Practice for the PMP exam with 17 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: A software development project completed the initiation phase. The technical design was approved by the project steering. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- A software development project completed the initiation phase. The technical design was approved by the proje…
- A project manager is leading the development of a mobile banking application using a hybrid approach. The tea…
- In a weekly status meeting with the client, the project manager asks each team member to present how their de…
- A project manager for a factory construction project in a small town is evaluating the necessary actions to e…
- A project manager is managing the transition to operations. The project sponsor wants to ensure that good sup…
- During the development of a product, the project manager observes conflicts between project stakeholders, res…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. A software development project completed the initiation phase. The technical design was approved by the project steering committee. Later, it was discovered that the design will impact the company's production system. A new technical desig…
Answer: A. A. Set up a steering committee session to review the project delay.
Setting up a steering committee session to review the delay is the correct first action. Significant impacts require escalation to the governance board. Logging a risk is reactive, and asking for immediate approval skips impact analysis.
Q2. A project manager is leading the development of a mobile banking application using a hybrid approach. The team has been holding daily standup meetings each workday morning. Due to an unexpected issue, 50% of the team has to work from home…
Answer: C. C. Hold virtual daily standups each workday morning and use collaboration tools to manage project updates.
Holding virtual daily standups maintains agile collaboration while complying with the directive against in-person meetings. Using online tools ensures communication continues smoothly. Switching to weekly reports breaks the daily feedback loop.
Q3. In a weekly status meeting with the client, the project manager asks each team member to present how their deliverables are impacting the customer's final product requirements. Which leadership skill is the project manager applying?
Answer: C. C. Having a holistic and systemic view
The project manager is using systems thinking by connecting individual deliverables to broader customer outcomes. Expecting clear expectations is a strong distractor, but it misses the larger focus on understanding cross-functional impacts.
Q4. A project manager for a factory construction project in a small town is evaluating the necessary actions to engage stakeholders. The local community is speculating the impact of the facility. There are rumors of job opportunities and envir…
Answer: A. A. Build channels to extend communication efforts to the local community.
Building direct communication channels is correct because proactively engaging external stakeholders mitigates risks fueled by rumors. Delegating communication to city administration fails because the project manager must own stakeholder engagement.
Q5. A project manager is managing the transition to operations. The project sponsor wants to ensure that good support is provided to the end users. What should the project manager do?
Answer: C. C. Ensure that knowledge is transferred to the operations team.
Transferring knowledge directly to the operations team ensures they can independently support end users. Simply handing over comprehensive documentation is a trap because passive documents do not guarantee true operational readiness.
Q6. During the development of a product, the project manager observes conflicts between project stakeholders, resulting in deliverable and output approval delays. On which area should the project manager focus?
Answer: C. C. Revisiting the stakeholder engagement plan, focusing on specific overlooked stakeholders
Revisiting the stakeholder engagement plan is correct because approval delays signal misaligned expectations and conflict. Increasing update meetings is a weak distractor that provides status without resolving underlying engagement gaps.
Q7. In a complex project with several subcontractors, one subcontractor reports a likely delay in the schedule. This could affect the other subcontractors and impact their ability to deliver on time. What should the project manager do first?
Answer: A. A. Assess the schedule and update the risk register.
Assessing schedule impact and updating the risk register is correct because you must analyze threats before acting. Escalating immediately is a common trap; you should evaluate the data first to avoid unnecessary alarm.
Q8. An experienced project manager is working on a complex hybrid project that has several dependencies with other projects. How should the project manager reduce the risk related to those external dependencies?
Answer: A. A. Assess consolidated project plans for dependencies, gaps, and continued business value
Reviewing consolidated plans allows the manager to proactively identify dependencies and gaps across the portfolio. Delegating this review to the sponsor improperly offloads a core project management responsibility.
Q9. A research and development team is finishing up a two-year initiative. The project manager is focused on the closing activities for the project. Which activity should be considered as a priority?
Answer: B. B. Ensure that knowledge transfer activities are executed as planned.
Prioritizing knowledge transfer ensures the organization retains critical technical insights and operational capabilities. Releasing resources is a tempting distractor, but doing so before transferring knowledge jeopardizes continuity.
Q10. A project manager is leading a project when a key stakeholder requests additional work that is not in the scope. The stakeholder is also concerned that the project sponsors may not approve and fund the additional change in scope. What shou…
Answer: D. D. Evaluate the impact and submit a change request.
Evaluating the impact and submitting a formal change request is correct because integrated change control requires analysis before approval. Discussing the change directly with the sponsor skips the required documented evaluation step.
Q11. The rollout of a new finance system is in the execution phase. A number of issues have surfaced in the last month that are slowing the project down. A new project sponsor has recently started with the company but has not had time to meet t…
Answer: B. B. Send an email to the project sponsor summarizing the project status and key concerns, and request an immediate face-to-face meeting to discuss them
Sending a concise status summary and immediately requesting a focused meeting is the most proactive and respectful way to engage a busy new sponsor. Simply copying them on standard reports or dumping raw data fails to highlight the urgency and drive decision making.
Q12. A supplier, who was tasked with providing an important component for a project, is unable to deliver the materials due to a large-scale labor problem. What document should the project manager use to update the details and communicate to re…
Answer: B. B. Issue log
The issue log is the proper project document for tracking and communicating problems that have actively occurred and require immediate resolution. A risk register is incorrect here because the supplier delivery failure is a current reality, not a potential future possibility.
Q13. A project team consisting of various professionals of different nationalities is struggling to achieve their project deliverables. What should the project manager do?
Answer: A. A. Provide the team with support to solve their own problems.
Supporting the team to solve their own problems empowers them, fosters collaboration, and promotes ownership in a diverse environment. Escalating issues to sponsors or human resources abandons the servant leadership role expected of modern project managers.
Q14. A project manager is working on a construction project. The company owner asks the project manager to provide cost estimates for the new decoration project within 4 hours. How will the project manager be able to complete this task?
Answer: B. B. Tell the owner that a rough order of magnitude will be provided
Providing a rough order of magnitude estimate is the best response when time and detailed information are severely limited. Refusing the request or calling meetings wastes time, whereas a rough estimate fulfills the immediate business need using available data.
Q15. A member of the board of directors is the sponsor of a project that is important to the organization. This stakeholder has many other priorities and is not currently engaged in the project activities. How should the stakeholder be engaged…
Answer: B. B. Involve the stakeholder in governance and decision making
Engaging the sponsor in governance and decision making leverages their authority effectively despite their limited availability. Simply keeping them informed or consulted fails to utilize their primary role as a project champion and strategic escalation point.
Q16. A project manager is leading a large public project that will have a high impact on the town's citizens. How should the project manager define the different requirements?
Answer: A. A. Analyze the interests and influence of stakeholders and evaluate their requirements.
Analyzing the interests and influence of stakeholders ensures that diverse and competing requirements are systematically evaluated and prioritized. Including only common requirements or solely team opinions risks alienating key community groups and missing critical project constraints.
Q17. At the end of a meeting, a functional manager takes the project manager aside to raise some concerns on behalf of a project team member who is unclear about their role and responsibilities for the project. What should the project manager d…
Answer: B. B. Advise the functional manager and the project team member to review the resource management plan
The resource management plan identifies roles and responsibilities, making it the ideal reference for resolving role ambiguity. Directing the team member and functional manager there ensures alignment based on approved project documents.
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