CAPM Practice Question: Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
A project has a fixed deadline but flexible scope. The project manager receives a change request that would significantly increase scope. What should the project manager do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is thinking that a flexible scope means changes can be automatically approved; candidates often forget that impact analysis is always the first step in change control, regardless of flexibility.
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
✓
Evaluate the impact on time, cost, and quality
The project manager should first evaluate the impact of the change request on the project constraints (time, cost, quality) before deciding. Since the deadline is fixed but scope is flexible, understanding the trade-offs is essential to make an informed recommendation or decision. This aligns with the Perform Integrated Change Control process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate to the sponsor immediately
Why it's wrong here
Escalation bypasses the change control process, which must first assess the scope increase against the flexible baseline. Sponsors authorise, they do not triage requests. Escalating is tempting when authority feels unclear, but it is the correct step only once the change has been evaluated and exceeds the project manager's delegated threshold.
- ✓
Evaluate the impact on time, cost, and quality
Why this is correct
Assessing how the added scope affects schedule, budget and quality gives the project manager factual data before responding. With a fixed deadline, that analysis reveals whether scope must be traded, and it satisfies the constraint of making an informed change decision rather than reacting immediately.
- ✗
Approve the change because the scope is flexible
Why it's wrong here
Approving unilaterally bypasses the integrated change control process: the change request must be assessed for its impact on the schedule baseline before any decision, since the deadline is fixed. It tempts because flexible scope genuinely permits scope adjustments, but only through formal evaluation and approval, not the project manager's sole authority.
- ✗
Reject the change to protect the fixed deadline
Why it's wrong here
Rejecting outright bypasses the change control process; with flexible scope the request should first be assessed for impact and options. Rejection suits changes that breach governance or a fixed, non-negotiable constraint such as regulatory scope.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
This CAPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI 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 CAPM exam.