PMP – Project Management Professional Practice Exam 2026
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
Question 1
A project manager is leading an agile software development project. During a
daily standup, a developer mentions that they are blocked because an external
API integration is delayed by a third-party vendor. What is the best immediate
action for the project manager to take?
• A. Update the project schedule and extend the release deadline.
• B. Act as a servant leader to remove the impediment by contacting the
vendor management team or escalating the issue.
• C. Reassign the developer to a different task until the API is ready.
• D. Issue a formal change request to alter the project scope.
• Correct Answer: B
• Explanation: In agile and servant-leadership environments, the project
manager’s primary role when a team member is blocked is to remove
impediments and facilitate problem-solving, rather than waiting or making
unilateral schedule changes.
Question 2
A project manager is managing a construction project using a predictive
approach. A key stakeholder requests an additional feature that falls outside the
baseline scope but would add significant business value. What should the
project manager do first?
• A. Immediately add the feature to keep the stakeholder happy.
• B. Evaluate the impact of the request on scope, schedule, cost, and risk, and
submit a formal change request.
• C. Reject the request outright because it violates the project baseline.
• D. Perform the work using contingency reserves without notifying the
change control board.
• Correct Answer: B
,PMP – Project Management Professional Practice Exam 2026
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
• Explanation: In predictive project management, any change to the baseline
scope requires evaluating its impact across all constraints and following the
formal Integrated Change Control process.
Question 3
An agile team is experiencing a steady decrease in velocity over the last three
sprints. The team members are frustrated and overloaded with technical debt
and ad-hoc requests. What ceremony is specifically designed to address these
process issues and formulate actionable improvements?
• A. Sprint Planning
• B. Daily Standup
• C. Sprint Review
• D. Sprint Retrospective
• Correct Answer: D
• Explanation: The Sprint Retrospective is the dedicated agile ceremony
where the team inspects itself regarding people, relationships, process, and
tools, and plans ways to improve and address issues like technical debt.
Question 4
A project manager discovers that a highly influential stakeholder is strongly
opposed to the project because they fear it will negatively impact their
department's workflow. What should the project manager do?
• A. Ignore the stakeholder and continue executing the project plan.
• B. Escalate the stakeholder’s resistance to senior management immediately.
• C. Meet with the stakeholder to understand their concerns, address their
expectations, and involve them in stakeholder engagement planning.
• D. Remove the stakeholder from the stakeholder register to avoid negative
influence.
,PMP – Project Management Professional Practice Exam 2026
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
• Correct Answer: C
• Explanation: Best practice in stakeholder engagement involves proactively
engaging resistant or influential stakeholders to understand their
perspectives, address root concerns, and manage expectations
collaboratively.
Question 5
A project is operating with a Cost Performance Index (CPI) of 0.85 and a
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 1.10. How should the project manager
interpret these metrics?
• A. The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.
• B. The project is over budget and behind schedule.
• C. The project is over budget (spending more than planned for work
completed) but ahead of schedule.
• D. The project is under budget but behind schedule.
• Correct Answer: C
• Explanation: A CPI less than 1.0 indicates cost overrun (over budget), while
an SPI greater than 1.0 indicates the project is progressing faster than
planned (ahead of schedule).
Question 6
A project team is trying to reduce software defect rates before release. They
invest heavily in training developers, conducting code reviews, and using
standardized testing tools. According to quality management principles, what
type of costs do these activities represent?
• A. Failure costs (Internal failure costs)
• B. External failure costs
• C. Appraisal costs
, PMP – Project Management Professional Practice Exam 2026
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
• D. Prevention costs
• Correct Answer: D
• Explanation: Prevention costs are incurred to prevent defects (e.g., training,
document reviews, equipment, testing design), which fall under the "Cost of
Quality" framework.
Question 7
During project kickoff for a cross-functional hybrid project, team members are
struggling with communication norms, decision-making authority, and working
hours across different time zones. What tool should the project manager help
the team create to establish these ground rules?
• A. Project Management Plan
• B. Team Charter
• C. Risk Register
• D. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Correct Answer: B
• Explanation: A Team Charter establishes team values, agreements,
communication guidelines, decision-making processes, and ground rules to
guide team behavior and collaboration.
Question 8
A project manager is analyzing a network diagram for a critical infrastructure
project. The path with the longest total duration through the network diagram is
identified. What is this path called, and what does its duration determine?
• A. Resource leveling path; determines maximum resource utilization.
• B. Critical path; determines the shortest possible project duration and
minimum project completion time.
• C. Float path; determines total project cost variance.
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
Question 1
A project manager is leading an agile software development project. During a
daily standup, a developer mentions that they are blocked because an external
API integration is delayed by a third-party vendor. What is the best immediate
action for the project manager to take?
• A. Update the project schedule and extend the release deadline.
• B. Act as a servant leader to remove the impediment by contacting the
vendor management team or escalating the issue.
• C. Reassign the developer to a different task until the API is ready.
• D. Issue a formal change request to alter the project scope.
• Correct Answer: B
• Explanation: In agile and servant-leadership environments, the project
manager’s primary role when a team member is blocked is to remove
impediments and facilitate problem-solving, rather than waiting or making
unilateral schedule changes.
Question 2
A project manager is managing a construction project using a predictive
approach. A key stakeholder requests an additional feature that falls outside the
baseline scope but would add significant business value. What should the
project manager do first?
• A. Immediately add the feature to keep the stakeholder happy.
• B. Evaluate the impact of the request on scope, schedule, cost, and risk, and
submit a formal change request.
• C. Reject the request outright because it violates the project baseline.
• D. Perform the work using contingency reserves without notifying the
change control board.
• Correct Answer: B
,PMP – Project Management Professional Practice Exam 2026
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
• Explanation: In predictive project management, any change to the baseline
scope requires evaluating its impact across all constraints and following the
formal Integrated Change Control process.
Question 3
An agile team is experiencing a steady decrease in velocity over the last three
sprints. The team members are frustrated and overloaded with technical debt
and ad-hoc requests. What ceremony is specifically designed to address these
process issues and formulate actionable improvements?
• A. Sprint Planning
• B. Daily Standup
• C. Sprint Review
• D. Sprint Retrospective
• Correct Answer: D
• Explanation: The Sprint Retrospective is the dedicated agile ceremony
where the team inspects itself regarding people, relationships, process, and
tools, and plans ways to improve and address issues like technical debt.
Question 4
A project manager discovers that a highly influential stakeholder is strongly
opposed to the project because they fear it will negatively impact their
department's workflow. What should the project manager do?
• A. Ignore the stakeholder and continue executing the project plan.
• B. Escalate the stakeholder’s resistance to senior management immediately.
• C. Meet with the stakeholder to understand their concerns, address their
expectations, and involve them in stakeholder engagement planning.
• D. Remove the stakeholder from the stakeholder register to avoid negative
influence.
,PMP – Project Management Professional Practice Exam 2026
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
• Correct Answer: C
• Explanation: Best practice in stakeholder engagement involves proactively
engaging resistant or influential stakeholders to understand their
perspectives, address root concerns, and manage expectations
collaboratively.
Question 5
A project is operating with a Cost Performance Index (CPI) of 0.85 and a
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 1.10. How should the project manager
interpret these metrics?
• A. The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.
• B. The project is over budget and behind schedule.
• C. The project is over budget (spending more than planned for work
completed) but ahead of schedule.
• D. The project is under budget but behind schedule.
• Correct Answer: C
• Explanation: A CPI less than 1.0 indicates cost overrun (over budget), while
an SPI greater than 1.0 indicates the project is progressing faster than
planned (ahead of schedule).
Question 6
A project team is trying to reduce software defect rates before release. They
invest heavily in training developers, conducting code reviews, and using
standardized testing tools. According to quality management principles, what
type of costs do these activities represent?
• A. Failure costs (Internal failure costs)
• B. External failure costs
• C. Appraisal costs
, PMP – Project Management Professional Practice Exam 2026
2026/2027 actual questions and well detailed answers
• D. Prevention costs
• Correct Answer: D
• Explanation: Prevention costs are incurred to prevent defects (e.g., training,
document reviews, equipment, testing design), which fall under the "Cost of
Quality" framework.
Question 7
During project kickoff for a cross-functional hybrid project, team members are
struggling with communication norms, decision-making authority, and working
hours across different time zones. What tool should the project manager help
the team create to establish these ground rules?
• A. Project Management Plan
• B. Team Charter
• C. Risk Register
• D. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Correct Answer: B
• Explanation: A Team Charter establishes team values, agreements,
communication guidelines, decision-making processes, and ground rules to
guide team behavior and collaboration.
Question 8
A project manager is analyzing a network diagram for a critical infrastructure
project. The path with the longest total duration through the network diagram is
identified. What is this path called, and what does its duration determine?
• A. Resource leveling path; determines maximum resource utilization.
• B. Critical path; determines the shortest possible project duration and
minimum project completion time.
• C. Float path; determines total project cost variance.
