Planning: Scope, Schedule & Cost
33 free practice questions with explanations
PassNova has 33 free PMP practice questions on Planning: Scope, Schedule & Cost, each with a clear explanation. Practise them in the browser with instant feedback — 100% free, no sign-up, on any device. Updated for 2026.
Planning: Scope, Schedule & Cost: example questions & answers
Here are 6 example questions from this topic. Practise the full set of 33 free in the browser.
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A project manager is decomposing the project scope into smaller components. The lowest level of the WBS that can be estimated and assigned is called a:
- A Milestone
- B Control account
- C Work package ✓
- D Activity list
Answer: A work package is the lowest level of the WBS at which cost and duration can be estimated and managed. It is the foundation for scheduling and assigning work.
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Activity B cannot start until Activity A finishes, and two extra days must pass before B can begin. This relationship is a:
- A Start-to-Start with a lag of two days
- B Finish-to-Finish with a lag of two days
- C Finish-to-Start with a lag of two days ✓
- D Finish-to-Start with a lead of two days
Answer: A Finish-to-Start dependency with a lag inserts a mandatory waiting period after the predecessor finishes before the successor starts. A lead would accelerate the successor, the opposite of this case.
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A project has earned value (EV) of $80,000 and actual cost (AC) of $100,000. What is the cost performance index (CPI)?
- A 1.25
- B 1.00
- C 0.50
- D 0.80 ✓
Answer: CPI equals EV divided by AC, which is $80,000 / $100,000 = 0.80, indicating the project is over budget. A CPI below 1.0 signals cost overruns.
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The critical path of a project is BEST defined as:
- A The path with the most activities
- B The longest path through the schedule network, determining the shortest possible project duration ✓
- C The path containing the highest-cost activities
- D The path with the most float available
Answer: The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent activities and determines the minimum time to complete the project. Activities on it have zero float.
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A project manager estimates an activity using the actual cost of a similar past project, adjusted for differences. Which estimating technique is this?
- A Analogous estimating ✓
- B Three-point estimating
- C Bottom-up estimating
- D Parametric estimating
Answer: Analogous estimating uses historical data from a similar prior project, adjusted for known differences, to derive an estimate. It is faster but less accurate than bottom-up estimating.
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Using PERT, an activity has optimistic 6 days, most likely 12 days, and pessimistic 30 days. What is the expected duration?
- A 14 days ✓
- B 18 days
- C 12 days
- D 16 days
Answer: The PERT expected value is (O + 4M + P) / 6 = (6 + 48 + 30) / 6 = 84 / 6 = 14 days. This weights the most likely estimate while accounting for uncertainty.