PMP Practice Questions

You are managing a product development project using a stage-gate approach. The project is approaching the gate review for Phase 2 completion. During quality inspections, you discover that three of the fifteen deliverables have minor defects that do not prevent functionality but fall slightly below the quality standards documented in the quality management plan. Correcting these defects would take two weeks and consume the remaining schedule buffer. The gate review is scheduled for next week, and senior management is eager to proceed to Phase 3. What should you do?

July 10, 2026

You are managing an infrastructure project with a detailed WBS and network diagram. A key stakeholder requests the addition of a new feature that was not included in the original scope baseline. The change would provide significant value to end users and has strong executive support. After analysis, you determine the change would add three weeks to the schedule and increase costs by 8%. The change control board (CCB) has approved the change request. What should you do next?

July 10, 2026

Your manufacturing project has a Cost Performance Index (CPI) of 0.85 and a Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 1.10. The project is 60% complete with six months remaining until the planned completion date. During the monthly steering committee meeting, the CFO expresses concern about the budget overrun and asks whether the project can be completed within the approved budget. What should you present to the steering committee?

July 10, 2026

You are leading a software development project using a waterfall methodology. During the testing phase, the QA team discovers that 15% of the delivered functionality does not meet the acceptance criteria defined in the requirements document. The development team claims the requirements were ambiguous and their interpretation was reasonable. The testing phase is scheduled to end in one week, and any rework will delay the go-live date. What is the most appropriate action?

July 10, 2026

You are managing a construction project using a predictive approach. During the execution phase, a supplier informs you that a critical material will be delayed by three weeks due to manufacturing issues. This delay will impact the critical path and push the project completion date beyond the contractual deadline. You have already exhausted schedule reserves on previous delays. The project sponsor is highly concerned about contractual penalties. What should you do first?

July 10, 2026

You are managing a predictive project to implement a new financial reporting system. Midway through the project, your lead business analyst, who has been with the company for 15 years and knows the legacy systems intimately, announces she will retire in six weeks. Her knowledge is crucial for the remaining requirements validation and user acceptance testing phases scheduled over the next three months. She is willing to help with transition activities before leaving. What is your best course of action?

July 8, 2026

You are leading a predictive infrastructure project with team members from three different departments. During the third monthly project review meeting, you notice that members from the operations department consistently remain silent when asked for input, even on topics directly affecting their work. Later, one operations team member privately tells you they feel their opinions don't matter because engineering always dominates the discussions. The project requires integrated input from all departments to succeed. How should you address this situation?

July 8, 2026

Your predictive manufacturing project is entering the execution phase with a baseline schedule approved by all stakeholders. You discover that a key subject matter expert, who was promised to your project at 50% allocation, is now only available 20% due to competing organizational priorities. This resource was critical for your planned knowledge transfer sessions with the implementation team. The functional manager apologizes but says they cannot change the allocation. What should you do?

July 8, 2026

You are managing a construction project using a predictive approach with a detailed WBS and Gantt chart. Three months into the six-month project, you notice that one of your team leads has been consistently missing status meeting deadlines and providing incomplete progress reports. However, their team's deliverables are being completed on time and meeting quality standards. Other team leads have started complaining about the inconsistent reporting. What is the most appropriate action?

July 8, 2026

You are managing a predictive software development project with a team of 12 members. During the planning phase, you notice that two senior developers, who must work closely on the database architecture, have a history of conflict from a previous project. The project schedule is tight, and their collaboration is critical for meeting the milestone dates. Team morale appears positive otherwise, but you're concerned this unresolved tension could impact performance. What should you do first?

July 8, 2026

A project manager is leading a predictive product development project for a consumer electronics company. The project plan includes a market launch date in ten months, aligned with the holiday shopping season. At the six-month progress review, the project manager learns that a key supplier is experiencing financial difficulties and may not be able to deliver components on schedule. The procurement team has identified two alternative suppliers: one can meet the timeline but at 25% higher cost, and another offers competitive pricing but would delay delivery by six weeks, missing the holiday season. What should the project manager do to support the business decision?

June 20, 2026

A project manager is executing a predictive enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project for a manufacturing company. The project is in month eight of a fourteen-month schedule. During a routine business review, the CFO announces that the company is being acquired by a larger corporation, with the merger expected to complete in six months. The acquiring company uses a different ERP system. The current project has consumed 60% of its budget and completed 55% of planned deliverables. What should the project manager recommend?

June 20, 2026

A project manager is leading a predictive infrastructure upgrade project for a healthcare organization. The project involves replacing legacy systems across multiple hospital locations. Three months into the nine-month project, a key vendor announces they are discontinuing support for a critical hardware component that was planned for installation in month seven. The vendor offers an upgraded replacement model at 30% higher cost with enhanced capabilities. The project steering committee must decide whether to proceed with the upgraded model or select an alternative vendor. What is the most important factor the project manager should present to support this decision?

June 20, 2026

A project manager is overseeing a twelve-month software implementation project using a waterfall approach for a financial services client. After six months of development, a major competitor launches a similar product with additional features that are generating significant market interest. The client's executive team is concerned about competitive positioning and asks the project manager to incorporate similar features into the current project. The project is currently on schedule and within budget. How should the project manager respond?

June 20, 2026

A project manager is leading a predictive construction project for a new manufacturing facility. During the planning phase, the government announces new environmental regulations that will take effect in six months, requiring all new industrial buildings to install advanced air filtration systems. The project is currently in month two of a twelve-month timeline, and the filtration system was not included in the original scope. The project manager has verified that the regulation applies to this project. What should the project manager do first?

June 20, 2026

A project manager is leading a two-year enterprise software implementation project for a healthcare organization. The project is using a predictive methodology with detailed requirements documented and approved. Eight months into execution, the organization announces a merger with another healthcare system of similar size. Executive leadership states that the merged entity's strategy will be finalized within 90 days, and all projects should continue unless specifically directed otherwise. The project manager is concerned that the merger may affect system requirements, user populations, and integration needs. What is the best course of action?

June 17, 2026

A construction project manager is executing a municipal building project with a $5 million budget funded by a government bond. Midway through the project, economic conditions change and interest rates increase significantly, causing the municipality's borrowing costs to rise by 40%. The finance department informs the project manager that no additional funding will be available beyond the original budget. The project is currently 45% complete and has spent 42% of the budget, with performance tracking showing a CPI of 1.07 and SPI of 1.03. How should the project manager respond to this budget constraint?

June 17, 2026

A project manager is leading a manufacturing facility expansion project in a foreign country. The project has been planned using a predictive waterfall approach with detailed requirements and design already approved. Three months before the construction phase is scheduled to begin, the host country announces a new policy requiring 60% of the construction workforce to be local nationals, up from the previously required 30%. The current plan assumed 35% local workforce based on availability of specialized skills. The project manager's analysis shows this change will impact both schedule and quality due to the need for additional training. What should the project manager do?

June 17, 2026

A project manager is leading a large infrastructure project with a fixed budget of $15 million and a two-year timeline. Six months into execution, a new environmental regulation is enacted that will require additional environmental impact assessments and mitigation measures. The project sponsor asks the project manager to assess the impact and recommend next steps. The preliminary analysis shows the regulation will add $800,000 in costs and three months to the schedule. What should the project manager do first?

June 17, 2026

A pharmaceutical company is executing a three-year drug development project using a predictive approach. The project is currently in the clinical trials phase. A competitor unexpectedly announces they will launch a similar drug to market six months earlier than anticipated. The project management office (PMO) director asks the project manager to evaluate strategic options. The current project is on schedule and within budget, but the early competitive launch will significantly reduce the projected market share and return on investment. What is the most appropriate action for the project manager to take?

June 17, 2026

You are managing a large infrastructure project with a team of 45 members across multiple departments. During the weekly status meeting, two senior engineers from different functional areas have a heated disagreement about the technical approach for a critical deliverable. The conflict is affecting team morale, and other team members are beginning to take sides. The project is currently on schedule, but this issue could impact the next milestone in three weeks. What should you do first as the project manager?

June 17, 2026

You are managing a construction project that is entering the execution phase. During resource planning, you identified that three specialized technicians are needed for a critical phase starting in six weeks. Your functional manager has just informed you that due to competing organizational priorities, only two of the three requested technicians will be available. The project baseline assumed all three resources would be available, and this shortage will likely extend the project schedule by two weeks. What should you do next?

June 17, 2026

You are managing a multi-phase engineering project that is currently in month 8 of a 16-month schedule. During performance reviews, you notice that four team members who joined the project three months ago are not integrating well with the existing team. They frequently work in isolation, miss key communications, and their deliverables require significant rework. The original team members have mentioned feeling frustrated with the additional coordination effort. These four members were added to accelerate the project schedule, but productivity has not improved as expected. What is the best approach to address this situation?

June 17, 2026

You are managing a product development project for a manufacturing company. A team member from the quality assurance department approaches you privately and expresses concern that another team member from engineering has been taking shortcuts in the testing protocols to meet schedule deadlines. The QA team member has evidence of incomplete test documentation but is reluctant to raise the issue directly because the engineering team member is senior and well-connected in the organization. The project is currently showing green status, but you know that quality issues could have serious compliance implications. How should you address this situation?

June 17, 2026

You are leading a predictive software development project for a financial institution. A key developer who is responsible for the security module has been consistently missing deadlines over the past three weeks. This developer was previously a high performer. During a one-on-one conversation, you learn that they are dealing with a personal family situation that requires significant attention. The security module is on the critical path, and any further delays will impact the project delivery date committed to the sponsor. What is the most appropriate course of action?

June 17, 2026