PK0-005 Project Life Cycle Practice Question
A project manager is developing the project schedule and needs to determine the critical path. The network diagram shows: Task A (3 days) and Task B (5 days) start concurrently. Task C (4 days) depends on both A and B. Task D (2 days) depends on C. Task E (6 days) depends on A only and runs in parallel with C and D. What is the duration of the critical path?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that Task A's path combined with C and D determines the critical path, when actually Task B's longer duration delays the start of Task C.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
11 days
The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent tasks. Task C depends on both A and B, so it cannot start until B finishes at day 5. Task C takes 4 days (ending day 9), and Task D takes 2 days (ending day 11). The path through E is only 9 days, making the B-C-D path the critical path at 11 days.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
11 days
Why this is correct
The path A-B-C-D is the longest: A (3) + B (5) + C (4) + D (2) = 14 days. However, since A and B start concurrently, the path through B and C begins after B completes. Wait—actually the critical path is the longest path: A(3) + B(5) + C(4) + D(2) = 14 days. But A and B are concurrent, so the path through A and E is 3+6=9. The path through A, then C, D would be 3+4+2=9, but C depends on B as well, so C cannot start until both A and B finish. Therefore B (5) is the constraint. Path: B(5) + C(4) + D(2) = 11 days. But A must also finish before C starts. A finishes at day 3, B finishes at day 5. C starts at day 5 and ends at day 9. D starts at day 9 and ends at day 11. So critical path is 11 days.
- ✗
15 days
Why it's wrong here
This value does not correspond to any valid path calculation in the network. It might result from adding an extra day somewhere or miscalculating one of the task durations. The critical path is determined by the longest sequence of dependent activities, and none of the legitimate paths sum to 15 days in this scenario.
- ✗
14 days
Why it's wrong here
This would be the result if Task E's path were incorrectly calculated or if the dependency of Task C on both A and B were ignored. The path through E is A (3) + E (6) = 9 days, which is shorter than the path through B and C. Adding E's duration to the full chain does not reflect the parallel nature of the network diagram.
- ✗
9 days
Why it's wrong here
This is the duration of the path through Task E (A + E = 3 + 6 = 9 days). While this is a valid path, it is not the longest path in the network. The critical path is determined by the longest duration through the network, which in this case goes through Task B, C, and D, totaling 11 days.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This PK0-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PK0-005 exam.