PMP: Project Management Professional Practice Exam

What the PMP exam covers

• People302 questions
• Process240 questions
• Business Environment174 questions

Free PMP practice test questions

A sample of 10 questions with answers and explanations. A free account includes a fixed set of 20 practice questions for this exam, retryable anytime. Paid access unlocks the full 716-question bank.

1. Question 1Business Environment

   During project selection, a finance stakeholder asks the project manager to explain the term 'payback period' as used in the business case. What is the BEST description?

   • AThe percentage return the project is expected to generate over its full lifetime
   • BThe amount by which project benefits exceed costs in present-day dollars
   • CThe length of time required for the project's cumulative benefits to equal its initial investmentCorrect
   • DThe ratio of the project's total benefits to its total costs
   ✓ Correct answer: C

   It is a simple time-based measure used alongside NPV and IRR to gauge how quickly an investment recovers its cost, which is often important when cash flow timing matters as much as total return.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AThis describes the internal rate of return (IRR), not the payback period.
   • BThis describes net present value (NPV), which measures value in money, not time.
   • DThis describes a benefit-cost ratio, a different metric from payback period.
2. Question 2Process

   A project's approved schedule shows that by today's date, work worth 50,000 should have been completed, regardless of what has actually been accomplished. What EVM term describes this 50,000 figure?

   • APlanned value (PV)Correct
   • BEarned value (EV)
   • CActual cost (AC)
   • DBudget at completion (BAC)
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   Planned value is the authorized, time-phased budget for the work scheduled to be done by a given point in time, independent of what work has actually been completed.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BEarned value is the budgeted value of work actually completed, not the value that was scheduled.
   • CActual cost is the real money spent so far, unrelated to the schedule baseline.
   • DBudget at completion is the total budget for the entire project, not a value tied to today's date.
3. Question 3Process

   On a scrum team, who has the authority to decide the order in which items appear in the product backlog?

   • AThe project manager, acting alone
   • BThe product owner, informed by stakeholder input and business valueCorrect
   • CThe development team, based on technical preference
   • DThe change control board
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   The product owner is accountable for maximizing the value delivered by the team and decides backlog order based on business value, stakeholder input, and dependencies, while the development team estimates and executes the work.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AThe project manager or scrum master facilitates the process but does not own backlog prioritization decisions.
   • CThe development team estimates and delivers items but does not set business priority order.
   • DA change control board handles formal change requests, not routine backlog ordering.
4. Question 4People

   A distributed team lead asks for authority to approve routine weekly status reports before they go to stakeholders, instead of routing each one through the project manager. What is the best response?

   • AKeep approving each report but use a checklist so reviews go faster
   • BDelegate the approval and agree which items still need escalatingCorrect
   • CAsk the sponsor whether the team lead may approve stakeholder reports
   • DReplace the reports with a dashboard that stakeholders read directly
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   Delegating routine, low-risk work frees the project manager for work only they can do, and the July 2026 ECO lists empowering the team. Agreeing which items must still be escalated keeps reporting aligned with sponsor and stakeholder expectations. A checklist keeps the bottleneck, the sponsor's permission is not needed for a delegation within the project manager's own role, and replacing reports changes what stakeholders asked to receive.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AA checklist speeds the review but keeps every report waiting on the project manager.
   • CWho approves routine project reports is within the project manager's own authority to delegate.
   • DA dashboard may help later, but it changes the reporting stakeholders expect without addressing the request.
5. Question 5People

   A team member believes a recurring conflict with a peer comes from the different ways the two of them share information and react to input, not from disagreement about the work. What is the BEST way for the project manager to help?

   • AFacilitate a conversation in which each explains how they prefer to workCorrect
   • BUpdate the communications management plan with each person's preferred channel
   • CHave the two exchange written updates at handoffs to limit direct friction
   • DAssign a third team member to coordinate the work passing between the two
   ✓ Correct answer: A

   When a conflict comes from style rather than substance, the source is a mismatch in expectations between two people. Helping them talk about how each prefers to share information and receive input addresses that source directly, which the ECO describes as identifying conflict sources and supporting the team's varied perspectives.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • BRecording channel preferences in a plan does not help the two people understand each other's styles.
   • CMoving to written handoffs reduces contact but avoids the friction instead of resolving it.
   • DAn intermediary works around the conflict and adds a dependency without improving the relationship.
6. Question 6People

   A Scrum team's velocity has fallen by about 30 percent over the last two Sprints, and the product owner is worried about the release date. What should the Scrum Master do FIRST?

   • AHelp the product owner re-plan the release using the new figure
   • BAsk the product owner to drop lower-value items from the release
   • CPropose shorter Sprints so problems become visible sooner
   • DHelp the team examine what is behind the recent slowdownCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D

   A sudden velocity drop usually signals an impediment, a change in the team or a change in the work. The 2020 Scrum Guide gives the Scrum Master the job of 'Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team's progress', and the July 2026 ECO asks for the impact of impediments to be evaluated, so the cause is found with the team before the plan or the scope is changed.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • ARe-planning on the lower figure may be needed later, but doing it first treats a possibly temporary drop as the new normal.
   • BDropping scope is the product owner's call once the cause and forecast are understood, not a first step.
   • CChanging Sprint length alters the team's cadence without addressing whatever is slowing the work.
7. Question 7People

   While facilitating a retrospective, the Scrum Master has a strong personal view about which process change the team should adopt. What is the BEST approach?

   • AShare her view at the start so the team has an expert reference point
   • BFacilitate neutrally and offer her view as one input if the team asks for itCorrect
   • CPropose her preferred change as a one-sprint experiment for the team
   • DSummarize the options and recommend the one with the strongest evidence
   ✓ Correct answer: B

   A facilitator's job is to help the group reach its own decision. PMI's facilitation guidance describes the facilitator as a content-neutral person who guides the group to consensus using effective processes, and the 2020 Scrum Guide asks the Scrum Master to coach the team in self-management. Leading with her own preference, even in a soft form, would steer the outcome.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AStating her view first anchors the discussion and makes it harder for team members to argue for other options.
   • CFraming her preference as an experiment is still advocacy; it puts her option ahead of the ones the team raised.
   • DA recommendation from the facilitator steers the decision, even when it is framed around evidence.
8. Question 8Process

   For five sprints, a team has ended each sprint with unfinished stories that carry over to the next one. The stories are refined before planning, and the team's velocity is steady. What is the most likely underlying issue?

   • AThe stories are too large to be completed within a single sprint by the team
   • BThe Daily Scrum is not being used to adapt the plan toward the Sprint Goal
   • CThe team selects more work at Sprint Planning than its velocity supportsCorrect
   • DThe Definition of Done is being changed partway through each of the sprints
   ✓ Correct answer: C

   When velocity is steady, the team reliably completes about the same amount each sprint, so repeated carry-over means the amount selected keeps exceeding that rate. The Scrum Guide ties confident Sprint forecasts to past performance and upcoming capacity, so the fix is to select closer to demonstrated velocity.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • ARefined stories are already broken down before planning; oversized stories would also show up as erratic velocity.
   • BPoor use of the Daily Scrum can hurt a sprint, but it would not explain a steady velocity with consistent carry-over.
   • DA shifting Definition of Done would make completed work vary, not produce steady velocity with steady carry-over.
9. Question 9People

   After the team adopted a shared dashboard that updates task status in real time, the project manager cut back the number of formal status meetings. Which practice does this reflect?

   • AShifting status reporting from interactive to push methods
   • BReporting only variances under management by exception
   • CMoving the status review into the sprint retrospective
   • DRadiating information so status is visible without askingCorrect
   ✓ Correct answer: D

   PMI's Lexicon defines an information radiator as a visible display that provides information to others, enabling timely knowledge sharing. When anyone can see current status at a glance, fewer meetings are needed just to exchange status, and the remaining meetings can focus on discussion and decisions.

   Why the other options are wrong

   • AA dashboard that people view when they choose is closer to pull than push; push sends information to recipients.
   • BManagement by exception reports only deviations from thresholds; a dashboard showing all task status is not limited to exceptions.
   • CThe retrospective is for improving how the team works, not for reviewing task status.
10. Question 10Process

    During closure, the project manager gathers the final project management plan, requirements documentation, and change log. What should be done with these documents?

    • AArchive them in the organization's records system under its retention policyCorrect
    • BHand them to the operations team that will support the delivered product
    • CLeave them in the project's shared workspace for the team to reference
    • DAttach them to the final report that goes to the sponsor at closure
    ✓ Correct answer: A

    The July 2026 ECO lists helping ensure artifacts are created, reviewed, updated, and documented, helping ensure accessibility of artifacts, and concluding closure activities. Archiving the final documents in the organization's records system under its retention rules keeps an authoritative history that audits and future projects can find.

    Why the other options are wrong

    • BOperations needs support documentation, but project management records such as the change log belong in the organization's archive.
    • CA working space is not a controlled archive; it may be cleaned up or lose access once the team disbands.
    • DA report attachment is not a controlled, retrievable record under the organization's retention rules.

Who this PMP practice exam is for

This practice set is for anyone preparing for the PMP: Project Management Professional exam at the advanced level - from first-time candidates building a foundation to experienced Project & Service Management practitioners doing a final review before test day. If you learn best by working through realistic questions and reading why each answer is right or wrong, it is built for you.

How to use this PMP practice exam

1. Start with the free sample questions above to gauge your current baseline.
2. Read the full explanation on every question, including why each wrong option is wrong.
3. Track your weak domains and focus your study where you are losing the most marks.
4. Once you are scoring consistently well, take a timed, full-length mock exam.
5. Use your readiness score to decide when you are ready to book the real PMP exam.

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