PM Test Center

George, one of your co-workers, is applying to take the PMP® exam. When you ask him about the process, he tells you that although he does not have enough experience to qualify, he is simply increasing his actual project hours to fill any gaps. You know this is wrong and the best thing for you to do is:

A. Tell his manager that he is being unethical
B. Confront him and recommend that he apply for the CAPM® exam instead
C. Notify PMI® directly
D. Do nothing

Answer: C. Notify PMI® directly
Although confronting him or telling his manager seem appropriate, the best thing for you to do is to contact PMI®. As a general rule, the safest bet is to report unethical behavior directly to the governing body, and in this case, it happens to be PMI®.

While working as a project manager for your company, you travel to another country to meet with the client. During that visit, the client gives you a package and tells you that it is customary in their country to offer gifts. However, your company policy does not allow you to accept gifts. Therefore, you should:

A. Refuse the gift
B. Accept the gift anyway
C. Refuse the gift at first but accept it if the client insists
D. Accept the gift and notify your manager

Answer: D. Accept the gift and notify your manager
Although you should refuse gifts as a general rule, if it is customary for someone in another country to offer a gift, simply accept it and notify your manager. This is the only exception to the rule of not accepting any gifts since it could potentially be a conflict of interest.

Sally is the project manager for a building restoration project. She is also part of the team that decides which vendor they will be selecting to redo the exterior. Bill, her good friend of ten years, happens to be one of the vendors bidding on the project and asks Sally about the budget. Sally should:

A. Give Bill the information he needs so he does not submit a bid that is over the budget.
B. Notify all vendors of the budget so none of them have a distinct advantage.
C. Refuse to give Bill the budget information.
D. Give Bill a range of where the budget may fall so you can help him without disclosing the exact budget.

Answer: C. Refuse to give Bill the budget information.
This is a conflict of interest. Sally should keep the vendor selection process separate from conversations she has with her friend.

While working on a project to relocate hazardous materials from one location to another, you are asked to work with the company’s risk manager to monitor how the project may impact the communities during and after the project. The professional responsibility term that describes this :

A. Conflict of interest
B. Probability and impact matrix
C. Unethical behavior
D. Social-economic-environmental-sustainability

Answer: D. Social-economic-environmental-sustainability
Social-economic-environmental-sustainability means that the project may produce effects long after its completion.

You are working for a new company and your new boss asks you to show him a requirements document from your previous company. What is the best thing for you to do?

A. Provide the requirements document since you are supposed to learn from previous projects.
B. Do nothing and hope he forgets that he asked.
C. Tell your new boss that it is unethical for you to provide anything from a previous employer.
D. Tell your new boss that you will provide him with the requirements document after you remove all confidential information.

Answer: D. Tell your new boss that you will provide him with the requirements document after you remove all confidential information.
You are expected to share best practices but you must be certain not to break confidentiality. Although you could decline to share, the more appropriate action would be to purge the document of anything that is identifiable with the previous employer and treating it as a historical document that can be learned from.

Danielle is the project manager for a public water organization. During the testing phase, she learns that there are contaminants in the water left from her construction project. Danielle consults her environmental experts and they claim that there is very little risk of any sickness. What is the best thing for Danielle to do?

A. Inform the public that the water is safe but they should boil the water before drinking.
B. Inform the public and perform a more detailed examination to locate the root of the problem.
C. Inform the public of the water treatment process and your organization’s safety record.
D. Do nothing because there is low risk for sickness.

Answer: B. Inform the public and perform a more detailed examination to locate the root of the problem.
Managing expectations, even for the public, is key to any project or organization. In this case, the problem also requires remediation to ensure that the problem can be solved to prevent continued issues with the water.

As a PMP, you are responsible for all of the following except:

A. Ensuring that the PMBOK® Guide is strictly enforced
B. Meeting the scope of the project
C. Providing accurate estimates to superiors
D. Keeping confidential information from leaking

Answer: A. Ensuring that the PMBOK® Guide is strictly enforced
The PMBOK® Guide is simply a recommended standard and not meant for project managers to follow strictly.

Your company secured a contract with a client overseas and you are expected to bring your entire team with you for six weeks. The culture of your client’s country is very different from yours. What is the best way to prepare your team?

A. Arrive a few days early to get acclimated
B. Hold as many teleconference meetings as possible with the client leading up to the trip
C. Provide culture awareness training
D. Do nothing since your team will adapt as they live and work there

Answer: C. Provide culture awareness training
Training is usually the best way to prepare anyone heading into an unfamiliar situation.

Your company secured a contract with a client overseas and you are expected to bring your entire team with you for six weeks. The culture of your client’s country is very different from yours. What is the term that describes their anxiety of potential difficulties in assimilating in a new locale?

A. Culture shock
B. Adjustment phase
C. Disorientation
D. Known unknowns

Answer: A. Culture shock
Culture shock refers to feelings felt when people have to function in an unfamiliar social environment. Much of it has to do with not knowing what is generally accepted or appropriate.

Your mentor informs you that as a PMP®, you are responsible for improving capabilities of colleagues. You should respond with:

A. You agree but it only applies after you have achieved your PMP®.
B. You agree and all project managers should strive to improve the capabilities of their colleagues.
C. You disagree since improving capabilities of colleagues have nothing to do with professional responsibility.
D. You disagree because project managers should focus only on improving their own competencies.

Answer: B. You agree and all project managers should strive to improve the capabilities of their colleagues.
All project managers are expected to improve the capabilities of their colleagues, regardless of whether or not they have achieved their PMP®.