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PMP Assessment Exam 1

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This exam consists of 50 questions. You should complete the exam in 50 minutes or less allowing
approximately 1 minute per question. At the end of the exam the answers are revealed for you to review.
If youve questions or comments about the exam feel free to email us well gladly respond and address
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PMP Assessment Exam One


1. You are a project manager in the Foil Production Company. Your organization operate in a
balanced-matrix structure. In this organization you have recently been assigned a new project
that will create a new coil for manufacturing. Who should charter this project?
A. The project manager
B. Each functional manager
C. The project customer
D. An executive who has control over all of the needed resources that the project will require
2. Your organization is completing a project that includes some dangerous electrical work. You dont
want your project team member to complete this work so you recommend hiring an electrician.
This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Transference
B. Countermeasure
C. Avoidance
D. Mitigation
3. Which quality control chart shows frequency of errors?
A. Control chart
B. Pareto chart
C. Gantt chart
D. Flowchart
4. Which one of the following is not part of the risk management plan?
A. Risk register
B. Risk management methodology
C. Budgeting
D. Risk categories
5. You have several contractors on your project and youve determined youll no longer need these
contractors on your project. Which document will determine how the contractors may be
removed from the project?
A. The contract between your organization and the All Star Consulting Group
B. The staffing management plan
C. The scope management plan
D. The schedule management plan
6. You are the project manager of the GY project and your project is late. Thomas, a key
stakeholder in the project, demands that you cut all of the quality testing and get the project
finished. Your companys quality assurance program, however, calls for the testing that Thomas
wants to cut. What should you do?
A. Follow Thomass advice and get the project done.
B. Compromise and cut the quality testing on deliverables that arent key to the project.
C. Ignore the company policy and stress to the project team that quality must be planned into the
project, not inspected into the project.
D. You must discuss with Thomas that the project must perform the quality tests, as it is the
company policy.

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7. You are the project manager of the HNN Project. This project requires your project team, which
has 34 members, to travel around the world and install a new piece of hardware in over 1,600
airports. Unfortunately you have not included any travel delays for the project team in your
schedule. This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Planning variance
B. Poor communications
C. Constraint
D. Assumption
8. All of the following statements about the critical path are incorrect, except which one?
A. The critical path is the path with the most activities.
B. The critical path is the path with zero float.
C. The critical path is the path with zero lag.
D. The critical path is the path with critical activities.
9. Your project is due in six months, but you do not have enough team members available to
complete the project work. You are considering requiring the project team members to work
overtime so that the project will finish on time. Overworking the project team may result in all of
the following, except for which one?
A. Decline in team morale
B. Unacceptable work
C. A decrease in the project teams willingness to work
D. An increase in quality inspections
10. Which estimating technique compares a current projects work to a completed project?
A. Expert judgment
B. Analogous
C. Bottom-up
D. Parametric
11. Beth is the project manager of the NHJ Project and this project is running late. In an effort to
complete the project on time, Beth changes the relationship of several activities from finish-tostart to start-to-start. This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Fast-tracking
B. Crashing
C. Expert judgment
D. Rolling wave planning
12. Which risk-diagramming technique can help predict project cost based on probability and cost of
risk?
A. Pareto chart
B. Cost simulation
C. Decision tree
D. Ishikawa diagram

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13. You are the project manager of the HNH Project and you need to deal with two project team
members in an argument. Which one of the following is an example of smoothing?
A. Experience has the power.
B. Leave the decision until later.
C. Blend all the options together.
D. Really, its not that big a difference.
14. You are the project manager of a project to create a new database for your company. A key
stakeholder has demanded a change to your project that will cost nearly $85,000 to implement.
All of the following must be examined in order for the scope to be changed, except for which one?
A. Schedule
B. Project costs
C. Project charter
D. Risk
15. You are the project manager of a construction project. Your project team reports that all of the
assigned work is complete, so the project is done. You complete a quality control audit and
discover that many things in the project are not to quality standards as defined in the project plan.
What must happen next?
A. Discipline the project team for the failed project.
B. The project team must correct the work so that it is in scope.
C. The project team must complete scope verification.
D. Create a change request to redo the defective work.
16. You are the project manager of the GHY Project and youre creating the process improvement
plan for your project. Which one of the following elements would not be included in the process
improvement plan?
A. Process boundaries
B. Process configuration
C. Process metrics
D. Six-Sigma programs
17. You are a project manager for a company that completes projects for other organizations. Your
current customer has hired your company to create a prototype model airplane. Another
company, which happens to be your customers competition, has asked that you create a
prototype model airplane for them. What should you do?
A. Refuse the assignment and refuse to tell the client why you cannot accept.
B. Accept the assignment if the new customers company has a nondisclosure agreement with
you and there is not a noncompete clause in your contracts.
C. Accept the assignment, with a fee for the time already invested in the existing project.
D. Take the assignment; this is the type of work your company does.

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18. You are the project manager of the GHY Project. This project is to build a new office complex.
The concrete in the project is taking longer than planned to dry and thats holding up your project.
You still have much concrete to pour and you expect that each concrete-related activity will take
longer than what was planned. The concrete activities are mandatory dependencies to other
project activities. Which one of the following is an acceptable solution for this problem without
changing the project end date?
A. Change the relationship of project activities, if possible
B. Add lead to the concrete-related activities.
C. Add lag to the concrete-related activities.
D. Change the predecessor and successor activities so that the concrete will dry faster than
current conditions are allowing.
19. Which one of the following is not an input to the risk identification process?
A. Pareto charts
B. Organizational process assets
C. Risk management plan
D. Project scope statement
20. Beth is the project manager of the HGH Project. This project has a cost of performance index
(CPI) of .90 means what?
A. The project has to spend one dollar for every 90 cents of work it receives.
B. The project is late.
C. The project is 90 percent complete.
D. The project is making money.
21. Part of the PMP examination is to understand how teams operate. All of the following are
examples of teamwork, except for which one?
A. Sharing resources
B. Communicating in only one method
C. Assisting one another when workloads are unbalanced
D. Sharing information
22. June is the project manager for her organization. She is trying to determine which resources are
the most appropriate for each of the project activities. She is considering cost, availability, and
resource experience. This is an example of what?
A. Project role assignment
B. Project human resource management
C. Staffing research
D. Project resource assignment
23. You are the project manager of the NHJ Project and there are six phases in this project. What
must happen at the end of each project phase?
A. Murder board review
B. Phased gate estimating
C. Project team reviews
D. Lessons-learned updates

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24. You are the project manager of a project to build a large bridge over a swamp. This bridge has
generated much excitement and also much controversy in your community. Which one of the
following groups can be viewed as a negative stakeholder?
A. The change control board for your project, as they do not want changes to the project scope.
B. The city council, since they believe that the bridge will help develop the local economy.
C. An environmental group that is opposed to the bridge over the swamp.
D. The taxpayers who will pay for the creation of the bridge.
25. You are planning for purchases and acquisitions, and would like to create a screening system to
help you select among qualified vendors. Which one of the following is an example of a screening
system?
A. Third-party estimate
B. Organization breakdown structure
C. Requirement for the seller to have a licensed electrician on staff
D. Weighted model
26. Which individual has the power in a strong matrix organization?
A. The project manager
B. The customer
C. The functional manager
D. The program manager
27. Harry is the project manager of the NHJ Project. This project has 18 project team members which
have never worked together before. Harry wants some time to complete team development. Why
should the project manager work to develop the project team?
A. To improve the skills of team members and increase their ability to complete the project
activities.
B. The project manager should not work for team development. It is a natural process that will
occur of its own accord.
C. To increase project communications.
D. To increase the likelihood of the project being profitable.
28. You are a project manager for your organization. One of the managers is refusing to allow her
employees to have time on your project. Which one of the following is likely to be missing from
your project in this instance?
A. Project manager
B. Risk management plan
C. Project scope
D. Project charter
29. Harry is the project manager of the NHJ Project. This project has 18 project team members which
have never worked together before. Which one of the following is an example of team
development?
A. Ad-hoc meetings
B. Video conferences
C. Daily e-mail
D. Off-site activities

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30. Part of being a PMP is to contribute to the project management knowledge base. You would like
to contribute to the project management knowledge base. Which one of the following is not an
example of contributing to the project management knowledge base?
A. Giving a lecture on project quality methodologies
B. Writing articles on project management topics
C. Referring a colleague to the Project Management Institute (PMI) web site for information on
obtaining the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
D. Publishing a book on project management
31. Aaron is the project manager of a large project in his company. This project will affect the
organization and the local community. Aaron is worried that the most threatening weakness is
communication in the project, and if it doesnt improve the project may suffer. Which one of the
following is the best method for improving communication in Aarons project?
A. Assign a team member for all communication demands.
B. Transfer the risks to a third party.
C. Communicate with all of the stakeholders on a daily basis.
D. Attend a seminar on communications.
32. You are a project manager your organization and you are helping management choose a project.
You are presented with the following information: Project XWA has a net present value of
$35,000 and will take five years to complete. Project Machine Y has a net present value of
$55,000 and will take two years to complete. Project Warehouse has a net present value of
$23,500 and will take six years to complete. Which project should your company choose to
complete?
A. Project XWA.
B. Project Machine Y.
C. Project Warehouse.
D. All projects have equal value, so any project is applicable.
33. What is ISO 9000?
A. A quality management system
B. A quality control system
C. A management process to implement quality
D. A system that ensures an organization follows the same repeatable processes to reach the
same repeatable results
34. Examine the following terms. Which term is not related to quality control?
A. Cost-benefit analysis
B. Design of experiments
C. Flowcharting
D. Herzbergs Theory of Motivation
35. You are the project manager of the JKG Project. You have determined that the project team
needs additional training to complete the project work. The additional training is which type of
cost?
A. Indirect cost
B. Direct cost
C. Fixed cost
D. Variable cost

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36. You are a project manager for your organization. Your current project is 35 percent complete,
although it is supposed to be 50 percent complete. Your budget for this project is $275,000, and
you have already spent $120,000. What is your planned value?
A. $120,000
B. $23,750
C. $137,500
D. $96,250
37. The largest portion of a projects budget is spent during which one of the following project
management life-cycle process groups?
A. Initiating
B. Planning
C. Executing
D. Controlling
38. You are a project manager for your organization. Your current project is 35 percent complete,
although it is supposed to be 50 percent complete. Your budget for this project is $275,000, and
you have already spent $120,000. What is your schedule performance index value?
A. .07
B. .70
C. 80
D. 0.8
39. Quality assurance is defined by which one of the following?
A. The results of the project work are inspected. If the results do not conform to the expected
level of quality, rework is required.
B. The overall performance is evaluated to ensure that the project meets the relevant quality
standards.
C. The customer inspects the project deliverables and may accept them if the quality is as
promised in the project scope or contract.
D. It is regulated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
40. You are a project manager for your organization. Your current project is 35 percent complete,
although it is supposed to be 50 percent complete. Your budget for this project is $275,000, and
you have already spent $120,000. What is your earned value?
A. $96,250
B. $137,500
C. $23,750
D. $120,000
41. Which of the following signals the largest problem on a project?
A. A cost of performance index of 1
B. A cost of performance index of .90
C. A schedule performance index of .99
D. A BAC of $125,000

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42. You have invited 20 vendors to a bidders conference. Which one of the following best describes
the bidders conference?
A. All vendors should be prepared to offer a quote at the top of the meeting.
B. All vendors should be allowed time to ask questions to clarify the project requirements.
C. All vendors should be prepared to bid for the contract.
D. All vendors may elect to participate in a silent or verbal bidding process.
43. You have just completed the final report for your project. Why should this report be archived?
A. In case the customer has a change to the project scope
B. In case the organization needs to update the projects product
C. In case the projects finances are ever called into question
D. In case future project teams need the projects information to help them complete their project
44. Why should lessons-learned documentation be completed?
A. It keeps the project manager focused on the project work.
B. It makes the project manager and project team accountable for the work they have completed
on the project.
C. It allows other project managers to learn from this project.
D. It ensures that all of the project work is complete.
45. You have just completed a seven-month project, and management wants to know how much you
have spent on the project. What is likely to happen next?
A. A procurement audit
B. A quality audit
C. An audit of the project scope
D. A labor audit
46. Yolanda has just completed a project for another organization. Her customer is thrilled with the
project deliverables and is considering hiring Yolandas company to complete another project
similar to the recently completed one. Yolandas company has no formal archival process. What
should Yolanda do with the current project documentation?
A. Yolanda should destroy the records so that other organizations do not have access to the
information she has created.
B. Nothingher organization does not require formal archiving of the project information.
C. Yolanda should archive the information at the customers site.
D. Yolanda should archive the information.

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47. The project manager for an event planning firm is conducting a feasibility study for a client. The
client wants to determine if it is more cost effective to host the tradeshow at the Convention
Center or a local meeting facility. The customers preference is the meeting facility because it is
near the business district, hotels and restaurants. It is easy for the participants to travel to.
Another stakeholders preference is the new convention center because it has state of the art
technology. After the feasibility analysis, the project manager determines the meeting facility is
more cost effective. However, the project manager recommends the convention center instead of
the meeting facility because he thinks the convention center tradeshow is a more challenging and
fun project. What would you have done differently if you were the project manager for the event
planning firm?
A. Get the two stakeholders to discuss their requirements to find the an agreeable meeting place
for the project
B. Resign from the project since there is a conflict of interest
C. Book the convention center. Since you are the project manager, you know what is best for the
client
D. Find a third place that has both the clients and the other stakeholders requirements
48. You are the project manager of the HHH Project. The stakeholders for this project are scattered
across the world and you need a method to promote interaction. You determine that a web
conferencing software would be the most cost effective solution. The stakeholders can watch a
slide show while you walk them through the project details. The stakeholders can hear you, ask
questions via a chat software, and post concerns. What is the danger in this presentation?
A. The stakeholders wont really see you.
B. 55 percent of all communication is nonverbal and this approach does not provide non-verbal
communications.
C. The stakeholders are not required to attend the entire session.
D. The technology is not proven as reliable.
49. Which project management meeting allows stakeholders to meet one another and to learn about
the project?
A. Project kick-off meeting
B. Project status meeting
C. Project scope review
D. Project authorization meeting
50. The project manager of the NHH Project has invited the project stakeholders to participate in the
creation of the WBS for the project. Why is it recommended to include stakeholders in the
creation of the projects WBS?
A. It ensures that the stakeholders can see how much work the project requires.
B. It ensures that the stakeholders know the project team.
C. It ensures that the stakeholders are involved with the project and have a sense of ownership.
D. It ensures that the stakeholders are committed to the project work with the project team.

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PMP Assessment Exam One Answers


1. You are a project manager in the Foil Production Company. Your organization operate in a
balanced-matrix structure. In this organization you have recently been assigned a new project
that will create a new coil for manufacturing. Who should charter this project?
A. The project manager
B. Each functional manager
C. The project customer
D. An executive who has control over all of the needed resources that the project will require
Explanation: All projects should be chartered and authorized by an executive in the organization
who has control over the projects resources. The project manager needs authority from a higher
entity. He cannot charter his own project. Functional managers in a balanced-matrix structure
typically dont have the authority to charter projects. Customers, in this instance, will not charter
the project.
2. Your organization is completing a project that includes some dangerous electrical work. You dont
want your project team member to complete this work so you recommend hiring an electrician.
This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Transference
B. Countermeasure
C. Avoidance
D. Mitigation
Explanation: Hiring a licensed electrician is an example of transference. Mitigations are actions
taken to reduce the impact or probability of a risk event. Avoidance avoids the project risk.
Countermeasures are actions taken to neutralize the risks impact.
3. Which quality control chart shows frequency of errors?
A. Control chart
B. Pareto chart
C. Gantt chart
D. Flowchart
Explanation: Pareto charts are histograms that document the problems and show the frequency
of errors. Control charts are a graphical display of the end results of a process sampling over
time. Flowcharts show the relationships between components in a system. A Gantt chart shows
activity time mapped to a calendar.
4. Which one of the following is not part of the risk management plan?
A. Risk register
B. Risk management methodology
C. Budgeting
D. Risk categories
Explanation: The risk register is the central repository of identified risks within the project. It is
not part of the risk management plan. Risk management methodology defines the approach to
risk identification and management, and is included as part of the risk management plan. Risk
categories provide a structure to identify risks to a consistent level of detail and are part of the risk
management plan. Budgeting information is included for risks in the risk management plan.

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5. You have several contractors on your project and youve determined youll no longer need these
contractors on your project. Which document will determine how the contractors may be
removed from the project?
A. The contract between your organization and the All Star Consulting Group
B. The staffing management plan
C. The scope management plan
D. The schedule management plan
Explanation: The contract between you and the vendors will override any other document. The
contract is a better choice than the staffing management plan, the scope management and the
schedule management plan because it is a legally binding agreement.
6. You are the project manager of the GY project and your project is late. Thomas, a key
stakeholder in the project, demands that you cut all of the quality testing and get the project
finished. Your companys quality assurance program, however, calls for the testing that Thomas
wants to cut. What should you do?
A. Follow Thomass advice and get the project done.
B. Compromise and cut the quality testing on deliverables that arent key to the project.
C. Ignore the company policy and stress to the project team that quality must be planned into the
project, not inspected into the project.
D. You must discuss with Thomas that the project must perform the quality tests, as it is the
company policy.
Explanation: Always follow the company policies. If you follow Thomass advice the project may
be delayed even longer because of unidentified quality problems. Cutting the testing can also
lead to quality problems with the project deliverables. You must always follow company policy.
7. You are the project manager of the HNN Project. This project requires your project team, which
has 34 members, to travel around the world and install a new piece of hardware in over 1,600
airports. Unfortunately you have not included any travel delays for the project team in your
schedule. This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Planning variance
B. Poor communications
C. Constraint
D. Assumption
Explanation: You have made an assumption that there will be no travel delays in her schedule.
This is not a realistic expectation, considering the commonality of travel delays. This is not a
planning variance, a constraint, or an example of poor communication.
8. All of the following statements about the critical path are incorrect, except which one?
A. The critical path is the path with the most activities.
B. The critical path is the path with zero float.
C. The critical path is the path with zero lag.
D. The critical path is the path with critical activities.
Explanation: The critical path has no float. Paths in the network diagram can have many
activities and still not be the critical path. While lag can increase a projects duration, a path with
the least lag does not make it the critical path. The critical path does not consider the importance
of project activities.

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9. Your project is due in six months, but you do not have enough team members available to
complete the project work. You are considering requiring the project team members to work
overtime so that the project will finish on time. Overworking the project team may result in all of
the following, except for which one?
A. Decline in team morale
B. Unacceptable work
C. A decrease in the project teams willingness to work
D. An increase in quality inspections
Explanation: Overworking the project team will likely result in unacceptable work, a decline in
team morale, and a decrease in the project teams willingness to work on your project. If you
overwork the project team youll likely experience a decline in team morale, unacceptable work,
and a decrease in the project teams willingness to work.
10. Which estimating technique compares a current projects work to a completed project?
A. Expert judgment
B. Analogous
C. Bottom-up
D. Parametric
Explanation: A project manager that bases the current projects time and/or costs on other
similar projects is using analogous estimating. This is not an example of expert judgment.
Bottom-up estimates start at zero and take in all costs for each activity. These are the most
accurate estimate types, but they take the longest to complete. Parametric estimating uses a
parameter, such as cost per metric ton or cost per square foot, to create the estimate.
11. Beth is the project manager of the NHJ Project and this project is running late. In an effort to
complete the project on time, Beth changes the relationship of several activities from finish-tostart to start-to-start. This is an example of which one of the following?
A. Fast-tracking
B. Crashing
C. Expert judgment
D. Rolling wave planning
Explanation: Fast-tracking allows activities or project phases to overlap. It also increases risk.
Crashing allows the project manager to add resources, but it increases cost. Rolling wave
planning allows planning to be completed based on the conditions within the project in waves, or
successions. This is not expert judgment.
12. Which risk-diagramming technique can help predict project cost based on probability and cost of
risk?
A. Pareto chart
B. Cost simulation
C. Decision tree
D. Ishikawa diagram
Explanation: Through numerous iterations, a cost simulation can describe the cumulative
distribution of results. A Pareto chart is a quality control technique. An Ishikawa diagram is used
for root cause analysis. A decision tree diagram is a quantitative risk analysis technique.

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13. You are the project manager of the HNH Project and you need to deal with two project team
members in an argument. Which one of the following is an example of smoothing?
A. Experience has the power.
B. Leave the decision until later.
C. Blend all the options together.
D. Really, its not that big a difference.
Explanation: Smoothing smoothes out the conflict by minimizing the perceived size of the
problem, which is what Really, its not that big a difference does for the parties in the
disagreement.
14. You are the project manager of a project to create a new database for your company. A key
stakeholder has demanded a change to your project that will cost nearly $85,000 to implement.
All of the following must be examined in order for the scope to be changed, except for which one?
A. Schedule
B. Project costs
C. Project charter
D. Risk
Explanation: The project charter has already been created, as it authorizes the project. There is
no need to change this document. When there is a change to the project scope the schedule,
costs, and risk should all be examined as part of integrated change control.
15. You are the project manager of a construction project. Your project team reports that all of the
assigned work is complete, so the project is done. You complete a quality control audit and
discover that many things in the project are not to quality standards as defined in the project plan.
What must happen next?
A. Discipline the project team for the failed project.
B. The project team must correct the work so that it is in scope.
C. The project team must complete scope verification.
D. Create a change request to redo the defective work.
Explanation: The project is not finished, because the quality expectations are not in alignment
with the project plan. The project team must correct the work. The project has not failed, but it is
not completed either. Scope verification is performed with the customer and happens after the
project is completed. A change request is not needed, as there really is no change to the project
scope, just defect repair.
16. You are the project manager of the GHY Project and youre creating the process improvement
plan for your project. Which one of the following elements would not be included in the process
improvement plan?
A. Process boundaries
B. Process configuration
C. Process metrics
D. Six-Sigma programs
Explanation: Not all companies will use a quality management program like Six-Sigma. The
process improvement plan does define process boundaries, process configuration, and process
metrics. During your exam, look for choices that are not inclusive of all projects, like this question.
Notice how all projects should have a process improvement plan but not all projects use Six
Sigma. This is a sign of the correct answer.

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17. You are a project manager for a company that completes projects for other organizations. Your
current customer has hired your company to create a prototype model airplane. Another
company, which happens to be your customers competition, has asked that you create a
prototype model airplane for them. What should you do?
A. Refuse the assignment and refuse to tell the client why you cannot accept.
B. Accept the assignment if the new customers company has a nondisclosure agreement with you
and there is not a noncompete clause in your contracts.
C. Accept the assignment, with a fee for the time already invested in the existing project.
D. Take the assignment; this is the type of work your company does.
Explanation: It is fine to accept this assignment as this is the type of work your company does. If
there is not a noncompete clause, there is not a problem. Always follow the terms of the contract.
18. You are the project manager of the GHY Project. This project is to build a new office complex.
The concrete in the project is taking longer than planned to dry and thats holding up your project.
You still have much concrete to pour and you expect that each concrete-related activity will take
longer than what was planned. The concrete activities are mandatory dependencies to other
project activities. Which one of the following is an acceptable solution for this problem without
changing the project end date?
A. Change the relationship of project activities, if possible
B. Add lead to the concrete-related activities.
C. Add lag to the concrete-related activities.
D. Change the predecessor and successor activities so that the concrete will dry faster than current
conditions are allowing.
Explanation: Examine the network diagram to determine if the relationships between activities
can be changed. Because the critical path cannot be expanded, the only logical choice is to
attempt to change the relationship of project activities to adjust for the project delays youre
experiencing. Lead time subtracts time from the scheduled start time of the activities. Lag time
will increase time to the project. Changing the relationship of activities will not help the concrete
dry faster.
19. Which one of the following is not an input to the risk identification process?
A. Pareto charts
B. Organizational process assets
C. Risk management plan
D. Project scope statement
Explanation: Pareto charts are typically used in quality control methods, not in risk assessment.
Organizational process assets are an input to risk identificationconsider previous projects and
lessons learned. The project scope statement is an input to risk identification. The risk
management plan is a key input to risk identification, as it includes roles and responsibilities,
directions for risk management, the budget, the schedule, and identified risk categories.

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20. Beth is the project manager of the HGH Project. This project has a cost of performance index
(CPI) of .90 means what?
A. The project has to spend one dollar for every 90 cents of work it receives.
B. The project is late.
C. The project is 90 percent complete.
D. The project is making money.
Explanation: Another way of looking at the CPI of spending $1 for every 90 cents of work is to
say that this project loses 10 cents on the dollar. In this project, the costs are not performing very
well.
21. Part of the PMP examination is to understand how teams operate. All of the following are
examples of teamwork, except for which one?
A. Sharing resources
B. Communicating in only one method
C. Assisting one another when workloads are unbalanced
D. Sharing information
Explanation: It is not effective teamwork to communicate in only one method. Team members
should communicate in ways that fit individual and situational preferences. Team members
should assist one another when workloads are unbalanced, share information, and share
resources.
22. June is the project manager for her organization. She is trying to determine which resources are
the most appropriate for each of the project activities. She is considering cost, availability, and
resource experience. This is an example of what?
A. Project role assignment
B. Project human resource management
C. Staffing research
D. Project resource assignment
Explanation: This is part of project human resource management. June must determine the
needed resources and then determine how the needed skills can be added to the project team.
23. You are the project manager of the NHJ Project and there are six phases in this project. What
must happen at the end of each project phase?
A. Murder board review
B. Phased gate estimating
C. Project team reviews
D. Lessons-learned updates
Explanation: At the end of each project phase, the project manager and the project team should
update the lessons-learned documentation. Murder boards are used to determine if a project
should be approved or declined; they are utilized prior to the project charter being written. Phased
gate estimating is a form of estimating that predicts the costs and time for the next phase of a
project. Not every project utilizes phased gate estimating. Note that phase gates are also called
kill points. Project team members are reviewed for their performance at the end of the project or
when a project team member is dismissed from the project.

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24. You are the project manager of a project to build a large bridge over a swamp. This bridge has
generated much excitement and also much controversy in your community. Which one of the
following groups can be viewed as a negative stakeholder?
A. The change control board for your project, as they do not want changes to the project scope.
B. The city council, since they believe that the bridge will help develop the local economy.
C. An environmental group that is opposed to the bridge over the swamp.
D. The taxpayers who will pay for the creation of the bridge.
Explanation: Because the environmental group is opposed to the bridge project, they are
considered a negative stakeholder. The city council is considered a positive stakeholder. The
change control board does not want unneeded changes to the project scope. However, taxpayers
is not valid because some of the taxpayers may be for the bridge, while others may be against it.
The question does not provide enough information to determine the position of all the tax payers
that are also stakeholders for this project.
25. You are planning for purchases and acquisitions, and would like to create a screening system to
help you select among qualified vendors. Which one of the following is an example of a screening
system?
A. Third-party estimate
B. Organization breakdown structure
C. Requirement for the seller to have a licensed electrician on staff
D. Weighted model
Explanation: The requirement to have a licensed electrician can serve as a screening system.
Vendors that dont qualify are screened from selection. The other choices are not examples of
screening systems. (Note that a weighted model is a procurement tool to score components and
factors of each vendor.)
26. Which individual has the power in a strong matrix organization?
A. The project manager
B. The customer
C. The functional manager
D. The program manager
Explanation: The project manager has the power in a strong matrix organization. Project
customers have little project management authority. The functional manager will have limited
power in a strong matrix organization. A program manager may not even exist in a strong matrix
organization.

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27. Harry is the project manager of the NHJ Project. This project has 18 project team members which
have never worked together before. Harry wants some time to complete team development. Why
should the project manager work to develop the project team?
A. To improve the skills of team members and increase their ability to complete the project
activities.
B. The project manager should not work for team development. It is a natural process that will occur
of its own accord.
C. To increase project communications.
D. To increase the likelihood of the project being profitable.
Explanation: Part of team development is to increase team members ability to complete the
project work. Team development may happen on its own to some extent, but it should be
facilitated by the project manager. Not all projects have a focus on profits. An increase in
communications is not always a good thing; consider effective communications versus rampant
communications.
28. You are a project manager for your organization. One of the managers is refusing to allow her
employees to have time on your project. Which one of the following is likely to be missing from
your project in this instance?
A. Project manager
B. Risk management plan
C. Project scope
D. Project charter
Explanation: The functional manager is likely not allowing her employees to work on the project
because there is no charter requiring her to do so. You are the project manager. The risk
management plan is not applicable to this scenario. The project scope may be missing, but it is
not as important as the project charter. The project charter authorizes the project.
29. Harry is the project manager of the NHJ Project. This project has 18 project team members which
have never worked together before. Which one of the following is an example of team
development?
A. Ad-hoc meetings
B. Video conferences
C. Daily e-mail
D. Off-site activities
Explanation: Off-site activities can give the project team an opportunity to get to know each other
without the stress and interference of the workplace. The other choices are all examples of
communication, not team development. You can answer these types of questions by identifying
the odd man out. Notice how three of the choices are all communication-related, while the
choice of off-site activities does not fit with the others. This is a typical question scheme youll
likely encounter on the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) or Project
Management Professional (PMP) exam.

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30. Part of being a PMP is to contribute to the project management knowledge base. You would like
to contribute to the project management knowledge base. Which one of the following is not an
example of contributing to the project management knowledge base?
A. Giving a lecture on project quality methodologies
B. Writing articles on project management topics
C. Referring a colleague to the Project Management Institute (PMI) web site for information on
obtaining the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
D. Publishing a book on project management
Explanation: Referring a colleague to the PMI web site is not an example of contributing to the
project management knowledge base. All of the other choices are examples of contributing to the
project management knowledge base, so these choices are invalid.
31. Aaron is the project manager of a large project in his company. This project will affect the
organization and the local community. Aaron is worried that the most threatening weakness is
communication in the project, and if it doesnt improve the project may suffer. Which one of the
following is the best method for improving communication in Aarons project?
A. Assign a team member for all communication demands.
B. Transfer the risks to a third party.
C. Communicate with all of the stakeholders on a daily basis.
D. Attend a seminar on communications.
Explanation: Attending a seminar on communications is the best choice for improving project
communications. Aaron, the project manager, rather than a team member, must be the hub of
communications on the project. Communication must stem from the project manager, not a third
party. Communicating to all of the stakeholders every day is not the best choice, as the answer
does not define the type or quality of communications or the total number of stakeholders. In
addition, there may not be a reason to communicate with all of the stakeholders on a daily basis.
32. You are a project manager your organization and you are helping management choose a project.
You are presented with the following information: Project XWA has a net present value of
$35,000 and will take five years to complete. Project Machine Y has a net present value of
$55,000 and will take two years to complete. Project Warehouse has a net present value of
$23,500 and will take six years to complete. Which project should your company choose to
complete?
A. Project XWA.
B. Project Machine Y.
C. Project Warehouse.
D. All projects have equal value, so any project is applicable.
Explanation: The net present value of Project Machine Y, $55,000 within two years, is the
greatest investment for your company. When presented with these types of questions, always
choose the project that gives the greatest net present value first. Project XWA will take five years
to complete and has a moderately low net present value. Project Warehouse has a lower net
present value than Project Machine Y and will take six years to complete. The projects listed do
not have equal value.

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33. What is ISO 9000?


A. A quality management system
B. A quality control system
C. A management process to implement quality
D. A system that ensures an organization follows the same repeatable processes to reach the
same repeatable results
Explanation: ISO 9000 is not a quality control system, but a method of following repeatable
procedures created internally to an organization.
34. Examine the following terms. Which term is not related to quality control?
A. Cost-benefit analysis
B. Design of experiments
C. Flowcharting
D. Herzbergs Theory of Motivation
Explanation: Herzbergs Theory of Motivation is based on motivating agents and hygiene
agents, and is not applied to quality assurance. It is a human resources theory. All of the other
choices are examples of quality control mechanisms.
35. You are the project manager of the JKG Project. You have determined that the project team
needs additional training to complete the project work. The additional training is which type of
cost?
A. Indirect cost
B. Direct cost
C. Fixed cost
D. Variable cost
Explanation: This is an example of a direct cost because the training is needed to complete the
current projects work. Indirect costs are shared across multiple projects. This is not an example
of a variable cost; variable costs fluctuate, depending on the conditions within a project. Fixed
costs are persistent throughout the project, such as leasing a piece of equipment.
36. You are a project manager for your organization. Your current project is 35 percent complete,
although it is supposed to be 50 percent complete. Your budget for this project is $275,000, and
you have already spent $120,000. What is your planned value?
A. $120,000
B. $23,750
C. $137,500
D. $96,250
Explanation: $137,500 is the planned value for the project. The earned value for this project is
35 percent complete. The formula is EV = % complete BAC. $120,000 is the actual cumulative
costs. $23,750 is the cost variance. $96,250 is not a valid calculation for this question.

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37. The largest portion of a projects budget is spent during which one of the following project
management life-cycle process groups?
A. Initiating
B. Planning
C. Executing
D. Controlling
Explanation: Project budgets are typically consumed during the execution process group.
Project costs are usually low during the early initiating and planning stages of a project.
38. You are a project manager for your organization. Your current project is 35 percent complete,
although it is supposed to be 50 percent complete. Your budget for this project is $275,000, and
you have already spent $120,000. What is your schedule performance index value?
A. .07
B. .70
C. 80
D. 0.8
Explanation: The schedule performance index is .70. It is found by dividing the earned value by
the planned value. The other choices are not valid calculations for the SPI.
39. Quality assurance is defined by which one of the following?
A. The results of the project work are inspected. If the results do not conform to the expected level of
quality, rework is required.
B. The overall performance is evaluated to ensure that the project meets the relevant quality
standards.
C. The customer inspects the project deliverables and may accept them if the quality is as promised
in the project scope or contract.
D. It is regulated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Explanation: Quality assurance is for all project performance within an organization. It is a
management process, such as Six Sigma, Kaizen, and the principles of Deming. The other
choices define quality control, scope verification, and an ISO program, not the general quality
assurance principles.
40. You are a project manager for your organization. Your current project is 35 percent complete,
although it is supposed to be 50 percent complete. Your budget for this project is $275,000, and
you have already spent $120,000. What is your earned value?
A. $96,250
B. $137,500
C. $23,750
D. $120,000
Explanation: The earned value for this project is 35 percent complete. The formula is EV = %
complete BAC, which equals $96,250. $137,500 is the planned value for the project. $120,000
is the actual cumulative costs. $23,750 is the cost variance.

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41. Which of the following signals the largest problem on a project?


A. A cost of performance index of 1
B. A cost of performance index of .90
C. A schedule performance index of .99
D. A BAC of $125,000
Explanation: The project is losing moneyin this instance, the CPI is .90the project is losing
10 cents on every dollar. The closer the CPI is to 1 the better the project is performing on cost.
42. You have invited 20 vendors to a bidders conference. Which one of the following best describes
the bidders conference?
A. All vendors should be prepared to offer a quote at the top of the meeting.
B. All vendors should be allowed time to ask questions to clarify the project requirements.
C. All vendors should be prepared to bid for the contract.
D. All vendors may elect to participate in a silent or verbal bidding process.
Explanation: Vendors should be allowed time to ask questions about the statement of work to
clarify the bid theyll be offering. Bidder conferences are fact-finding information for all of the
vendors. Vendors dont provide quotes or bids at the bidders conference.
43. You have just completed the final report for your project. Why should this report be archived?
A. In case the customer has a change to the project scope
B. In case the organization needs to update the projects product
C. In case the projects finances are ever called into question
D. In case future project teams need the projects information to help them complete their project
Explanation: Current project records become future historical information and are considered
part of the organizational process assets. Changes to the project scope once the project has
been completed is not the best choice as the customer has already accepted the project for the
final report to be filed. The final report could serve as supporting detail to any updates to the
project product, but the original project management plan, scope statement, and WBS will be of
more benefit than the final project report. Financial audits of the project are often part of the
project closure. The final report documents the successes, failures, and lessons learned in the
project. It also summarizes the performance of the project, the project manager, and the project
team.
44. Why should lessons-learned documentation be completed?
A. It keeps the project manager focused on the project work.
B. It makes the project manager and project team accountable for the work they have completed on
the project.
C. It allows other project managers to learn from this project.
D. It ensures that all of the project work is complete.
Explanation: Lessons-learned documentation allows others to learn from the project work.
Lessons learned are organizational assets. Lesson learned documentation is a review of the work
that the project has completed and what the project manager and team have learned. The project
manager and the project team are accountable for their responsibilities on the project, not just the
lessons learned documentation. Finally, quality control and scope verification confirm that the
project work is completed.

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45. You have just completed a seven-month project, and management wants to know how much you
have spent on the project. What is likely to happen next?
A. A procurement audit
B. A quality audit
C. An audit of the project scope
D. A labor audit
Explanation: Management will perform a procurement audit. Quality audits can happen as part
of the quality policy and quality assurance. An audit of the project scope is most closely related to
the projects quality control procedures. Finally, a labor audit is not a typical PMI project
management term.
46. Yolanda has just completed a project for another organization. Her customer is thrilled with the
project deliverables and is considering hiring Yolandas company to complete another project
similar to the recently completed one. Yolandas company has no formal archival process. What
should Yolanda do with the current project documentation?
A. Yolanda should destroy the records so that other organizations do not have access to the
information she has created.
B. Nothingher organization does not require formal archiving of the project information.
C. Yolanda should archive the information at the customers site.
D. Yolanda should archive the information.
Explanation: Even though her company has no formal archiving method, Yolanda should
organize, index, and store the information for future reference. Yolanda should not destroy the
information or archive it at the customers site as her organization owns the information.
47. The project manager for an event planning firm is conducting a feasibility study for a client. The
client wants to determine if it is more cost effective to host the tradeshow at the Convention
Center or a local meeting facility. The customers preference is the meeting facility because it is
near the business district, hotels and restaurants. It is easy for the participants to travel to.
Another stakeholders preference is the new convention center because it has state of the art
technology. After the feasibility analysis, the project manager determines the meeting facility is
more cost effective. However, the project manager recommends the convention center instead of
the meeting facility because he thinks the convention center tradeshow is a more challenging and
fun project. What would you have done differently if you were the project manager for the event
planning firm?
A. Get the two stakeholders to discuss their requirements to find the an agreeable meeting place for
the project
B. Resign from the project since there is a conflict of interest
C. Book the convention center. Since you are the project manager, you know what is best for the
client
D. Find a third place that has both the clients and the other stakeholders requirements
Explanation: The project manager is held accountable for the satisfaction of the customer. If the
customer prefers the local meeting facility, the project manager needs to go with their wishes.
Forcing another venue against the judgment of the client could cause problems. Because there
are competing objectives the project manager should facilitate interaction between these two
stakeholders to find the best solution. Theres no reason to resign from the project. Answer option
C is incorrect; the project manager should help the stakeholders make the best decision for the
project. Answer option D is incorrect; this may be a viable solution, but the project manager
should first promote interaction between these two stakeholders.

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48. Question: You are the project manager of the HHH Project. The stakeholders for this project are
scattered across the world and you need a method to promote interaction. You determine that a
web conferencing software would be the most cost effective solution. The stakeholders can watch
a slide show while you walk them through the project details. The stakeholders can hear you, ask
questions via a chat software, and post concerns. What is the danger in this presentation?
A. The stakeholders wont really see you.
B. 55 percent of all communication is nonverbal and this approach does not provide non-verbal
communications.
C. The stakeholders are not required to attend the entire session.
D. The technology is not proven as reliable.
Explanation: This mode of communication does not allow for nonverbal feedback between the
project manager and the stakeholders. That hinders communication for the project manager.
While its true the stakeholders wont see the project manager, choice B is a better option. The
question does not say if stakeholders are required to attend the entire presentation or not. The
technologys reliability is not question in this scenario so this option is not valid.
49. Which project management meeting allows stakeholders to meet one another and to learn about
the project?
A.  Project kick-off meeting
B. Project status meeting
C. Project scope review
D. Project authorization meeting
Explanation: option A is correct. The project kick-off meeting allows the project manager to
introduce the stakeholders and discuss the project. Stakeholders dont often come to status
meetings. There are usually for the project team and maybe the project sponsor from time to
time. C and D are incorrect; these are not valid meetings.
50. The project manager of the NHH Project has invited the project stakeholders to participate in the
creation of the WBS for the project. Why is it recommended to include stakeholders in the
creation of the projects WBS?
A. It ensures that the stakeholders can see how much work the project requires.
B. It ensures that the stakeholders know the project team.
C.  It ensures that the stakeholders are involved with the project and have a sense of ownership.
D. It ensures that the stakeholders are committed to the project work with the project team.
Explanation: The stakeholders should be involved in the creation of the WBS to interact with the
project team. This process ensures buy-in and a sense of ownership for the project stakeholders.
Answer option A is incorrect; the amount of work a project team is required to complete is not the
point of involving the project stakeholders in the WBS creation. While its good that the
stakeholders know the project team this is not the best answer for this scenario. The stakeholders
are not committed to the project work, just the project.

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