Free PECB Certified PSM Basic Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the PECB Certified PSM Basic practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A project team is in the initial phase of the worry curve before it has examined the project's risks. Which behavior best characterizes this phase?

   1. A.Assuming minor issues can wait because time seems abundant.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Relying on a shared plan to address identified project risks.
   3. C.Feeling concern about progress without a clear basis for it.
   4. D.Taking urgent recovery steps while cost and quality suffer.

   Explanation: Project Success describes the initial phase as one where "everything feels on track, and minor issues are ignored" because there seems to be time. It contrasts this with emerging concerns and eventual panic as deadlines approach.

   Reference: Advantages of the Project Success Method — Shifting the Worry Curve

2. 2A sponsor needs a document to formally authorize a new project and give its manager authority to use organizational resources for project activities. Which document serves this purpose?

   1. A.Project management plan
   2. B.Project schedule
   3. C.Project budget
   4. D.Project charterCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: The PMI lexicon defines the project charter as "A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities." That is the authorization the sponsor needs.

   Reference: PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms — Version 5.0, page 21, project charter

3. 3During project planning, a team assigns one person as the single point of contact who will ensure a particular activity is completed, although others may perform its work. Which role is being assigned?

   1. A.Project manager
   2. B.Activity managerCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Functional manager
   4. D.Resource manager

   Explanation: Project Success states, "The activity manager agrees to make sure the work gets done." It adds that the individual need not perform the physical labor and serves as the single point of contact.

   Reference: Gray Is A Color You Want To Avoid — page 2, activity ownership and work breakdown

4. 4On a facility project, equipment installation cannot start until the foundation inspection has finished. Which logical relationship directly represents this dependency?

   1. A.Finish-to-finish
   2. B.Start-to-start
   3. C.Finish-to-startCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Start-to-finish

   Explanation: The PMI lexicon defines finish-to-start as "A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has finished." Installation is the successor and inspection is the predecessor.

   Reference: PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms — Version 5.0, finish-to-start

5. 5To estimate the duration of a new installation, a planner uses the actual duration of a comparable installation completed previously. Which estimating technique is the planner using?

   1. A.Analogous estimatingCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Bottom-up estimating
   3. C.Parametric estimating
   4. D.Multipoint estimating

   Explanation: The PMI lexicon defines analogous estimating as "A technique for estimating the duration, cost, or required resources for an activity or project using historical data from a similar activity or project." The planner is using a similar completed activity as the basis.

   Reference: PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms — Version 5.0, page 2, analogous estimating

6. 6Four independent paths start together and must all finish before project completion. Path A takes 3 then 4 days; path B takes 5 then 4 days; path C takes 4 then 4 days; path D takes 3 then 3 days. With no other constraints, which path is critical?

   1. A.Path A
   2. B.Path BCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Path C
   4. D.Path D

   Explanation: The lexicon defines the critical path as "The sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible duration." The path durations are A = 7, B = 9, C = 8, and D = 6 days, so B is longest.

   Reference: PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms — Version 5.0, critical path

7. 7To shorten a project without changing its scope, the team overlaps two phases that were previously planned in sequence. Which compression technique is the team applying?

   1. A.Resource smoothing
   2. B.Resource leveling
   3. C.Fast trackingCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Crashing

   Explanation: The PMI lexicon describes fast tracking as "A schedule compression technique in which activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least a portion of their duration." The team overlaps phases that had been sequential.

   Reference: PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms — Version 5.0, fast tracking

8. 8To analyze workforce needs, a planner assigns named categories of personnel and equipment to scheduled project activities. Which process is the planner performing?

   1. A.Budget loading
   2. B.Cost loading
   3. C.Resource loadingCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Resource leveling

   Explanation: NASA defines resource loading as "The process of assigning specific resources (i.e., workforce, materials, equipment, etc.) to a schedule activity or a group of activities for the purposes of estimating Program or project duration, cost, feasibility, and workforce planning." The planner is making those activity assignments.

   Reference: NASA Program Planning and Control Glossary — Resource Loading

9. 9A project review finds that work is already deviating from the approved plan. The manager directs an action intended to realign current performance with that plan. What type of action is this?

   1. A.Preventive action
   2. B.Corrective actionCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Risk acceptance
   4. D.Risk transference

   Explanation: The PMI lexicon defines corrective action as "An intentional activity that realigns the performance of the project work with the project management plan." The manager is addressing an existing deviation.

   Reference: PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms — Version 5.0, corrective action

10. 10A team uses a three-phase method: it charters the project, develops its schedule, then monitors and updates the plan. Which phase sequence corresponds to those activities?

    1. A.Plan, define, control
    2. B.Control, plan, define
    3. C.Define, plan, controlCorrect answer: C
    4. D.Define, control, plan

    Explanation: The method describes a repeatable way to "define, plan, and control projects – together." Its phase list places chartering in Define, scheduling in Plan, and monitoring and updating in Control.

    Reference: The Project Success Method — What Is The Project Success Method? and How It Works