CAPM Practice Question: Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
Which THREE are components of the project management plan?
⚠ Common exam trap
CAPM often tests the confusion between project management plan components and project documents — candidates pick Risk Register or Stakeholder Register because they are prominent project artifacts, forgetting they are documents, not plan components.
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
✓
Cost baseline
The project management plan is the integrated, approved document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, controlled, and closed, and it formally incorporates the three baselines: the scope baseline (D), the schedule baseline (E), and the cost baseline (B). The scope baseline (D) is the approved version of the scope statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary, and it is a component of the project management plan used to measure scope performance. The schedule baseline (E) is the approved version of the schedule model, and the cost baseline (B) is the approved, time-phased project budget; both are performance measurement baselines contained within the plan. By contrast, the risk register (A) and stakeholder register (C) are project documents, not components of the project management plan, so they do not belong in the answer.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Risk register
Why it's wrong here
The risk register is a project document, not part of the project management plan, which is why it fails here. It is tempting because risk management planning does produce risk-related outputs, and the risk register would be the right artefact to consult when identifying, analysing or tracking individual risks during project execution.
- ✓
Cost baseline
Why this is correct
The cost baseline is the time-phased approved budget, derived from the cost management plan and used to measure, monitor and control project cost performance. It forms part of the project management plan and provides the reference against which cost variances and earned value are assessed.
- ✗
Stakeholder register
Why it's wrong here
The stakeholder register is a separate project document, not part of the project management plan, which integrates baselines and subsidiary plans. It is tempting because it is a key artefact in stakeholder management, and would be the right output when identifying stakeholders and recording their interests, influence and engagement levels for a project.
- ✓
Scope baseline
Why this is correct
The scope baseline comprises the approved scope statement, WBS and WBS dictionary, forming the reference for scope verification and control. It is a component of the project management plan, against which scope changes and deliverables are measured.
- ✓
Schedule baseline
Why this is correct
The schedule baseline is the approved version of the schedule model, used to compare actual progress against planned dates. It is a component of the project management plan, established through schedule development and used for performance measurement and change control.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CAPM question from scratch — 451 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 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.