PK0-005 Practice Test 37 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is analyzing the impact of a proposed change on the project's schedule, cost, and quality. After the analysis, the change request is reviewed by a group of stakeholders who decide whether to approve it. This group is known as the:

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

Accepted Answer

Change control board. The group that reviews a change request and decides whether to approve it is the change control board (CCB). The CCB evaluates the impact analysis on schedule, cost, and quality and authorizes or rejects the change. This is the standard governance body defined in project management frameworks such as PMBOK.

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Quality assurance team

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Steering committee

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Project team

Question 2

A senior manager is comparing two projects for selection. The manager wants to use a method that considers the time value of money. Which TWO project selection methods incorporate the time value of money?

Accepted Answer

Internal rate of return (IRR). Internal rate of return (IRR) (B) is correct because it discounts all future project cash flows to find the discount rate at which the project's net present value equals zero, explicitly applying the time value of money. Net present value (NPV) (C) is also correct because it discounts future cash inflows and outflows back to their present value using a specified discount rate, directly reflecting that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future. The remaining options do not inherently incorporate the time value of money: payback period (A) simply measures how long it takes to recover the initial investment without discounting, return on investment (D) is a simple ratio of net benefits to costs without discounting, and cost-benefit analysis (E) compares benefits and costs but does not necessarily discount them to present value.

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Payback period

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Return on investment (ROI)

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Cost-benefit analysis

Question 3

A project is in the executing phase. The project manager notices that the actual cost is consistently higher than planned, and the schedule is behind. After analyzing the situation, the project manager decides to fast-track some tasks. What is the primary impact of fast-tracking?

Accepted Answer

It increases risk of rework. Fast-tracking means performing activities in parallel that were originally planned to be done sequentially. While it can compress the schedule, it increases the risk of rework because tasks that depend on each other's outputs may be started before those outputs are fully validated. This is why fast-tracking is a schedule-compression technique with a known trade-off in risk.

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It reduces cost by eliminating tasks

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It immediately lowers resource costs

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It decreases the project's scope

Question 4

A control chart shows a process with data points fluctuating within the upper and lower control limits, but 8 consecutive points appear on one side of the mean. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

Special cause variation. Eight consecutive points on one side of the mean is a recognized signal of special cause variation in control charts (per Nelson rules and Western Electric rules). Even though the points are within control limits, this non-random pattern indicates the process is influenced by an assignable cause, not just common cause.

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Common cause variation

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The mean has shifted

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The process is out of control

Question 5

A project manager is leading a software development project with stable requirements and a fixed budget. The team prefers a sequential approach with clear phases. Which methodology is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Predictive (Waterfall). Predictive (Waterfall) is the correct methodology because it is designed for projects with stable, well-understood requirements, a fixed budget, and a preference for sequential phases with clear gates. Waterfall's linear structure — requirements, design, build, test, deploy — matches the team's desire for defined phases and works well when scope is unlikely to change. Scrum, Agile, and Hybrid all introduce iterative cycles and embrace changing requirements, which is unnecessary and potentially disruptive when requirements are already stable.

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Scrum

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Hybrid

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Agile

Question 6

A large organization is deploying a new ERP system. The infrastructure team provisions a cluster of virtual machines for the application and a separate database server. During load testing with typical user loads, the database server shows high I/O wait times. The storage administrator confirms that the storage array has sufficient capacity and the disks are healthy. The hypervisor shows no CPU or memory pressure. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the high I/O wait?

Accepted Answer

Misconfigured RAID level, such as using RAID 5 for a write-intensive workload.. RAID 5 uses parity-based striping, which incurs a write penalty (each write requires four I/O operations: read old data, read old parity, write new data, write new parity). For a write-intensive workload like an ERP database, this overhead causes high I/O wait times even when disks are healthy and capacity is sufficient. The correct answer is C because the misconfigured RAID level directly explains the observed symptom.

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Network bandwidth saturation between the database and application servers.

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Insufficient memory on the database server causing paging.

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CPU overutilization on the database server.

Question 7

An organization has multiple projects that are not directly related but are all aimed at achieving the company's strategic goal of expanding into new markets. Which term best describes this collection?

Accepted Answer

Portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of projects, programs, and operations that are grouped together to facilitate effective management and achieve strategic business objectives. Because the projects described are not directly related to each other but all support the strategic goal of market expansion, they form a portfolio. Programs, by contrast, group related projects managed in a coordinated way.

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Operation

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Project

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Program

Question 8

In which organizational structure does a project manager have the highest level of authority?

Accepted Answer

Projectized. In a projectized organizational structure, the project manager has the highest level of authority — team members report directly to the PM, who controls the budget, resources, and priorities. The PM is typically full-time and has near-complete autonomy over project decisions. This contrasts with matrix and functional structures where authority is shared or held by functional managers.

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Balanced matrix

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Weak matrix

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Functional

Question 9

A project manager is updating the risk register for a new project. Which THREE of the following fields are essential components of a risk register in CompTIA Project+?

Accepted Answer

Risk ID. Option A (Risk ID) is correct because every risk in a risk register must have a unique identifier so it can be tracked, referenced, and cross-linked to other project documents throughout the project life cycle. Option B (Probability and Impact) is correct because these are the core assessment values used to score and prioritize each risk, typically feeding into a probability-impact matrix that determines the risk's overall severity. Option D (Risk owner) is correct because each risk must be assigned to a specific person accountable for monitoring it and executing the agreed response strategy. Option C (Change request number) does not belong because change requests are handled through the integrated change control process and are not a standard field of a risk register. Option E (Issue resolution date) does not belong because issues are problems that have already occurred and are tracked in an issue log, not in the risk register, which deals with potential future events.

Answer

Change request number

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Issue resolution date

Question 10

A project manager is assigned to a new project and needs to document high-level risks, assumptions, and constraints. Which document should the project manager create first?

Accepted Answer

Project charter. The project charter is the document that formally authorizes the project and captures the high-level risks, assumptions, constraints, business case, and success criteria before detailed planning begins. It is created first because it gives the project manager the authority to proceed and serves as the input to developing the project management plan and other subsidiary documents. Without an approved charter, the PM has no formal mandate to plan or execute.

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Project management plan

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Risk register

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Work breakdown structure

Question 11

A project is in the monitoring and controlling phase. The project manager notices that the cost performance index (CPI) is 0.8 and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 1.2. What does this indicate about the project?

Accepted Answer

The project is over budget and ahead of schedule. CPI is calculated as EV/AC. A CPI of 0.8 means the project is earning only 80 cents of value for every dollar spent, indicating it is over budget. SPI is EV/PV. An SPI of 1.2 means the project is earning 20% more value than planned for the time elapsed, indicating it is ahead of schedule. Therefore, the project is over budget and ahead of schedule.

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The project is on budget and on schedule

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The project is under budget and ahead of schedule

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The project is over budget and behind schedule

Question 12

Which TWO of the following are risk identification techniques commonly used in project management? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis (A) is a recognized risk identification technique because it systematically examines Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, helping the team surface internal and external risks that could affect the project. Brainstorming (C) is also a standard identification technique in which stakeholders and subject-matter experts generate a broad list of potential risks in a facilitated session. Crashing (B) is a schedule compression technique that adds resources to shorten duration, so it is a response/planning tool rather than risk identification. Fast-tracking (D) is likewise a schedule compression method that overlaps activities, not a way to discover risks. Monte Carlo simulation (E) is a quantitative risk analysis technique used to model probability and impact, so it belongs to analysis rather than identification.

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Crashing

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Fast-tracking

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Monte Carlo simulation

Question 13

A project manager needs to track task dependencies and identify the critical path. Which tool should they use?

Accepted Answer

Gantt chart. A Gantt chart is the correct tool because it visually displays task dependencies and the critical path by showing tasks as bars along a timeline, with arrows linking dependent tasks. This allows the project manager to identify which tasks are on the longest path (critical path) and cannot be delayed without affecting the project finish date. Other tools like a RACI matrix, Pareto chart, or WBS do not provide the timeline and dependency visualization needed for critical path analysis.

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RACI matrix

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Pareto chart

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Work breakdown structure (WBS)

Question 14

During the planning phase, the project manager wants to define the project scope in detail. Which document should be created?

Accepted Answer

Scope statement. The scope statement is the document created during the planning phase that provides a detailed description of the project's deliverables, boundaries, and acceptance criteria. It formally documents what is included and excluded from the project, serving as the baseline for scope control. Unlike the project charter, which authorizes the project at a high level, the scope statement elaborates on the specifics needed to guide execution and control.

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Requirements documentation

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Work breakdown structure (WBS)

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Project charter

Question 15

Order the steps for effective stakeholder communication.

Accepted Answer

Identify stakeholders, Analyze stakeholders, Plan communication, Distribute information, Adjust based on feedback. Communication starts with identifying stakeholders, analyzing, planning, distributing, and adjusting based on feedback.

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Plan communication, Identify stakeholders, Analyze stakeholders, Distribute information, Adjust based on feedback

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Identify stakeholders, Plan communication, Analyze stakeholders, Distribute information, Adjust based on feedback

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Identify stakeholders, Analyze stakeholders, Distribute information, Plan communication, Adjust based on feedback