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Free APICS CPIM Examination Practice Questions

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Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the APICS CPIM Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

  1. 1In competitive strategy, what makes a characteristic an order qualifier?

    1. A. It causes buyers to prefer the firm over competing offers.
    2. B. It must meet a threshold for the firm to be considered.
    3. C. It measures the firm's performance against industry peers.
    4. D. It identifies a capability that rivals cannot copy.

    Answer: B

    Explanation: The ASCM definition says order qualifiers are "Those competitive characteristics that a firm must exhibit to be a viable competitor in the marketplace." The characteristic permits consideration; it need not be the reason the buyer selects the firm.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Order qualifiers entry

  2. 2Which combination of plans is brought together by sales and operations planning (S&OP)?

    1. A. Sales, marketing, development, manufacturing, sourcing, and financial plans
    2. B. Only manufacturing, maintenance, and work-center dispatch plans
    3. C. Only purchasing, receiving, and warehouse location plans
    4. D. Only cash receipts, payments, and financial closing plans

    Answer: A

    Explanation: ASCM says S&OP "brings together all the plans for the business (sales, marketing, development, manufacturing, sourcing, and financial) into one integrated set of plans." The narrower combinations omit major functions that S&OP reconciles.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Sales and operations planning (S&OP) entry

  3. 3A planner groups customers with similar needs before setting service policies. Which activity does this grouping represent?

    1. A. Customer segmentation
    2. B. Customer order allocation
    3. C. Product family scheduling
    4. D. Supplier qualification

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The dictionary defines customer segmentation as "dividing a customer base into groups of individuals who are similar in specific ways relevant to marketing." Grouping customers by relevant needs fits that practice.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Customer segmentation entry, PDF text lines 6255-6259

  4. 4Which statement describes the master production schedule's information at the item level?

    1. A. It estimates sales without any planned build dates
    2. B. It states planned builds by configuration, quantity, and date
    3. C. It records only actual customer shipments
    4. D. It lists only supplier purchase prices

    Answer: B

    Explanation: The dictionary says the MPS "represents what the company plans to produce, expressed in specific configurations, quantities, and dates." It is a build plan rather than a sales forecast alone.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Master production schedule entry, PDF text lines 15672-15680

  5. 5A patented component can be supplied by only one organization because no other firm can legally offer it. Which sourcing situation is this?

    1. A. Single sourcing
    2. B. Dual sourcing
    3. C. Multisourcing
    4. D. Sole source

    Answer: D

    Explanation: The dictionary defines sole source as supply "available from only one organization" and identifies patents as a possible barrier. The choice is constrained by availability.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Sole source entry, PDF text lines 25110-25113

  6. 6An inventory planner ranks items by annual dollar volume before assigning A, B, and C classes. Which segmentation method is being used?

    1. A. ABC classification
    2. B. Cycle counting
    3. C. Lot tracing
    4. D. Pipeline scheduling

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The dictionary defines ABC classification as grouping items in "decreasing order of annual dollar volume" and splitting them into A, B, and C classes.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — ABC classification entry, PDF text lines 156-159

  7. 7A job has arrived at a work center but waits before setup or processing starts. Which manufacturing lead-time element is accumulating?

    1. A. Queue time
    2. B. Run time
    3. C. Move time
    4. D. Inspection time

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The dictionary defines queue time as "The amount of time a job waits at a work center before setup or work is performed on the job." The waiting job is accumulating queue time.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Queue time entry, PDF text lines 21881-21884

  8. 8Which facility is typically a finished-goods warehouse designed for rapid demand-driven shipments to retailers, wholesalers, or customers?

    1. A. A production work center
    2. B. A raw-material supplier
    3. C. A distribution center
    4. D. An engineering laboratory

    Answer: C

    Explanation: The dictionary describes a distribution center as "a finished goods warehouse designed for demand-driven rapid distribution" to those destinations.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Distribution center entry, PDF text lines 7933-7937

  9. 9A quality team ranks discrete defect categories by frequency to identify the vital few that account for most occurrences. Which tool directly supports that prioritization?

    1. A. Pareto analysis
    2. B. A histogram
    3. C. A check sheet
    4. D. A control chart

    Answer: A

    Explanation: The dictionary says Pareto analysis is used "to separate the vital few from the trivial many." Ranking defect categories by occurrence serves that prioritization; a histogram displays a distribution, a check sheet records events, and a control chart monitors process variation.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Pareto analysis entry, PDF text lines 18616-18618

  10. 10A firm finishes products before receiving customer orders and fills those orders from existing inventory. Which production environment does this describe?

    1. A. Make-to-order
    2. B. Assemble-to-order
    3. C. Make-to-stock
    4. D. Configure-to-order

    Answer: C

    Explanation: ASCM defines make-to-stock as an environment where products "are finished before receipt of a customer order" and orders are filled from existing stocks. The other choices delay making or assembling the final item until an order arrives.

    Reference: ASCM Supply Chain Dictionary, 18th edition — Make-to-stock (MTS) entry

Topics in this practice bank

These topics describe the available practice for APICS CPIM Examination. Review the examination outline and its sources for scope and allocation details.

  • Align the Supply Chain to Support the Business Strategy
    • Understand the Business Environment and Corporate Strategy
    • Comprehend, Align, and Implement Functional and Operational Strategies
    • Design Processes to Align with Strategic Goals
    • Define and Monitor Key Performance Indicators to Evaluate Strategic Goals
    • Identify and Manage Supply Chain Risks
    • Support Sustainability Goals
  • Conduct Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) to Support Strategy
    • Understand the Role of the S&OP Process in the Organization
    • Evaluate the Aggregate Demand Plan
    • Evaluate the Aggregate Supply Plan
    • Reconcile Portfolio, Demand, Supply, and Financial Plans
  • Plan and Manage Demand
    • Support Customer Needs and Specifications
    • Understand Marketing and Product Management Considerations
    • Evaluate Sources of Demand
    • Support Demand Forecast Processes
    • Evaluate Forecast Performance and Respond to Demand Variation or Changes
  • Plan and Manage Internal Supply Sources
    • Support Master Scheduling Processes
    • Develop a Rough-Cut Capacity Plan
    • Manage the Material Requirements Plan
    • Support the Final Assembly Scheduling Processes
    • Monitor Product Costs
    • Manage Changes and Supply Disruptions
  • Plan and Manage External Supply Sources
    • Understand Supplier Selection Processes
    • Perform Supplier Relationship Management
    • Purchase/Procure Goods and Services
    • Manage Supplier Changes and Disruptions
  • Plan and Manage Inventory
    • Inventory Planning
    • Inventory Management
    • Monitor and Manage Inventory Costs
    • Inventory Control
    • Manage Returns and Product Disposition
  • Plan, Manage, and Execute Detailed Schedules
    • Plan Detailed Schedules
    • Create Production and Labor Schedules
    • Implement and Manage Detailed Schedules
  • Plan and Manage Distribution
    • Plan Distribution
    • Manage Customer Orders
  • Manage Quality, Continuous Improvement, and Technology
    • Manage Quality
    • Manage Continuous Improvement
    • Manage Technology

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These are independent study questions, not actual examination items. For examination requirements and official information, view APICS CPIM Examination details.