6.3. Practice Questions
Q1 (Domain 1). A company launches a one-time initiative to build a new expense-reporting workflow. Once live, employees will use it indefinitely with no planned end date. What best describes the building of this workflow? A) Operations, because the workflow will run indefinitely B) A project, because it has a defined end and produces a unique result C) A program, because it affects multiple departments D) A portfolio, because it aligns with company strategy Answer: B. The building phase has a defined end and produces a unique deliverable — it's a project. Once live and running indefinitely, the ongoing use becomes operations, but that's a separate phase from the build.
Q2 (Domain 4). A stakeholder says, "We already know exactly what we want — just build it and show us when it's done." Which best describes the risk this approach introduces? A) None — clear requirements mean gathering techniques aren't needed B) Skipping structured requirements validation risks building the wrong thing without early course-correction C) This approach guarantees faster delivery with no added risk D) This is a valid predictive approach requiring no BA involvement Answer: B. Even confident stakeholders benefit from structured requirements gathering and validation — skipping it removes the chance to catch misunderstandings before delivery.
Q3 (Domain 3). A team's board shows continuous work movement with a strict WIP limit of 4 items "In Progress," and no fixed-length iterations. Which framework does this describe? A) Scrum B) Kanban C) Extreme Programming D) SAFe Answer: B. WIP limits with no fixed iteration length is Kanban's signature structure, distinct from Scrum's fixed sprints.
Q4 (Domain 2). Path X has 3 activities totaling 9 days. Path Y has 6 activities totaling 7 days. Which path is critical, and what determines the project's minimum duration? A) Path Y, because it has more activities B) Path X, because it is the longer duration path, setting the minimum project duration C) Both paths are equally critical D) Neither — critical path only applies to paths with 5+ activities Answer: B. The critical path is the longest duration path, regardless of how many activities it contains — Path X at 9 days sets the floor for how fast the project can finish.
Q5 (Domain 1). A team member privately tells the PM they have a family relationship with a vendor being evaluated for a contract, and asks the PM to keep it quiet to avoid complications. What does the PMI Code of Ethics suggest the PM should do? A) Keep it quiet as requested to avoid delaying the vendor selection B) Disclose the conflict of interest through the appropriate process C) Remove the team member from the project entirely D) Ignore it since the relationship wasn't disclosed by the vendor Answer: B. Honesty and fairness under the Code of Ethics call for disclosing the conflict through proper channels — hiding it, even to "avoid complications," is the kind of everyday ethics violation the exam tests.
Q6 (Domain 2). A work package has PV = $12,000, EV = $10,000, and AC = $11,000. What do SV and CV indicate? A) SV = +$2,000 (ahead of schedule), CV = +$1,000 (under budget) B) SV = −$2,000 (behind schedule), CV = −$1,000 (over budget) C) SV = −$1,000 (behind schedule), CV = −$2,000 (over budget) D) SV = $22,000, CV = $23,000 Answer: B. SV = EV − PV = $10,000 − $12,000 = −$2,000 (behind schedule). CV = EV − AC = $10,000 − $11,000 = −$1,000 (over budget).
