CAPM Practice Question: Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
A project manager is assigned a project that has a very low tolerance for scope changes. Which development approach is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
CAPM often tests whether candidates confuse 'iterative' and 'incremental' with 'predictive' — the trap is that iterative and incremental both imply some degree of scope evolution, which contradicts a low change-tolerance requirement.
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
✓
Predictive
A predictive (waterfall) approach plans the full scope upfront and controls changes through formal change control, making it ideal when scope changes are unacceptable. It emphasizes detailed planning, sequential phases, and baseline management, which aligns with a project that has very low tolerance for scope variation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Incremental
Why it's wrong here
Incremental delivery adds functionality in successive slices, and each increment can introduce scope adjustments as later pieces are defined. It suits staged value delivery, but low scope-change tolerance calls for a predictive approach where scope is fixed upfront and changes flow through formal control.
- ✓
Predictive
Why this is correct
Predictive approaches fix scope early through detailed upfront planning and formal change control, suiting environments with very low tolerance for scope changes. Adaptive or agile methods welcome evolving scope, which directly conflicts with the stated constraint.
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Adaptive
Why it's wrong here
Adaptive approaches embrace changing requirements through continuous feedback, directly conflicting with a project that permits almost no scope variation. Adaptive suits volatile environments where discovery drives scope, whereas this scenario needs a predictive approach with an approved, baselined scope and formal change control.
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Iterative
Why it's wrong here
Iterative approaches deliberately revisit and refine requirements across cycles, accommodating evolving scope rather than freezing it. That flexibility is valuable when requirements are uncertain, but this project demands strict scope control, which a predictive plan-driven approach satisfies by baselining scope before execution begins.
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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.