CAPM practice test: 45 free questions across every outline topic

Card 01 of 45Life cycles & portfolios

A digital marketing team is building a customer portal. Requirements are expected to change as users test early releases, and the sponsor wants frequent demonstrations and rapid incorporation of feedback. Speed of learning matters more than predicting the final scope. Which planning approach best fits this project?

1. ADefine all requirements up front and sequence them by dependency
   Note on A

   Defining every requirement up front assumes stable scope, but here requirements are expected to change as users test early releases.

2. BBaseline a detailed WBS and apply formal change control to all requests
   Note on B

   A detailed baselined WBS with formal change control suits predictable scope and would slow the rapid feedback loop the sponsor wants.

3. CUse a phase-gate schedule with stage approvals before each release
   Note on C

   Phase gates add approval stops between releases, which delays learning when frequent demonstrations are the goal.

4. DPrioritize the backlog and deliver in short iterations
   Note on D

   Correct: High uncertainty calls for adaptive planning: the team orders the backlog by value and delivers short iterations so feedback shapes the next increment.

Card 02 of 45Plans & registers

At closure, the sponsor asks for a summary of how the project performed against its scope, schedule, cost and quality objectives and whether it met the business need. Which document provides this?

1. AFinal project report
   Note on A

   Correct: The final report summarizes how the project performed against its scope, schedule, cost and quality objectives and whether it met the business need.

2. BBenefits management plan
   Note on B

   The benefits management plan describes how and when benefits will be measured; it is a plan, not an end-of-project performance summary.

3. CWork performance report
   Note on C

   Work performance reports show status during the project to support decisions; they are not the closing summary the sponsor is asking for.

4. DLessons learned register
   Note on D

   The lessons learned register captures what worked and what did not for future use, not a verdict on performance against objectives.

Card 03 of 45Risks & issues

While integrating the subsidiary plans, the project manager notices the schedule assumes staff will work during a planned plant shutdown. What should the project manager do?

1. AAsk the sponsor which plan should take precedence
   Note on A

   The project manager owns plan integration; a clear factual conflict like this does not need the sponsor to pick a winner.

2. BRecord the shutdown as an accepted project risk
   Note on B

   The shutdown is a known fact, not an uncertain event, so treating it as a risk leaves an unworkable schedule in place.

3. CApprove the plan and handle the conflict in execution
   Note on C

   Approving a plan with a known conflict pushes a predictable problem into execution, where it costs more to fix.

4. DResolve the conflict and update the affected plans
   Note on D

   Correct: Integrating subsidiary plans means making them consistent, so the project manager resolves the conflict and updates every affected plan.

Card 04 of 45Roles & leadership

During final product validation, a project manager discovers a severe safety defect that could cause physical harm to end-users. The functional manager explicitly orders the project manager to ignore the defect and proceed with the release, citing critical quarterly financial goals. What is the mandatory next step for the project manager?

1. AAttempt to secretly resolve the safety defect off-hours without notifying the project stakeholders
   Note on A

   Fixing the defect secretly bypasses transparency and governance, and stakeholders still need to know about a safety issue.

2. BProceed with the planned product release but add a detailed safety disclaimer in the documentation
   Note on B

   A disclaimer does not remove a known risk of physical harm; releasing anyway still puts users in danger.

3. CEscalate the safety defect through formal internal corporate governance protocols
   Note on C

   Correct: Safety and honesty come first, so the project manager raises the defect through the organization’s governance and escalation channels instead of following an unsafe directive.

4. DComply immediately with the functional manager’s directive to protect organizational financial goals
   Note on D

   Following a directive that puts users at risk conflicts with the project manager’s duty to act ethically and protect people.

Card 05 of 45Meetings & problem solving

During a brainstorming session to identify risks, a senior stakeholder starts evaluating and rejecting ideas as they are raised. What should the facilitator do?

1. AHave the group vote on each idea as it is raised
   Note on A

   Voting on each idea as it is raised turns generation into evaluation and discourages people from offering more risks.

2. BLet the stakeholder evaluate ideas as they come
   Note on B

   Letting a senior person judge ideas on the spot suppresses contributions, especially from less senior participants.

3. CSwitch to formal risk analysis immediately
   Note on C

   Formal analysis comes after identification; switching now cuts off the search for risks before the list is complete.

4. DDefer evaluation until idea generation ends
   Note on D

   Correct: Brainstorming separates generating ideas from judging them, so the facilitator holds evaluation until the idea list is complete.

Card 06 of 45Predictive processes

A project needs 500 standard laptops with a fully defined specification, and price will be the main selection criterion. Which procurement document should be sent to sellers?

1. ALetter of intent
   Note on A

   A letter of intent signals an intention to contract with a chosen seller; it does not ask sellers for prices.

2. BRequest for proposal
   Note on B

   A request for proposal suits complex needs where sellers propose solutions, which is more than this fully specified purchase requires.

3. CRequest for information
   Note on C

   A request for information gathers knowledge about seller capabilities, which is not needed when the specification is already defined.

4. DRequest for quotation
   Note on D

   Correct: When the item is standard and fully specified and price drives selection, a request for quotation asks sellers for prices.

Card 07 of 45WBS & critical path

A project manager must compress the schedule by three weeks to meet a regulatory deadline. The team has identified several candidate activities, some on the critical path and some with float. Which sequence of actions best reflects sound compression decision-making?

1. AConfirm the critical path first, then assess the risk of rework, compare the trade-offs, and crash the cheapest critical activities
   Note on A

   Correct: Compression starts by confirming which activities are on the critical path, then weighs rework risk and cost-time trade-offs before crashing the cheapest critical activities.

2. BAssess the risk of rework first, then compare the cost and time trade-offs, and finally crash the cheapest activities
   Note on B

   Skipping the critical-path check risks spending money on activities that have float and will not shorten the project.

3. CCrash the cheapest activities first, then confirm the critical path, and only then assess the risk of rework
   Note on C

   Crashing before confirming the critical path and the rework risk can waste money on activities that do not move the finish date.

4. DCompare the cost and time trade-offs first, then crash the cheapest activities and confirm the critical path
   Note on D

   Crashing before confirming the critical path means the cheapest activities chosen may not shorten the schedule at all.

Card 08 of 45Cost & schedule variance

A project manager tells the sponsor that the project is performing better than planned because it has spent only $450,000 of its $600,000 budget. The project’s earned value is $380,000 and its planned value is $420,000. What is the flaw in the manager’s conclusion?

1. AIt applies the cost performance index to the remaining work incorrectly
   Note on A

   No performance index or forecast is applied here; the manager simply compares spending with the total budget.

2. BIt uses actual cost as a substitute for earned value
   Note on B

   Correct: Spending less than the budget says nothing about progress; earned value of $380,000 against $450,000 spent gives a CPI below 1, so the project is over budget for the work done.

3. CIt measures schedule performance using the actual cost incurred to date
   Note on C

   The manager makes a cost claim, not a schedule claim, although EV below PV also shows the project is behind schedule.

4. DIt compares the budget at completion against the planned value to date
   Note on D

   Planned value plays no part in the manager’s reasoning; the comparison made is actual cost against the total budget.

Card 09 of 45Agile fit & frameworks

Halfway through a two-week sprint, a regulated customer contacts the Product Owner with a new mandatory reporting requirement. The developers are confident it is too large to finish before the sprint ends without dropping committed work. What should happen to this new requirement?

1. AAsk the developers to absorb the extra work as overtime to protect the Sprint Goal
   Note on A

   Overtime to squeeze in unplanned work is unsustainable and undermines the plan the developers committed to.

2. BTerminate the sprint immediately and restart Sprint Planning with the new item
   Note on B

   Cancelling a sprint is for when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete; a new requirement that can be ordered for a coming sprint does not justify it.

3. CAdd it to the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to order against existing work
   Note on C

   Correct: New work goes to the Product Backlog, where the Product Owner orders it against existing items for a future sprint while the current Sprint Goal stays protected.

4. DAdd the requirement directly to the Sprint Backlog and expand the sprint scope
   Note on D

   Adding a large item mid-sprint without dropping work breaks the team’s commitment and puts the Sprint Goal at risk.

Card 10 of 45Iterations & backlog

A project team is using an adaptive, iterative delivery approach with two-week iterations and a prioritized backlog. Which control mechanism is used in this adaptive environment?

1. ASprint reviews and product increment acceptance
   Note on A

   Correct: In adaptive delivery, control comes from frequent inspection: sprint reviews and acceptance of each increment show real progress and steer the next iteration.

2. BBaseline comparison and formal integrated change requests
   Note on B

   Baseline comparison and formal change requests are predictive controls; adaptive teams handle change through backlog ordering.

3. CEarned value variance analysis against the cost baseline
   Note on C

   Earned value against a cost baseline is a predictive measure and is not the main control loop in iterative delivery.

4. DStage-gate approvals tied to the approved scope baseline
   Note on D

   Stage gates tied to an approved scope baseline belong to predictive life cycles, not two-week iterations with a living backlog.