WGU OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT EXAM 2026/2027 | QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS Competency-Based | Actual Questions &
Verified Answers | Western Governors University Competency
Assessment | Pass Guarantee
DOMAIN 1: Analytical Reasoning & Problem-Solving (Questions 1-15)
1. A regional hospital’s quality dashboard shows the following post-operative
infection rates by quarter:
Q1: 2.1 %, Q2: 2.8 %, Q3: 3.5 %, Q4: 4.2 %.
Which improvement cycle tool should the improvement team use FIRST to
determine the underlying causes?
A. Run chart with annotated interventions
B. Pareto chart of infection types
C. Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram
D. Control chart with upper/lower limits
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: An Ishikawa diagram is used to brainstorm and categorize root causes
once a trend is identified; it precedes data-display tools that assume causes are
known.
2. A software help-desk logs the average daily tickets for the past month: Mon 120,
Tue 130, Wed 140, Thu 150, Fri 200. Which statistical measure best justifies
hiring an additional Friday technician?
A. Mean = 148
B. Median = 140
C. Mode = 200
D. Range = 80
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The mode (most frequent value) highlights the recurring Friday spike;
staffing should match peak demand, not central tendency.
3. A project manager compiles these task durations (days): A=3, B=5, C=4, D=7,
E=2. Task B cannot start until A is finished; C and D can run in parallel after B; E
follows C. What is the critical path length?
, A. 11 days
B. 12 days
C. 14 days
D. 16 days
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Path A-B-D-E = 3+5+7+2 = 17; but C & D parallel → longest path
A-B-D-E = 14 days (A-B-C-E = 3+5+4+2=14 also if C=D length). Actual D=7 drives
14.
4. A call-center averages 6.5 abandoned calls per hour (Poisson distribution). What
is the probability of exactly 4 abandoned calls in the next hour? (Use λ=6.5, x=4)
A. 0.111
B. 0.146
C. 0.189
D. 0.222
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: P(x;λ)=(e^-λ λ^x)/x! = (e^-6.5 6.5^4)/4! ≈ 0.146.
5. A manufacturer tests two alloys. Alloy A: n=50, mean tensile strength 800 MPa,
σ=50. Alloy B: n=50, mean 810 MPa, σ=48. Which statement is correct at α=0.05?
A. The difference is statistically significant (p<0.05)
B. The difference is not statistically significant
C. Sample sizes are too small to judge
D. A one-tailed test must be used
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Two-sample z-test yields z≈1.02, p≈0.31 > 0.05; 10 MPa difference
within random variation.
6. A scatter plot of advertising spend vs. revenue shows r=0.85, p<0.01. Which
inference is valid?
A. Increased advertising causes higher revenue
B. 85 % of revenue variation is explained by advertising
C. There is a strong positive linear association
D. Outliers are absent
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correlation ≠ causation; r²=0.72 explains 72 %, not 85 %; r value
describes strength/direction only.
7. A pharmacy inventory team samples 100 bottles and finds 8 expired. The 95 % CI
(z=1.96) for the true proportion is approximately:
A. 0.08 ± 0.027
B. 0.08 ± 0.053
C. 0.08 ± 0.076
, D. 0.08 ± 0.096
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: SE=√(p(1-p)/n)=√(0.08×0.92/100)=0.027; ME=1.96×0.027≈0.053.
8. A Six Sigma team wants to reduce lab specimen hemolysis. Which tool BEST
identifies the vital few causes among many possibilities?
A. Scatter diagram
B. Pareto chart
C. Histogram
D. Gantt chart
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Pareto principle (80/20) separates vital few from trivial many; scatter
shows relationship, histogram shows distribution, Gantt schedules.
9. A hospital’s patient-satisfaction scores (scale 1-5) are normally distributed
(μ=4.0, σ=0.5). What percentile is a score of 5.0?
A. 84th
B. 95th
C. 97.5th
D. 99th
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: z=(5-4)/0.5=2; two-tailed area beyond z=2 is 5 %, so upper tail 2.5 % →
97.5th percentile.
10. A QA team tracks medication errors per 1000 doses: Jan 4.2, Feb 3.8, Mar 3.5,
Apr 3.0. Which trend term describes this pattern?
A. Cyclical
B. Seasonal
C. Monotonic decreasing
D. Random walk
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Consistent directional decline without reversal = monotonic trend; too
short for seasonal/cyclical.
11. A project has these optimistic (O), most likely (M), pessimistic (P) times (days):
Task X: O=4, M=5, P=12. Expected duration using PERT is:
A. 5.0
B. 5.3
C. 6.0
D. 7.0
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: (O+4M+P)/6 = (4+20+12)/6 = 36/6 = 6 days.
CORRECT ANSWERS Competency-Based | Actual Questions &
Verified Answers | Western Governors University Competency
Assessment | Pass Guarantee
DOMAIN 1: Analytical Reasoning & Problem-Solving (Questions 1-15)
1. A regional hospital’s quality dashboard shows the following post-operative
infection rates by quarter:
Q1: 2.1 %, Q2: 2.8 %, Q3: 3.5 %, Q4: 4.2 %.
Which improvement cycle tool should the improvement team use FIRST to
determine the underlying causes?
A. Run chart with annotated interventions
B. Pareto chart of infection types
C. Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram
D. Control chart with upper/lower limits
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: An Ishikawa diagram is used to brainstorm and categorize root causes
once a trend is identified; it precedes data-display tools that assume causes are
known.
2. A software help-desk logs the average daily tickets for the past month: Mon 120,
Tue 130, Wed 140, Thu 150, Fri 200. Which statistical measure best justifies
hiring an additional Friday technician?
A. Mean = 148
B. Median = 140
C. Mode = 200
D. Range = 80
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The mode (most frequent value) highlights the recurring Friday spike;
staffing should match peak demand, not central tendency.
3. A project manager compiles these task durations (days): A=3, B=5, C=4, D=7,
E=2. Task B cannot start until A is finished; C and D can run in parallel after B; E
follows C. What is the critical path length?
, A. 11 days
B. 12 days
C. 14 days
D. 16 days
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Path A-B-D-E = 3+5+7+2 = 17; but C & D parallel → longest path
A-B-D-E = 14 days (A-B-C-E = 3+5+4+2=14 also if C=D length). Actual D=7 drives
14.
4. A call-center averages 6.5 abandoned calls per hour (Poisson distribution). What
is the probability of exactly 4 abandoned calls in the next hour? (Use λ=6.5, x=4)
A. 0.111
B. 0.146
C. 0.189
D. 0.222
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: P(x;λ)=(e^-λ λ^x)/x! = (e^-6.5 6.5^4)/4! ≈ 0.146.
5. A manufacturer tests two alloys. Alloy A: n=50, mean tensile strength 800 MPa,
σ=50. Alloy B: n=50, mean 810 MPa, σ=48. Which statement is correct at α=0.05?
A. The difference is statistically significant (p<0.05)
B. The difference is not statistically significant
C. Sample sizes are too small to judge
D. A one-tailed test must be used
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Two-sample z-test yields z≈1.02, p≈0.31 > 0.05; 10 MPa difference
within random variation.
6. A scatter plot of advertising spend vs. revenue shows r=0.85, p<0.01. Which
inference is valid?
A. Increased advertising causes higher revenue
B. 85 % of revenue variation is explained by advertising
C. There is a strong positive linear association
D. Outliers are absent
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correlation ≠ causation; r²=0.72 explains 72 %, not 85 %; r value
describes strength/direction only.
7. A pharmacy inventory team samples 100 bottles and finds 8 expired. The 95 % CI
(z=1.96) for the true proportion is approximately:
A. 0.08 ± 0.027
B. 0.08 ± 0.053
C. 0.08 ± 0.076
, D. 0.08 ± 0.096
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: SE=√(p(1-p)/n)=√(0.08×0.92/100)=0.027; ME=1.96×0.027≈0.053.
8. A Six Sigma team wants to reduce lab specimen hemolysis. Which tool BEST
identifies the vital few causes among many possibilities?
A. Scatter diagram
B. Pareto chart
C. Histogram
D. Gantt chart
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Pareto principle (80/20) separates vital few from trivial many; scatter
shows relationship, histogram shows distribution, Gantt schedules.
9. A hospital’s patient-satisfaction scores (scale 1-5) are normally distributed
(μ=4.0, σ=0.5). What percentile is a score of 5.0?
A. 84th
B. 95th
C. 97.5th
D. 99th
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: z=(5-4)/0.5=2; two-tailed area beyond z=2 is 5 %, so upper tail 2.5 % →
97.5th percentile.
10. A QA team tracks medication errors per 1000 doses: Jan 4.2, Feb 3.8, Mar 3.5,
Apr 3.0. Which trend term describes this pattern?
A. Cyclical
B. Seasonal
C. Monotonic decreasing
D. Random walk
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Consistent directional decline without reversal = monotonic trend; too
short for seasonal/cyclical.
11. A project has these optimistic (O), most likely (M), pessimistic (P) times (days):
Task X: O=4, M=5, P=12. Expected duration using PERT is:
A. 5.0
B. 5.3
C. 6.0
D. 7.0
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: (O+4M+P)/6 = (4+20+12)/6 = 36/6 = 6 days.
