PMP® practice questions: Process

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These 5 questions come from the Process section of our PMP® bank (62 questions on this area, which carries 41% of the real exam). Every question is original, with the correct answer explained and linked to the source it is drawn from.

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1/5 · Process

A project manager needs an early, rough cost estimate for a proposed initiative. Detailed requirements are not yet available, but the organization has completed several similar projects in the past with known costs. Which estimating technique is MOST appropriate at this stage?

ABottom-up estimating, aggregating detailed estimates for each work package identified in the WBS.

BParametric estimating, applying a statistical relationship between historical data and other variables to calculate cost.

CAnalogous estimating, using the cost of comparable historical projects, adjusted for known differences in scope or complexity.

DAccept a rough estimate generated by an AI cost-estimating tool without further adjustment, since it aggregates broad historical data automatically.

Answer: C. Analogous estimating uses historical data from comparable projects and is well suited to early-stage, low-detail estimating situations, per PMBOK 7 guidance on estimating techniques. Bottom-up and parametric estimating require more decomposed or validated data than is available this early, and accepting an AI-generated estimate without applying judgment and known project differences contradicts PMI's expectation that the PM validate and adjust automated outputs. Source: the PMI PMP Examination Content Outline — July 2026 Update + PMBOK Guide 7th Edition and the Agile Practice Guide — Process

2/5 · Process · easy

According to the PMBOK Guide, 7th Edition, which of the following best describes a 'value delivery component'?

AA portfolio, program, project, product, or operation that works together with others to enable value realization

BA single line item in the risk register describing risk to expected value

CA cost baseline used to measure earned value performance

DA stakeholder register that lists each stakeholder's expected value

Answer: A. PMBOK Guide 7th Edition describes value delivery as occurring through a system made up of portfolios, programs, projects, products, and operations. Artifacts such as baselines and registers support management of the work but are not themselves value delivery components. Recognizing this distinction helps PMs understand how value flows across organizational levels. Source: the PMI PMP Examination Content Outline — July 2026 Update + PMBOK Guide 7th Edition and the Agile Practice Guide — Process

3/5 · Process · easy

Which of the following activities is MOST associated with proper project or phase closure, per the PMBOK Guide, 7th Edition?

ABeginning procurement negotiations for the organization's next project

BConducting a kickoff meeting to align the team on project objectives

CApproving new scope requested by a stakeholder during the closing process

DFormally transitioning the final product, service, or result to the customer or the receiving operations organization

Answer: D. Closure activities center on finalizing and formally transitioning the project's product, service, or result, along with completing administrative and contractual closure. Activities such as kickoff meetings or approving new scope belong to initiating or executing processes, not closing. Source: the PMI PMP Examination Content Outline — July 2026 Update + PMBOK Guide 7th Edition and the Agile Practice Guide — Process

4/5 · Process · hard

While reviewing the project's cost baseline S-curve against the organization's approved funding schedule, the project manager notices that projected expenditures in Q3 will exceed the funding limit authorized for that period, even though total project funding across the whole project life is sufficient. What should the project manager do?

APerform funding limit reconciliation by resequencing or leveling planned work so that spending in each period stays within its authorized limit, then update the schedule and cost baseline.

BTake no action, since total project funding is adequate over the life of the project and the authorized limit for Q3 can be exceeded temporarily without a baseline change.

CRequest that finance raise the authorized Q3 funding limit by releasing the full remaining project budget, so that the period matches the planned expenditure curve in the approved cost baseline.

DInstruct the team to informally slow spending in Q3 without changing the schedule or cost baseline, planning to make up the difference in Q4 within the authorized limit.

Answer: A. Funding limit reconciliation compares planned expenditures to period-based funding authorizations and adjusts the schedule of work — for example, by resequencing or leveling expenditures — so that spending stays within each period's approved limit, even when total project funding is adequate over the project's life. Source: the PMI PMP Examination Content Outline — July 2026 Update + PMBOK Guide 7th Edition and the Agile Practice Guide — Process

5/5 · Process · hard

A risk owner responds to a high-priority threat of equipment failure by purchasing insurance to transfer the financial impact. After the response is implemented, the team continues tracking a small chance that the insurer disputes or delays the claim payout. How should the team classify this remaining exposure?

AA residual risk, because it is what remains of the original threat after the response has been applied

BA contingency reserve, because it accounts for the cost of unresolved threats

CA secondary risk, because the possibility of a claims dispute exists only as a direct result of choosing insurance as the response

DA workaround, because it is an unplanned reaction to an unidentified risk

Answer: C. A secondary risk arises directly from implementing a specific risk response, while a residual risk is the portion of the original risk's impact that remains after the response is applied. Insurance transfer introduces a new dependency on the insurer's claims process, which is a secondary risk, whereas an uncovered deductible or gap in coverage would be the residual risk of the same response. Source: the PMI PMP Examination Content Outline (new version, effective July 9, 2026: People 41 wait — actually Process 41/People 33/BE 26) — Process

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