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10 beginner questions on the three domains of the PMP Examination Content Outline 2026: People, Process and Business Environment. They cover team ground rules, tailored communication, knowledge transfer, the work breakdown structure, the critical path, the cost performance index, project closure, change control, risks that become issues and lessons learned.
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On a new project, team members keep interrupting each other and arriving late to meetings, and tension is growing. What should the project manager do?
- A. Escalate every incident to the sponsor and HR right away
- B. Set team ground rules together and address violations ✔ correct
- C. Replace the team members who interrupt most
- D. Ignore it, because conflicts resolve themselves
Answer: B. The outline's Manage conflicts task includes establishing an environment that fosters adherence to common ground rules and managing ground rule violations. Escalating, replacing people or ignoring the problem skips these steps.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/new-pmp-examination- · Domain: People
A project manager sends the same detailed technical report to every stakeholder, and the executives say it is too long to be useful. What should the project manager do?
- A. Tailor communication to each stakeholder's needs ✔ correct
- B. Stop sending reports to the executives
- C. Send the same report more often so each one is shorter
- D. Ask the executives to read the full report
Answer: A. The outline's Engage stakeholders task includes analyzing stakeholders and tailoring communication to their needs, for example a short summary for executives and full detail for the technical team.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/new-pmp-examination- · Domain: People
A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the project work that organizes and defines the total scope of the project.
- A. True ✔ correct
- B. False
Answer: A. True. The WBS breaks the total scope into smaller, more manageable components, level by level, down to work packages. Each lower level gives a more detailed definition of the project work.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/practice-standard-sc · Domain: Process
A project manager needs to know which sequence of schedule activities determines the shortest possible duration of the project. What is this sequence called?
- A. The critical path ✔ correct
- B. The work breakdown structure
- C. The resource histogram
- D. The project charter
Answer: A. The critical path is generally the longest path through the schedule network and therefore determines the project duration. A delay to a critical path activity usually delays the whole project.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/practice-standard-sc · Domain: Process
A project has an earned value (EV) of 80,000 and an actual cost (AC) of 100,000. What does the cost performance index (CPI) show?
- A. CPI is 1.25, so the project is under budget
- B. CPI is 0.8, so the project is over budget ✔ correct
- C. CPI is 0.8, so the project is ahead of schedule
- D. CPI is 20,000, so the project is on budget
Answer: B. CPI = EV / AC = 80,000 / 100,000 = 0.8. A CPI below 1 means less value was earned than money was spent, so the project is over budget. Schedule status needs SPI = EV / PV.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/practice-standard-sc · Domain: Process
A senior engineer who holds key design knowledge will leave the project next month. Which action best follows the PMP Examination Content Outline?
- A. Wait until the engineer leaves, then hire a replacement
- B. Identify critical knowledge and plan its transfer now ✔ correct
- C. Ask the engineer to finish all remaining work alone
- D. Remove the engineer's tasks from the project scope
Answer: B. The outline's Help ensure knowledge transfer task includes identifying knowledge critical to the project, gathering it and fostering knowledge transfer, for example through documentation or pairing before the person leaves.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/new-pmp-examination- · Domain: People
Which two activities belong to closing a project or phase? (Select TWO)
- A. Obtain stakeholder approval that the work is complete ✔ correct
- B. Develop the project charter
- C. Conduct final lessons learned ✔ correct
- D. Create the initial work breakdown structure
- E. Identify stakeholders for the first time
Answer: A, C. The Manage project closure task includes obtaining stakeholder approval of completion, validating readiness for transition and concluding activities such as final lessons learned, procurement and financials. The other items happen early in a project.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/new-pmp-examination- · Domain: Process
Midway through a predictive project, a stakeholder asks the team to add a new report to the agreed scope. What should the project manager do?
- A. Add it, since the stakeholder is important
- B. Refuse, since the scope is already baselined
- C. Handle it through the change control process ✔ correct
- D. Ask a developer to add it quietly in spare time
Answer: C. The Manage and control changes task means executing the change control process: assess the impact, get a decision, then implement approved changes and update project documents. Unmanaged additions cause scope creep.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/new-pmp-examination- · Domain: Business Environment
A risk in the risk register, a key supplier delivering late, has now actually happened. How should the project manager treat it?
- A. As a new risk to add and analyze in the risk register
- B. As an issue to log and resolve with stakeholders ✔ correct
- C. As an assumption to add to the project charter
- D. As a lesson learned to record at closure only
Answer: B. A risk is an uncertain future event; once it has occurred it is an issue. The outline asks you to recognize when a risk becomes an issue and to collaborate with stakeholders to resolve it, often using the planned response.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/new-pmp-examination- · Domain: Business Environment
At the end of a project, the team has valuable lessons learned that could help future projects in the organization. What should the project manager do with them?
- A. Keep them only in the project manager's personal notes
- B. Add them to the next project's risk register
- C. Discard them once the project closes
- D. Update the organizational process assets (OPAs) ✔ correct
Answer: D. The Continuous improvement task includes using lessons learned and updating organizational process assets (OPAs), such as a lessons learned repository, so future projects in the organization can benefit.
Source: www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/new-pmp-examination- · Domain: Business Environment
Original practice questions written by xOps School (DevOpsSchool Private Limited) from the public PMI exam objectives (PMP Examination Content Outline 2026 (July 2026 exam update)), checked 2026-10-25. They are not actual exam questions. xOps School is not affiliated with or endorsed by PMI; exam names are trademarks of their owners. Official exam page: www.pmi.org/certifications/project-management-pmp.