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Free CAPM Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CAPM practice test to study every exam domain.

These 10 free CAPM questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Associate in Project Management blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.

Domain 1: Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts

Question 1

A pharmaceutical company is developing a new medication that must comply with FDA regulations. The requirements are well-documented due to regulatory constraints, the technology is established, and any changes to the formula require extensive re-testing and regulatory approval. Which project life cycle would be MOST appropriate?

  1. Adaptive, because pharmaceutical development requires frequent experimentation and iteration
  2. Iterative, because the medication formula can be refined through multiple cycles of testing
  3. Predictive, because requirements are stable, regulatory compliance requires extensive documentation, and changes are costly
  4. Hybrid, combining adaptive sprints for research with predictive phases for regulatory compliance
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Predictive, because requirements are stable, regulatory compliance requires extensive documentation, and changes are costly

Question 2

A project manager is assigned to lead a project in a balanced matrix organization. The project requires specialized technical resources from three different functional departments. The project manager is having difficulty getting timely commitment from these resources. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

  1. The project manager has almost no authority in a balanced matrix and should escalate to the project sponsor
  2. Functional managers retain significant authority over resources and may prioritize departmental work over project needs
  3. The project lacks a project charter, which would give the project manager full authority over all resources
  4. Resources in a balanced matrix organization report only to their functional managers and never to project managers
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Functional managers retain significant authority over resources and may prioritize departmental work over project needs

Question 3

During project execution, a key stakeholder requests a change that would add valuable functionality but also increase the project timeline by three weeks and the budget by $45,000. The project is currently on schedule and on budget. What should the project manager do FIRST?

  1. Implement the change immediately since the stakeholder is important and the functionality is valuable
  2. Reject the change because the project is currently on schedule and on budget, and changes should be avoided
  3. Document the change request with impact analysis and submit it through the formal change control process for evaluation
  4. Negotiate with the stakeholder to reduce the scope of the change to avoid timeline and budget impacts
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Document the change request with impact analysis and submit it through the formal change control process for evaluation

Domain 2: Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies

Question 4

A project has a Budget at Completion (BAC) of $500,000. After 6 months, $200,000 has been spent (AC), and the project is 35% complete. What is the project's Cost Performance Index (CPI), and what does it indicate?

  1. CPI = 0.875, indicating the project is over budget and getting $0.875 worth of work for every dollar spent
  2. CPI = 1.14, indicating the project is under budget and getting $1.14 worth of work for every dollar spent
  3. CPI = 0.571, indicating the project is significantly over budget and getting $0.571 worth of work for every dollar spent
  4. CPI = 1.75, indicating the project is under budget and getting $1.75 worth of work for every dollar spent
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - CPI = 0.875, indicating the project is over budget and getting $0.875 worth of work for every dollar spent

Question 5

A project network diagram shows Path A: 12 days, Path B: 15 days, and Path C: 13 days. Activity D has a total float of 2 days. The project manager needs to fast-track the schedule by 3 days. Which approach would be MOST effective?

  1. Crash Activity D by adding resources, since it has float available and appears on multiple paths
  2. Fast-track Path B by performing some of its activities in parallel, since it is the critical path
  3. Crash activities on Path A since it is the shortest path and therefore easiest to compress
  4. Add three days of lag to non-critical activities to create more flexibility in the schedule
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Fast-track Path B by performing some of its activities in parallel, since it is the critical path

Domain 3: Agile Frameworks/Methodologies

Question 6

During a sprint, several team members approach the Product Owner directly with technical implementation questions about user stories in the current sprint backlog. The Product Owner is spending significant time answering these questions. What should the Scrum Master do?

  1. Tell the team members to stop interrupting the Product Owner and figure out the technical details themselves
  2. Coach the team that technical implementation questions should be resolved within the development team, while the Product Owner focuses on 'what' and 'why' rather than 'how'
  3. Ask the Product Owner to create detailed technical specifications for all user stories before sprint planning to prevent these questions
  4. Assign a technical lead from the development team to answer all technical questions instead of the Product Owner
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Coach the team that technical implementation questions should be resolved within the development team, while the Product Owner focuses on 'what' and 'why' rather than 'how'

Question 7

A Scrum team is in sprint planning. The Product Owner wants to include a user story that has been estimated at 8 story points but has no acceptance criteria defined. What should happen?

  1. Include the story in the sprint since it has been estimated, and the team can define acceptance criteria during the sprint
  2. Do not include the story because it does not meet the Definition of Ready; acceptance criteria must be defined before sprint planning
  3. Include the story but reduce the estimate to 5 story points to account for the missing acceptance criteria
  4. Ask the Scrum Master to define the acceptance criteria during the sprint so the team can proceed
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Do not include the story because it does not meet the Definition of Ready; acceptance criteria must be defined before sprint planning

Question 8

At the end of a sprint retrospective, the Scrum team has identified three process improvements they want to implement: (1) adding automated testing to reduce bugs, (2) improving story refinement to reduce planning time, and (3) enhancing team communication through daily design sessions. What should the team do NEXT?

  1. Implement all three improvements immediately in the next sprint to maximize process improvement
  2. Prioritize the improvements, select one or two to focus on, and create a concrete action plan with owners
  3. Document all three improvements in the lessons learned register and revisit them in three months
  4. Ask the Scrum Master to implement all improvements while the team focuses on sprint work
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Prioritize the improvements, select one or two to focus on, and create a concrete action plan with owners

Domain 4: Business Analysis Frameworks

Question 9

A business analyst needs to gather requirements for a new customer portal from 200+ stakeholders across 15 departments, each with different needs and priorities. The project timeline is tight, and the BA needs to quickly identify common requirements while building consensus. Which requirements gathering technique would be MOST effective?

  1. Conduct individual interviews with all 200 stakeholders to ensure everyone's voice is heard
  2. Send a detailed questionnaire to all stakeholders and analyze the quantitative results to identify patterns
  3. Facilitate a series of cross-functional workshops with representatives from each department to rapidly gather and prioritize requirements
  4. Perform document analysis on existing systems and business processes to extract requirements
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Facilitate a series of cross-functional workshops with representatives from each department to rapidly gather and prioritize requirements

Question 10

An organization is launching a new mobile app and has assigned both a Product Manager and a Product Owner (Agile) to the initiative. The Product Manager is confused about how the roles differ. Which statement BEST describes the distinction?

  1. The Product Manager owns the tactical sprint backlog and daily priorities, while the Product Owner owns the strategic product vision and roadmap
  2. The Product Manager focuses on the strategic product vision, market positioning, and long-term roadmap, while the Product Owner focuses on maximizing product value and managing the tactical product backlog
  3. They are the same role with different titles; organizations should choose one or the other to avoid confusion
  4. The Product Manager reports to the Product Owner and executes the detailed product decisions made by the Product Owner
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - The Product Manager focuses on the strategic product vision, market positioning, and long-term roadmap, while the Product Owner focuses on maximizing product value and managing the tactical product backlog

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