2020 Edition

PMP Practice Test

Try this free Project Management Professional practice exam based on the Sixth Edition PMBOK. Your results will be scored automatically and will display your strengths and weaknesses.

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Project Initiation

1.	Dave is managing a new project to create a radio-operated model plane. The project budget is set at $200,000 and the project must be completed within six months of the starting date. The initial document authorizing this project and giving Dave the authority to apply organizational resources to the project activities is called _______________.
		a. Project charter
		b. Scope statement
		c. Project management plan
		d. Organizational process assets
The project charter records the description of the product and its requirements as well as authorizes the use of organizational resources to produce the objective of the project. The scope statement and the project management plan contain an elaborated version of these requirements. The organizational process assets are policies, procedures, and guidelines that are used to influence the project's success. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

2.	Since the levels of both cost and risk vary throughout the project life cycle, which of the following statements is true?
		a. Costs are high and Risk is low at the initiating stage
		b. Both Costs and Risks are high at the initiating stage
		c. Costs are low and Risk is high at the initiating stage
		d. Both Costs and Risks are low at the initiating stage
Costs are usually low at the initiating stage of the project. Since uncertainty is high at the beginning, risk associated with that uncertainty is also high. As the project continues through its life cycle, resources are expended causing an increase in costs. At the same time, as the project progresses toward completion, the uncertainty and risk is decreased. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

3.	In a phased project, phase end meetings are used to sign-off on the deliverables associated with that phase. These phase end points typically provide a good opportunity to evaluate the progress and performance in that phase. Which of the following terms is synonymous for phase end?
		a. Phase exits
		b. Kill points
		c. Milestones
		d. All of the above
Phase exits, phase gates, stage gates, kill points, decision gates and milestones are synonymous terms for phase end points. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

4.	An office furniture manufacturing company has initiated a project to computerize and automate some of their manufacturing process systems. The manufacturing personnel are not happy with this idea, and they are afraid they may lose their jobs because of the automation. As the project manager, what would your first step be?
		a. Create a probability and impact matrix
		b. Include manufacturing personnel as project stakeholders
		c. Meet with manufacturing employees and tell them their jobs are safe
		d. Meet with the sponsor to get their advice
While some stakeholders benefit from a project, others may be negatively impacted by the outcome. As a project manager, you must identify both groups of stakeholders. Failure to recognize the stakeholders negatively affected may jeopardize the project objectives. Since meeting with the sponsor would not necessarily resolve the issue because you have not heard the concerns of the negative stakeholders yet, your initial step would be to include the manufacturing personnel as project stakeholders. Preparing a probability and impact matrix might be a logical next step, but without analysis of the impact and its probability, it would not be prudent to assure the employees their jobs were not in jeopardy. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

5.	Stakeholder management is a critical aspect of managing a project. In order to manage stakeholder expectations, the project manager must come up with a strategy. One technique that can be used to develop this strategy is the ______________________.
		a. Issue log
		b. Stakeholder analysis
		c. Stakeholder register
		d. Stakeholder management plan
Stakeholder analysis defines the stakeholder management strategy and includes specific information such as the identities of those stakeholders who can significantly impact the project and their level of participation. The issue log evolves while managing the stakeholder expectations and may result in change orders to incorporate corrective or preventive actions. The stakeholder register identifies the project's stakeholders. The stakeholder management plan identifies the management strategies required to effectively engage stakeholders. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Project Planning

6.	In situations involving a large number of ideas on requirements provided by various stakeholders, a project manager must sort, review and analyze those ideas. Which of the following tools can be utilized to accomplish this?
		a. Affinity diagram
		b. Mind mapping
		c. Pareto chart
		d. Brainstorming
Affinity diagrams can be used to sort and group idea for additional review and analysis. Mind mapping allows ideas to be grouped based on their similarities and differences. A Pareto chart is not used to gather requirements but to identify the 80/20 relationships of problems in the quality area. Brainstorming is a requirement gathering technique but used primarily in the idea generation stage rather than the review and analysis aspect. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

7.	Which of the following are inputs to the Develop Project Management Plan process?
		a. Project charter
		b. Enterprise environmental factors
		c. Expert Judgment
		d. Both a and b
The project charter is an input to the Develop Project Management Plan process as are the enterprise environmental factors. While expert judgment is utilized during this process, it is considered a tool and technique rather than an input. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

8.	Earned Value (EV) for a new operating system design project is calculated at $300,000 and the Actual Cost (AC) is $280,000. The Budget at Completion (BAC) is estimated at $500,000. The project is progressing well from a budgetary point of view, since the CPI value is greater than one. What is the Estimate at Completion (EAC) if the future work of the project is performed at the budgeted rate?
		a. 580,000
		b. 480,000
		c. 780,000
		d. 500,000
The Estimate at Completion (EAC) is the total cost of the project when completed. There are two methods to calculate the EAC. It can be calculated at the budgeted rate, or it can be figured using the present CPI. The EAC at the budgeted rate is based on performance to date and represented by the actual accrued costs. The formula for EAC = AC + BAC - EV = $280,000 + $5000,000 - $300,000 = $480,000. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

9.	Earned Value (EV) for a new optic radar design project is calculated at $100,000 and the Actual Cost (AC) is $80,000. The Budget at Completion (BAC) is estimated at $200,000. What is the current CPI on this project?
		a. .80
		b. .50
		c. 2.50
		d. 1.25
CPI (Cost performance index) is calculated by the equation, CPI = EV/AC. In this case, the earned value is $100,000 and the actual cost is $80,000. Therefore, the equation becomes $100,000/$80,000 = 1.25. The Budget at completion information is irrelevant in this question. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

10.	On a project schedule network diagram, leads and lags are used to define the relationships between activities. These leads and lags indicate either acceleration or delay, respectively, of the successor activity. If a team member on your project indicates FF+3 on the network diagram, what does that notation indicate?
		a. Activities with a Finish-to-finish relationship and 3 days of lag time
		b. The activity has 3 days of final float
		c. Activity with a finish-to-finish relationship and 3 days of lead time
		d. None of the above
When sequencing activities, there are four types of relationships: finish-to-finish, start-to-finish, finish-to-start, and start-to-start. Finish-to-finish are indicated as "FF." Leads are shown with a negative sign (-) and lags are indicated with a positive sign (+). The correct answer is a finish-to-finish relationship with 3 days of lag time. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Execution

11.	Which of the following are inputs to the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process?
		a. Issue log and performance reports
		b. Change log and Enterprise environmental factors
		c. Change log and Risk register
		d. Stakeholder management plan and Change log
The inputs to the manage stakeholder engagement process include the stakeholder management plan, communications management plan, change log and organizational process assets. Hence, the stakeholder management plan and the change log are correct answers. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

12.	Project communication involves dissemination of information by various methods. Communication may be formal, informal, verbal, and nonverbal. Which of the following would define direct communication with peers?
		a. Formal communication
		b. Horizontal communication
		c. External communication
		d. Vertical communication
Formal communication involves reports, memos, and briefings. Any communication that goes outside the project team or the stakeholders is known as external communication. Conversely, all communication with the project team and stakeholders is within the organization. It is not external and it typically considered horizontal in nature. Hence, horizontal communication is the correct response. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

13.	Earned value analysis can be used for measuring the project performance. Project managers use this analysis to plan for risks based on the actual cost, schedule and progress of the work. During the executing phase, if a project has negative values for the cost variance and the schedule variance, which of the following would most accurately represent the project's status?
		a. The project is ahead of schedule and under budget
		b. The project is behind schedule and under budget
		c. The project is over budget and behind schedule
		d. The project is ahead of schedule and over budget
Cost variance equals earned value minus actual costs (EV-AC). If the value is negative, it indicates the project is over budget. Schedule variance equals earned value minus planned value (EV-PV). If the value is negative, it indicates the project is behind schedule. In this scenario, based on the negative values calculated by the earned value analysis, this project is over budget and behind schedule. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

14.	Clifford is managing a project to build non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons. His project team consists of scientists, engineers, designers, and technical experts with extensive backgrounds in their fields. In an effort designed to create a degree of trust among team members, Clifford has initiated a kickoff meeting with all team members. During this meeting, Clifford wants to clarify the project objective and learn about each team member's interests and levels of influence. In addition, he needs to assign the roles and responsibilities for each team member. In this scenario, Clifford's team is in which of the following stages?
		a. Storming
		b. Performing
		c. Norming
		d. Forming
Team development goes through five stages: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Since Clifford is getting to know the team members and preparing to assign them their roles and responsibilities, the team is in the Forming stage. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Monitoring and Controlling

15.	During project execution, the planned value, earned value and the actual cost all have identical values. In this scenario, which of the following statements best describes the status of the project?
		a. The project is over budget and behind schedule
		b. The cost variance and the schedule variance values are positive
		c. The project is on schedule and on budget
		d. The cost performance index and the schedule performance index values are zero
If the planned value, earned value and the actual cost values are identical, the cost variance and schedule variance values are zero. Also, the cost performance index and the schedule performance index values are 1. The values given in this scenario indicate that the project is on schedule and on budget. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

16.	If one standard deviation is equal to 0.02, what is the upper control limit in a control chart if the upper control limit is set at +2 Sigma?
		a. 0.4
		b. 0.04
		c. 0.02
		d. 0.01
One sigma in the control limit indicates one standard deviation, which means the upper control limit = +2 sigma or +2 standard deviation. In this case, this would equal +2 (0.02) = 0.04. Hence, 0.04 is the correct answer. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

17.	Ryan Systems is in the 3rd week of a 5-week project to consolidate all of its data servers to a central location in its new data center. The amount of money spent on this project to date is approximately $80,000. The planned value for the move as of the 3rd week is $50,000. What is the status of the project at this time? Over budget
		a. On time
		b. Behind schedule
		c. A head of schedule
		d. Over budget
Earned value (EV) is a measure of work performed in terms of the budget authorized for that work. Planned value (PV) is the authorized budget assigned to scheduled work to be accomplished for an activity during a given point in time or phase. When the EV is less than the PV this is a scheduling issue. Because planned value denotes how much work should be complete, and earned value denotes the actual work that is complete, we have less work completed as planned, and thus we are behind schedule. 6th Ed., PMBOK, p. 261, Section 4 - Monitoring and Controlling Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

18.	John has just finished the requirements documentation including the deliverable acceptance criteria to determine the success of the project in terms of the deliverables produced. A series of tasks are included in the criteria. Both John and the customer must perform this series of tasks in order to complete the acceptance and sign-off the final deliverables. Which of the following project processes would use these criteria to provide formal acceptance of the deliverables?
		a. Control scope
		b. Close project
		c. Control quality
		d. Validated scope
Validated deliverables are compared against the requirements and acceptance criteria in order to formally sign-off the completed deliverables. Since the requirements documentation is an input to the validated scope process, the deliverable acceptance criteria created in the planning phase is used in the validated scope process of the monitoring and controlling phase. Hence, the validate scope process is the correct response. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

19.	Which of the following processes describes the collection, measurement and distribution of performance information, and measuring the health of the project to identify project areas that require corrective or preventive actions?
		a. Direct and manage project execution
		b. Monitor and control project work
		c. Integrated change control
		d. None of the above
The progress of the project is measured during the monitor and control project work process. Monitoring activities include measuring, collecting , and distributing performance information, and controlling activities include determining corrective or preventive actions. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

20.	Wilma is examining the data on her control chart. It shows four consecutive points above +3 sigma and three subsequent points below -3 sigma. If the lower and upper control limits are set at +-3 sigma, what should Wilma report as the status of the process?
		a. The process is out of control.
		b. Process does not need improvement.
		c. The process is under control.
		d. Status cannot be determined with only seven data points.
When a process is within the control limits it is in control and does not need to be adjusted. Seven consecutive points above or below the upper and lower control limits indicate a process that is out of control. In this example, the seven consecutive points are either above or below the control limits. Therefore, the process is out of control. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Closing

21.	In a crime prevention software development project for a municipal organization, a steering committee is responsible for approving all deliverables before they are transferred to operations. This steering committee is made up of directors from three different municipal agencies. If the steering committee approves the transfer of deliverables with a 2-1 vote, which of the following statements is correct?
		a. The project is in the close scope phase.
		b. The project is in the close project phase.
		c. The project is in the control procurements phase.
		d. The project is in the validate scope phase.
The project is considered closed when all deliverables are transferred and lessons learned documentation, project files and historical databases are updated. Therefore, since deliverables have been transferred, the project is in the close project phase. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

22.	Dora has just taken over an IT project. This project was terminated six months ago due to a shortage of funds and resources. Dora wants to determine the reasons for the fund shortage as well as the situation with the incomplete deliverables. Of the following documents, which should Dora examine in order to determine the facts about her project?
		a. Project management plan
		b. Historical database
		c. Project closure documents
		d. Lessons learned documents
Project closure documents contain information related to the deliverables and other closing documents. If the project was terminated, the closure documents should indicate the reason for early termination. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

23.	In order to ensure that all project deliverables are complete during project closure, a project manager needs to measure prior information from the previous phase closures. From the following list, select the documents the project manager would use and review to measure project scope and ensure completion of deliverables before considering the project closed.
		a. Scope management plan
		b. Project charter
		c. Project management plan
		d. Work breakdown structure
Project scope is measured against the project management plan. The project manager should review the project management plan to verify the project scope has been achieved and to ensure that all deliverables are complete. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

24.	Adam is managing a new project, and he has spent several days meeting with key project resources to review his procurements. What project process is Adam involved with if he tells his project team to close all inventory and contract management records to update the final procurement results?
		a. Close project
		b. Control costs
		c. Control procurements
		d. Conduct procurements
During the control procurement process, all contract results are updated and all procurement documents are closed. Therefore, in this scenario, Adam is in the control procurements process. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

25.	Which of the following activities are involved during the administrative closure of a project?
		a. Activities necessary to audit project failure
		b. Activities necessary to transfer the end product
		c. Activities necessary to satisfy the exit criteria for the project
		d. All of the above
		e. Both b and c only
Activities required to perform the administrative closure of a project include those activities necessary to satisfy the exit criteria of the project, the activities necessary to transfer the project's result and the activities necessary to audit project success or failure. Incorrect answer. Please choose another answer.

Quality starts with who wrote the material.

Our practice exam writer

Michael Broadway, PMP,

is a Master Certified PMP. He provided writing and editing services to the PMI on the 4th and 5th editions of the PMBOK Guide, as well as created test questions for the CBAP, CCBA and CISSP certification exams.

Donna Kurtz, PMP,

is the Director of Program Management at QuanteqUSA, where she developed the project management office focusing on Agile project management. She is a certified PMP through PMI, a certified ICP-ACC Agile coach and a certified professional scrum master, PSM 1. Donna formerly taught business and technology courses at Concordia University as an adjunct professor and worked as a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the professional organization responsible for creating and maintaining the global standards for project management and the project management profession.

The actual PMP Certification Exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions from the nine Knowledge Areas in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide, including:

Integration Management
Scope Management
Time Management
Cost Management
Quality Management
Human Resource Management
Communications Management
Risk Management
Procurement Management

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