Tag Archives: PMP Exam

The Secret to Answering Any PMP Question

PMP, ,

Every PMP question, regardless of format, can be worked through using the same six-step method. Here is how it works.

Step 1: Read the End of the Question First

PMP questions are often long scenarios with a lot of detail. Before reading the whole thing, skip to the end to find out what is actually being asked. This gives you the context to read the scenario with purpose rather than getting lost in the detail.

Step 2: Identify the Key Words

Once you know what the question is asking, read through and highlight the important details. Look for the methodology (agile or waterfall), the phase of the project, the issue that is occurring and the stakeholders involved. These are the clues that point you toward the right answer.

Step 3: Spot the Real Issue

Strip away the noise and identify the core problem. Is it a people issue, a process issue or a documentation issue? Getting clear on this before looking at the answer choices makes the next steps much easier.

Step 4: Investigate Before Acting

Many questions require you to analyze the situation or consult the right stakeholders before taking action. Do not jump to a solution. Check whether the question has already given you the root cause or whether you need to identify it first.

Step 5: Eliminate the Clearly Wrong Answers

Work through the answer choices and remove the ones that are obviously incorrect. On the PMP exam, one common trap is answers that involve the project manager doing the team’s work for them. Another is answers that ignore the constraints stated in the question. If the scenario says there is no time for discussion, any answer involving extended collaboration is out.

Step 6: Choose the Most Correct Answer

With the wrong answers eliminated, select the best remaining option given the constraints of the scenario. Sometimes no answer will feel perfect. That is normal. Choose the one that most closely follows sound project management practice given the specific situation described.

Six steps, applied consistently, work for any question on the exam. Practice using them on every question you attempt and they will become second nature by exam day.

– David McLachlan

You can see what people are saying about David McLachlan here: REVIEWS

Navigate to Free Project Management and Leadership Articles through the links on the right (or at the bottom if on Mobile) 

PMI PMP 35 PDUs CourseThe Ultimate PMP Project Management Prep Course (35 PDUs)
Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP 28 PDUs)The Complete PMI-ACP Course: (28 PDUs) 
PgMP Program Management CourseLearn Program Management – the PgMP Prep Course
Full PMP Exams to Pass on the First TryFour Full PMP Practice Exams (180 Qs each) to pass your PMP on the First Try!
Scrum Master Course PSMScrum Master Course (PSM)
Product Owner Course PSPOProduct Owner Course (PSPO)
Business Analyst CourseBusiness Analyst Course

Also available are my Project Management Templates – they’re a great way to save 100s of hours when you’re first starting out:

50 Project Management Templates Gantt Chart Risk Matrix and more Excel50+ Project Management Templates in Excel and PowerPoint (Gantt Chart, Risk Matrix and more!)
Project Management Plan TemplatesPre-made Project Management Plan Templates: Save 100 HOURS!

 

PMBOK 8th Edition Questions & Answers 11 to 20 – Pass your PMP and Learn the PMBOK Guide

PMP, , ,

We use the PMP Fast Track to answer PMP questions quickly and easily. Check it out!

Question 11 – Managing Quality on a Chip Fabrication Project A functional manager raises concerns about the quality of deliverables being passed to their department. How should quality be managed on the project?

Question 12 – Conflict Between Vendor Teams A conflict arises between vendor teams over shift allocations, creating tension and affecting productivity on a government mega project. How should the project manager address this?

Question 13 – Cost and Risk at the Start of a Project An executive raises concerns about increasing staffing costs and identified risks early in a refinery expansion project. What should you tell them about how cost and risk behave over the project life cycle?

Question 14 – Which Development Approach Is This? A drug development project operates in a highly regulated environment with phase-gate approvals, strict change control and extensive upfront planning. Which development approach is being used?

Question 15 – Short Iterations and One Person Responsible for Scope A mobile application team works in short iterations, delivers features regularly and refines their approach based on feedback. One person is responsible for the approved scope and its value. Which development approach is being used?

Question 16 – Combining Two Approaches A new enterprise platform has a software component with constantly evolving requirements and a data center infrastructure built using upfront planning and formal change control. Which development approach should be used?

Question 17 – Stakeholders Unavailable and Success Criteria Unclear On a CRM upgrade project, many stakeholders are unavailable, others are disengaged and the success criteria is unclear. What are these examples of?

Question 18 – Business Case Approved, What Comes Next? The business case for a new patient record system has been approved and key stakeholders have been identified. Senior leadership wants to start immediately. What should you do next?

Question 19 – Rising Costs and Stakeholder Concerns About Value During planning for a retail expansion, material costs rise significantly and stakeholders question whether the project is still worthwhile. What should you review?

Question 20 – What Will Elijah Not Do? Elijah is documenting initial cost and duration estimates for a data center expansion based on uncertain factors such as utility availability and vendor timeline accuracy. What will he not do with these uncertain factors?

Pep Talk

Twenty questions down and you have already worked through the Standard for Project Management and into the PMBOK Guide itself. The questions will keep getting trickier from here but so will your understanding. Keep going.

– David McLachlan

You can see what people are saying about David McLachlan here: REVIEWS

Navigate to Free Project Management and Leadership Articles through the links on the right (or at the bottom if on Mobile) 

PMI PMP 35 PDUs CourseThe Ultimate PMP Project Management Prep Course (35 PDUs)
Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP 28 PDUs)The Complete PMI-ACP Course: (28 PDUs) 
PgMP Program Management CourseLearn Program Management – the PgMP Prep Course
Full PMP Exams to Pass on the First TryFour Full PMP Practice Exams (180 Qs each) to pass your PMP on the First Try!
Scrum Master Course PSMScrum Master Course (PSM)
Product Owner Course PSPOProduct Owner Course (PSPO)
Business Analyst CourseBusiness Analyst Course

Also available are my Project Management Templates – they’re a great way to save 100s of hours when you’re first starting out:

50 Project Management Templates Gantt Chart Risk Matrix and more Excel50+ Project Management Templates in Excel and PowerPoint (Gantt Chart, Risk Matrix and more!)
Project Management Plan TemplatesPre-made Project Management Plan Templates: Save 100 HOURS!

 

PMBOK 8th Edition Practice Questions 1 – 10 – Pass your PMP and Learn the PMBOK Guide

PMP, , ,

We use the PMP Fast Track to answer PMP questions quickly and easily. Check it out!

Question 1 – How Should This Initiative Be Managed? Leadership at Stratus Innovations proposes a new customer platform involving multiple teams with a fixed release date. How should this initiative be managed?

Question 2 – Categorizing Project Benefits Daniel is preparing a business case for a mobile banking platform. Expected outcomes include increased transaction revenue and improved customer satisfaction. How should these benefits be categorized?

Question 3 – Accounting for External Influences While developing the project management plan for a new online banking platform, you identify regulations, organizational culture and IT infrastructure as factors that may influence the project. How should these be accounted for?

Question 4 – Classifying Templates and Procedures Rose’s PMO requires her to use standard project plan templates and follow established procedures from previous projects. How should she classify these templates and procedures?

Question 5 – What Type of Organizational Structure Is This? You are assigned as project manager with full authority over the project budget, resources and decision-making. What type of organisational structure are you working in?

Question 6 – No Budget or Additional Authority Liam wants to start a process improvement initiative using only his existing team members with no additional budget or authority. What type of organizational structure is he working in?

Question 7 – Which Function Is Not Associated with Projects? Sophia performs coordination, collaboration, expertise application and ongoing operational support on her project. Which of these functions is not associated with projects?

Question 8 – Who Performs This Role? An employee secures funding, provides strategic direction and removes organisational obstacles to ensure project success. What role is this person performing?

Question 9 – What Does the Project Management Team Do? Roy’s project management team collaborates with stakeholders and managers to align with organisational objectives and secure resources. Which of the following is something the project management team would do?

Question 10 – When Will the Project Deliver Value? A project sponsor asks when their cloud platform implementation will begin delivering value. What should you tell them?

Pep Talk

Ten questions down and you have already worked through the foundations of the PMBOK Guide. The questions get trickier from here but so does your understanding. Keep going.

– David McLachlan

You can see what people are saying about David McLachlan here: REVIEWS

Navigate to Free Project Management and Leadership Articles through the links on the right (or at the bottom if on Mobile) 

PMI PMP 35 PDUs CourseThe Ultimate PMP Project Management Prep Course (35 PDUs)
Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP 28 PDUs)The Complete PMI-ACP Course: (28 PDUs) 
PgMP Program Management CourseLearn Program Management – the PgMP Prep Course
Full PMP Exams to Pass on the First TryFour Full PMP Practice Exams (180 Qs each) to pass your PMP on the First Try!
Scrum Master Course PSMScrum Master Course (PSM)
Product Owner Course PSPOProduct Owner Course (PSPO)
Business Analyst CourseBusiness Analyst Course

Also available are my Project Management Templates – these don’t have a coupon code but they’re a great way to save 100s of hours when you’re first starting out:

50 Project Management Templates Gantt Chart Risk Matrix and more Excel50+ Project Management Templates in Excel and PowerPoint (Gantt Chart, Risk Matrix and more!)
Project Management Plan TemplatesPre-made Project Management Plan Templates: Save 100 HOURS!

 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 05

PMP Exam Question Practice, , , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Practice Exam

PMP Exam Question Session 5

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Question 1

Costs can fluctuate during the different phases of your project. Generally, over the lifecycle of a project, the cost of changes to project scope will:

A) decrease
B) increase
C) remain about the same
D) depend on who assigns the change request

Question 2

You are a project manager brought on during the very early phase of the project. The project sponsor has asked you to create a report on whether this project can be completed in time, at what cost, and what benefit is expected. What is the Project Sponsor asking for?

A) A Project Charter
B) A commercial database
C) A Feasibility Study
D) A project management plan

Question 3

Future Value is the value of today’s sum of money, at a specified date in the future. The Future Value (FV) of $14,000 invested for 5 years with interest rate of 5% would be:

A) $16,225
B) $18,574
C) $17,867
D) $15,536

Question 4

Your project can be significantly impacted, depending on the organizational structure you are working in. Which organisational structure gives you the most control as a project manager?

A) Strong Matrix
B) Functional Matrix
C) Balanced Matrix
D) PMO

Question 5

You are working on a project where you have to plan for your current software product, and a software product in the same area to be released afterwards. What is your role in this situation?

A) Functional Manager
B) Program Manager
C) Production Manager
D) Project Manager

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Questions – Practice Session | 01

PMP Exam Question Practice, , ,

– See all the PMP Exam Questions – 

PMP Exam Question Session 1

In this series we will walk through five PMP Practice Exam Questions each day – a great way to set up your morning as you prepare to pass the PMP Exam. It is also useful for the CAPM exam, as the content is very similar.

We will also figure them out together, and you’ll see the thought process behind solving these PMP exam questions.

I hope you enjoy!

Question 1

You are asked to decide which project is a better investment. Project X takes 3 years to complete with a Net Present Value of $125,000 and Project Y takes 2 years to complete with a Net Present Value of $100,000. Which will you choose?

A) Both projects
B) Project X only
C) Either project
D) Project Y only

Question 2

You are a certified PMP working as a project manager in a company. One of your colleagues is planning to take the PMP exam too, and asks for your guidance on preparation. What should you do?

A) Give them a few instructions and let them work out the rest
B) Say you’re too busy to help them – after all, it’s true
C) Give them whatever guidance you can provide based on your experience
D) Tell them to go to the PMI website and find the information they want

Question 3

What is the Cost Performance Index of a project with a PV of $795,000, EV of $850,000, and AC of $950,000?

A) 1.12, you are over budget
B) 0.89, you are over budget
C) 2.05, you are under budget
D) 0.75, you are under budget

Question 4

Return on Investment (ROI) is the percentage return we get from investing in something. Your project cost the company $200,000 to complete. That project returns a benefit of $240,000. The Return on Investment (ROI) would be:

A) 20%
B) 24%
C) 240%
D) 16%

Question 5

The Benefit Cost Ratio is used to compare the benefits to the costs for a project. As a project manager working for your company which one of the following projects will you recommend based on the BCRs below?

A) Project X at 0.75
B) Project Y at 1.20
C) Project R at 1.85
D) Project W at 2.05

– See all the PMP Exam Questions –