PMI
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Predictive, Agile & Hybrid Project Management
Exam: PMP Exam | 60 Questions & Verified Answers
Domain 1: People
Leadership, Team Management & Stakeholders
Q1. A project manager discovers that two senior team members are in constant conflict, disrupting
team performance. What should the project manager do FIRST?
A. Escalate to senior management immediately
B. Address the conflict directly with both parties — understand the root cause, facilitate
resolution, and document the outcome
C. Remove one of the team members from the project
D. Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves itself
Answer: B. Address directly — understand root cause, facilitate resolution, document
The PMP exam emphasizes direct conflict resolution as the first step. Escalation is a last resort.
Conflict resolution techniques (in order of preference): Collaborate/Problem solve (win-win),
Compromise, Avoid (temporarily), Accommodate, Force.
Collaborating produces the best outcome. Forcing creates resentment. Avoiding lets conflict grow.
Q2. What is servant leadership in the context of agile project management?
A. Project managers making all decisions for the team
B. A leadership style where the leader focuses on serving and empowering the team —
removing impediments, facilitating rather than directing
C. Leaders being subordinate to team members in all decisions
D. A leadership style exclusive to traditional projects
Answer: B. Leader serves and empowers team — removes impediments, facilitates
Servant leadership: the leader's priority is enabling the team to perform effectively.
Scrum Master role exemplifies servant leadership — facilitates ceremonies, removes blockers,
protects team from interruptions.
Key behaviors: listen actively, build trust, foster autonomy, remove obstacles, support professional
growth.
Q3. A key stakeholder is dissatisfied with the project's progress despite regular status reports.
What should the project manager do?
, A. Continue sending the same status reports
B. Meet with the stakeholder to understand their specific concerns, adjust communication
approach to their preferences, and re-engage them
C. Escalate to the steering committee
D. Ask the stakeholder to read the reports more carefully
Answer: B. Meet, understand concerns, adjust communication, re-engage
Stakeholder management is a core PMP skill. Dissatisfied stakeholders need personal
engagement, not more reports.
Tailor communication: frequency, format, and level of detail to stakeholder needs and influence
level.
Identify stakeholder interests and concerns early. High power/high interest stakeholders need most
attention.
Q4. What is the purpose of a RACI chart in project management?
A. Tracks project risks and their probability
B. Defines roles and responsibilities — Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed —
for each project activity or deliverable
C. Manages project costs
D. Tracks resource availability
Answer: B. Defines roles/responsibilities: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed
Responsible: does the work. Accountable: owns the outcome (one per task). Consulted: provides
input. Informed: kept updated.
RACI prevents confusion about who does what and who approves what.
Only ONE person should be Accountable per task — multiple accountability = no accountability.
Q5. A team member is consistently underperforming. As the project manager, what is the BEST
initial approach?
A. Immediately escalate to HR
B. Have a private, supportive conversation to understand the root cause — training gaps,
personal issues, unclear expectations — and create a performance improvement plan
C. Assign the team member's work to other team members
D. Publicly address the performance issue in the team meeting
Answer: B. Private supportive conversation, understand root cause, create improvement
plan
PMP emphasizes empathetic, direct, private performance management.
Root causes of underperformance: unclear expectations, skill gaps, personal issues, lack of
motivation, team conflicts.
Public confrontation damages morale and trust. Ignoring it harms the project and team.
Q6. What is emotional intelligence (EI) and why is it important for project managers?
A. The ability to read financial reports accurately
B. The ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of
others — enabling better team relationships, communication, and conflict resolution
C. A technical skill for software project managers
D. The ability to memorize project management formulas
Answer: B. Recognize/manage own and others' emotions — better relationships,
communication, conflict resolution
EI components (Goleman): self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills.
, High EI project managers: build trust faster, navigate conflicts better, inspire teams, communicate
more effectively.
PMP exam increasingly tests EI and interpersonal skills alongside technical PM knowledge.
Domain 2: Process
Planning, Execution, Monitoring & Closing
Q7. What is the project charter and who creates and approves it?
A. A document created by the project manager listing tasks
B. A document created by the sponsor that formally authorizes the project, defines high-level
scope, objectives, and assigns the project manager authority
C. The project schedule in document form
D. A contract with the customer
Answer: B. Sponsor creates/approves, formally authorizes project, defines scope/objectives,
assigns PM
The project charter is the formal authorization for the project to exist.
Contents: project purpose, measurable objectives, high-level requirements, risks, milestones,
budget summary, stakeholder list, project manager name and authority.
Without a project charter, the project manager has no formal authority to allocate resources.
Q8. What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and what is its purpose?
A. A list of project team members and their work hours
B. A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into deliverables and work packages
— the foundation for scheduling, costing, and resource planning
C. A network diagram showing task sequences
D. A document describing work procedures
Answer: B. Hierarchical decomposition of scope into deliverables and work packages
WBS decomposes deliverables (not activities) into smaller, manageable work packages.
100% rule: the WBS captures 100% of the project scope — everything in the WBS is in scope;
everything not in the WBS is out of scope.
Work packages are the lowest level of the WBS — small enough to estimate, assign, and track.
Q9. What is the critical path method (CPM) and what does the critical path represent?
A. The path with the most expensive tasks
B. A network analysis technique that identifies the longest path through the project — the
minimum project duration where any delay causes an overall project delay
C. The path the project manager monitors most closely
D. The most important deliverables in the project
Answer: B. Longest path through project — minimum duration, any delay here delays the
project
Critical path: sequence of tasks with zero float (slack). Delay any critical task = delay project end
date.
Total float: the amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project end date.
Free float: amount a task can be delayed without delaying the next task's early start.
Crash/fast track: compress the schedule by adding resources or overlapping tasks on the critical
path.
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Predictive, Agile & Hybrid Project Management
Exam: PMP Exam | 60 Questions & Verified Answers
Domain 1: People
Leadership, Team Management & Stakeholders
Q1. A project manager discovers that two senior team members are in constant conflict, disrupting
team performance. What should the project manager do FIRST?
A. Escalate to senior management immediately
B. Address the conflict directly with both parties — understand the root cause, facilitate
resolution, and document the outcome
C. Remove one of the team members from the project
D. Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves itself
Answer: B. Address directly — understand root cause, facilitate resolution, document
The PMP exam emphasizes direct conflict resolution as the first step. Escalation is a last resort.
Conflict resolution techniques (in order of preference): Collaborate/Problem solve (win-win),
Compromise, Avoid (temporarily), Accommodate, Force.
Collaborating produces the best outcome. Forcing creates resentment. Avoiding lets conflict grow.
Q2. What is servant leadership in the context of agile project management?
A. Project managers making all decisions for the team
B. A leadership style where the leader focuses on serving and empowering the team —
removing impediments, facilitating rather than directing
C. Leaders being subordinate to team members in all decisions
D. A leadership style exclusive to traditional projects
Answer: B. Leader serves and empowers team — removes impediments, facilitates
Servant leadership: the leader's priority is enabling the team to perform effectively.
Scrum Master role exemplifies servant leadership — facilitates ceremonies, removes blockers,
protects team from interruptions.
Key behaviors: listen actively, build trust, foster autonomy, remove obstacles, support professional
growth.
Q3. A key stakeholder is dissatisfied with the project's progress despite regular status reports.
What should the project manager do?
, A. Continue sending the same status reports
B. Meet with the stakeholder to understand their specific concerns, adjust communication
approach to their preferences, and re-engage them
C. Escalate to the steering committee
D. Ask the stakeholder to read the reports more carefully
Answer: B. Meet, understand concerns, adjust communication, re-engage
Stakeholder management is a core PMP skill. Dissatisfied stakeholders need personal
engagement, not more reports.
Tailor communication: frequency, format, and level of detail to stakeholder needs and influence
level.
Identify stakeholder interests and concerns early. High power/high interest stakeholders need most
attention.
Q4. What is the purpose of a RACI chart in project management?
A. Tracks project risks and their probability
B. Defines roles and responsibilities — Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed —
for each project activity or deliverable
C. Manages project costs
D. Tracks resource availability
Answer: B. Defines roles/responsibilities: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed
Responsible: does the work. Accountable: owns the outcome (one per task). Consulted: provides
input. Informed: kept updated.
RACI prevents confusion about who does what and who approves what.
Only ONE person should be Accountable per task — multiple accountability = no accountability.
Q5. A team member is consistently underperforming. As the project manager, what is the BEST
initial approach?
A. Immediately escalate to HR
B. Have a private, supportive conversation to understand the root cause — training gaps,
personal issues, unclear expectations — and create a performance improvement plan
C. Assign the team member's work to other team members
D. Publicly address the performance issue in the team meeting
Answer: B. Private supportive conversation, understand root cause, create improvement
plan
PMP emphasizes empathetic, direct, private performance management.
Root causes of underperformance: unclear expectations, skill gaps, personal issues, lack of
motivation, team conflicts.
Public confrontation damages morale and trust. Ignoring it harms the project and team.
Q6. What is emotional intelligence (EI) and why is it important for project managers?
A. The ability to read financial reports accurately
B. The ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of
others — enabling better team relationships, communication, and conflict resolution
C. A technical skill for software project managers
D. The ability to memorize project management formulas
Answer: B. Recognize/manage own and others' emotions — better relationships,
communication, conflict resolution
EI components (Goleman): self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills.
, High EI project managers: build trust faster, navigate conflicts better, inspire teams, communicate
more effectively.
PMP exam increasingly tests EI and interpersonal skills alongside technical PM knowledge.
Domain 2: Process
Planning, Execution, Monitoring & Closing
Q7. What is the project charter and who creates and approves it?
A. A document created by the project manager listing tasks
B. A document created by the sponsor that formally authorizes the project, defines high-level
scope, objectives, and assigns the project manager authority
C. The project schedule in document form
D. A contract with the customer
Answer: B. Sponsor creates/approves, formally authorizes project, defines scope/objectives,
assigns PM
The project charter is the formal authorization for the project to exist.
Contents: project purpose, measurable objectives, high-level requirements, risks, milestones,
budget summary, stakeholder list, project manager name and authority.
Without a project charter, the project manager has no formal authority to allocate resources.
Q8. What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and what is its purpose?
A. A list of project team members and their work hours
B. A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into deliverables and work packages
— the foundation for scheduling, costing, and resource planning
C. A network diagram showing task sequences
D. A document describing work procedures
Answer: B. Hierarchical decomposition of scope into deliverables and work packages
WBS decomposes deliverables (not activities) into smaller, manageable work packages.
100% rule: the WBS captures 100% of the project scope — everything in the WBS is in scope;
everything not in the WBS is out of scope.
Work packages are the lowest level of the WBS — small enough to estimate, assign, and track.
Q9. What is the critical path method (CPM) and what does the critical path represent?
A. The path with the most expensive tasks
B. A network analysis technique that identifies the longest path through the project — the
minimum project duration where any delay causes an overall project delay
C. The path the project manager monitors most closely
D. The most important deliverables in the project
Answer: B. Longest path through project — minimum duration, any delay here delays the
project
Critical path: sequence of tasks with zero float (slack). Delay any critical task = delay project end
date.
Total float: the amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project end date.
Free float: amount a task can be delayed without delaying the next task's early start.
Crash/fast track: compress the schedule by adding resources or overlapping tasks on the critical
path.
