15 Free PMP®ExamQuestions

Created byCornelius Fichtner, PMP

www.cornelius-fichtner.com

Introduction The following slides contain 15 random questions

similar to what you might find in the PMP® Exam. For each question, I include the answer, and a brief explanation from our PM Exam Simulator, http://exam.pm-exam-simulator.com

This is a very small subset of what is available from our PM Exam Simulator and those available from other sources.

The questions and answers should provide you a sense of typical questions you will encounter on the PMP® Exam. It is far more important to learn, understand, and be able to apply project management concepts, processes including inputs and outputs, and tools and techniques to the situation or question posed than to simply memorize the contents of the PMBOK®Guide.

Question 1Andy spent a considerable amount of his childhood in France. He now works for a US-based organization in Ohio. The people in his current organization are aware of the fact that Andy grew up in France. However, no one knows that Andy only has limited proficiency with French language as he studied in an English-speaking boarding school. The company has just begun a huge project that requires extensive interaction with the customers based in France. The customers do not speak English. Given his background, Andy appears the obvious choice for the project manager position. Andy would be required to move to France for the entire duration of the project. He sees this as a good opportunity and at once decides to take up the assignment. He does not disclose anything about his level of French language proficiency to the stakeholders. Did Andy act appropriately?

A. Yes. He can always hire a local translator so it is not really a big issue.

B. Yes. In any case, Andy does have a basic grasp of the French language so there is nothing unethical about his decision.

C. No. Andy should have informed the stakeholders about his limited French language proficiency.

D. Yes. It was wise of Andy to have grabbed a wonderful opportunity.

Answer 1C) No. Andy should have informed the stakeholders about his limited French language proficiency.

The primary reason that the stakeholders selected Andy to lead this project was their assumption that he was fluent in French. Andy should have informed them about this gap, so that they could have made an informed decision regarding his suitability for the position. A good project manager should only accept assignments consistent with his/her background, skills, and qualifications.

Question 2Which of the following does Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI) currently not address?

A. Product and service developmentB. Service establishment, management, and deliveryC. Product and service acquisitionD. Requirement collection and tracking

Answer 2D) Requirement collection and tracking

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach that helps organizations improve their performance. CMMI can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. CMMI currently addresses three areas of interest:Product and service development - CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV) Service establishment, management, and delivery - CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC). Product and service acquisition - CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ)

Question 3You are conducting an electrical network and fixtures installation project. During project execution, your quality auditors highlighted some defects in the work performed. You analyze the situation and determine that these are genuine defects that need to be fixed. You submit a change request, which is approved and the team performs the necessary defect repairs. Which of the following is incorrect regarding this scenario?

A. You have followed the change control systemB. You have performed the Monitor and Control Project Work

processC. You have performed the Integrated Change Control processD. You should document these defect repairs in the Project

Management Plan

Answer 3D) You should document these defect repairs in the Project Management Plan

We are looking for the statement that is NOT true. Because you were able to identify the defects, you have performed the Monitor and Control Project Work process. Similarly, as you were able to remove the defects, you have performed the Integrated Change Control process as well. As you have performed both processes, you have followed the change control system. All of the choices so far are true about the situation. The only statement that is not true is the fact that details of defect repairs are not documented in the Project Management Plan. These details are documented in the Change Request Log.

Question 4You are managing a house renovation project. There is a dependency between two tasks; you can only start to paint the walls once the paint foundation has been applied to the walls and cures. In the current schedule the tasks have a Start-to finish dependency with the foundation being applied to the all the walls first followed by painting. Furthermore the same resource is being used to accomplish both tasks in series. Suddenly your customer asks you to complete work on his home one week earlier than scheduled. In order to accommodate this new schedule constraint, you can use schedule crashing to start the painting activity as soon as the paint foundation applied to the first room is dry. It takes a day per room to complete the paint foundation. Which of the following task dependency will accommodate the customer’s request?

A. Start-to-start with a lag of a day B. Start-to-finish with a lead of a day C. Finish-to-finish with a lag of a day D. Finish-to-start with a lead of a day

Answer 4A) Start-to-start with a lag of a day

If we simplify the question, it says you need to break a discretionary dependency so that the two tasks can be performed simultaneously. However, the second task can only start with a lag of a day following the first task. As defined by the PMBOK Guide, schedule crashing is a technique used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources. In this case, with more manpower, it is possible to work on more than 1 room at a time. E.g. Day 1: Resource A lays the foundation in Room 1, Day 2: Resource A lays the foundation in Room 2 while Resource B paints Room 1, etc. This is an example of a Start-to-start dependency with a lag of one day.

Question 5Which of the following regarding the Identify Risks process is correct?

A. Identify Risks process belongs to the Initiating Process Group B. Identify Risks process identifies all the known and unknown

risks C. Identify Risks process documents a suitable response for

each risk D. Identify Risks process is an iterative process

Answer 5D) Identify Risks process is an iterative process

The Identify Risks process belongs to the Planning Process Group and it tries to document all of the known risks. Unknown risks cannot be identified because they are unknown. The Identify Risks process does not document risk responses, it only identifies them. Risk identification is an iterative process as new risks arise regularly; planning for them iteratively is the best way to deal with them.

Question 6Even if a project is managed by a highly ethical and professional project manager with complete power and authority over the project, which of the following is inevitable?

A. Scope creep B. Gold plating C. Bribes D. Change

Answer 6D) Change

Scope creep and gold plating refer to uncontrolled changes and unauthorized additions to project scope respectively. Both of these are usually controlled by a professional project manager who has power and authority over the project. However, change is something that is always unavoidable. The PMBOK®Guide mentions this fact many times.

And we really hope that you didn't select "bribes"...

Question 7What did Philip B. Crosby propose in regard to quality on projects?

A. Fitness for use B. Zero defects C. Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle D. Continuous improvement

Answer 7B) Zero defects

Philip B. Crosby devised the zero defects practice, which basically means do it right the first time. Crosby says that costs will increase when quality planning isn't performed up front, which means you'll have to engage in rework, thus affecting productivity. Prevention is the key to Crosby's theory. If you prevent the defect from occurring in the first place costs are lower, conformance to requirements is easily met, and the cost measurement for quality becomes the cost of nonconformance rather than the cost of rework.

Question 8Which of the following Depreciation Methods provides for a higher write-off early on as compared to other methods?

A. Straight-Line Depreciation B. Declining Balance C. Sum-of-Years' DigitsD. Units of Time Depreciation

Answer 8C) Sum-of-years' digits

Sum-of-years' digits is a depreciation method that results in a more accelerated write-off than the straight-line method, and typically it is also more accelerated than the declining balance method. It can also be said that this method allows you to write off higher depreciation expenses in the earlier years of useful life and lower depreciation in later years.

Question 9Which information source from the Project Management Plan is used to control project scope?

A. Requirements Documentation B. Work Performance Data C. Requirements Traceability Matrix D. Scope Baseline

Answer 9D) Scope Baseline

The Scope Baseline is compared to actual results to determine if a change, corrective action, or preventive action is necessary. The Change Management Plan defines the process for managing project changes. The Configuration Management Plan defines those items that are configurable, those items that require formal change control, and the process for controlling changes to such items. All of these documents are used to control the project scope.

Question 10Your seller performed some change requests that were not approved by you. You and the seller cannot reach an agreement on compensation for the changes. In this case, which of the following is the best method to use to resolve the dispute?

A. Begin court litigation B. Engage Third Party Resolution C. Pay outstanding amount due to seller D. Get your project team's advice

Answer 10B) Engage Third Party Resolution

We recognize the following ways of resolving a dispute: Litigation Arbitration Mediation Negotiation

In order to resolve a dispute, we usually begin at the bottom of the list and work our way up. The scenario describes that initial negotiations have taken place but failed and that very likely, we need to move one level up the list from negotiation to mediation. Although litigation & paying the seller may resolve the dispute, it is usually best to try other ways first. It is therefore best to continue with mediation, which is also known as Third Party Resolution.

Question 11You are managing a construction project and halfway through the project you notice that your project is going over budget. You want to calculate your project's new Estimate to Complete (ETC) with the assumption that you will get back to the original planned rate. For the measurements given below, what will be your project EAC?BAC = $80 MillionPV = $30 Million AC = $35 MillionEV = $25 Million

A. $80 Million B. $90 Million C. $112 Million D. $115 Million

Answer 11B) EAC=$90 Million

The EAC forecast for ETC work performed at the budgeted rate can be calculated using the equation EAC = AC + BAC - EV. Therefore, EAC = $35 Million + $80 Million - $25 Million = $90 Million.

Note: This formula should be used under the assumption that the current variances are not typical and that the original budget is more reliable, which is what is outlined in the question.

Question 12You notice that some project team members are not performing to agreed standards. You've issued several warnings but there has been no improvement. Because both the project and team morale are suffering you decide to replace the resources with other internal employees. Which statement below is true for the project team?

A. The team will start all over again with the Storming stageB. The team will start all over again at the Storming stage but

quickly progress to the Performing stage C. The team will continue in the Performing stage D. The team will start all over again with the Forming stage

Answer 12D) The team will start all over again with the Forming stage

The correct order of the team building stages is: Forming - Storming - Norming - Performing – Adjourning. By introducing new team members to the team you are "resetting" the team building process and it starts from the beginning. Therefore "The team will start all over again with the Forming stage" is the only correct answer to this question.

The fact that the resources you are introducing are internal resources does not change the answer.

Question 13You are managing an airport construction project. You are a worried that the risks involved may be too high for the project to be successful. You are conducting this project for your local government's aviation authority and this will be the first airport in your city. In addition, this is the first time that your company has managed this type of project. You now want to identify as many risks as possible so that you have a concrete risk management plan up front. Which of the following would be the best resource to consult in order to identify the maximum number of risks?

A. Your sponsor B. Local authority C. Subject matter experts D. Project team members

Answer 13C) Subject Matter Experts

As you and your company are managing this type of the project for the first time, neither your sponsor nor your project team members can provide you with any substantial risk information. Similarly, this will be the first airport for your local government authority so they do not have any experience determining risks for this type of project. You should consult subject matter experts for this information.

Question 14The project you are working on has over 20 suppliers. Most of the material was obtained from suppliers outside of your country. The procurement process was complex and included frequent specification changes, late deliveries and poor quality issues. You are finalizing the account of 'Tim & J. Supplies', which has submitted a claim for $17,500. Part of this claim is due to last minute changes in your team's specifications and part of it is due to misunderstanding by the supplier's staff, which was later corrected. In addition, a small part of this claim can be attributed to changes in local custom import duty rates.

You went to speak to your purchasing manager to get his help in finalizing the claim. He worked with you for over two hours and finalized a claim totaling $15,300. When you sent this updated claim to the supplier, the supplier still insists on receiving the full claim amount of $17,500 that they originally requested. What is your best course of action now?

A. Find a clause in the contract that will settle the issue without the need for a claim

B. Finalize the claim at $15,300 C. Finalize the claim at $17,500 D. Negotiate with the supplier

Answer 14D) Negotiate with the supplier

Trying to find a clause in the contract that would make the situation go away will probably lead to a lengthy legal battle, costing more than the amount in question (lose-lose). Settling on one of the two available amounts means that one party loses (win-lose) and this will probably close the door for any future procurements between the two parties. In this particular scenario, it is best to pick up the phone and call the supplier to discuss and negotiate a solution together (win-win).

Question 15While working for a software development project in a foreign country, a key stakeholder approaches you for additional features that could potentially benefit a company owned by his brother. He tries to offer a free cruise trip if you allow these additional changes. What should be your response?

A. Reject the free offer but allow changes B. Reject the free offer but ask him to open a change request C. Reject the offer but ask your team to work on the changes D. Accept the free offer after getting permission from the

sponsor

Answer 15B) Reject the free offer but ask him to open a change request

You cannot incorporate changes as a result of what is effectively a bribe. It is unethical. Every change request must be initiated and processed through the Perform Integrated Change Control process. You cannot favor a key stakeholder by ignoring this process. Therefore, you must reject the offer, but let him open a change request for additional features.

Get More Free QuestionsOver 110 Free Questionswww.free-pm-exam-questions.com

170 Free Questionshttp://free.pm-exam-simulator.com

A Question a Day Newsletterwww.pm-prepcast.com/newsletter

DisclaimerPMI, PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-SP, PMI-RMP and PMBOK are trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. PMI has not endorsed and did not participate in the development of this publication. PMI does not sponsor this publication and makes no warranty, guarantee or representation, expressed or implied as to the accuracy or content. Every attempt has been made by OSP International LLC to ensure that the information presented in this publication is accurate and can serve as preparation for the PMP certification exam. However, OSP International LLC accepts no legal responsibility for the content herein. This document should be used only as a reference and not as a replacement for officially published material. Using the information from this document does not guarantee that the reader will pass the PMP certification exam. No such guarantees or warranties are implied or expressed by OSP International LLC.