Practice for the PMP exam with 17 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: A company is set to execute a project across different localities and countries. Right before execution, a press release. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- A company is set to execute a project across different localities and countries. Right before execution, a pr…
- A project manager is using a subcontractor for mobile application development. When the project team tests th…
- The project manager is having difficulty obtaining approval of the project requirements because there is disa…
- As a project is reaching completion, the project sponsor tells the project manager to immediately close the p…
- A project manager is assigned to a project. The project schedule and costs are tight, and the project manager…
- A project manager is assigned to a project to develop a mobile app. The sponsor explains that the application…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. A company is set to execute a project across different localities and countries. Right before execution, a press release from one of the impacted communities expresses disapproval of the project. What should the project manager do first?
Answer: A. A. Engage all critical stakeholders and align project objectives with expectations from the community.
The first step is to engage the critical stakeholders and align project objectives with the community's expectations. Updating the risk register or communications plan is premature before fully understanding their concerns.
Q2. A project manager is using a subcontractor for mobile application development. When the project team tests the application, they realize it does not comply with the new company user-interface standards. Even though these new standards were…
Answer: B. B. Initiate a change request and review the contract to evaluate the payment options before responding.
Initiating a change request and reviewing the contract is correct because any new scope requires formal integrated change control. Negotiating pricing or approving payments before evaluating the contract terms bypasses procurement governance.
Q3. The project manager is having difficulty obtaining approval of the project requirements because there is disagreement among the project stakeholders. This issue is putting the project schedule at risk. What should the project manager do fi…
Answer: C. C. Identify the source of the disagreement
Identifying the source of the disagreement is correct because you must find the root cause of a conflict before attempting to resolve it. Performing a stakeholder analysis is a strong distractor, but it is too broad when a specific disagreement is actively causing schedule delays.
Q4. As a project is reaching completion, the project sponsor tells the project manager to immediately close the project and to move on to another project. Which critical task should the project manager complete before closing the project?
Answer: B. B. Archive all the project documents following the organization's accepted practices so the documents can be used in other future projects.
Archiving project documents is correct because formal closure requires updating organizational process assets. While updating the risk register seems plausible, archiving historical data and lessons learned is the definitive administrative closure step.
Q5. A project manager is assigned to a project. The project schedule and costs are tight, and the project manager determined that there is a lack of resources to deliver this project. What should the project manager do?
Answer: A. A. Identify the resource requirements and communicate them to the stakeholders seeking resources.
Identifying the specific resource requirements and communicating them to stakeholders is correct because you must first quantify the gap before asking for help. Updating the risk register is a logical next step, but communication must happen first.
Q6. A project manager is assigned to a project to develop a mobile app. The sponsor explains that the application should do better than their closest competitor's app. The sponsor's expectation is that the team can be put together and start wo…
Answer: A. A. Define the project scope with the stakeholders and determine how formal acceptance will be obtained
Defining the project scope and determining how formal acceptance will be obtained is correct because vague expectations require measurable scope and clear acceptance criteria. Reviewing the competitor's app is a tempting distractor, but it does not establish project boundaries.
Q7. A project manager is leading a project which shows a trend to exceed the cost baseline. What should the project manager do first to manage the budget?
Answer: B. B. Meet with the project team to analyze the actual cost to determine deviations
Meeting with the project team to analyze actual cost deviations is correct because you must diagnose the root cause of variances before taking action. Issuing a change request is a common trap; you should only request more budget after analyzing the data.
Q8. A company is using an agile approach to launch a new product. In the second sprint, the team encounters a technical problem they have never faced before. What should the project manager do?
Answer: C. C. Facilitate a problem-solving session with the team to analyze the problem
Facilitating a problem-solving session empowers the team to collaborate on finding a solution. Organizing an early retrospective is a distractor because retrospectives focus on process improvements, not resolving immediate technical impediments during a sprint.
Q9. A project manager has two projects that are being executed at the same time. The duration of the critical project must be reduced, but the project manager does not have enough resources to achieve this goal. In addition, the schedule does…
Answer: A. A. Analyze both projects to determine the most effective use of common resources
Analyzing both projects to determine the most effective use of shared resources applies systems thinking to resolve constraints. Applying fast-tracking is a clear trap because the scenario explicitly states there are no activities that can be overlapped.
Q10. A project sponsor has requested a trend analysis of all risks that the project has monitored over the past 12 months. What should the agile project manager do?
Answer: A. A. Extract this from the project risk register tracking tool and issues log
Extracting historical risk data from the tracking tool and issue log is correct because trend analysis relies on documented project artifacts. Brainstorming in a stakeholder meeting is a distractor, as it produces subjective opinions rather than actual monitored data.
Q11. In a project, one team member has been asking for directions and what actions to take on many tasks. As a result, the team member has performed slowly in project delivery. What should the project manager do to help this team member?
Answer: D. D. Mentor the team member on a regular basis.
Mentoring the team member regularly is the best approach because it builds confidence and independence. Watch for coaching traps like delegating to another senior member, which ignores the servant leadership duty to develop the team directly.
Q12. A project sponsor is promoting the use of a new technology that has not yet been approved. The technology guarantees cost savings and a delivery ahead of schedule. However, the operational support at project completion is uncertain as the…
Answer: D. D. Acknowledge the lack of approval and focus on a resolution that will benefit the customer.
Acknowledging the lack of approval and focusing on a customer-benefiting resolution balances innovation with compliance. Avoid blindly promoting the technology or strictly adhering to plans without addressing the underlying operational governance risk.
Q13. A senior project manager is working for a company that is not yet making a profit. However, the company has many innovative projects in development. Most of the project timelines have slipped, and the staff is overwhelmed. What should the…
Answer: A. A. Prioritize the projects, giving higher priority to projects that will increase profit
Prioritizing projects that increase profit aligns team efforts with strategic value delivery. Hiring more staff or simply fast-tracking everything fails because it ignores the need to focus limited resources on the highest business value initiatives.
Q14. A project manager noticed that a team member has been struggling with some tasks, which may ultimately impact the completion date. Team morale is low because they will not get the expected bonus if they do not finish on time. What should t…
Answer: C. C. Acknowledge the team for their accomplishments, encourage them, and offer assistance to avoid future delays.
Acknowledging accomplishments, encouraging the team, and offering assistance demonstrates servant leadership and addresses low morale. Replacing the team member or immediately asking for schedule delays skips the necessary step of identifying obstacles.
Q15. A group has been working together for one month. During daily meetings a team member continues to express issues in completing their tasks. What should the project manager do?
Answer: C. C. Have a confidential discussion with the team member to identify the root cause
Having a confidential discussion identifies the root cause while maintaining trust and respect. Starting a group discussion fails because it might embarrass the team member and violate psychological safety by airing individual struggles publicly.
Q16. A software company office will be shut down for repairs, and a project team will be required to work remotely. A few team members have never worked this way and are apprehensive of how they will be able to consistently deliver their work p…
Answer: C. C. Identify areas of training for the team to be able to use remote tools for team collaboration.
Identifying training for remote collaboration tools builds confidence and ensures continuity. Reducing scope is incorrect because it artificially punishes the schedule instead of proactively enabling the team to succeed in a new environment.
Q17. A company is working on a project to develop an integration of their existing systems. There are known issues in production. What should the project manager do?
Answer: D. D. Review the quality control processes and procedures.
Known production issues indicate a breakdown in quality control processes, making a review the best first step. While updating the definition of done seems tempting for future prevention, it does not address why existing defects escaped detection in the first place.
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