Project Management Professional (PMP) - Exam Preparation
How many questions are in the PMP exam?
*175 *250 *200 *150
The term used to describe most modern organizations that use multiple organizational structures is what?
*Composite organization *Balanced Matrix *Projectized *Functional
The Product Owner of your project is absent due to a planned vacation. Who should assume the Product Owner's responsibilities at a sprint planning meeting?
*The ScrumMaster *The Team *A person selected by the Team *The CEO
Approximately what percentage of test questions will be a direct quote from the PMBOK Guide?
*15% *21% *5-10% *0%
If you have a four-year baccalaureate degree how many hours of professional experience leading projects do you need?
*3,600 *4,500 *7,500 *None of the above
If a candidate is attempting to qualify to sit for the PMP exam how many contact hours must be completed?
*35 *None, PDUs are required *45 *21
If you do not have a four-year baccalaureate degree how many hours of professional experience leading projects do you need?
*6,000 *4,500 *9,000 *7,500
What is the required passing score for the PMP exam?
*68% *80% *61% *75%
Which of the following is not true about a project management office?
*A PMO should always have direct control over all project activities in the organization. *A PMO is an organizational unit to centralize and coordinate the management of projects. *A PMO oversees the management of a project, programs or a combination of both. *PMOs can operate on a continuum from providing project management support functions to software, policies, and actual direct management of projects.
Which of the following is a justification to initiate a project?
*A business problem *A change in the competitive marketplace *Regulatory requirements *All of the above
A project manager is trying to complete a complicated COTS software project but is struggling to get enough attention to complete the required work. Most of the resources needed are focused on completing operational work and the project manager doesn't have authority to shift their focus or assign other resources. In which type of organization must the project manager be working?
*A functional organization *A technical matrix organization *An operational matrix organization *A weak matrix organization
Which of the following is the best definition of a standard?
*A government requirement, which specifies product, process or service characteristics *A document established by consensus and approved by a recognized body that provides for common and repeated use *A guideline that describes a preferred approach *Mandated compliance by some governmental organization
Which of the following is a reason to authorize a project?
*A market demand *A specified organizational need *A regulatory requirement *All of the above
Which of the following is not an output of a project?
*A product or artifact that is quantifiable *A capability to perform a service *A manufactured product *All of the above
Which of the following is not a common characteristic of a project?
*A project is temporary *A project produces a unique product or service *A project has repetitive tasks *A project uses progressive elaboration
Which of the following best represents the definition of a program?
*A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service *A group of related efforts managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them separately *A collection of efforts or groups of efforts and other work that are grouped together to facilitate effective management of that work to meet strategic business objectives *None of the above
The project manager's role in a weak matrix organization is most like what?
*A true project manager *A project sponsor *A coordinator *A functional manager
Which of the following is not a basic belief of PMI®?
*All roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined *A project plan is not a Gantt Chart *A WBS is not an org chart but is a wonderful and key element of successful project management *All of the above are PMI beliefs
Ralph is currently leading a project in the planning phase when two key stakeholders come to him and ask for an explanation of the development methodology being used on the project. They are specifically interested in where it came from and how it differs from the methodology being used on most of the projects being done within the organization. As Ralph explains the methodology, the stakeholders become nervous about a number of new terms he uses (which they are unfamiliar with) and how this new methodology will impact the organization. They stakeholders are long-time associates of Ralph's. What should he do?
*Ask the stakeholders to trust him as they are long-time associates *Supply the stakeholders with a glossary of terms for the new methodology *Notify the PMO of the stakeholders' concerns *Advise the stakeholders that he will keep them informed regularly on the project.
In what type of organization is the project coordinator likely to be a part-time position with almost no administrative support?
*Balanced Matrix *Weak Matrix *Functional *Projectized
Which of the following is a common reason why people fail the PMP® exam?
*Belief that they can pass the test from their experience (not studying) *A lack of PM experience *Failure to read the questions *All of the above
A project manager takes a job with a new firm. He has little experience and will be working in a matrix organization. Based upon his situation he should expect communication with his stakeholders to be:
*Complex *Balanced Matrix *Composite *A PMO may exist in any organization type
A very seasoned project manager leaves a position in an organization that was highly projectized for a job in an organization that is a balanced matrix. His new manager is very senior in the organization. Based on this information, he can expect communication to be:
*Complex *Less structured *More structured *Easy
A project coordinator takes a new position and she is concerned about the amount of work it will take to communicate with all the stakeholders. The organization employs more than 30,000 people in 12 different locations. Her project team is a strong matrix organization. In her previous job her resources were projectized. As a general rule, what can she expect the communication to be?
*Complex *Simple *More Structured *Hard to automate
A project manager gets assigned to a manufacturing effort for a new product and gathers their team to begin work. Although the team has worked together on previous efforts they struggle to create the project charter. Which of the following best describes the real problem?
*Constraints and assumptions have not been defined *The project deadline has not been set *They have not identified the project objectives *They are working on an operation and not a project
Which of the following best describes a contact hour?
*Contact hours are the same as PDUs *Contact hours represent hours of formal instruction or education in the field of project management. *Contact hours represent hours spent reading about or training in the field of project management *None of the above
Which of the following is not common for a project's life cycle?
*Cost and staffing levels tend to be low at the start, peak during the intermediate phases and drop rapidly as the project concludes *The level of uncertainty and risk of failure is highest at the beginning and improves throughout the project *The cost of project changes and correcting errors gets progressively lower as the project continues *The ability of stakeholders to influence the project's characteristics is highest at the beginning and gets progressively lower
Which of the following is not one of the PMBOK® Guide's nine (9) knowledge areas?
*Cost management *Human resources management *Requirements management *Quality management
The previous project manager for your project did her work without much formal organization. There is little management control and there are no clearly defined deliverables. Which of the following would be the best choice for getting the project better organized?
*Define the project methodology *Adopt a lifecycle approach to the project *Develop specific work plans for each work package *Develop a description of the product of the project
Which of the following represents the best definition for progressive elaboration?
*Developed in steps and continuing in increments *Developed with a continuous process *Developed with explicit steps *Developed with explicit steps
The project cycle differs from the product life cycle in that the project life cycle:
*Does not incorporate a methodology *Is different for each industry *Can spawn many projects *Describes project management activities
Which of the following is not a stakeholder management responsibility?
*Exceeding stakeholder expectations *Meeting stakeholder expectations *Managing stakeholder expectations *None of the above
Which of the following PMBOK Guide knowledge areas represents the largest percentage of test questions?
*Executing (31%) *Monitoring and Controlling (25%) *Planning (24%) *Initiating (13%)
In which of the following organization types can a PMO not exist?
*Functional *Balanced Matrix *Composite *A PMO may exist in any organization type
In what type of organization is the project manager likely to have a variety of possible budgetary control models?
*Functional *Balanced Matrix *Projectized *Any of the above
Ann is new to her company, the XYZ Widget Co. She really likes her job because although she has to interface with functional managers, she has a high degree of authority within the company, can quickly get the resources she needs, and gets a lot of administrative support. In what kind of organization does Ann work?
*Functional *Balanced Matrix *Strong Matrix *Projectized
Jim is a project manager within the ABC Company. Within his organization there are departments but these groups provide support services to the various projects. In what kind of organization does Jim work?
*Functional *Balanced Matrix *Strong Matrix *Projectized
In what type of organization does the project manager have little or no authority?
*Functional *Weak Matrix *Balanced Matrix *Projectized
Sally is a frustrated project coordinator. All of her resources split their time between operational responsibility and project work. It seems she can only get about 10% to 15% of their time. She also has very limited authority, and has very little administrative support. In what kind of organization does Sally work?
*Functional *Weak Matrix *Balanced Matrix *Strong Matrix
Which of the following is a benefit to holding the PMP credential?
*Higher income potential *Shows knowledge of a global standard *It is required by a growing number of companies *All of the above
In Scrum, the team activity is monitored and coordinated on the following basis:
*Hourly *Daily *Weekly *Monthly
In which of the following process groups are stakeholders not identified?
*Initiating *Closing *Executing *Stakeholders can be identified in any process group
In which of the following process groups can stakeholders be identified?
*Initiating and planning *Planning, monitoring and controlling *Initiating, planning, and monitoring and controlling *Any of the process groups
Which of the following correctly identifies the project management process groups?
*Initiating, planning, developing, testing, and deployment *Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing *Envisioning, planning, developing, deployment, and closing *Envisioning, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.
Linda is a project manager for a major engineering project. She is in her third year on the project and has been in charge since project's inception. Her boss, the Vice President of Engineering, walks into Linda's office one day to inform Linda that it is likely that her project is going to be postponed because several of the project's major stakeholders are unhappy with the project. Which of the following is likely the cause of Linda's problems?
*Linda has been late with deliverables *Linda's project is over budget *Changes in the triangle have caused a reduction in project scope *Any of the above
The single most important responsibility for a project manager in terms of the stakeholders is what?
*Manage stakeholder expectations *Clearly define stakeholder requirements *Provide visibility to negative stakeholders *Ensure stakeholders approve all critical scope changes
Which of the following is not a name used for a phase-end review?
*Milestones *Phase exits *Phase gates *Kill points
Which of the following is true about projects?
*Most projects are not linked to the ongoing work of the organization *Some projects can be initiated informally for a limited amount of time to secure formal approval for additional phases or activities *The preliminary planning process is never handled as a separate project *All of the above
A project manager comments to a coworker that she is having a lot of trouble with a large number of scope changes in her project. Which of the following is a likely cause of the large number of changes?
*Not involving stakeholder early enough in the project *Having too many project stakeholders *Not having a senior enough sponsor *All of the above
Which of the following is a key element of defining an operation?
*Operations maintain an existing set of practices *Operations have unique charters and goals *Operations have defined start and end dates *None of the above
Which of the following is a key distinction between projects and operations?
*Operations often require key resources *Projects have limited budgets *Operations are ongoing and repetitive *All of the above
Which of the following is an that is organization likely to be project-based?
*Organizations who derive most of their revenue from performing projects *Organizations that have adopted management by projects *Both A & B *None of the above
Which of the following is a basic belief of PMI?
*PMI does not support gold plating (adding extra functionality) *Expert judgement and bottoms up is preferred *Environmental factors are influencing the project *All of the above
Which of the following is not a characteristic shared by both projects and operations?
*Performed by people *Generates repetitive outputs *Are constrained by limited resources *Are planned, executed, and controlled
Which of the following correctly represents the acronym PMP?
*Project Mentoring Professional *Project Management Professional *Program Management Professional *Portfolio Management Professional
What is some extra reading you can do to prepare for the exam?
*Project and Program Risk Management, R. Max Wideman *Quality Management for Projects and Programs, Lewis R. Ireland. *Doing Business Internationally, Walker, Walker, and Shmitz *The Cultural Dimensions of International Business, Gary P. Ferraro *Global Literacies, Robert Rosen *How to Lead Work Teams, Fran Rees *Principles of Project Management, PMI *Project Management A Systems Approach, Harold Kerzner *Human Resource Skills for the Project Manager, Vijay K. Verma *Earned Value Practice Standard, PMI *The Scrum Guide, Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber
In that type of organization does each employee have one clear superior and is grouped by specialty such as sales, marketing, engineering, accounting, etc.?
*Projectized *Balanced Matrix *Weak Matrix *Functional
Which of the following is a characteristic that most project life cycles share in common?
*Projects might or might not have phases, but are defined by deliverable handoffs *Phases are usually sequential and are usually defined by some sort of technical information transfer or component handoff. *Projects are defined by iterative phases that continue for a predefined period. *Projects do not have phases and are usually defined by the need to have requirements defined at the beginning of the project.
Jane is a project expediter working at a manufacturing company. Her main project is currently in the planning process. Her project sponsor comes to her and asks for information about the project management methodology the company has decided to deploy. He asks her why they are using it and where it came from. What should Jane do?
*Provide the information to the project sponsor *Advise the owners of the new methodology of the request *Provide the sponsor with the appropriate templates *All of the above
When participating on a project over time, stakeholders have varying levels of what?
*Responsibility and authority *Authority and influence *Responsibility and influence *Influence and support
Which of the following is not part of formal phase completion?
*Review of the completed phase deliverables *Acceptance of the phase deliverables *Review of any phase documents *Authorization of the subsequent phase
Regina is a project manager for a major engineering project. She is in her third year on the project and has been in charge since project's inception. Her boss, the Vice President of Engineering, walks into Regina's office one day to inform Regina that it is likely that her project is going to be postponed because several of the project's major stakeholders are unhappy with the project. What should Regina do?
*Revisit the scope statement *Ask to freeze the project *Try to convince her boss that the project can be saved *Open a dialogue with unsatisfied stakeholders
Bob is a project manager whose project has been closed at the end of the third phase of the five phases that were initially planned. What should Bob's next course of action be in terms of the current project?
*Seek a review with the key stakeholders *Seek a review with the project sponsor *Complete a review with the project team *Nothing, this is a legitimate decision
Which of the following is not a factor in the development of organizational culture and style?
*Shared values, norms or beliefs *Technical certifications *Policies and procedures *View of authority relationships
Cathy is a new project manager with very little real experience. She's been assigned to lead a project for which her boss feels she's perfectly suited. Her organization is a matrix organization. Based on these characteristics she should expect communications to be:
*Simple *Mostly verbal *Mostly automated and written *Complex
In dealing with stakeholders, which group is most often overlooked?
*Stakeholders who have little organizational influence *Stakeholders who are challenging to work with *Stakeholders whose view of the project is negative *Subject matter experts
Which of the following is not a term used to define application areas?
*Technical elements, such as a specific kind of engineering *Financial elements, such as a knowledge of reading financial statements *A management specialization, such as government contracting *Industry groups or verticals, such as telecommunications, automotive, or financial
Which of the following is not a key common element of understanding the project environment?
*The cultural and social environment *The international and political environment *The outside environment *The physical environment
Which of the following is an example of an operation?
*The development of a new product *Constructing a building *Producing a new car *Developing a new marketing campaign
Which of the following is not considered a key stakeholder on every project?
*The end user *The project team *The PMO *The general public
A project manager comments to their spouse about how frustrated they are at work. Everyone is telling their resources what to do. In a functionally organized firm who can formally direct project resources?
*The functional manager *The project sponsor *The senior manager *All of the above
Two project managers in a weak matrix organization argue over which of them is more senior. Eventually they determine that one of them is actually a project manager and the other is a project expeditor. How is the expeditor different from the project manager?
*The manager cannot spend money *The expeditor cannot make decisions *The manager reports to a higher level authority *The expeditor can spend money
Management by Objectives works only if:
*The process is well documented *The processes do not impact the objectives *It is supported by the management team *The processes are defined in the project charter
Sam is talking to Sally about his new job. As he describes his position he concludes that although he is called a project manager he is actually a project coordinator. Sally comments that he's doing better than her because she's a project expeditor. Which of the following most accurately describes the difference between a project expeditor and a project coordinator?
*The project coordinator cannot make more decisions *The project coordinator can make more decisions *The project expeditor reports to a higher level manager *The project expeditor has more authority
Which of the following statements about a project's life cycle is true?
*The project life cycle defines what resources will be involved and what work is to be completed in each phase *The project life cycle defines which resources will complete each deliverable *The project life cycle defines what deliverables are required *The project life cycle defines when deliverables are to be completed
You are a Project Manager leading a large project within a manufacturing organization that is matrixed. One day one of your resources approaches you and states that she does not know which of her several assignments for different projects is most important. Who should determine the priorities between projects in the organization?
*The project management office (PMO) *The project manager *The project team *The project management team
Two project managers are discussing how frustrated they are with their projects because of the number of people who provide direction to their project resources. In a matrix organization, who can direct project resources?
*The project manager *The functional manager *The project sponsor *All of the above
*What is the relationship between the project manager and the stakeholders?
*The project manager is a stakeholder *The project manager supervises the stakeholders *The project manager reports to the stakeholders *The project manager communicates with the stakeholders
Who is responsible for determining what the "appropriate practice" for the project is?
*The project sponsor *The project manager *The key stakeholders *The project management team
Which of the following is part of the temporary nature of projects?
*The project team seldom outlives the project *The project team existed prior to the project being created *The market window is not usually temporary *The project team is always broken up at the end of the project
Sam is a project manager working for a consulting company. He is currently responsible for a large multi-million dollar effort with resources in seven locations. One day three stakeholders come into his office and are very upset because they just realized that requirements they see as critical are not included in the project scope. What is the most likely cause of the absence of these requirements?
*The sponsor decided against including their requirements *The stakeholders in question were not involved early enough in the process *The stakeholders are new to the organization *All of the above
Early in the project management planning process, a key stakeholder argues that he should take charge of the project. Based upon the standards for professional project management who should be in charge of the project at this juncture?
*The stakeholder in question *The project manager *The project sponsor *The technical lead
Which of the following is not an assumption made by PMI®?
*There is a basic assumption that you keep historical records for all your projects. *You must memorize the exact process of project management (what to do first, second, etc.) *You must not only understand the topics but also why you should care about them *Everything should be coordinated with the stakeholders of a project and expectations should be managed
Which of the following statements is a key element of a subproject?
*They are based on the project processes *They often involve specialized technology *The subproject can consist of a series of even smaller subprojects *All of the above
Iain is a program manager at a small engineering firm. He is currently leading a project with 14 resources that provides a new design for a major urban hub. He is almost through with the execution phase. Iain just learned that several environmental interest groups intend to protest his design at an upcoming public hearing. What is the most likely cause of their issues?
*They are extremist groups *The interest groups were not included early in the project process *Key elements of project scope have been dropped *All of the above
Two characteristics of a deliverable are:
*They are quantified and usable *They are part of the process and are tangible *They are measurable and verifiable *None of the above
Which of the following is not one of project management's triple constraints?
*Time *Costs *Scope *Requirements
Which of the following is not one of the PMBOK® Guide's nine (9) knowledge areas?
*Time Management *Risk Management *Communications Management *Contract Management
Which of the following is the best description of the primary purpose of the PMBOK® Guide?
*To define the proper methodology for managing project *To identify the PM knowledge considered good practice *To establish the international PM standards *To define proper PM practices
Which of the following is a type of exam question you should expect?
*Two right answers *Situational questions *Extraneous information *All of the above
Which of the following is not a key element to understanding the project environment?
*Understanding specific government regulations *Understanding the cultural and social environments *Understanding the international and political environments *Understanding the physical environment
A young project manager has just been assigned to his second project even though he has yet to complete his first project. The first project is relatively small and both the project manager and his boss believe the project manager has the capacity to manage both efforts at the same time. However, as time passes the second project begins to grow significantly in scope and the project manager quickly comes to believe he needs help. In talking about the situation with his peers, the project manager learns a similar project was completed 18 months prior. What should the project manager do?
*Wait to see if the second project continues to grow in scope *Make sure the scope is agreed to by all stakeholders *Obtain the historical records and guidance from the project management office (PMO) *Contact the project manager from the previous project for guidance
In what type of organization is the functional manager likely to maintain project budget control?
*Weak Matrix *Balanced Matrix *Strong Matrix *Projectized
Kevin is a full-time project manager within his organization. He gets some administrative support, but really has to fight to get time from his resources because of his low level of authority. In what type of organization does Kevin work?
*Weak Matrix *Balanced Matrix *Strong Matrix *Projectized
What does a project life cycle define?
*What technical work to do in each phase *What the deliverable dependencies are *Who will complete each deliverable *How each deliverable is approved
When are project phases generally considered to be completed?
*When a review of the accomplished work and the deliverables has taken place, and they have been accepted *When a managerial decision to continue to the next phase has been made *When the deliverables have been accepted *A & B
Your project sponsor approaches you and asks for a detailed project schedule. Which of the following would be required to meet her request?
*Work Breakdown Structure *An approved budget *Quantitative risk assessment *All of the above
What is Work Performance Information?
The performance data collected from controlling processes: *Status of deliverables *Status of change requests *Forecasted ETC
What is Work Performance Reports?
The physical or electronic representation of work performance information.
What is Work Performance Data?
The raw observations & measurements identified during activities performed to carry out project work: *% work physically completed *Start and finish dates & technical measures
