- A
Use the contingency reserve to hire additional workers for the foundation.
Why wrong: The contingency reserve covers cost, but simply adding workers without a plan may not be effective on the critical path.
- B
Apply fast-tracking by overlapping the foundation work with subsequent structural work.
Why wrong: Fast-tracking could introduce rework risk and may not be possible due to dependencies.
- C
Reduce the scope of the office wing to shorten the schedule.
Why wrong: Scope reduction is a last resort and requires change control; the sponsor wants to keep the original scope.
- D
Use crashing by adding more resources to the critical path activities, including overtime and additional crews.
Crashing adds resources to critical path activities to reduce duration, which is appropriate when schedule compression is needed.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use crashing by adding more resources to the critical path activities, including overtime and additional crews. Crashing is the correct schedule compression technique here because the critical path tasks are already resource-loaded and the project has a fixed completion date, meaning you must reduce duration without altering scope. By injecting extra resources—such as overtime or extra crews—directly onto critical path activities, you shorten their individual durations, which in turn compresses the overall project timeline to recover from the delay caused by the unexpected soil conditions. On the CAPM exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish crashing from fast tracking, which would involve performing critical path tasks in parallel and carries higher rework risk; a common trap is choosing fast tracking when the critical path has no float and resources are already assigned. Remember the mnemonic “Crash for Cash and Crew”—if you have budget and need to cut time, add resources to the critical path.
CAPM Practice Question: Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
This CAPM practice question tests your understanding of project management fundamentals and core concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You are a project manager for a construction project to build a new office wing. The project is in the execution phase. The team reports that the foundation work is behind schedule because of unexpected soil conditions that require additional stabilization. The project plan had a contingency reserve for such issues. The project sponsor is concerned about the delay and asks you to compress the schedule to recover. The project has a fixed completion date and cannot be delayed. After analyzing the schedule, you find that there is float on some non-critical paths, but critical path activities are already resource-loaded. What is the BEST course of action to address the delay while keeping the project on track?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"best"Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Use crashing by adding more resources to the critical path activities, including overtime and additional crews.
Crashing is the correct technique because the critical path activities are already resource-loaded and the schedule must be compressed without changing scope. By adding more resources (e.g., overtime, additional crews) to critical path tasks, you directly reduce their duration, which shortens the overall project timeline. This aligns with the fixed completion date and the need to recover from the delay caused by unexpected soil conditions.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use the contingency reserve to hire additional workers for the foundation.
Why it's wrong here
The contingency reserve covers cost, but simply adding workers without a plan may not be effective on the critical path.
- ✗
Apply fast-tracking by overlapping the foundation work with subsequent structural work.
Why it's wrong here
Fast-tracking could introduce rework risk and may not be possible due to dependencies.
- ✗
Reduce the scope of the office wing to shorten the schedule.
Why it's wrong here
Scope reduction is a last resort and requires change control; the sponsor wants to keep the original scope.
- ✓
Use crashing by adding more resources to the critical path activities, including overtime and additional crews.
Why this is correct
Crashing adds resources to critical path activities to reduce duration, which is appropriate when schedule compression is needed.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse fast-tracking with crashing, or incorrectly assume that adding resources to any delayed activity will fix the schedule, without recognizing that only critical path activities directly impact the project completion date.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Crashing is a schedule compression technique that focuses on the critical path by adding resources (e.g., labor, equipment, overtime) to activities with the lowest cost per unit of time saved. It is most effective when activities are resource-limited rather than time-limited, and it typically increases direct costs. In this scenario, the critical path activities are already resource-loaded, meaning crashing may require careful analysis to avoid diminishing returns or resource over-allocation.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CAPM question test?
Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts — This question tests Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use crashing by adding more resources to the critical path activities, including overtime and additional crews. — Crashing is the correct technique because the critical path activities are already resource-loaded and the schedule must be compressed without changing scope. By adding more resources (e.g., overtime, additional crews) to critical path tasks, you directly reduce their duration, which shortens the overall project timeline. This aligns with the fixed completion date and the need to recover from the delay caused by unexpected soil conditions.
What should I do if I get this CAPM question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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