Sample PMP Exam Questions 2026: 12 Free Questions With Answers and Explanations

Sample PMP exam questions are short practice scenarios written in the style of the real Project Management Professional exam. The 2026 exam has 180 questions (170 scored, 10 unscored) in 240 minutes, split across People (33%), Process (41%) and Business Environment (26%). The twelve questions below are spread across all three domains (four People, six Process, two Business Environment), and each one comes with the reasoning, because the reasoning is what transfers to the real exam.

I'm Gulab Chand Tejwani, PMP and Microsoft Certified Trainer at TechNet Consultancy. I wrote these questions for this post. They aren't real exam items or anyone's dump. They're built from the task list in PMI's July 2026 Examination Content Outline, which is the only official description of what the exam tests.

What do real PMP exam questions look like in 2026?

They're mostly situations. You're a project manager, something has happened, and four options all sound like things a sensible person might do. Your job is to pick the one a PMI-trained project manager would do, usually the one that deals with the cause rather than the symptom, and that respects who owns the decision.

The 2026 outline also adds two newer item types. Case-study (scenario) questions give you a longer situation and then ask several questions about it. Graphic-based questions show you a chart, such as a burndown or an earned value curve, and ask you to read it. You'll still see plenty of classic multiple choice and multiple response questions too. Question 11 below is graphic-style, written out in text.

Question 1: A new stakeholder appears mid-project

Question 1People · Engage stakeholders

Three months into a hybrid ERP rollout, the regional tax manager tells you that any change to invoice formats needs her sign-off. She is not in your stakeholder register. What should you do first?

1. AEscalate to the sponsor so the tax manager is added to the steering committee
2. BAdd her to the stakeholder register and assess her interest, influence and requirements
3. CPause all invoice-related work until she signs off
4. DSend her the current invoice design for approval

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: B

You've found a stakeholder you missed, so the first step is to identify and analyze her before deciding how to engage. That's B.

• A jumps to a governance change you haven't justified yet.
• C stops work based on a requirement you haven't understood.
• D might be part of the answer later, but you don't yet know what she needs to see.

Question 2: The team keeps missing its sprint goal

Question 2Process · Integrated plan and plan delivery

Your agile team has missed its sprint goal in three of the last four sprints. Each time, the team pulled in more stories than its average velocity. What is the best action?

1. AAsk the team to work extra hours until the backlog catches up
2. BExtend the sprint length from two weeks to three
3. CRaise the pattern in the retrospective and help the team plan to its demonstrated velocity
4. DReduce story point estimates so more stories fit in each sprint

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: C

The data already tells you the cause: the team commits to more than it delivers. The retrospective is the team's own space for fixing how it works, and planning to demonstrated capacity is the fix.

• A burns the team out and hides the problem.
• B changes the cadence without changing the overcommitment.
• D games the numbers. Velocity will just drop to match.

Question 3: A vendor's contract says one thing, the team wants another

Question 3Process · Plan and manage procurement

Your development team asks the vendor's on-site engineer to add a reporting feature that is not in the statement of work. The engineer agrees and starts building it. What should you do?

1. AStop the work and route the request through the contract change process
2. BLet the work continue since the team needs the feature
3. CAsk the vendor to absorb the cost as goodwill
4. DRemove the engineer from the project

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: A

Work outside the statement of work creates cost, schedule and legal exposure. The contract has a change process, and you use it, even when everyone agrees the feature is useful.

• B creates an unpriced commitment the vendor can bill for later.
• C assumes the outcome of a negotiation that hasn't happened.
• D punishes someone for a process gap your team created.

Question 4: The sponsor wants a date the team can't meet

Question 4People · Align stakeholder expectations

Your sponsor announces a go-live date two months earlier than the date in your approved schedule. The team says the new date is impossible without cutting testing. What should you do first?

1. AAccept the date and cut testing to meet it
2. BTell the sponsor the date is impossible
3. CAdd resources to every critical path activity
4. DMeet the sponsor to understand why the date moved and present options with their impacts

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: D

Find out why before you respond. There may be a business reason (a regulatory deadline, a trade show) that changes what "done" needs to mean. Then give options: reduced scope, phased release, added cost, or the original date, each with its impact.

• A quietly accepts quality risk on the sponsor's behalf.
• B shuts down the conversation.
• C is one possible option, not the first step, and adding people rarely speeds every task.

Question 5: A risk you planned for happens

Question 5Business Environment · Plan and manage risk

During planning, you identified the risk that a key supplier might miss its delivery and agreed a response: switch to a pre-qualified backup supplier. The supplier now confirms a three-week delay. What should you do?

1. AAdd the delay to the issue log and wait for the sponsor's direction
2. BImplement the agreed risk response and update the risk register
3. CRe-run the risk analysis for the whole project
4. DAsk the team for new ideas on how to handle the delay

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: B

The risk has happened and you already have an approved response. Use it. That's what the response plan is for. Then update the register and watch for secondary risks from the switch.

• A ignores the plan and wastes time.
• C and D treat a planned-for event as if nobody saw it coming.

Question 6: A team member is quietly struggling

Question 6People · Lead the project team

A normally reliable developer has missed two commitments, seems withdrawn in stand-ups and hasn't asked for help. What should you do?

1. AReassign her tasks to other developers
2. BMention the missed commitments in the next stand-up so the team is aware
3. CTalk to her privately to understand what's going on and how you can support her
4. DReport the performance issue to her functional manager

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: C

When someone's behaviour changes, start with a private conversation. The cause could be personal, technical or about workload, and you can't help until you know which.

• A may be needed later but skips the conversation.
• B turns a personal issue into a public one.
• D escalates before you've done your own part.

Question 7: Quality problems keep coming back

Question 7Process · Plan and optimize quality

Testing keeps finding the same type of defect in data imports, even after each defect is fixed. What should you do?

1. ARun a root cause analysis on the import defects and fix the underlying process
2. BAdd another round of testing before each release
3. CAsk developers to be more careful with imports
4. DAccept the defects as a known limitation and document them

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: A

Recurring defects point to a process cause. Root cause analysis (a fishbone diagram or "5 whys") finds it, and then you fix the process so the defect stops being produced.

• B catches defects later instead of preventing them.
• C is an exhortation, not a fix.
• D gives up on quality without asking the customer.

Question 8: A new regulation lands

Question 8Business Environment · External changes

Midway through a mobile banking project, a new data protection rule is published that changes how customer consent must be recorded. Your current design doesn't meet it. What should you do first?

1. AContinue as planned, since the rule was published after the project started
2. BAssess the rule's impact on scope, schedule and cost with your compliance team
3. CSubmit a change request to rebuild the consent module
4. DAsk the sponsor to request an exemption

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: B

Compliance isn't optional, but you need to know the impact before you change anything. Assess first, then raise the change request with real numbers.

• A ignores a legal requirement.
• C is likely the next step, but it's premature without an impact assessment.
• D is a long shot and still needs the analysis behind it.

Question 9: Two team members disagree about an approach

Question 9People · Manage conflicts

Two senior testers disagree about whether to automate regression tests now or after the next release. The disagreement has become personal and is affecting the team. What should you do?

1. AMake the decision yourself to end the conflict
2. BAsk the team to vote
3. CTell both testers to keep personal issues out of work
4. DMeet with both together, separate the technical question from the personal friction, and work toward an agreed approach

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: D

Collaborating (problem solving) is the conflict approach PMI prefers when there's time and the relationship matters. Here both are true. Pull the technical question apart from the personal tension, then solve the technical question on its merits.

• A forces a result and leaves the friction in place.
• B turns a technical choice into a popularity contest.
• C is a lecture, not a resolution.

Question 10: The product owner keeps changing priorities

Question 10Process · Develop and manage scope

Mid-sprint, the product owner asks the team to drop a committed story and start a new urgent one. This is the third time this month. What is the best response?

1. ARefuse, because the sprint backlog is locked
2. BAccept the change, since the product owner owns priorities
3. CDiscuss the impact with the product owner and agree how urgent work will be handled in future
4. DEscalate to the sponsor

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: C

The product owner does own the product backlog, and sometimes a mid-sprint change is justified. But a pattern of disruption hurts the team's focus. Talk about the impact, then agree a working rule: urgent items go to the top of the next sprint unless they meet a clear threshold.

• A is too rigid. Scrum allows the sprint to adapt if the goal is at risk.
• B accepts the pattern without addressing it.
• D skips a conversation you should have first.

Question 11: Reading a burndown chart

Question 11Process · Evaluate project status (chart)

Your sprint burndown shows 60 points at the start of a 10-day sprint. On day 6 the actual line shows 42 points remaining, while the ideal line shows 24. The team says two stories are blocked waiting on an external API. What is the best interpretation and action?

1. AThe team is behind; remove the API blocker and review the sprint scope with the product owner
2. BThe team is ahead; add more stories to the sprint
3. CThe chart is wrong; ask the team to re-estimate all stories
4. DThe team is on track; no action is needed

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: A

By day 6 the ideal line expects 36 points burned (60 to 24). The team has burned only 18. They're behind, and you already know why: a blocker. Removing blockers is a core project manager job in agile, and the product owner should know early if the sprint goal is at risk.

Question 12: Closing out a phase

Question 12Process · Manage project closure

Your project's first phase is complete. Deliverables have been accepted by the customer. What should you do before releasing the phase team?

1. ARelease the team immediately to save cost
2. BCapture lessons learned, archive records and confirm handover to operations
3. CWait until the whole project ends to do any closure work
4. DSend the final invoice and close the phase

Show answer and explanation+

Correct answer: B

Phase closure includes administrative closure: lessons learned, records, transition to whoever runs the result. Once the team leaves, that knowledge goes with them.

• A loses the knowledge.
• C loses detail. Lessons from phase one are most useful in phase two.
• D is one closure task, not all of it.

How did you score on these sample PMP questions?

Count only the answers you got right for the right reason. A lucky guess on a practice question becomes a miss on the exam, because the scenario will be different.

Score	What it suggests	What to do next
10 to 12	Your judgement matches the PMI mindset	Move to full-length timed mocks
7 to 9	Solid, with gaps in one or two domains	Group your misses by domain and drill those
4 to 6	You know the content but not the mindset	Study why each correct answer wins
0 to 3	Early in preparation	Read the ECO tasks before more practice

Look at which questions you missed. If they cluster in one domain, that's your study plan for the next week. If they're spread out, the problem is usually the mindset: picking the fast or decisive action instead of the one that understands first and respects ownership.

How do you answer PMP situational questions faster?

Read the last sentence first. "What should you do first?" and "What is the best action?" ask different things. "First" usually rewards gathering information or talking to the person involved. "Best" can reward a fuller action.

Then ask four quick questions about the options:

1. What is the actual problem here, not the symptom?
2. Who owns this decision: me, the team, the product owner, the sponsor?
3. Is there an option that understands the situation before acting?
4. Which option fixes the cause instead of covering it up?

If two options survive, pick the one that keeps the project inside its own processes: change control for scope, the risk register for risks, the retrospective for team practices.

How many sample questions should you practise before the exam?

There's no magic number, but volume alone won't get you there. What matters is how many questions you review properly. I explain the trade-off in how many PMP practice questions you need to pass. The short version: a few hundred questions reviewed carefully, plus several full-length timed mocks, beats thousands done in a hurry.

For more domain-specific practice, try the People domain practice questions and the Process domain practice questions. If you want to understand the exam format changes first, read PMP exam changes July 2026.

Where can you take a full-length PMP mock exam?

Twelve questions tell you about your reasoning. A full mock tells you about your stamina, your timing and how your judgement holds up in hour three. That's a different skill, and you only build it by sitting full exams.

Our PMP mock exams run the 2026 format: 180 questions in 240 minutes, with a domain breakdown after each attempt so you can see where your marks go. The first full-length mock is free to activate, with no card needed, and paid packs of 10, 20 or 30 mocks are there when you want more. If you'd like a smaller warm-up first, the 10 free PMP practice questions page has more items with explanations.

TechNet Consultancy is independent and not affiliated with PMI. These are practice questions written for learning, not real exam items, and no practice set can promise a pass.

FAQ

Are these real PMP exam questions?

No. They're original practice questions written to match the tasks in PMI's July 2026 Examination Content Outline. Real exam questions are confidential, and anyone selling "real questions" is breaking PMI's rules.

How many questions are on the PMP exam in 2026?

180 questions, of which 170 are scored and 10 are unscored pretest questions. You get 240 minutes, with two 10-minute breaks.

What percentage of the PMP exam is agile?

PMI says about 40% of the exam uses predictive approaches and about 60% uses agile or hybrid approaches, spread across all three domains.

What are the new PMP question types in 2026?

Case-study (scenario) questions, where several questions share one longer situation, and graphic-based questions, where you read a chart or diagram. Multiple choice, multiple response, matching and hotspot items still appear.

Is there a free PMP mock exam?

Yes. TechNet Consultancy offers one free full-length PMP mock in the 2026 format (180 questions, 240 minutes), with no card needed to activate it.