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Sample Questions


1. During what Time Management Process are the specific activities that must be performed to produce the deliverables in the WBS identified and documented?
  1. Activity Sequencing
  2. Activity Definition
  3. Schedule Development
  4. Activity Duration Estimating

2. A period of time in work weeks which includes non-working days is called:
  1. Elapsed Time
  2. Duration
  3. Effort
  4. Earned Time
3. The amount of time that an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the project end date is called:
  1. Negative Float
  2. Free Float
  3. Total Float
  4. Float
  5. c and d
4. What are you likely to see as a project progresses in a schedule with must fix dates and little or no slack?
  1. Lots of free float
  2. Idle resources
  3. Negative float
  4. Positive float
5. Given the following estimates: Optimistic 3 days, Pessimistic 9 days, and most likely 6 days, what is the PERT weighted average?
  1. 6
  2. 4
  3. 6.3
  4. 6.1
6. What is the standard deviation for the estimates in the above problem?
  1. 0.6
  2. 2
  3. 1.5
  4. 0.5
  5. 1
7. In crashing the schedule, you would focus on:
  1. Accelerating as many tasks as possible
  2. Accelerating just the non-critical tasks
  3. Accelerating the performance of tasks on the critical path
  4. None of the above
8. To calculate the late start and late finish dates for a set of tasks, you must do:
  1. An analysis of the critical path
  2. A forwards pass
  3. A backwards pass
  4. a, b, and c
  5. all of the above
9. An activity that consumes no time or resources and shows only that a dependency exists between two activities is called:
  1. A milestone
  2. A hammock
  3. A dummy activity
  4. a and c
  5. all of the above
10. A modification of a logical relationship that allows an acceleration of the successor task is represented by:
  1. Lead time
  2. Lag time
  3. Negative Lag
  4. a or b
  5. a or c
11. Assuming a PERT weighted average computation, what is the probability of completing the project within plus-or-minus 3 standard deviations of the mean?
  1. 68%
  2. 99.74%
  3. 95%
  4. 75%
12. Schedule variance can be determined by:
  1. BCWP - ACWP
  2. ACWP - BCWP
  3. EAC - ACWP
  4. BCWP - BCWS
13. What is critical path?
  1. The shortest path through the network, which represents the longest amount of time in which a project can be completed.
  2. The path with zero float.
  3. The longest path through the network, which represents the shortest amount of time in which a project can be completed.
  4. The path with the most activities with the longest durations.
  5. b and c

14. The Time Management Process that involves identifying and documenting interactivity dependencies is called:
  1. Activity Definition
  2. Activity Duration Estimating
  3. Activity Dependencies
  4. Activity Sequencing
15. A network diagram that uses nodes to represent activities and arrows to show the activity dependencies and allows no loops is called:
  1. AOA
  2. AON
  3. ADM
  4. GERT
16. The process that is not part of time management is:
  1. Activity Definition
  2. Resource Planning
  3. Schedule Development
  4. Activity Sequencing
  5. Schedule Control
17. What does RDU stand for?
  1. Really Dumb User
  2. Ready for Download Use
  3. Remaining Duration Unassisted
  4. Remaining Duration
18. Fast Tracking is also known as
  1. overtime and contracting
  2. utilizing additional resources
  3. crashing
  4. concurrent engineering
  5. all of the above
19. In the network diagram for a completely unrealistic schedule, you would likely find
  1. no slack available for critical tasks
  2. late start dates earlier than early start dates
  3. negative total float
  4. B and C
  5. all of the above
20. Time-limited scheduling is best used when
  1. there is negative total float
  2. resources can be better utilized by taking advantage of existing free float
  3. a finish-to-start relationship exists
  4. fast-tracking
  5. B and C
21. The major difference(s) between time-limited scheduling and resource leveling is (are)
  1. Time-limited scheduling reschedules based on late start dates, while resource leveling reschedules based on late finish dates
  2. Time-limited scheduling considers total float but resource leveling does not
  3. Time-limited scheduling reschedules activities according to resource availability while resource leveling attempts to smooth out resource requirements by rescheduling
  4. A and C
  5. All of the above
22. Which relationship dependency is indicative of concurrency?
  1. Start-to-start
  2. Start-to-finish
  3. Finish-to-start
  4. Finish-to-finish
  5. A and D
23. Diane has just told Richard, the project manager, that she has not started working on her planned activity that was supposed to start a week ago. Which factors will influence Richard's decision whether to escalate to Diane's manager?
  1. If the delay is within the amount of free float
  2. If the activity has negative float
  3. If time-limited scheduling was used
  4. If Diane has a reputation for being undependable
  5. All of the above
24. Diane's delays are getting worse. All available slack time for her task has been used. Any additional delays would
  1. affect the slack available for subsequent tasks
  2. require a determination of the late finish date
  3. require crashing or fast-tracking
  4. A and B
  5. all of the above
25. Which of the following is true about the critical path in a network diagram?
  1. The critical path represents the shortest single path through the network
  2. Activities on the critical path hold the greatest risk for the project
  3. Activities on the critical path have their early start date equal to their late start date if the shortest possible duration of the project is to be achieved
  4. Activities on the critical path have their early start date equal to their late finish date if the earliest end date of the project is to be achieved
  5. Activities on the critical path can never have float
26. The affect of additional resources on the critical path
  1. is likely to reduce the project end date by creating parallel tasks
  2. is likely to require that a revised network diagram be created
  3. is negligible
  4. has the same effect as crashing this path
  5. A, B, and D
27. If the Early Start Date is October 10th, the Late Start Date is October 12th, the Early Finish Date is October 12th, and the Late Finish Date is October 14th, and all days that week are working days available to the project, compute the number of slack days for this task.
  1. 0
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
28. Using the listing presented below, match the figure descriptions with their meanings in reference to an AOA diagram.

rounded rectangle I node
tail of arrow J node
head of arrow event
dotted tail of arrow activity
solid arrow activity
  1. 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-a, 5-e
  2. 1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-e, 5-d
  3. 1-d, 2-e, 3-b, 4-a, 5-c
  4. 1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d, 5-e
29. If free float on a task is exceeded, it
  1. should be of concern to the project manager
  2. will impact the early start of the succeeding task
  3. could impact the late start of the succeeding task
  4. could jeopardize the success of the project
  5. all of the above
30. The purpose of performing a backward pass is to
  1. determine the critical path
  2. determine where there is slack
  3. determine where there is float
  4. determine the late finish
  5. B, C, and D
31. A concurrent relationship is shown on a network diagram as
  1. an arrow going from the start of one task to the start of another
  2. an arrow going from the start of one task to the finish of another
  3. an arrow going to the start of two or more tasks
  4. A and C
  5. B and C
32. The effective management of the use of time in a project is usually critical to the successful accomplishment of the project's objectives. There are several types of time management tools (called scheduling systems or project management systems) that fall into three categories referred to by the abbreviations CPM, PERT, and PDM. Respectively, these three abbreviations stand for __________.
  1. critical path means, program evaluation and repetitive technology, probabilistic decision method
  2. critical path method, program evaluation and review timing, probability design method
  3. critical planning method, program evaluation and review technique, program detail method
  4. critical path method, program evaluation and review technique, precedence diagramming method
  5. critical plotting method, program evaluation review technique, precedence diagramming method
33. Scheduling networks are all similar in their functions and general approach to building a schedule. The major difference between PERT and CPM network input information requirements is __________.
  1. PERT will only accept whole units of time whereas CPM will accept fractions / decimal of units of time (e.g., 2 hours vs. 2.1 hours)
  2. CPM requires that all time estimates are in hours whereas PERT will accept any unit of time (e.g., hours, days, weeks)
  3. PERT requires three time estimates to compute an average whereas CPM requires one point estimate
  4. PERT is primarily a time scheduling system whereas CPM also addresses cost and resources
  5. PERT requires less time to load the input information than does CPM
34. PDM differs from PERT and CPM primarily in its use of __________.
  1. dummy activities to constrain events
  2. lag time connections to slow the project's progress
  3. arrows to represent work
  4. nodes / boxes to represent work
  5. nodes / boxes to represent slack time
35. PDM uses four different relationships between its nodes to reflect connectivity and lag time, but it does not include __________.
  1. start-to-finish
  2. finish-to-start
  3. finish-to-finish
  4. end-to-end
  5. start-to-start
36. The four distinct phases that are used to control the work during the project's life cycle are __________.
  1. planning, positioning, implementation, and close-out
  2. concept, planning, implementation, and close-out
  3. feasibility, concept, implementation, and execution
  4. concept, feasibility, planning, and implementation
  5. planning, execution, close-out, and post-project
37. The work breakdown structure is a critical tool for the project and the planning of the project. The lowest level of the work breakdown structure represents the __________ for the schedule network.
  1. time duration
  2. sequencing of work (or logic)
  3. responsibility for work execution
  4. task activity
  5. task timing by the calendar
38. The schedule duration of a project is dependent upon the available time until delivery of the system / product. In addition to time, a major contributor to the duration of a project is the __________.
  1. skill of the scheduler
  2. cost of labor for planners
  3. type of automated scheduling system used
  4. frequency of updates to the schedule
  5. availability of resources for the project
39. The division of the work breakdown structure into smaller tasks is continued until the lowest level that represents a work package is no more than __________.
  1. a cost of $900 for each day of work
  2. 80 hours of calendar duration
  3. 80 hours of total resource (labor) time
  4. what can be accomplished by one person in one week
  5. what can be accomplished by one team in three weeks
40. Suppose the summary network for a major project has 500 activities. For a briefing requirement for senior management, the best method of displaying the progress on the project (schedule vs. calendar) is by using a __________.
  1. bar chart of all activities on the summary schedule
  2. network of all activities on the summary schedule
  3. narrative description of the active tasks
  4. combination of the full (detail) network and the summary network
  5. histogram to show percent of work on the project that has been completed
41. The bar chart does not explicitly show the __________ between the activities, which makes it difficult to compute the effects of a delay on one activity.
  1. completed work
  2. unfinished work
  3. duration
  4. timing
  5. dependency relationships
42. In the preparation of a network (schedule), factors that must be considered to ensure that the end product meets the needs of the project manager do not include __________.
  1. project budget
  2. project objectives
  3. responsibility of achieving project objectives
  4. organization of resources available / required
  5. information requirements of management
43. The rules of network logic state that, except for an independent or time phased start, an activity may not begin before __________.
  1. all preceding activities are started
  2. most preceding activities are completed
  3. all preceding activities are complete
  4. resources are ordered
  5. resources are identified
44. As originally developed and employed, CPM and PERT could have only __________ start point(s) and __________ end point(s), but the current networks can have __________ start and end points.
  1. two; one; up to six
  2. one; two; up to six
  3. one; one; four
  4. one; one; several
  5. one; one; two
45. In an "activity-on-the-arrow" (i-j) network, the nodes represent __________ and may also be __________.
  1. a stopping point; transition points
  2. zero time usage; milestones
  3. a use of one unit of time; decision points
  4. connector points for events; duplicates of other nodes
  5. activities of importance; major consumers of time
46. In preparing the time estimates for a project, the general rule is to use the __________ to estimate each activity.
  1. engineers who will be working on the project
  2. planners who are preparing he schedule
  3. knowledgeable supervisory personnel
  4. customer's representative
  5. experience of an independent contractor
47. Often the detailed network contains so many activities that it is difficult to follow the logic and track progress over relatively long periods of time. A summary network is used for this purpose. To develop a summary network from a detailed network, __________.
  1. develop a new logic network with fewer activities
  2. delete activities until the logic is no longer overwhelming
  3. eliminate the connecting nodes or lines to let the logic flow together
  4. group like activities in a series to a higher level of work
  5. group like events in a series to obtain summary events
48. The computation of the duration of the network after all logic is completed and all time estimates are included in the schedule requires a forward and backward pass (computation). These two functions result in __________.
  1. compressing any activities that exceed a specified duration
  2. sorting all activities into a forward group and a backward group
  3. generating new logic for the schedule if it exceeds the desired time duration
  4. generating the float (slack) on each activity and identifying the critical path
  5. separating the critical path from the non-critical path activities in the network
49. The critical path, by definition, is considered the longest track through the network. The computation of the critical path will determine that the network has __________ longest (time) path(s).
  1. only one
  2. one or more
  3. always more than one
  4. always more than two
  5. never more than two
50. A network can have minus float on the critical path but never positive float (under optimum scheduling). Some common causes of negative float are that __________.
  1. a fixed end date for the project prohibits the schedule from moving beyond a set date
  2. fixed milestones in the schedule prohibit sliding of dates beyond a set date
  3. work may have been added on the critical path
  4. changes may have been made to either the fixed end date or a fixed milestone
  5. all of the above
51. Suppose a negative slack / float condition has been discovered in the schedule because of poor logic in the initial network. The logic is corrected, but the schedule is now in a negative five-day condition. The method(s) to remove the negative slack is / are to __________.
  1. change the schedule logic to conduct parallel activities to condense the longest path
  2. add resources on the critical path until some activities are reduced to a total of five days
  3. use a combination of added resources and change to network logic
  4. obtain authority to extend the schedule by five days
  5. all of the above
52. In a precedence diagram (PDM), the notation "SS6" on one of the connecting lines means __________.
  1. start soonest after completion of activity six
  2. subtract six units of time from the path
  3. scheduled start on the sixth day of the month
  4. start-to-start slack of six units of time
  5. start-to-start with a delay of six units of time
53. PERT uses three time estimates to arrive at a single "best" estimate for each activity. This is assumed to better account for uncertainty in the estimating process. The formula for computing the "PERT estimate is __________. (Note: a = optimistic, m = most likely, b = pessimistic)
  1. (a + m + b) / 4 = mean
  2. (a + 4m + b) / 4 = mean
  3. (a + 4m + b) / 6 = mean
  4. (a + 5m + b) / 6 = mean
  5. none of the above
54. For purposes of computing the mean and standard deviation, it is assumed that the PERT distribution is similar to a normal curve. Therefore, PERT estimates are assumed to have __________ standard deviations and that __________ percent of the estimates are within this distribution.
  1. two; 95
  2. three; 95
  3. four; 99.7
  4. five; 99.99
  5. three; 99.7
55. Suppose a network (activity-on-the-arrow, i-j) is analyzed and that it is noted that one node has six input arrows, including two dummy activities, and two output arrows. This is a violation of __________.
  1. the rule stating that no more than three inputs or outputs can be used on one node
  2. the rule that limits the output to one activity (i.e., that event triggers one activity)
  3. no rule - the node is not limited to a given number of inputs or outputs
  4. the rule that dummy activities are limited to one per node of either input or output
  5. the logic for preparing i-j networks, which can compute only a total of six inputs and outputs combined
56. In a precedence diagram (PDM), the nodes are the activities and each represents a discrete activity. The placement of the connecting lines to other activities are significant because the lines show __________.
  1. one of the four relationships of connectivity
  2. a dashed connectivity for dummy activities
  3. the duration of delay between the finish of one activity and the start of another
  4. the amount of work being accomplished when converted to a bar chart
  5. resources needed to complete the next activity
57. Fast-tracking requires more sophisticated schedule and control methods because it is a practice that __________ the schedule to place the system in operation at __________.
  1. increases; a later date
  2. stabilizes; an earlier date
  3. increases; minimum cost
  4. moderates; the first opportunity
  5. compresses; an earlier date
58. The trend in computerized scheduling systems is toward the use of the precedence diagramming method (activity on the node) as compared to the early systems (PERT and CPM) with activity on the arrow. In teaching new project personnel the scheduling system, it is helpful to teach both methods because __________.
  1. some of the activity on the arrow systems may need to be converted to activity on the node
  2. it provides a better basis for understanding networking techniques
  3. some activity on the node systems may need to be converted to activity on the arrow
  4. some systems use a mixture of both techniques in an individual network
  5. there is often a need to schedule in both methods for one project
59. The success of a project is often unknown until completion because there was little or no planned evaluation of the realistic progress and trends for the future. Determining whether a project will finish on time is best accomplished by __________.
  1. comparing the baseline schedule with the current status
  2. comparing the current status with the expenditure rate
  3. running several iterations of the network to conduct a "what if" exercise
  4. analyzing the work completed versus the work scheduled
  5. obtaining the opinions of several members of the project team
60. Suppose you are the project manager for a major project that has 14 sub-contractors. Managing the schedule is considered critical to the successful completion and activation of the system. To ensure the best control, you direct the project control section leader to develop a schedule that __________.
  1. includes interface points for sub-contractors, and you let the sub-contractors develop their detail schedules for individual management of time
  2. includes the detailed activities of the sub-contractors as well as the details of your work
  3. excludes any sub-contractor schedule because the sub-contractors are paid to manage to meet the critical interface dates
  4. includes only the sub-contractors' schedules and their vendors' or sub-contractors' detail schedules
  5. compresses all (yours and sub-contractors') activity durations by 10 percent, which will be used as a reserve
61. Suppose a sub-contractor informs the project manager that there is a slippage on the schedule of his work by at least two weeks. This work is on the critical path and will negatively impact the project by two weeks if nothing is done. The project manager should __________.
  1. review the contract to determine the sub-contractor's obligation to meet the current schedule
  2. review the sub-contractor's schedule to determine whether there is an actual two-week delay
  3. review the situation to determine why the sub-contractor believes he is going to be two weeks late
  4. review the project master schedule to determine if there is going to be a two-week impact on the project if the sub-contractor delays his schedule
  5. all of the above
62. The project manager identifies a potential problem with the schedule in that many of the supervisors are not starting work on schedule, but are waiting until all the float (slack) is consumed on an activity before starting. In a few cases, this practice is "pushing" following activities out and absorbing the float down-stream. The project manager directs that this practice stop and to ensure compliance __________.
  1. "freezes" the start of all activities to identify when supervisors initiate late starts
  2. "freezes" the end point of all activities to identify when the supervisors initiate late starts
  3. converts the schedule to a "fixed" activity network so the supervisors have only a given time frame to complete activities
  4. informs the supervisors that any delays in the scheduled activities will result in dismissal of the responsible supervisor
  5. dismisses the most frequent abuser of the scheduling system as an example of the action that will be taken against supervisors for irregular practices
63. During a review of the Gantt (bar) chart, the project manager identifies some tasks that have not been started and are more than two weeks late. All of these activities are the responsibility of one supervisor. The project manager should __________.
  1. determine whether the Gantt chart has the most current information
  2. determine whether the supervisor is accurately reporting progress
  3. review the system of information inputs to determine the accuracy of the system
  4. discuss the late activities with the supervisor to determine why there are delays in the schedule
  5. all of the above
64. When properly managed and used, float (slack) in a schedule provides some flexibility in a schedule. The ownership of float on a major contract may be questioned by the owner (buyer), prime contractor, and sub-contractors. Therefore, it is best to include the float ownership in __________.
  1. the project management plan
  2. the contract(s)
  3. the project charter
  4. a separate agreement
  5. the master schedule
65. There is a belief that all task durations can be altered by increasing or reducing the work force. Following this belief, one could compress the schedule to one-half by doubling the work force. The fallacy with this procedure is that __________.
  1. the skills may not be available to double the work force
  2. the process may not facilitate the additional personnel (such as a sequential assembly operation)
  3. there may not be sufficient physical space to accommodate the larger work force
  4. the compression of work into fewer hours by more people may be inefficient
  5. all of the above
66. A project is scheduled to be completed in a set number of days, weeks, or months. The schedule can often be impacted to the extent that work activity must be accelerated by the increase of people and equipment. The most frequent reason for acceleration is that __________.
  1. an increase or change in the scope of work must be completed within the original time frame
  2. the progress of work activities has been poor in the beginning of the project
  3. the project was started late and the schedule end date must be met
  4. an opportunity to place a system in service at an early date forces the owner to impose a new completion date
  5. the project manager believes that the original schedule was not valid and that acceleration is needed to meet the planned end date
67. The project schedule is more than a document that lays out the activities over time to represent the time dimension of the project; it is a management tool to be used for decision making. As such, the schedule is used by the project management team to __________.
  1. measure, delay, record, distribute, analyze, and direct
  2. emphasize, visualize, analyze, conceptualize, report, and record
  3. promote, highlight, monitor, control, forecast, and report
  4. plan, schedule, monitor, control, report, and forecast
  5. all of the above
68. The project schedule is a dynamic document that is maintained in computer systems and that initially reflects the baseline plan. As the schedule is updated to correct errors, change the scope, or reflect actual duration, the baseline schedule __________.
  1. becomes the current schedule with all changes
  2. is maintained as the original baseline for post-project evaluations
  3. is deleted as being unusable and unneeded to manage the project
  4. is amended to remove any errors but maintained for post-project evaluations
  5. none of the above
69. The schedule is an important document to plan and control the use of time and to reflect progress on the project. As such, it should be developed during the __________ phase and updated during the __________ phase.
  1. planning; implementation
  2. implementation; execution
  3. conceptual; planning
  4. execution; close-out
  5. none of the above
70. In scheduling, efficiency demands that the least sophisticated scheduling system be used to save on resources and maintenance time. In a small, simple project with few interdependencies, the most efficient means of graphically portraying the schedule would be by means of a __________. A complex project with many interdependencies would require a __________ system that would facilitate ease of planning and updating as well as reporting progress.
  1. Gantt chart; computerized scheduling
  2. histogram; automated bar chart
  3. Pareto diagram; computerized CPM
  4. CPM network; computerized scheduling
  5. none of the above
71. The project schedule is the key to tracking progress in the project. Schedule reports should be easily understood, practical, pertinent, and current because of their intended use by __________.
  1. engineers
  2. planners
  3. managers
  4. the scheduling team
  5. all of the above
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