Free PMP® Exam Practice Questions

These are good questions to practice your analytic skills in preparation to take PMI's PMP® Exam. You are permitted to make one copy for your personal use. If your friends want one free copy for themselves, then please give them the URL address to this site. These free questions are the creation and copyright property of SmartPath LLC and you are not permitted to use them commercially or for other uses.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 1:

I'm working on a very high visibility capital works project for the ABZ corporation. I'm quite frustrated because 10 of my 60 team members will be taking their yearly vacation immediately after the labor day holiday in September, and one is having elective surgery in November. I am working on phase one of the project which started June 2. Phase One must be done before Phase Two can start. I am using project management software to enter all of the resource durations and make my estimates. Then I will print my network diagrams. How will I best handle this dilemma? I have to finish Phase 1 by July 15 2011 and I'm afraid these team problems will make me late on my project.

a. Go to HR and get replacement team members for the days I will have less team members

b. Look to see if I can rearrange some of the activities without affecting the Critical Path.

c. I will instantly go into fasttracking

d. I will start crashing as soon as possible in the project to make sure I will finish on time

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer is (b). Fast tracking and Crashing is not likely to be the best options at this early stage. It is better to review the network diagram(s) and perform critical path analysis so that you can review the resource availabilities and the impacts down the road. Resource leveling may be another option to use. Approaching HR for new resources may be done after the analysis is complete. Be aware that new resources may require training and team building.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 2:

What do you think is the correct answer to this question and why? Peter is working as a project manager for Beautiful Roofs to redo the roof for AYZ University's Library. The customer signed a fixed priced contract specifying all of the project's requirements. Peter ordered the green tiles as specified in the contract. When the roof project was 25% complete the AYZ University's management sent Peter an email stating that they are very unhappy with his work, and that Beautiful Roofs did not use the specified color, and the green color is ghastly and they will not pay for this project. Furthermore, they demand that Beautiful Roofs live up to their reputation and replace the tiles immediately with a much darker green? What should Peter do now?

(a) Ignore the email and complete the project since AYZ University signed the contract

(b) Peter should send their request to change control.

(c) After verifying the color to be correct in the contract documents, Peter should issue AYZ a modified contract and invoice them for all previous and additional work since the mistake belonged to AYZ University.

(d) Peter should offer AYZ University a big discount on redoing the project as Beautiful Roofs has a reputation to live up to.

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer is (b) Why it is change control? A PM provides root cause after performing analysis to a stakeholder's change request and provides that data to the change control along with the analysis and recommendations. Let the change control make the decision. It is also CYA.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 3:

I am busy on a new project for the JEM Corporation. I have been sequencing all the activities and came across a series of activities unrelated to any of the other activities. However, they need to be shown on my network diagram. What am I doing?

(a) I'm going to show some extra work I need to do on the non-critical path.

(b) I going to insert a buffer duration on the critical path.

(c) I am going to show a subnet.

(d) I am inserting a hammock activity into the network diagram.

Answer: The Answer is (d): Let's analyze this question. What is the key analytical word in this question? It is "unrelated." If I am sequencing activities, how can something be unrelated? (It can be - that's why you create a hammock)

(a) Is half right but is not the answer

(b) A buffer duration is non-working buffer - really doesn't quality as unrelated

(c) A subnet are sub activities so they are related. They are just project activities shown in more detail when it's appropriate to do so.

(d) Remember the hammock - the activities before the hammock and after the hammock are unrelated - it's just hanging there and looks like a "hammock."

Actually, as soon as you see the word "unrelated" attached to an activity or activities - you should be looking for "hammock." How do you analyze this if you didn't know what a hammock was? If you don't know what a "hammock" is you could say:

----it could be (a) - however (a) is too vague so probably isn't the answer, ----it's not (b) or (c) because those are related activities ----so it is (d) because the word connotes "hanging" out there. So (d) is the most likely answer



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 4:

I am working for Jane Smith INC and I have been a lead project manager for sometime. I started a new project recently and I am making some assessments. I am sitting at my desk going over the project management plan and the Performance Reports and the notes from the last status meeting. What process group and process am I in?

(a) Executing and Distribute Information

(b) Monitoring and controlling, Monitor and Control Project Work

(c) Monitoring & Controlling, Monitoring and Control Risks

(d) Planning Process Group & Identifying Risks

Answer is (c): Under Executing Process Group, I have the PMP (project management plan) and the performance reports for Manage Project Team (HR Mgmt) and Distribute Information processes. Under Monitoring and Controlling Process Group I also am looking at the Project Management Plan and Performance Reports for Project Integration Management - M & C Project Work - but my tools and techniques are only expert judgement. Under M & C Process Group and Risk Management Knowledge Area - Process called Monitor & Control Risks I know I have risk assessments and status meetings among my tools and techniques. These don't belong anywhere else. So Answer is (c)

The "status meeting" is key to picking the right answer here. It's puts me in monitoring and controlling risks so (d) is out. It's not (a) because I'm not distributing any information. Lesson here: try to analyze the question. The answer is always there. You just have to pick the right one.



PMP® Exam Practice Exam Question No. 5:

I'm a project manager and I'm given two team members. One has no training whatsoever in project management. What should I do now?

(a) Go to HR and tell them there must have been some mistake

(b) Believe your project is now doomed for failure

(c) Keep this member for "go to" activities only

(d) Be happy. You have two people. Train the new member and welcome him or her to the project team.

Answer: (d) is the answer. Here's the opportunity to mentor someone. Train your team.



PMP® Exam Practice Exam Question No. 6:

I'm working on JED Inc's project to associate Business Objects to it's business processes. JED Inc is a major retail company and it wants to launch a new product in it's electronic division and I need to have all of the order to cash processes in place. JED Inc imports it's electronic products from Taiwan, China, and Japan. I am defining the import processes for the new product when the Senior Manager informs me that the factory has a major strike that could impact the immediate ROI on this product. Strikes have been a regular occurrence at this factory over the last 2 years as the employees have progressly increased their average wage per month from $85 per month to the current level of $126 per month. I find out that the average electronic manufacturing worker earns $126 per month so the factory employees are already getting industry average wages for China. I decide to graph the strikes over the past two years to understand the full impact and show the possible escalation impact on the new product launch. What am I doing?

(a) I show the possible escalation on a tornado diagram

(b) I'm doing Forecasting to determine how long the strike will last

(c) I'm performing variable analysis to see the variables in strike patterns

(d) I'm preparing graphs so I can perform alternative analysis

Think about your answer. Analyze your way through this. Ask yourself what process group you are in, and then what knowledge area. Then what process.

Answer is (a). This is a rare question. If you get it - one example of a tornado diagram is larger bars on top with horizontal bars below getting smaller and smaller consecutively so that the vertical graphs that appear are similar to the shape of a tornado. The diagram shows escalation from smallest to greatest. Escalation is a key word. This is used in Risk analysis. Can I figure this question out if I don't know what a Tornado Diagram is? You can, here's how -

(1) 1st reasoning: In fact if you look at the answers there are only two possibilities because the answer has to contain a graph - Analyzed this way, the answer can only be (a) or (d) and (d) is a totally irrelevant answer. So it has to be (a). Very easy! (2) 2nd reasoning: Alternative analysis has nothing to do with depicting escalations so it's not (d). There is no such thing as "variable analysis" as a tool and technique in PMI's education. It's variance analysis so it's not (c). Forecasting is not a graph so it is not (b).



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 7:

I am working as a project manager for JKW Inc. I find out I need to add another PMP credentialed project manager to my team. I put an ad on Monster.com and decided to interview 5 people. How do I find out if the people who say they are PMP's are in fact PMP certified before they arrive at my office?

(a) I can check on pmi.org and search the credential registry

(b) I can call their references

(c) I can check in linkedin.com

(d) I have to wait to see their ID card from PMI

Answer: (a) is correct



PMP® Exam Practice Questions No. 8A & 8B:

I'm working for JET Inc. I am looking at the project baseline of my current project. I'm doing some Rolling Wave Planning, decomposition and I am consulting with previous project managers who have done similiar software projects. One of my project team dropped by to see how the project was progressing and asked, "What am I doing now?"

(a) I'm in the planning processes and the process is Estimate Cost

(b) I'm in the process called Define Activities

(c) I'm preparing one phase after another

(d) I'm in Create WBS

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: The answer is (b). Well, create WBS comes before you Define Activities. You do "Estimate Cost" after you have completed the activity definition. Answer (c) is wrong, there is no such process "preparing one phase after another".



8B - What are the outputs of this process?

(a) WBS

(b) WBS, WBS Dict

(c) Activity List, Activity Attributes, Milestone List

(d) Activity Cost Estimates, Basis of Estimates

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Question 8B.

The answer is (c). You get the following outputs when you perform "Define Activities" (1) You get Activities List (2) Activities Attributes (remember these attributes go in the WBS Dict.) (3) Milestone List (this list is handy to present to the management).



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 9:

Finish the sentence. EVM is the process of measuring the cost & schedule performance of

(a) the project's execution

(b) the project's deliverables

(c) the project's scope

(d) project work against the project plan to identify variances

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Sure, the answer is (d), because the EVM is for calculating the project performance and variances, that is CV, SV, CPI, SPI and TCPI. It is not about the performance of project execution, deliverables and scope - it is truly about performance of the entire project.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 10:

What is Cost Performance Baseline also known as?

(a) Cost Baseline

(b) Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB)

(c) S-Curve corrective action

(d) Effective BAC

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer is (b) Ok, the Cost Performance is the basis of measuring performance of the project - that i how the project is doing with respect to the cost and schedule. Therefore the Cost Baseline is also known as Performance Measurement Baseline.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 11:

What is not true of EVM?

(a) It can be useful in predicting future variances

(b) It can be useful for determining the final costs at completion

(c) it is useful for determining the value and cost of quality

(d) it measures the actual cost of the work performed

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer is (c). Quality is not measured using EVM. Quality must be checked against the "Quality Metrics" and "Check Lists". The cost of quality is determined by analyzing each WBS Dictionary against the stated "Quality Standard" that you will comply with in your project.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 12:

You are lucky to be working on a new project for the TLC Company who is creating a beautiful garden park for a local community. As part of the construction project team you have been assigned the job of getting estimates for the amount of concrete needed for the meandering footpaths and other concrete needs for the project. Bob, who did a similar project last year, says you will need 5000 cubic yards. What will you do?

(a) Take the estimate from Bob's project

(b) Have an expert Construction Contractor calculate the cubic yards from the plans

(c) You will speak to the salesperson at Samson's Concrete Company

(d) You ask the paver who's going to work on the job to give you the estimates

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer is (d). It is always best to get the "Bottom-up" estimate, that is, get the estimate form the person who will be doing the job.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 13:

The Budget At Completion is $100,000. The Project's Earned Value is $70,000. So far I have spent $69,000. What is the TCPI?

(a) 1.03

(b) .97

(c) $1,000

(d) -$1000

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: (b) Alright so we need to find the TCPI formula which is ratio of Work Remaining by Funds remaining. So it is 30/31 which is approx 0.97



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 14:

I'm working on the JIT Convention Complex Project. I am on the risk team for this project exclusively. The project has fallen behind schedule and during the last 12 days it's $750,000 over the Planned Value. I am working on providing the Status Meeting tomorrow with a variance and trend analysis report covering the last three months. What Process Group am I in and what am I doing?

(a) Planning - Identify Risks - I'm identifying the risks

(b) Planning - Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis - I'm doing risk probabilities

(c) Monitoring & Controlling - Monitor & Control Risks - I'm showing how the project is varying from the plan of cost and schedule and also I'm showing how the project is trending

(d) Planning - Plan Risk Response - We already have a risk - I'm checking the plan to find out what the planned response is.

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer is (c). Cool, I am in monitoring & control under Risk. I am calculating the EVM and then performing "Report Performance" process under Communication Knowledge area. Both these processes are under Monitoring & Control process group.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 15:

I'm working on a project to upgrade the database of a large university medical center. They are going to move all their legacy systems to Epic where they can retrieve patient information much more rapidly. I am in Direct & Manage Project Execution under Executing Processes in the Integration Management Knowledge Area. What are the two tools & techniques?

(a) PMIS, Expert Judgment

(b) PMIS, Delphi Technique

(c) Internet Search, PMIS

(d) Expert Judgment, Make or Buy Analysis

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer (a). Delphi Technique, Internet Search and Make or Buy Analysis is performed during planning processes. Here you are in execution process group where you need PMIS to manage the plan and the Deliverables, Change Requests and Work Performance Information. You may use Expert Judgment.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 16:

I'm working on a new project. I am looking over all the procurement documents, Enterprise Environmental Factors, and Organizational Process Assets as well as the Charter. The Charter has more information than usual and more information than necessary. I'm musing over this as I work through the process of identifying all of the key stakeholders for my project. Which is an output?

(a) Stakeholder analytical document

(b) Stakeholder Management Strategy

(3) Stakeholder Communication Plan

(4) Key Stakeholder Analysis

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer (b). The outputs of "Identify Stakeholders" are (1) Stakeholder Register (2) Stakeholder Management Strategy.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 17:

The ZAP Sports Car Project is in Phase 2 - The Purpose Is to Determine the Final Product Design Based on a Prototype Designed in Phase 1 after analyzing Feedback from potential buyers, test drivers and press drivers as well as press criticism collected on the Initial Prototype. This project does not leave me any time to spin my wheels. I'm working for a company that wants to make dramatic design changes to their midsize sport car. So I need to garner some much needed information in order to lead "collect the requirements" processes for the project. On our team are design engineers with over 15 years of experience as well as new design graduates from a local engineering college who say they know what their generation wants to see in a sport car like this. Half of them came to the team from the Project in Phase 1. Phase 1 produced a Prototype. I have conducted interviews, used focus groups and facilitated workshops, combining test drives and Observation. I've even sent out questionnaires and surveys. We have even used Group Decision making techniques. As you can imagine the Prototype came under a lot of criticism - both constructive and destructive. Who will I send an email to the following because I need their input?

(a) Automotive Industry Association

(b) Project Stakeholders

(c) Senior Management

(d) My project team

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer (b). Wow this is what you get in real life project management especially when a lot is at stake. After collecting requirements using all available techniques, sending email to the stakeholders is the right closure in order to finalize the requirements.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 18:

Goofy Toys hired me as a lead project manager to design their next brainchild. I have been using the tools and techniques of cost aggregation and reserve analysis for this large project. Just this afternoon the Senior Manager looked over the basis of my cost estimates. Where am I?

(a) Estimate Cost

(b) Determine Budget

(c) Control Cost

(d) Planning Costs

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP: Answer is (b). You are in determine budget. You are using tool and techniques in this process. Cost aggregation is a technique where as the basis of estimates is one of the inputs of this process, Determine Budget



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 19:

Outputs and Inputs of a process are something every project manager needs to know. How do I reason through the exam questions? Here's one. I'm working on a software development project and I'm doing various what-if scenarios, adjusting lags and leads and doing some variance analysis. Where am I?

a. In the planning processes for schedule

b. I'm in Control Cost & Control Schedule and I am getting ready to submit the project performance measurements for this month

c. I'm sending out some questions for a blind Delphi technique

d. I'm going over my network diagrams seeing where I can adjust the activities

Answer: (d) I’m not in the planning processes for schedule because I apply lead and lag there. So (a) is out. I'm not in (b) because I don't adjust my leads and lags if I am working on the project performance measurements. Also the outputs Control Cost and Schedule are called work performance measurements (WPM), not project performance measurements. (c) It's not talking about a Delphi - that's a survey of experts (d) It's a very simple answer. I'm reworking the network diagram.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 20:

I'm working in Los Angeles on a construction site. I sent a request to change control to consider authorizing a change in the office bathroom on the first floor because a key stakeholder was up in arms about the way it was designed. Fortunately, the construction crew had not touched the bathroom so far, although this design would affect the wall and space to an adjacent office. It was approved within 4 hours and now I had to resubmit the plan I just got a permit

for. What just happened?

(a) A change in scope

(b) A risk response

(c) A stakeholder overrides the scope statement

(d) The stakeholder shut down the crew for a few days

Answer: (b). A risk response. Anytime there is a change in scope, it creates a risk. However this question is disguised in the exam, remember that a change in scope creates a risk response.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 21:

I am assigned to a large project which will review and model all of the business objects for XYZ Corp. My co-worker asked me "who signed the SOW?" How should I answer him?

(a) Senior Management

(b) Sponsor

(c) No one

(d) Key Stakeholder

Answer is (c). No one signs a SOW - not ever. They sign a work order or a contract - that would be true.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 22:

I'm working for ABZ company and I have been in charge of 5 projects in the last 3 years. This company is fond of keeping their project managers busy with one project starting just as another is in the closing processes. I have looked through all of the procurement contracts for the project we're just finishing and just now I have been assigned a new Project and received the copy of the contract yesterday. What am I working on and what are the tools & techniques that I can use?

(a) Develop Charter, Initiating Process Group/Expert Judgment

(b) Business Case, Initiating Process Group/Determine Sponsor

(c) Identify Stakeholders, Initiating Process Group/Stakeholder Analysis

(d) Develop Project Management Plan, Planning Group/Expert Judgment

Answer: (a). First of all let's eliminate the wrong answers. It's not (b) because there is no such tool & technique as Determine Sponsor and there is no Business Case process in initiating. The Business Case is already finished before the project starts. It's not (d) because I just got the work assignment and I haven't even met with the sponsor yet. Of course the whole clue to finding the right answer is that I just received the contract. The SOW, or Business Case, or Work Order, or Assignment or Contract are all inputs to Develop Charter. So I am in Develop Charter and I am in the Initiating Process Group as I am Initiating a Project. My technique/tool is Expert Judgment!

So (a) is the correct answer.



PMP® Exam Practice Question 23:

Which costs more?

a) Published data

(b) Analogous Estimates

(c) Bottom up estimates

(d) ROM

Answer: Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP • Answer is C. The process of bottom up estimates is laborious and require due deligence and it is time consuming, hence it is costly.



PMP® Exam Practice Question No. 24:

You are assigned a new project. What is the best next step?

(a) Visit the PMO office and get the stack of binders they have for you that contain all of the Quality Standards, Polices, Processes and Lessons learned for the Organization

(b) Get the signed charter from the Senior Manager

(c) Read the Sow, Contract, Assignment or Work Order

(d) Plan the Kick-off meeting

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP • Answer is C. You want to immediately review the SOW / Contract / Work Order to identify all nouns, verbs, "if" statements or "must" statements. The nouns provide you with the name of stakeholders or organization. The verbs identify the actions or work that you are asked to do. The "if" statement identifies assumption and "must" statement identifies constraint.



PMP® Exam Practice Question 25:

You are in Direct & Manage Project Execution. Which tool will you use?

(a) PMIS

(b) WPI

(c) CR

(d) Approved Changed Requests

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP • Answer is A. PMIS is the only tool listed here that you may use in Direct & Manage Project Execution.



PMP® Exam Practice Question 26:

Which of the following is an input to Plan Quality?

(a) Stakeholder Register

(b) Project Management Plan

(c) Project Funding Requirements

(d) Activity Cost Estimates

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP • Answer is A. The stakeholder register identifies the expectations. The expectations are key to quality planning, because the out put of Plan Quality will be Quality Metrics and Check List that will ensure that the stakeholder expectations are met and checked.



PMP® Exam Practice Question 27:

I am using activity cost estimates, Activity Duration Estimates, Scope Baseline and 4 of the other Plans as I do what?

(a) Identify Risks

(b) Develop Schedule

(c) Plan Procurement

(d) Estimatte Cost

Mo Haque, MSEE, PMP • Answer is A. To identify risks you need activity cost estimates, duration estimates, scope baseline, cost baseline, schedule baseline - all part of the project plan and quality management plan.

How to answer the questions: Mostly the key to knowing the correct answer: find the key word or phase. Identify the process group, then know the tools & techniques if that is part of the answer

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