PMI-RMP Practice Test 1 — 25 Questions

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a common risk identification technique?

Accepted Answer

Risk response planning. Risk response planning is part of the Plan Risk Responses process, which occurs after risk identification is complete — it is not an identification technique. Identification techniques generate the list of risks, while response planning determines what to do about them. SWOT analysis, brainstorming, and checklist analysis are all standard identification tools listed in PMBOK.

Answer

SWOT analysis

Answer

Brainstorming

Answer

Checklist analysis

Question 2

You are the risk manager on a multi-year pharmaceutical construction program. The program sponsor has approved a risk management plan, but during the first monthly risk review you notice the team is documenting risks without linking them to the program's strategic objectives. The program director asks you to make the risk process more strategically aligned. Which action best ensures the risk management effort directly supports the program's strategic objectives?

Accepted Answer

Update the Risk Breakdown Structure to reflect the program's strategic objectives and use it to guide risk identification and reporting.. Strategic alignment is achieved when the risk taxonomy mirrors the program's objectives, making traceability explicit. The Risk Breakdown Structure, when tailored to strategic goals, becomes the mechanism that guides identification, assessment, and reporting so every risk can be linked to a business outcome. Simulation, escalation, and quantitative modeling address different problems and do not create the missing strategic linkage.

Answer

Perform a Monte Carlo simulation on the program schedule to quantify strategic exposure.

Answer

Escalate all unresolved risks to the program steering committee for prioritization.

Answer

Replace the qualitative risk assessment with a quantitative cost-risk analysis.

Question 3

A project manager is updating the risk register. Which of the following is the most important element to include for a newly identified risk?

Accepted Answer

The risk description and its potential impact. When a risk is first identified and added to the risk register, the foundational entries are a clear description of the risk event and its potential impact on project objectives. Without these, the risk cannot be analyzed, prioritized, or assigned. Other elements like cost of mitigation, risk score, and owner are populated later during qualitative/quantitative analysis and response planning. Thus, the description and impact are the most critical initial elements.

Answer

The cost of mitigation

Answer

The risk score

Answer

The name of the risk owner

Question 4

Which THREE criteria are commonly used to prioritize risks for reporting in a dashboard?

Accepted Answer

Probability of occurrence. Option C (Probability of occurrence) is correct because risk prioritization typically begins with assessing how likely a risk is to happen, often expressed as a likelihood rating or percentage, so that more probable risks receive higher reporting priority. Option D (Impact on project objectives) is correct because the severity of consequences on scope, schedule, cost, or quality determines how damaging a risk would be, and high-impact risks warrant prominent dashboard visibility. Option E (Urgency of the risk event) is correct because the time frame in which a risk must be addressed affects prioritization; near-term risks require immediate attention and are ranked higher than those with longer horizons. Option A (The name of the software used for tracking) is not a prioritization criterion because the tracking tool is merely an administrative detail and does not reflect risk severity or likelihood. Option B (The birth date of the risk owner) is irrelevant personal information and has no bearing on how a risk should be ranked for reporting.

Answer

The name of the software used for tracking

Answer

The birth date of the risk owner

Question 5

When a risk response is found to be ineffective during an audit, what is the next step?

Accepted Answer

Revise the risk response plan and update the register. When an audit reveals that a risk response is ineffective, the correct action is to revise the risk response plan and update the risk register to reflect the new approach, reassessed probability/impact, and revised ownership. This closes the loop on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle for risk management. Simply changing the owner or continuing an ineffective plan leaves the risk unaddressed.

Answer

Close the risk to avoid future audits

Answer

Assign a different owner to the same ineffective plan

Answer

Continue with the plan until the project ends

Question 6

Two project stakeholders disagree on the severity of a risk, leading to an impasse. What is the best way to resolve this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a structured assessment session using established qualitative or quantitative criteria.. When stakeholders disagree on risk severity, the best resolution is to facilitate a structured assessment session using established qualitative or quantitative criteria (e.g., probability-impact matrix, risk scoring rubrics). This ensures objectivity, transparency, and repeatability, aligning with PMI's emphasis on data-driven risk analysis.

Answer

Assign the highest severity level to be safe.

Answer

Flip a coin to determine which severity level to use.

Answer

Agree with the stakeholder who has more seniority.

Question 7

During a project, a risk occurs that was identified and planned for. The assigned risk owner is not taking action. What is your next step?

Accepted Answer

Discuss with the risk owner the reasons for the delay and provide any necessary support.. When a risk owner is not acting, the project manager should first engage the owner directly to understand the delay and offer support, because the owner may lack resources, authority, or clarity. This collaborative approach aligns with PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and stakeholder engagement. Escalation or reassignment should only follow if the discussion fails to resolve the issue.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor.

Answer

Formally document the inaction in the project performance report.

Answer

Assign the task to a different team member.

Question 8

Which THREE factors should be considered when assessing the impact of a risk?

Accepted Answer

Technical performance degradation. When assessing the impact of a risk, three key dimensions are technical performance degradation (A), financial cost (B), and schedule delay (D). Technical performance degradation (A) matters because a risk can reduce system functionality, reliability, or quality below required specifications, directly affecting whether the deliverable meets its technical objectives. Financial cost (B) is a core impact factor since risks can trigger budget overruns through rework, penalties, or additional resources, which must be quantified against the approved budget baseline. Schedule delay (D) is equally essential because risks can push critical-path activities past milestones, delaying delivery and potentially incurring contractual penalties or lost business value. By contrast, personnel vacation schedule (C) is a resource-planning or staffing consideration rather than a direct impact dimension, and office supply availability (E) is a trivial operational detail with no meaningful bearing on risk impact assessment.

Answer

Personnel vacation schedule

Answer

Office supply availability

Question 9

In a quantitative risk analysis, the cost contingency has been depleted, yet the risk remains. What is the next logical step in the risk process?

Accepted Answer

Escalate the risk to the project board or project sponsor. When the cost contingency is exhausted but the risk remains, the project manager no longer has authority to absorb it within the project budget, so the risk must be escalated to the project board or sponsor. Escalation is the correct risk-process step when the risk exceeds the project manager's tolerance or available reserves. This aligns with PMI's risk escalation and reserve analysis principles.

Answer

Accept the risk without further action

Answer

Update the risk register with a new probability estimate

Answer

Reduce the scope of the project

Question 10

When establishing the risk management methodology, which document should be used to provide the framework and authority for risk activities?

Accepted Answer

Risk Management Plan. The Risk Management Plan is the document produced during the Plan Risk Management process that defines the risk management methodology, including the approach, tools, techniques, roles, responsibilities, budgeting, timing, and reporting formats for risk activities. It provides both the framework and the formal authority for how risk management will be conducted on the project. The Project Charter authorizes the project itself but does not detail risk methodology.

Answer

Issue Log

Answer

Stakeholder Register

Answer

Project Charter

Question 11

Which THREE criteria are commonly used to score risks during qualitative analysis?

Accepted Answer

Probability of occurrence.. Qualitative risk analysis scores each identified risk by combining two core dimensions: the likelihood that the risk event will happen, which is option C, probability of occurrence, and the severity of its effect on scope, schedule, cost, or quality, which is option D, impact on project objectives. These two factors are typically multiplied on a probability-impact matrix to produce a relative risk score that drives prioritization. Option E, urgency of the response required, is also a common qualitative scoring criterion because risks needing near-term action (for example, those with short response windows or imminent triggers) are rated higher so they can be escalated and addressed first. Options A and B are not risk-scoring criteria: an office address is irrelevant to the likelihood or consequence of a project risk, and the project manager's age has no bearing on risk exposure or prioritization.

Answer

The office address.

Answer

The age of the project manager.

Question 12

When planning for risk, what does the term 'Tailoring' refer to?

Accepted Answer

Adjusting the risk management process to fit the project's complexity and needs.. Tailoring in risk management refers to adjusting the risk management processes, tools, and techniques to fit the specific project's size, complexity, industry, and organizational context. It ensures the risk approach is proportionate and relevant rather than applying a one-size-fits-all methodology.

Answer

Reducing the project team size.

Answer

Changing the project scope to avoid all risks.

Answer

Buying specialized software.

Question 13

A project is utilizing a 'Risk-Adjusted Schedule'. What does this imply about the project's risk planning?

Accepted Answer

The schedule accounts for identified risks via time buffers or logic changes.. A Risk-Adjusted Schedule is a project schedule that has been deliberately modified to reflect the impact of identified risks and agreed-upon risk responses. This is typically achieved by adding time buffers (such as contingency reserves or feeding buffers) or by altering the logical sequence of activities (e.g., adding lag, changing dependencies, or re-sequencing work) to reduce the probability or impact of risk events. In PMI's risk management framework, this schedule is an output of the Plan Risk Responses process and is used to establish a realistic baseline that accounts for uncertainty rather than assuming a risk-free environment.

Answer

The schedule was created by a software tool without human input.

Answer

The schedule has no risks involved.

Answer

The schedule is fixed and cannot be changed.

Question 14

Which document outlines how risk management activities will be communicated to stakeholders?

Accepted Answer

The Communications Management Plan.. The Communications Management Plan is the PMBOK document that defines how project information—including risk management activities, risk status reports, and risk escalation paths—will be distributed to stakeholders. It specifies who receives what information, in what format, at what frequency, and through which channel. Since the question asks specifically about how risk management activities will be communicated, this plan is the correct governing document.

Answer

The Project Charter.

Answer

The Risk Register.

Answer

The Resource Management Plan.

Question 15

You are reviewing a 'Risk Burndown' chart and see that it is flat. What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

No risk mitigation or closure has occurred. A Risk Burndown chart plots cumulative risk exposure (typically probability × impact) against time across the project lifecycle. A flat line means the total risk exposure is not decreasing, which indicates that no risk responses have been executed, no risks have been closed, and no new mitigation value has been realized. In other words, the project team is not actively reducing the risk profile over time.

Answer

The project is completed

Answer

The risk management process is highly effective

Answer

Risks are being identified faster than they are being closed

Question 16

Which of the following is an advantage of using a Monte Carlo simulation over a static schedule analysis?

Accepted Answer

It accounts for the variability of multiple tasks simultaneously.. Monte Carlo simulation accounts for the variability of multiple tasks simultaneously by sampling from probability distributions for each task and running thousands of iterations. This produces a range of possible project completion dates with associated probabilities, unlike static analysis which uses single-point estimates. The key advantage is capturing the combined effect of uncertainty across the entire schedule.

Answer

It provides a single, definitive project completion date.

Answer

It requires less data to perform than static analysis.

Answer

It completely removes the need for expert judgment.

Question 17

You are adjusting the logic of your schedule to include a 'probabilistic branch'. What does this allow you to do in a risk analysis simulation?

Accepted Answer

Model the occurrence of specific, mutually exclusive project outcomes.. A probabilistic branch in schedule logic allows the model to represent alternative paths that depend on uncertain events, enabling simulation of mutually exclusive outcomes. In risk analysis tools like @RISK or Primavera Risk Analysis, this means the schedule can branch into different scenarios (e.g., a design is approved or rejected), and the simulation randomly selects a branch based on assigned probabilities. This models the occurrence of specific project outcomes, providing a more realistic distribution of completion dates.

Answer

Automatically assign risk owners.

Answer

Increase the precision of activity estimates.

Answer

Delete non-critical path activities.

Question 18

Which TWO of the following are essential components of a well-maintained risk register?

Accepted Answer

Risk owner. A well-maintained risk register must include a risk owner (B), because every identified risk needs an assigned individual accountable for monitoring, mitigating, and reporting on it throughout the risk management lifecycle. It must also include a risk description (D), since documenting the nature of the risk — its cause, potential impact, and likelihood — is the core purpose of the register and enables proper analysis and response planning. Options A, C, and E are not essential components: meeting minutes, team member CVs, and vendor contact information are unrelated administrative artifacts that do not describe or manage risks, even if they may be stored elsewhere in project documentation.

Answer

Detailed historical log of all meeting minutes

Answer

Project team member CVs

Answer

Vendor contact information

Question 19

Which THREE categories are typically found in a standard Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)?

Accepted Answer

External risk category.. In a standard Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS), risks are organized into hierarchical categories, and the External risk category (A) is correct because it captures risks originating outside the project team's control, such as regulatory, market, weather, or supplier-related risks. The Technical risk category (C) is correct because it covers risks tied to requirements, technology, design, interfaces, and performance, which are core technical sources of project uncertainty. The Management risk category (D) is correct because it addresses risks from project management processes such as estimating, planning, resourcing, communication, and control. The color preference category (B) and the lunch break category (E) are not recognized RBS risk categories; they are irrelevant to standard risk classification and do not represent sources of project risk.

Answer

The color preference category.

Answer

The lunch break category.

Question 20

A stakeholder suggests a risk response that is significantly outside of the project's risk appetite. How should you handle this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting to discuss the risk, the stakeholder's proposal, and the organization's risk appetite.. When a stakeholder proposes a risk response outside the organization's risk appetite, the best approach is to facilitate a meeting to discuss the risk, the proposal, and the risk appetite. This collaborative approach allows all parties to understand the constraints and work toward a mutually acceptable solution. It respects the stakeholder's input while ensuring alignment with organizational risk tolerance.

Answer

Implement the proposal but document that it was the stakeholder's decision.

Answer

Accept the proposal because the stakeholder has budget authority.

Answer

Reject the proposal immediately and tell the stakeholder they are wrong.