PMI-SP practice test

1. Question 1 · 1

   Once the project's WBS has been created what process may happen next?

   Choose one answer.

   • Estimate activity resources
   • Define activities
   • Estimate activity durations
   • Sequence activities

2. Question 2 · 1

   You are the project manager of the NHQ Project. Management has set a conformance to the project schedule for your project at 0.95. What does this term mean?

   Choose one answer.

   • It means the largest schedule variance you can have is five percent.
   • It is the earned value divided by the planned value for your project.
   • It is the expectation of management to be 95 on schedule at 95 percent of the project.
   • It means you will need to earn at least 95 cents per dollar invested in the project.

   Read explanation

   Conformance to schedule is a required adherence for the project's schedule. In this instance, the project manager must not allow the schedule to slip more than five percent. Incorrect Answers: B: This is the description of the schedule performance index. C: This is not a valid statement about the project performance. D: This is the description of the cost performance index.

3. Question 3 · 1

   You are the project manager of the NHQ Project. You have created the project network diagram as shown in the figure: Based on the project network diagram, how much float is available for Activity H if Activity B is delayed by four days and Activity D is delayed by two days?

   Choose one answer.

   

   • One
   • Five
   • Four
   • Zero

   Read explanation

   The path of ABDHJ will take 21 days to complete and cannot exceed 27 days or else the project will be late. If Activity B takes four additional days and Activity D takes two additional days, this adds (4+2= 6) six days to the path, bringing the path's duration to exactly (21+6 = 27) twenty seven days. There is no available float left for Activity E or H. Float or total float (TF) is the total amount of time that a schedule activity may be delayed from its early start date without delaying the project finish date, or violating a schedule constraint. It is calculated by using the critical path method technique and determining the difference between the early finish dates and late finish dates. Incorrect Answers: A, B, C: There is no float available because the path's duration has increased to 27 days.

4. Question 4 · 1

   You are working as a project manager for BlueWell Inc. Which of the following tools and techniques of the Define Activity process will help you in identifying the typical schedule milestones?

   Choose one answer.

   • Expert Judgment
   • Decomposition
   • Rolling Wave Planning
   • Templates

   Read explanation

   Templates are used to identify the typical schedule milestones in the Define Activity process. The tools and techniques used in defining the activity process are as follows: Decomposition: It is used to further divide the project work package into a more smaller and convenient form called activities. Rolling Wave Planning: It is a form of progressive elaboration planning where the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail and future work is planned at a higher level of WBS. Templates: It is an activity list or a part of the activity list taken from the previous project and used in a new project. Expert Judgement: The skilled members in a project team or other experts who develop project scope statements can help provide knowledge in defining activities.

5. Question 5 · 1

   You are the project manager of the NHG. The following figure represents your project network diagram. Management has asked that you add some features to the project scope. Through the change control system these changes are approved and they'll affect Activity I. The duration of Activity I, which is on the critical path, will decrease by three days. What affect does this have on the critical path?

   Choose one answer.

   

   • The critical path will now take 26 days.
   • The critical path will now take 17 days.
   • The critical path will now take 23 days.
   • The critical path will now take 20 days.

   Read explanation

   The critical path is the path in the project network diagram with the longest duration. In project management, a critical path is the sequence of project network activities which add up to the longest overall duration. This determines the shortest time possible to complete the project. Any delay of an activity on the critical path directly impacts the planned project completion date (i.e. there is no float on the critical path). This project actually has two critical paths. Path ACGIJ takes 23 days. Path ACGHJ also takes 23 days. When Activity I decreases by three days the critical will still take 23 days to complete as Path ACGHJ remains a critical path. Incorrect Answers: A: The duration of the critical path did not increase. B: The critical path did not reduce to 17 days. D: The duration of the path ACGIJ will decrease to 20 days but the critical path will remain at 23 days.

6. Question 6 · 1

   You are the project manager of the NHA Project. This project is expected to last one year with quarterly milestones throughout the year. Your project is supposed to be at the third milestone today but you're likely only 60 percent complete. Your project has a BAC of $745,000 and you've spent $440,000 of the budget-to-date. What is your schedule performance index for this project?

   Choose one answer.

   • 80
   • 1.02
   • 102
   • 0.80

   Read explanation

   The schedule performance index can be found by dividing the earned value by the planned value. In this project, it's $447,000 divided by the $558,750 for a value of 0.80. Schedule performance index (SPI) is the measure of schedule efficiency on a project. It is used in trend analysis to predict future performance. SPI is the ratio of earned value to planned value. The SPI is calculated based on the following formula: SPI = Earned Value (EV) / Planned Value (PV) If the SPI value is greater than 1, it indicates better than expected performance, whereas if the value is less than 1, it shows poor performance. The SPI value of 1 indicates that the project is right on target. Incorrect Answers: A: "80" is not the same value as ".80". B: 1.02 is the cost performance index. C: 102 is not a valid calculation for this question.

7. Question 7 · 1

   Which of the following scheduling techniques identifies the successor activities and the predecessor activities to assist the project manager in sequencing the project work?

   Choose one answer.

   • Precedence Diagramming Method
   • Schedule network template
   • Dependency determination
   • Activity on the Node

   Read explanation

   The Precedence Diagramming Method uses both predecessors and successors as nodes in the project network diagram. The PDM approach is the most common network diagram approach used. Incorrect Answers: B: The schedule network template is a tool that uses a previous project network diagram as a base for the current project network diagram. C: Dependency determination identifies the order of the project work. D: Activity on the node places activities on circles within a network diagram. It is an example of the precedence diagramming method.

8. Question 8 · 1

   Gina is the project manager for her organization and she is working with her project team to define the project activities. In this project, the stakeholders are sensitive to the project completion date, so Gina is stressing to her project team members that while they need to provide and account for all of the project activities, they should focus on one work package in the WBS at a time. In order to start the decomposition of the project work packages into activities, Gina will need all of the following except for which one?

   Choose one answer.

   • Scope baseline
   • Organizational process assets
   • WBS
   • Enterprise environmental factors

   Read explanation

   According to the PMBOK, Gina will not need the WBS directly, but will rely on the scope baseline. A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in project management is a tool that defines a project and groups the project's discrete work elements in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope of the project. A WBS element may be a product, data, a service, or any combination. WBS also provides the necessary framework for detailed cost estimating and control along with providing guidance for schedule development and control. Incorrect Answers: A: The scope baseline is an input to define the project activities. B: Organizational process assets are an input to define the project activities. D: Enterprise environmental factors are an input to define the project activities.

9. Question 9 · 1

   You have created the project network diagram for the ABC project. You are exploring total float and free float for that project. Martin, a project team member, wants to know the difference between total float and free float. What is the difference between total float and free float?

   Choose one answer.

   • Total float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying any project successors, whereas free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion date.
   • Total float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion date, whereas free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying any project successors.
   • Total float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion date, whereas free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying any project predecessors.
   • Total float is the amount of time a non-critical activity can be delayed without delaying any project successors, whereas free float is the amount of time an

   Read explanation

   Total float is the time you can delay an activity without delaying the project end date, whereas free float is on each activity and does not affect the early start date of successor activities. Float, also called slack, is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting any subsequent activities. There are two types of floats available: Free Float: It is the amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately following schedule activities. Total Float: It is the total amount of time that a schedule activity may be delayed from its early start date without delaying the project finish date, or violating schedule constraint. Float is calculated by using the critical path method technique. Incorrect Answers: A, C, D: These are not accurate definitions of free float and total float.

10. Question 10 · 1

    Your project has a BAC of $750,000 and is 75 percent complete. According to your plan, however, your project should actually be 80 percent complete. You have spent $575,000 of your project budget to reach this point and you are worried about the project not being able to complete based on your current project budget. What is the to-complete performance index for this project?

    Choose one answer.

    • 0.98
    • -$16,677
    • 1.07
    • 0.94

    Read explanation

    The to-complete performance index can be found by using the formula (BAC-EV)/(BAC-AC) for a value of 1.07. The higher the value is from 1, the less likely the project will meet the BAC. To-complete Performance Index (TCPI) is the measured projection of the anticipated performance required to achieve either the BAC or the EAC. TCPI indicates the future required cost efficiency needed to achieve a target EAC (Estimate At Complete).Once approved, the EAC supersedes the BAC as the cost performance goal. Any significant difference between TCPI and the CPI needed to meet the EAC should be accounted for by management in their forecast of the final cost. The formula for TCPI is as follows: TCPI = {(BAC-EV)/(BAC-AC)} Incorrect Answers: A: 0.98 is the project's cost performance index. B: -$16,667 is the project's variance at completion. D: This is the project's schedule performance index.

11. Question 11 · 1

    You are the project manager of the NHGQ project for your company. You must create and distribute performance reports every week to your key project stakeholders. What communication technique do you normally use to distribute reports?

    Choose one answer.

    • Push technique
    • Many-to-many
    • One-to-one
    • Pull technique

    Read explanation

    Performance reports are distributed through the push technique. This means that the project manager distributes the reports regularly through a mechanism, such as email. Incorrect Answers: B: Many-to-many technique describes a conversation between many people. C: One-to-one technique describes a conversation between two people. D: A pull technique describes the recipients of the report "pulling" the information, such as from a Website.

12. Question 12 · 1

    Your project team is executing the project plan and things are going well. Your team has reached its first milestone and is now in the second phase of the project. The project stakeholders have requested that you find a method to reduce the duration of the project. They will reward you and your project team with a 25 percent bonus of the project costs if you can finish the project thirty days earlier than what was already planned. The stakeholders, however, will not approve any additional labor costs as part of the agreement. Which approach could you use to shorten the duration of the project?

    Choose one answer.

    • Perform resource leveling for the project.
    • Crash the project schedule.
    • Fast track the project.
    • Remove things from the project scope.

    Read explanation

    Fast tracking is a technique for compressing project schedule. In fast tracking, phases are overlapped that would normally be done in sequence. It is shortening the project schedule without reducing the project scope. It does not add any additional labor but it can introduce project risks. Incorrect Answers: A: Resource leveling can actually increase the project duration. B: Crashing can reduce the project duration but it increases the labor expense, something the stakeholders won't approve. D: Removing things from the project scope can reduce the project duration, but it will not satisfy the requirements the stakeholders have identified.

13. Question 13 · 1

    Ben is the project manager of the NHF Project for his organization. Some delays early in the project have caused the project schedule to slip by nearly 15 percent. Management would like Ben to find a method to recoup the schedule slippage and to get the project back on track. Management is risk-adverse with this project. Which of the following methods should Ben avoid to recoup the project time?

    Choose one answer.

    • Crashing
    • Fast tracking
    • Critical chain methodology
    • Adding lead time

    Read explanation

    Of all the choices, Ben should avoid fast tracking, as it allows complete phases of the project to overlap, and this increases project risks. Management wants to avoid risks, so fast tracking would not be helpful. Fast tracking is a technique for compressing project schedule. In fast tracking, phases are overlapped that would normally be done in sequence. It is shortening the project schedule without reducing the project scope. Incorrect Answers: A: Crashing adds people and costs but is relatively safe in regard to risks. C: Critical chain is not a schedule compression technique and would not necessarily help the project get back on schedule. D: Lead time, similar to fast tracking, can increase project risks; however, fast tracking is more risky than lead time. Lead time allows individual activities to overlap, while fast tracking allows entire project phases to overlap.

14. Question 14 · 1

    The Define Activities process is the first process in the project time management knowledge area. The Define Activities process creates just three outputs as a result of decomposition, rolling wave planning, templates, and expert judgment. Which one of the following is not an output of the Define Activities process?

    Choose one answer.

    • Activity list
    • Milestone list
    • Activity attributes
    • Project document updates

    Read explanation

    Project document updates are not an output of the Define Activities process. Project document updates are the outputs for estimate activity resources. Project document updates include the following: ✑ Activity list ✑ Activity attributes ✑ Resource calendars Incorrect Answers: A: The activity list is an output of the define activities process. B: The milestone list is an output of the define activities process. C: The activity attributes is an output of the define activities process.

15. Question 15 · 1

    Which of the following documents is a narrative description of products or services to be supplied by the project and has detailed requirements and pricing specified on it?

    Choose one answer.

    • Scope of statement
    • Project charter
    • Statement of work (SOW)
    • WBS

    Read explanation

    A statement of work (SOW) is a document that captures and defines the work activities, deliverables and timeline that a vendor will execute against in performance of work for a customer. Detailed requirements and pricing are usually specified in it, along with many other terms and conditions. SOW is a narrative description of products or services to be supplied by the project. For internal projects, the project initiator or sponsor provides the statement of work based on business needs, product, or service requirements. For external projects, the statement of work can be received from the customer as part of a bid document. Incorrect Answers: A: Scope of statement gives the narrative description of the project scope. B: Project charter is a document that formally authorizes a project manager to work on a project. D: WBS is a tool that defines a project and groups the project discrete work in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope.

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