Practice for the PMP exam with 22 multiple-choice questions. Answer each question before the reveal, then review the explanation to understand the reasoning.
This is Part 8/8 in the CertPunch PMP practice exam series.
Topics covered: scope, schedule, risk, stakeholders, agile delivery, change control, team leadership, and project governance.
More practice: certpunch.com
What you will practice
- While compiling all the work performance information into the work performance report, a project manager noti…
- The project planning has been completed for the office renovation project. The project management plan has be…
- The project manager has reviewed all the work performance information that has been created so far on the pro…
- A team member is working on upgrading the network server while another team member is painting the server roo…
- A project manager has completed the project status report. The report states the CPI is 1.1 and the SPI is 1…
- Which of the following would be considered waste on a project?
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. While compiling all the work performance information into the work performance report, a project manager notices that the SPI of the project is .6 and the CPI is .7. What action should the project manager take next on this project?
Answer: B. Create a change request to correct the project.
An SPI of .6 and CPI of .7 indicate significant schedule and budget variances requiring corrective change requests. Simply reporting the problems is insufficient.
Q2. The project planning has been completed for the office renovation project. The project management plan has been approved by the sponsor and senior management. What should the project manager do next?
Answer: B. Hold a kickoff meeting
After approval, a kickoff meeting aligns the team on the plan. Senior management is already aware, and deliverables acceptance comes later.
Q3. The project manager has reviewed all the work performance information that has been created so far on the project. He has started to create the overall project status report to present to the project stakeholders. What process is the proje…
Answer: A. Monitor and control project work
Monitoring and controlling project work involves using performance information to create reports on the project's status.
Q4. A team member is working on upgrading the network server while another team member is painting the server room. The outcomes of these two events will not affect each other. What best describes the relationship between these two events?
Answer: A. There are statistically independent
Statistically independent events do not influence each other's outcomes, which is the case here.
Q5. A project manager has completed the project status report. The report states the CPI is 1.1 and the SPI is 1.14. The report was given to the project sponsor, who has become very upset about the project's progress and has requested an immed…
Answer: B. The project is progressing on schedule and budget
A CPI and SPI both greater than 1 indicate the project is under budget and ahead of schedule.
Q6. Which of the following would be considered waste on a project?
Answer: A. Waiting
The correct answer proves waiting is non-value-added time. Value-added features and processes contribute to the product, while completed work is the desired outcome.
Q7. Two team members were having a conflict over what programming method should be used on the new application. They have resolved the conflict. What would be their next step?
Answer: A. Implement the new method and verify that it solves the actual problem.
The correct answer proves that resolving conflict requires implementing and verifying the solution. The trap is assuming resolution equals completion, ignoring the need to confirm effectiveness.
Q8. Managing a project can be a very complex task that involves identifying and managing all the stakeholders on the project. The project manager spends 90% of their time doing what important task?
Answer: C. Communications
The correct answer proves that communication dominates a project manager's time. The elimination cue is that estimating cost and duration is the responsibility of subject matter experts, not the project manager.
Q9. While developing very complex software, the project manager met with some of the industry's top subject matter experts to understand their perspectives on solving some of the problems in the software. What tool best describes these meeting…
Answer: C. Focus groups
This question tests the 'Focus groups' tool. Bringing together SMEs to discuss their perspectives is a primary function of a focus group, while 'brainstorming' typically involves generating new ideas from a group.
Q10. While managing the stakeholders' engagement, the project manager notices that some of the team members are not respectful to other team members. This has led to a few conflicts between the members. What can the project manager best do abou…
Answer: C. Implement ground rules
This question tests 'Implementing ground rules'. The best immediate response to behavioral issues is to enforce established team rules, which are a standard tool for managing team interactions.
Q11. The datacenter redesign project has been executed and is currently 50% complete. One of the project's key stakeholders has submitted a change request to change the building's wiring from copper cables to fiber cables. The project manager h…
Answer: A. Submit the change to change control board
The correct answer proves the change control board process. Formal approval, not individual manager decisions, is required before updating project plans.
Q12. While working on an agile project, the sponsor would like to know how much work remains to be completed on the project. The project manager has scheduled a meeting with the sponsor for the next day. What tool would be best for the project…
Answer: C. Burndown chart
The correct answer demonstrates the use of a key agile reporting tool. The burndown chart visually communicates remaining work, which is a primary metric for sponsors.
Q13. The project manager, Mark, overheard that the project team is not satisfied with the way the budget was created. They strongly believe the project will be over budget at the end. What is the next best step for Mark?
Answer: A. Bring the team together and attempt to understand why they feel this way.
The correct answer demonstrates stakeholder communication best practices. The immediate step is to understand the root cause of team concerns before taking corrective or escalated action.
Q14. What is the difference between the product backlog and the iteration backlog?
Answer: C. The product backlog contains all work needed to be completed on the project, and the iteration backlog will contain all work that will get done in the next iteration
The correct answer proves the Product Backlog is all project work, while the Iteration Backlog is just the next cycle's work. The distractor's mistake is reversing their scopes.
Q15. The product owner has added three new changes to the product backlog. The agile project manager has met with the team and they have decided immediately how to implement these new changes, although these changes will be implemented until th…
Answer: B. Tell the team they should not have committed to doing these changes until they were ready to implement them
The correct answer demonstrates the agile principle of deferring decisions until necessary. Option A is a distractor that ignores the core principle of not committing to future work.
Q16. A project manager is having difficulties communicating with the project team; there always seem to be misunderstandings and conflicts. What interpersonal and team skills should the project manager improve on?
Answer: D. Active listening
Active listening reduces misunderstandings by ensuring full comprehension. Distractors like 'passive' are counterproductive skills.
Q17. While monitoring and controlling the project, the project manager and the team have consistently received broken equipment from a particular vendor. They have spoken with the vendor and implemented a new process that will ensure the equipm…
Answer: D. Check the solution
The correct answer shows the final step in problem-solving is to verify the solution. The trap is distractors representing earlier problem-solving steps that have already been completed.
Q18. The project manager and team have decided to hire a contractor to complete the installation of the servers for the system's upgrade project. The terms of agreement have the contractor being paid on a monthly basis until the work is done. D…
Answer: A. Control procurement
Contractor payments occur during the Control Procurement process. Plan Procurement determines what to buy, and Conduct Procurement selects the seller.
Q19. Mark is currently working on the workstation upgrade project. He has noticed there are three activities on the critical path, which are activity A, C, and D. Activity B has a slack of 2 and a duration of 4 days. Activity C has a duration o…
Answer: D. 0 days
Correct answer proves critical path activities have zero slack. The trap is unnecessary calculation distractors since A is on the critical path.
Q20. The project manager has released the project team, completed the final lesson learned, and then completed the final report. The PMO has informed the project manager that it is not happy with this approach. What has the project manager done…
Answer: A. Releasing the team and then doing lessons learned
Correct answer shows lessons learned should involve the team. The trap is distractors that focus on minor procedural order errors.
Q21. What is considered the single most important skill a project manager should have?
Answer: B. Communication
Communication is essential for stakeholder alignment and team coordination. Projects fail without it.
Q22. The project manager has just spoken to one of the software developers, Bill, about the project and has asked for an estimate of how long it will take to code a specific function. Bill said that it would take a maximum of 10 days, but that…
Answer: C. 2
The least amount of days is the optimistic estimate. Using the PERT formula with the given duration reveals the optimistic estimate is 2 days.
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