PMP Practice Questions

You are managing a telecommunications infrastructure project using a predictive approach. The project team includes specialists from engineering, procurement, and installation departments. During project planning, you identified that the engineering team needs to complete detailed designs before procurement can begin vendor selection, and installation cannot start until equipment arrives. You've created a detailed schedule with these dependencies. However, the engineering manager informs you that his team is being pulled to support an emergency on another project and will be unavailable for three weeks, which will impact your critical path. What is the best way to handle this situation?

October 5, 2026

You are managing a manufacturing project following a predictive life cycle. During a milestone review, you discover that one of your team leads has consistently overstated the completion percentage of their work packages in status reports. Upon investigation, you find the actual progress is about 20% behind what was reported, though the work quality is acceptable. This team lead has been with the company for 15 years and is generally reliable. The project is now showing as on-track when it is actually behind schedule. What should be your first course of action?

October 5, 2026

You are leading a construction project with a detailed work breakdown structure and baseline schedule. A team member who is relatively new to the organization approaches you privately and mentions that they feel intimidated by the project's senior architect, who frequently dismisses their input during technical meetings. The team member is responsible for quality inspections and their observations are important for project success. The senior architect is known for being direct but has excellent technical expertise. How should you address this situation?

October 5, 2026

You are managing a software development project using a waterfall methodology. During the development phase, your lead developer informs you that she has received a job offer from another company and will be leaving in three weeks. She is the only team member with deep knowledge of the legacy system integration, which is critical for the next phase. The project is currently on schedule, and this phase is expected to complete in two months. What is the most effective action to take?

October 5, 2026

You are managing a large infrastructure project using a predictive approach with a team of 45 members across three locations. During the executing phase, you notice that two senior engineers from different locations are in constant disagreement about technical specifications, causing delays in deliverables. The project schedule shows this work is on the critical path. Both engineers are highly skilled and have worked on similar projects before. What should you do first to address this situation?

October 5, 2026

You are managing a predictive construction project to build a new hospital wing with a 36-month timeline and $45M budget. Your team of 40 members includes architects, engineers, contractors, and hospital operational staff. At the 18-month mark, during earned value analysis, you identify that CPI is 0.92 and SPI is 0.88. In reviewing team performance data, you notice that the top 20% of your team members are producing 60% of the project value, while several team members are consistently underperforming against their assigned tasks. The human resource management plan includes a performance measurement approach, but you have not conducted formal performance reviews due to project pressures. Several stakeholders have commented on specific individuals not meeting expectations. Union agreements require 90-day notice for any personnel changes. What should you prioritize?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a predictive pharmaceutical project developing a new drug delivery system with a fixed 18-month regulatory submission deadline. Your team includes research scientists, regulatory specialists, and manufacturing engineers. Six months into the project, you notice that the scientists are creating highly detailed technical documentation that far exceeds regulatory requirements, while the regulatory team complains this slows down their review process. The scientists argue that thorough documentation is part of their professional standards. Meanwhile, manufacturing engineers are waiting for finalized specifications to begin their work, and this path is now on the critical path with only two weeks of float remaining. The quality management plan specifies documentation standards that the scientists are exceeding. How should you address this situation?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a multi-year predictive ERP implementation project for a global manufacturing company. The project organizational chart shows a matrixed structure where team members report both to you and their functional managers. Three months into execution, you discover that five critical team members are consistently being pulled back to operations by their functional managers to address production issues, causing them to miss 40% of their planned project hours. This has resulted in two successive missed milestones. You have raised this issue in the last two steering committee meetings, but functional managers argue that production takes priority. The project charter clearly states resource commitment levels, and the sponsor supported the project publicly but has not intervened. What should be your next step?

September 29, 2026

You are leading a predictive aerospace project with strict quality gates and regulatory requirements. Your project team of 25 members has been working together for nine months. During a critical design review, you notice that two senior engineers from different functional departments consistently undermine each other's technical approaches in meetings, creating tension that is now affecting team morale. Other team members have started taking sides, and collaboration has noticeably decreased. The project sponsor mentions that both engineers are highly regarded in the organization and have worked together on previous projects without issues. You have a major milestone deliverable due in four weeks that requires their joint contribution. What is the most effective approach?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a large government infrastructure project using a predictive approach with a 24-month timeline. During month 8, your technical lead submits his resignation, citing personal reasons. This individual has deep knowledge of legacy systems that interface with your new solution, and no documentation exists for these integrations. The resource manager offers you two options: promote a junior team member who has been shadowing the technical lead for three months, or bring in an external consultant with general expertise but no project-specific knowledge. Your project is currently on schedule, but the next phase involves critical integration work starting in six weeks. What should you do first?

September 29, 2026

You are managing a manufacturing equipment installation project with team members from multiple countries and cultures. During status meetings, you notice that team members from some cultures rarely speak up or challenge ideas, even when asked directly for input. Meanwhile, team members from other cultures dominate discussions. You need full team participation to identify risks and issues early, as the project follows a sequential phase-gate approach. What should you do to improve team participation?

September 10, 2026

You are managing a pharmaceutical project in the execution phase with a fixed timeline due to regulatory requirements. A critical team member who holds specialized knowledge about regulatory compliance has requested a two-week leave for personal reasons during a crucial project phase. No other team member has equivalent expertise. The team member has been highly dedicated and this is their first leave request. According to your resource management plan, coverage for key roles should be identified. What is the best course of action?

September 10, 2026

Your construction project has a detailed resource management plan and established team ground rules. A new senior engineer has joined the team and immediately begins suggesting process changes and questioning established procedures during team meetings. While some suggestions have merit, the constant challenges are creating tension among team members who have been following the agreed-upon processes. Several team members have privately expressed frustration to you. What should you do?

September 10, 2026

You are leading a software development project using a waterfall methodology. One of your key developers, who has been with the project since initiation, has been consistently high-performing. Recently, you notice their work quality declining and they seem disengaged during team meetings. The project is currently in the detailed design phase with tight deadlines. When you ask about their performance, they mention feeling unchallenged by repetitive tasks. What is the best approach to address this situation?

September 10, 2026

You are managing a large infrastructure project using a predictive approach. During the execution phase, you notice that two senior engineers from different functional departments are having frequent disagreements about technical specifications, which is causing delays in deliverables. Both engineers report to different functional managers, not to you. The project schedule shows that their collaboration is critical for the next three months. What should you do first?

September 10, 2026

You are managing a predictive pharmaceutical project with strict regulatory deliverables. A team member consistently produces high-quality work but submits deliverables 2-3 days after agreed-upon deadlines, causing delays in the dependent review processes. When you discussed this previously, the team member explained they need extra time to ensure quality and compliance. Other team members are becoming frustrated with the repeated delays. How should you address this situation?

August 31, 2026

You are three months into a 12-month predictive project when your most experienced business analyst announces she will be leaving the company in four weeks. She is the only team member who fully understands the complex regulatory requirements that drive 40% of project deliverables. The project baseline schedule shows her involvement is critical for the next six months. What is your best course of action?

August 31, 2026

You are managing a predictive software implementation project with a team of 15 members. During a weekly status meeting, two senior developers publicly disagree about the technical approach for a critical module, and the discussion becomes heated. Other team members are visibly uncomfortable, and the meeting agenda is derailed. You need to restore team collaboration while ensuring the technical issue gets resolved. What should you do first?

August 31, 2026

You are managing a predictive infrastructure project with a detailed resource management plan. Your functional manager informs you that one of your key team members will need to support a critical production issue for the next two weeks, reducing their availability to your project from 100% to 25%. This team member is scheduled to complete design activities that are on the critical path. What is the most appropriate action?

August 31, 2026

Your predictive construction project team includes contractors from three different companies. You notice that team members primarily communicate within their own company groups and rarely collaborate across organizational boundaries. This siloed behavior is causing information gaps and coordination delays. Performance reports show the project is currently on schedule, but you're concerned about upcoming integration activities. What should you do?

August 31, 2026

You are managing a manufacturing facility construction project with a detailed WBS and baseline schedule. During month 4 of the 18-month project, you receive the performance reviews for your project team members from their functional managers. You notice that one of your key electrical engineers received a below-average rating, citing lack of contribution to departmental initiatives. However, this engineer has been fully dedicated to your project, meeting all assigned deadlines and producing high-quality work. The functional manager suggests reducing this person's allocation to your project. What should you do?

August 31, 2026

You are leading a government software development project using a waterfall approach. Three months into the project, you notice that two senior developers who were highly collaborative during planning have become increasingly adversarial, disagreeing on technical approaches during design reviews and making critical comments about each other's work. Their conflict is starting to affect team morale, and other team members are beginning to take sides. The design phase is scheduled to complete in two weeks. What is your best course of action?

August 31, 2026

You are managing a complex infrastructure project with a 24-month timeline. During the planning phase, you identify that your team will need specialized database architects for months 8-12, but your functional manager can only commit these resources for months 10-14 due to competing organizational priorities. The project schedule shows critical database design activities starting in month 8, and any delay would impact the critical path. What should you do first?

August 31, 2026

You are managing a bridge construction project with a 36-month timeline and a team of 45 people including engineers, construction workers, and safety officers. The project is performing well against the baseline, with CPI at 1.02 and SPI at 0.98. During month 12, your construction superintendent, who has 20 years of experience and has been instrumental in maintaining quality and safety standards, submits a resignation letter citing a better opportunity. The construction superintendent is not easily replaceable due to specialized knowledge of the bridge design and local regulations. What is your most important immediate action?

August 31, 2026

You are managing a product development project for a new medical device. The project is in the execution phase, and you have a cross-functional team including engineers, regulatory specialists, and quality assurance professionals. During a weekly team meeting, you notice that the regulatory specialists consistently remain silent when technical decisions are being discussed, even though these decisions have significant regulatory implications. When you ask them directly for input, they provide valuable insights. The team is approaching a critical design decision milestone next week. How should you address this situation?

August 31, 2026