PMI-PBA® · PMI · Updated August 2026
PMI-PBA® practice questions
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1/10 · Needs Assessment
In PMI's business analysis guidance, a situation statement is best described as which of the following?
AA formal financial analysis comparing the costs and benefits of the proposed solution options.
BA visual diagram that traces cause-and-effect relationships contributing to a business problem.
CA weighted list of stakeholder requirements prioritized for inclusion in the solution scope.
DA structured, concise description of a business problem or opportunity that documents the current state, its impact, and the business need driving potential change.
Show answer & explanation
D is correct. A situation statement is a foundational needs assessment artifact that objectively documents the current state, the problem or opportunity, and its business impact without proposing or biasing toward a solution. It gives stakeholders a shared, factual understanding before root cause analysis and options development begin.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Needs Assessment
2/10 · Planning
According to PMI's business analysis guidance, what is the PRIMARY purpose of the business analysis plan?
ATo document the final set of approved requirements before design begins
BTo list the vendor contracts required to support solution implementation
CTo define how business analysis activities (elicitation, analysis, traceability, and communication) will be planned, executed, and controlled on the project
DTo record the business case and financial justification for the project
Show answer & explanation
C is correct. The business analysis plan (or BA plan) establishes how business analysis work will be conducted for the project — including the approach to elicitation, analysis, documentation, traceability, and stakeholder communication — and it is developed as a subsidiary or component of the overall project management plan. It is a planning artifact, not a requirements or financial document.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Planning
3/10 · Analysis
A business analyst needs input on desired system features from 200 field technicians who work across many regions, have limited availability for individual meetings, and cannot be brought together in one location. Which elicitation technique is MOST appropriate for this situation?
AObserve a sample of technicians performing their daily tasks.
BSchedule a single facilitated workshop and require all technicians to attend.
CDistribute a structured survey/questionnaire that technicians can complete on their own schedule.
DConduct one-on-one interviews with each technician to capture individualized feedback.
Show answer & explanation
C is correct. When a large, dispersed population needs to provide input asynchronously, a survey/questionnaire is generally the most efficient elicitation technique because it scales without requiring simultaneous availability. Interviews and workshops are better suited to smaller groups where dialogue and consensus-building are needed, and observation targets a different kind of information (actual behavior) rather than gathering broad input on desired features.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Analysis
4/10 · Traceability and Monitoring
What is the primary purpose of a requirements traceability matrix (RTM) on a project?
ATo link each requirement to its origin, related requirements, and downstream work products such as designs, deliverables, and test cases so those relationships can be tracked throughout the project.
BTo assign each requirement to the individual team member responsible for building it.
CTo record the formal sign-off signatures obtained from stakeholders for each requirement during approval.
DTo calculate the earned value of requirements-related work packages against the approved project budget.
Show answer & explanation
A is correct. The requirements traceability matrix exists to establish and maintain links between requirements and other artifacts — their source, related requirements, designs, deliverables, and test cases — so the business analyst can trace relationships, support impact analysis, and confirm coverage throughout the solution life cycle.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Traceability and Monitoring
5/10 · Evaluation
According to the PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline, what is the primary purpose of evaluating a deployed solution against acceptance criteria?
ATo determine whether the solution satisfies the conditions that were defined and agreed upon for accepting the solution as complete and ready for use
BTo identify new requirements that were not captured during requirements elicitation
CTo create a new set of business rules for future enhancement requests
DTo measure the technical performance of the development team against the project schedule
Show answer & explanation
A is correct. Evaluating a deployed solution against acceptance criteria confirms whether the predefined, stakeholder-agreed conditions for acceptance have been satisfied. This is distinct from measuring team performance or eliciting new requirements, which belong to other project or business analysis activities.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Evaluation
6/10 · Needs Assessment
What is the primary purpose of conducting a needs assessment at the start of a project or program?
ATo analyze the business problem or opportunity, understand its underlying causes, and determine whether a change is justified and what solution approach should be pursued.
BTo test the delivered solution against acceptance criteria before transition to operations.
CTo document detailed functional and non-functional requirements for the chosen solution.
DTo create a project schedule and resource plan for solution delivery.
Show answer & explanation
A is correct. Needs assessment is the entry point of business analysis work: it establishes what the real business problem or opportunity is, explores its causes, and provides enough justification and options analysis to decide whether and how to proceed. Requirements definition, planning, and testing all follow once the need and general solution approach are confirmed.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Needs Assessment
7/10 · Planning
A business analyst is planning BA work for a fixed-scope, fixed-price construction-related software project using a predictive (waterfall) lifecycle. Which elicitation and analysis approach is MOST appropriate to plan for this project?
APlan to skip formal elicitation and rely solely on the signed contract as the requirements source
BPlan for short, continuous elicitation sessions each week throughout construction and deployment, refining requirements as the product is built
CPlan to elicit requirements only from the sponsor since scope and price are already fixed
DPlan for a small number of large, structured elicitation workshops early in the project to fully define and baseline requirements before design starts
Show answer & explanation
D is correct. In predictive lifecycles, scope is defined and largely locked before development begins, so the BA plan should call for comprehensive upfront elicitation and formal baselining of requirements. This differs from adaptive lifecycles, where elicitation and analysis are planned as ongoing, incremental activities throughout delivery.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Planning
8/10 · Analysis
During requirements elicitation for a claims-processing system, the operations director insists that a manual override feature is a top priority for handling exceptions, while the compliance director states the same feature creates unacceptable audit risk and should be eliminated. Both stakeholders have relevant authority over the requirement. What should the business analyst do FIRST?
ADocument both conflicting requirements in the specification and let the development team decide during design.
BEscalate the disagreement to the project sponsor immediately for a final decision.
CFacilitate a discussion between both stakeholders to explore the underlying business needs and concerns driving each position.
DSide with the compliance director because audit risk is generally more critical than operational convenience.
Show answer & explanation
C is correct. When stakeholders with legitimate authority disagree, the business analyst's first move is typically to facilitate a conversation that surfaces the business objectives and constraints behind each position, since this often reveals options that satisfy both. Escalation, arbitrary selection, or deferring to another group should only follow when facilitated resolution fails.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Analysis
9/10 · Needs Assessment · hard
A BA presents two options in a business case. Option X has a projected ROI of 80% over three years but a calculated NPV of −$15,000 using the organization's required discount rate. Option Y has a projected ROI of 40% over the same period with an NPV of +$22,000. Which option should the business case recommend, and why?
ANeither option, because a business case cannot recommend a specific option and must remain solution-neutral once financial analysis is complete.
BOption Y, because its positive NPV indicates the discounted benefits exceed the discounted costs at the organization's required rate of return, whereas Option X's negative NPV indicates it would destroy value despite its higher simple ROI.
COption X, because the higher ROI indicates it will generate proportionally more value for the resources invested.
DEither option, because ROI and NPV measure the same underlying value and will always agree on which option is preferable.
Show answer & explanation
B is correct. NPV discounts projected cash flows using the organization's required rate of return, making it a more reliable indicator of whether an option truly creates value than simple ROI, which ignores timing and the cost of capital. A negative NPV, as with Option X, signals the option would destroy value despite an apparently strong ROI, so Option Y should be recommended.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Needs Assessment
10/10 · Needs Assessment · hard
A proposed process-improvement initiative requires an upfront investment of $240,000 and is projected to generate net benefits of $60,000 per year, realized evenly throughout each year. Based on the simple payback period method, in how many years will the investment be recovered?
A4 years
B3 years
C5 years
D2 years
Show answer & explanation
A is correct. The simple payback period is calculated by dividing the initial investment by the annual net benefit: $240,000 / $60,000 per year = 4 years. This is the point at which cumulative net benefits equal the original investment, without adjusting for the time value of money.
↗ PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline — Needs Assessment
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PMI-PBA® practice — FAQ
PMI-PBA® vs CBAP — which should I choose?
PMI-PBA (from PMI) suits analysts working within project/program environments and the PMI ecosystem; CBAP (from IIBA) treats business analysis as a standalone discipline. Eligibility, blueprints and reference standards differ — many senior BAs eventually hold both.
How hard is the PMI-PBA® exam?
Moderate-to-high: 200 scenario-heavy questions over 4 hours across five domains, with the passing standard set psychometrically rather than published. Real project experience plus structured practice beats memorisation.
How many questions is the PMI-PBA® exam and how long is it?
200 multiple-choice questions (175 scored + 25 unscored pre-test, randomly interspersed) in 240 minutes (4 hours), taken at Pearson VUE test centres.
What is the passing score for PMI-PBA®?
PMI does not publish a numeric cut score — results are pass/fail with per-area performance indicators. Aim for a consistent 80–85% on realistic mocks before booking.
What is the PMI-PBA® pass rate?
PMI does not publish official pass rates, so any exact percentage quoted online is unverified. The readiness signal that actually predicts passing: consistently holding 80–85% on realistic, full-length practice exams before you book.
What are the PMI-PBA® eligibility requirements?
Secondary degree: 60 months of business analysis experience (last 8 years) + 35 contact hours of BA education, OR bachelor's degree or higher: 36 months of BA experience (last 8 years) + 35 contact hours of BA education. GAC-accredited degree holders: 24 months of BA experience (+12-month experience credit).
How much does PMI-PBA® cost?
Commonly reported US pricing is about $405 for PMI members and $555 for non-members — PMI adjusts pricing by region and membership, so verify on pmi.org before booking. Reexamination fees apply to 2nd/3rd attempts within the 1-year eligibility window.
How long should I study for PMI-PBA®?
For most candidates, commonly reported 80–120 hours depending on BA experience. What matters most is practising questions and analysing why each option is right or wrong — not just reading.
Does the PMI-PBA® certification need recertification?
60 PDUs every 3 years under PMI's CCR program.
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No — every question is original, written to test the concepts and reviewed before it ships, with an explanation linked to the source for every option. Dumps are stale, often wrong, and against PMI's policies.
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