner to stop attending daily standups to prevent scope changes.

Answer

Update the sprint backlog to reflect the changes and extend the sprint duration.

Answer

Allow the product owner to add scope if the team agrees.