PMP Project Management
Institute Certification Exam
Actual Exam 2026
QUESTION 1
Overview: A project manager is assigned to a troubled project that is six
months behind schedule. The previous project manager was removed due
to poor performance. The team is demoralized, and stakeholders have lost
confidence. The new PM needs to quickly stabilize the project and restore
trust.
Question: What should the new project manager do FIRST?
A) Immediately revise the schedule and present a new recovery plan to the
sponsor.
B) Conduct individual meetings with each team member to understand
concerns and build relationships.
C) Request additional budget to hire more resources and accelerate the
schedule.
D) Review all project documentation to identify root causes of the delay.
Answer: *B) Conduct individual meetings with each team member to
understand concerns and build relationships. *
Rationale: Building trust and understanding team dynamics is the
foundation for any recovery effort. While reviewing documents (D) and
creating a recovery plan (A) are important, they come after understanding
,the team's perspective. Additional budget (C) is premature without
understanding the real issues.
QUESTION 2
Overview: A project is using a hybrid approach – Scrum for development
and predictive for infrastructure. The development team is delivering sprint
increments on time, but the infrastructure team is consistently behind
schedule, causing integration delays at the end of each sprint.
Question: What should the project manager do?
A) Ask the development team to slow down to match the infrastructure
team's pace.
B) Work with the infrastructure team to identify bottlenecks and implement
agile practices for their work.
C) Combine all work into a single backlog and manage it as one Scrum
team.
D) Remove the infrastructure work from the sprint and treat it as a separate
waterfall phase.
Answer: *B) Work with the infrastructure team to identify bottlenecks
and implement agile practices for their work. *
Rationale: In a hybrid environment, the PM should help non-agile teams
adopt agile practices to improve flow. Slowing down the dev team (A)
penalizes high performers. Combining all work into one backlog (C) ignores
the infrastructure team's predictive nature. Removing infrastructure from
sprints (D) defeats the purpose of integration.
QUESTION 3
,Overview: A key stakeholder has significant influence over the project's
funding. This stakeholder has been neutral but is now showing signs of
resistance after hearing negative feedback from an end-user group.
Question: What should the project manager do FIRST?
A) Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand their concerns
and provide factual project updates.
B) Share the stakeholder's feedback with the sponsor and ask for
intervention.
C) Reassure the stakeholder that the end-user feedback is unfounded.
D) Increase communication frequency to all stakeholders to dilute the
negative feedback.
Answer: *A) Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand
their concerns and provide factual project updates. *
Rationale: Direct engagement is the most effective way to address resistance
and rebuild trust. Escalation (B) bypasses the PM's responsibility. Dismissing
feedback (C) damages credibility. Diluting communication (D) is
manipulative and ineffective.
QUESTION 4
Overview: During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that they are
consistently failing to meet their sprint commitments. The product owner is
frustrated, and the team morale is low.
Question: What should the agile project manager do?
A) Reduce the team's velocity commitment for the next sprint.
B) Facilitate a discussion to understand the root causes of the
overcommitment and adjust backlog items accordingly.
C) Ask the product owner to reduce the number of items in the backlog.
D) Extend the sprint duration to give the team more time.
, Answer: *B) Facilitate a discussion to understand the root causes of the
overcommitment and adjust backlog items accordingly. *
Rationale: The PM (as a servant-leader) should help the team inspect and
adapt. Simply reducing commitment (A) without understanding the root
cause doesn't solve the problem. Reducing backlog items (C) is a product
owner decision. Extending sprints (D) changes the cadence and doesn't
address the underlying issue.
QUESTION 5
Overview: A project manager discovers that a vendor's invoice includes
charges for work that was not authorized in the purchase order. The PM has
a good relationship with the vendor.
Question: What should the project manager do?
A) Pay the invoice to maintain the good relationship.
B) Reject the invoice and inform the vendor to resubmit with only
authorized charges.
C) Negotiate a discount on the unauthorized charges.
D) Escalate to the legal department.
Answer: *B) Reject the invoice and inform the vendor to resubmit with
only authorized charges. *
Rationale: Following contract governance is essential. Paying unauthorized
charges (A) sets a bad precedent. Negotiating a discount (C) still
acknowledges unauthorized work. Escalation (D) is premature without first
addressing the issue directly.
QUESTION 6
Institute Certification Exam
Actual Exam 2026
QUESTION 1
Overview: A project manager is assigned to a troubled project that is six
months behind schedule. The previous project manager was removed due
to poor performance. The team is demoralized, and stakeholders have lost
confidence. The new PM needs to quickly stabilize the project and restore
trust.
Question: What should the new project manager do FIRST?
A) Immediately revise the schedule and present a new recovery plan to the
sponsor.
B) Conduct individual meetings with each team member to understand
concerns and build relationships.
C) Request additional budget to hire more resources and accelerate the
schedule.
D) Review all project documentation to identify root causes of the delay.
Answer: *B) Conduct individual meetings with each team member to
understand concerns and build relationships. *
Rationale: Building trust and understanding team dynamics is the
foundation for any recovery effort. While reviewing documents (D) and
creating a recovery plan (A) are important, they come after understanding
,the team's perspective. Additional budget (C) is premature without
understanding the real issues.
QUESTION 2
Overview: A project is using a hybrid approach – Scrum for development
and predictive for infrastructure. The development team is delivering sprint
increments on time, but the infrastructure team is consistently behind
schedule, causing integration delays at the end of each sprint.
Question: What should the project manager do?
A) Ask the development team to slow down to match the infrastructure
team's pace.
B) Work with the infrastructure team to identify bottlenecks and implement
agile practices for their work.
C) Combine all work into a single backlog and manage it as one Scrum
team.
D) Remove the infrastructure work from the sprint and treat it as a separate
waterfall phase.
Answer: *B) Work with the infrastructure team to identify bottlenecks
and implement agile practices for their work. *
Rationale: In a hybrid environment, the PM should help non-agile teams
adopt agile practices to improve flow. Slowing down the dev team (A)
penalizes high performers. Combining all work into one backlog (C) ignores
the infrastructure team's predictive nature. Removing infrastructure from
sprints (D) defeats the purpose of integration.
QUESTION 3
,Overview: A key stakeholder has significant influence over the project's
funding. This stakeholder has been neutral but is now showing signs of
resistance after hearing negative feedback from an end-user group.
Question: What should the project manager do FIRST?
A) Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand their concerns
and provide factual project updates.
B) Share the stakeholder's feedback with the sponsor and ask for
intervention.
C) Reassure the stakeholder that the end-user feedback is unfounded.
D) Increase communication frequency to all stakeholders to dilute the
negative feedback.
Answer: *A) Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to understand
their concerns and provide factual project updates. *
Rationale: Direct engagement is the most effective way to address resistance
and rebuild trust. Escalation (B) bypasses the PM's responsibility. Dismissing
feedback (C) damages credibility. Diluting communication (D) is
manipulative and ineffective.
QUESTION 4
Overview: During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that they are
consistently failing to meet their sprint commitments. The product owner is
frustrated, and the team morale is low.
Question: What should the agile project manager do?
A) Reduce the team's velocity commitment for the next sprint.
B) Facilitate a discussion to understand the root causes of the
overcommitment and adjust backlog items accordingly.
C) Ask the product owner to reduce the number of items in the backlog.
D) Extend the sprint duration to give the team more time.
, Answer: *B) Facilitate a discussion to understand the root causes of the
overcommitment and adjust backlog items accordingly. *
Rationale: The PM (as a servant-leader) should help the team inspect and
adapt. Simply reducing commitment (A) without understanding the root
cause doesn't solve the problem. Reducing backlog items (C) is a product
owner decision. Extending sprints (D) changes the cadence and doesn't
address the underlying issue.
QUESTION 5
Overview: A project manager discovers that a vendor's invoice includes
charges for work that was not authorized in the purchase order. The PM has
a good relationship with the vendor.
Question: What should the project manager do?
A) Pay the invoice to maintain the good relationship.
B) Reject the invoice and inform the vendor to resubmit with only
authorized charges.
C) Negotiate a discount on the unauthorized charges.
D) Escalate to the legal department.
Answer: *B) Reject the invoice and inform the vendor to resubmit with
only authorized charges. *
Rationale: Following contract governance is essential. Paying unauthorized
charges (A) sets a bad precedent. Negotiating a discount (C) still
acknowledges unauthorized work. Escalation (D) is premature without first
addressing the issue directly.
QUESTION 6
