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AACE PSP practice questions

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Question 1Project Planning

In project planning, what is the primary purpose of a work breakdown structure (WBS)?

  1. To document the contractual terms between owner and contractor
  2. To decompose project scope into manageable deliverable-oriented components Correct answer.
  3. To record actual costs incurred against each cost account
  4. To assign calendar dates to every activity in the schedule

Explanation

A WBS hierarchically decomposes the total scope into deliverable-oriented pieces that can be estimated, scheduled, and controlled. It defines scope, not time or cost actuals. Scheduling and cost tracking are built on top of the WBS rather than being its purpose.

Question 2Project Planning

Which WBS quality criterion requires that every element at a given level be defined by the same characteristic?

  1. Consistent basis of decomposition Correct answer.
  2. 100 percent rule
  3. Deliverable orientation
  4. Mutually exclusive

Explanation

A consistent basis of decomposition means all elements at the same level use the same characteristic (for example, all by phase or all by discipline). The 100 percent rule addresses completeness of scope, and mutual exclusivity prevents overlap. Deliverable orientation concerns what an element represents.

Question 3Project Planning

A planner needs the lowest-level WBS elements to which cost and schedule can be reliably assigned. What is this level called?

  1. Cost account
  2. Work package Correct answer.
  3. Planning package
  4. Control account

Explanation

The work package is the lowest WBS level at which work can be realistically estimated, scheduled, and controlled. Control accounts sit above work packages and aggregate them. A planning package holds scope not yet decomposed into work packages.

Question 4Project Planning

Which relationship type indicates that a successor cannot finish until its predecessor finishes?

  1. Finish-to-Start
  2. Finish-to-Finish Correct answer.
  3. Start-to-Start
  4. Start-to-Finish

Explanation

A finish-to-finish relationship ties the successor's finish to the predecessor's finish. Finish-to-start ties the successor's start to the predecessor's finish. Start-to-start and start-to-finish tie the other combinations.

Question 5Project Planning

An activity has an early start of day 5, a duration of 6 days, and a finish-to-start successor with a 2-day lag. On a workday calendar, when does the successor's early start occur?

  1. Day 11
  2. Day 12
  3. Day 13 Correct answer.
  4. Day 14

Explanation

Early finish equals early start plus duration minus one, giving day 10. Adding a 2-day lag pushes the successor's early start to day 12 if the lag is applied from the finish day, but with the finish-to-start convention the successor starts the day after finish plus lag, yielding day 13. Careful day-numbering convention is essential in schedule calculations.

Question 6Project Planning

What does total float represent for an activity?

  1. The sum of all lags on the longest path
  2. The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying its successor
  3. The difference between budgeted and actual duration
  4. The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish Correct answer.

Explanation

Total float is the time an activity can slip without affecting the project completion date. Free float is the amount it can slip without affecting the earliest successor. Float is derived from network logic, not cost variance.

Question 7Project Planning

In the critical path method, what defines the critical path?

  1. The path with the fewest activities
  2. The path with the highest total cost
  3. The longest path through the network with the least total float Correct answer.
  4. The path containing the most resource-loaded activities

Explanation

The critical path is the longest duration path through the network and therefore has the least total float, typically zero. Cost, activity count, and resource loading do not define criticality. Any delay on the critical path delays project completion.

Question 8Project Planning

Which scheduling technique explicitly accounts for limited resource availability when sequencing activities?

  1. Resource leveling Correct answer.
  2. Monte Carlo simulation
  3. Crashing
  4. Fast tracking

Explanation

Resource leveling adjusts start and finish dates to resolve resource over-allocation, often extending duration. Fast tracking and crashing are schedule compression techniques. Monte Carlo simulation is a risk analysis method.

Question 9Project Planning

A project manager wants to shorten the schedule by adding resources to critical path activities. What is this technique called?

  1. Leveling
  2. Crashing Correct answer.
  3. Decomposition
  4. Rolling wave planning

Explanation

Crashing adds resources or cost to critical path activities to reduce duration. Leveling resolves resource conflicts, decomposition breaks scope into smaller parts, and rolling wave planning progressively elaborates detail. Crashing typically increases cost.

Question 10Project Planning

Which document formally authorizes the project and gives the project manager authority to apply resources?

  1. Management plan
  2. Responsibility matrix
  3. Scope statement
  4. Project charter Correct answer.

Explanation

The project charter formally authorizes the project and empowers the project manager. The scope statement details deliverables, the management plan describes how the project is executed, and a responsibility matrix assigns roles.

Question 11Project Planning

What is the key distinction between a milestone and an activity in a schedule?

  1. An activity cannot have float while a milestone can
  2. A milestone consumes resources while an activity does not
  3. A milestone is always on the critical path
  4. A milestone has zero duration and marks a significant point Correct answer.

Explanation

A milestone is a zero-duration marker of a significant event or achievement. It may or may not lie on the critical path, and it consumes no resources. Activities have duration and consume resources.

Question 12Project Planning

A planner is developing a schedule where duration estimates are uncertain and wants to model the probability of finishing by a target date. Which technique is most appropriate?

  1. Precedence diagramming
  2. Deterministic CPM
  3. Monte Carlo simulation Correct answer.
  4. Bar charting

Explanation

Monte Carlo simulation samples from duration distributions to produce a probability distribution of project completion. Deterministic CPM, bar charts, and precedence diagrams produce single-point results without probability output.

Question 13Project Planning

In earned value management, which metric compares work performed to work scheduled?

  1. Estimate at completion
  2. To-complete performance index
  3. Schedule variance Correct answer.
  4. Cost variance

Explanation

Schedule variance equals earned value minus planned value, indicating schedule performance in cost terms. Cost variance compares earned value to actual cost. Estimate at completion forecasts final cost, and the to-complete index forecasts remaining efficiency.

Question 14Project Planning

A project has a planned value of 200, an earned value of 180, and an actual cost of 210. What is the cost variance?

  1. 20
  2. 30
  3. -30 Correct answer.
  4. -10

Explanation

Cost variance equals earned value minus actual cost, so 180 minus 210 equals negative 30, indicating a cost overrun. Schedule variance would be earned value minus planned value. Mixing the terms produces incorrect results.

Question 15Project Planning

What is the purpose of a responsibility assignment matrix in planning?

  1. To document schedule baselines
  2. To estimate the cost of each work package
  3. To link work elements to the people or roles accountable for them Correct answer.
  4. To sequence activities by logical relationship

Explanation

A responsibility assignment matrix maps WBS elements to responsible parties, clarifying accountability. It does not sequence, estimate cost, or store baselines. Common forms include RACI charts.

Question 16Project Planning

A planner must estimate activity durations for a new technology with no historical data. Which approach is most defensible?

  1. Apply a three-point estimate and document assumptions Correct answer.
  2. Assign a fixed duration regardless of scope
  3. Copy durations from an unrelated past project
  4. Use the most optimistic duration to motivate the team

Explanation

Three-point estimating combines optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic values to reflect uncertainty and should be paired with documented assumptions. Optimistic-only or arbitrary durations misrepresent risk, and unrelated historical data is unreliable.

Question 17Project Planning

What does rolling wave planning allow a planner to do?

  1. Progressively elaborate near-term work while leaving far-term work at a higher level Correct answer.
  2. Plan all activities in full detail at project start
  3. Eliminate the need for a WBS
  4. Compress the schedule by overlapping all activities

Explanation

Rolling wave planning progressively elaborates work as information becomes available, detailing near-term activities while leaving later work at a higher level. It does not eliminate the WBS or compress the schedule.

Question 18Project Planning

Which of the following best describes a planning package in a WBS?

  1. A contractual deliverable milestone
  2. A summary activity at the top of the schedule
  3. A WBS element below the control account whose scope is not yet decomposed into work packages Correct answer.
  4. A work package with confirmed cost and schedule

Explanation

A planning package holds scope known at a higher level but not yet detailed into work packages, allowing planning to proceed. It sits below the control account. Confirmed packages are work packages, and summary activities or milestones are schedule constructs.

Question 19Project Planning

What is the primary output of the sequence activities process?

  1. A risk register
  2. A resource histogram
  3. A project network diagram with logical relationships Correct answer.
  4. A cost baseline

Explanation

Sequencing activities produces a network diagram showing logical relationships and dependencies among activities. Cost baselines, resource histograms, and risk registers are outputs of other processes.

Question 20Project Planning

An activity has an early start of 10, late start of 14, early finish of 18, and late finish of 22. What is its total float?

  1. 0
  2. 12
  3. 8
  4. 4 Correct answer.

Explanation

Total float equals late start minus early start, or late finish minus early finish, both giving 4. The other values misapply the formulas. Float indicates permissible delay without affecting project completion.

Question 21Project Planning

Which statement correctly describes the relationship between free float and total float?

  1. Free float can never exceed total float Correct answer.
  2. Free float and total float are always equal
  3. Free float is independent of network logic
  4. Free float is always greater than total float

Explanation

Free float measures delay permissible without affecting the earliest successor, while total float measures delay permissible without affecting project completion. Because the successor's early start bounds free float more tightly, free float cannot exceed total float.

Question 22Project Planning

What is the purpose of a schedule baseline?

  1. To list all resources assigned to activities
  2. To record the approved schedule against which performance is measured Correct answer.
  3. To capture actual start and finish dates
  4. To document the logic used to build the network

Explanation

The schedule baseline is the approved version used to compare actual and forecast performance. Actual dates are tracked separately, resource lists are resource plans, and logic is documented in the network.

Question 23Project Planning

A project has two parallel paths: Path A with total duration 30 days and Path B with total duration 25 days. A 4-day delay occurs on Path B. What is the effect on the project completion date?

  1. The project is delayed by 9 days
  2. The project is delayed by 4 days
  3. The project is delayed by 1 day
  4. No effect, since Path B is not critical Correct answer.

Explanation

Path B has 5 days of total float relative to the 30-day critical path A. A 4-day delay consumes float without exceeding it, so project completion is unaffected. Only delays exceeding float extend the project.

Question 24Project Planning

Which estimating method derives duration from a productivity rate multiplied by quantity of work?

  1. Bottom-up estimating
  2. Analogous estimating
  3. Parametric estimating Correct answer.
  4. Expert judgment

Explanation

Parametric estimating uses a statistical relationship such as productivity rate times quantity to derive duration or cost. Analogous estimating uses historical similarity, expert judgment relies on experience, and bottom-up aggregates detailed estimates.

Question 25Project Planning

In a schedule, what does a hammock or summary activity represent?

  1. A resource-driven activity with fixed duration
  2. A dummy activity used only for logic
  3. A grouping of activities whose duration spans from first start to last finish Correct answer.
  4. A zero-duration milestone

Explanation

A hammock or summary activity aggregates a group of activities and spans from the earliest start to the latest finish of its members. It is not a milestone, resource-driven activity, or dummy. It summarizes rather than drives work.

Question 26Project Planning

Which process group in project management is responsible for defining the project scope, developing the project management plan, and identifying stakeholders before execution begins?

  1. Executing
  2. Monitoring and controlling
  3. Initiating
  4. Planning Correct answer.

Explanation

The Planning process group develops the project management plan, defines scope, and builds the baselines used to guide execution. Initiating authorizes the project, while executing performs the work and monitoring and controlling compares performance to the baselines.

Question 27Project Planning

Which of the following is a characteristic that distinguishes a project from ongoing operations?

  1. It requires a formal budget
  2. It is performed by a dedicated team
  3. It follows a documented methodology
  4. It produces a unique product, service, or result Correct answer.

Explanation

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Operations are ongoing and repetitive, so uniqueness and temporariness are the defining distinctions.

Question 28Project Planning

A planner is decomposing deliverables into progressively smaller components. What is the lowest level of the work breakdown structure called?

  1. Control account
  2. Planning package
  3. Work package Correct answer.
  4. Activity

Explanation

The work package is the lowest level of the WBS, where cost and duration can be reliably estimated and managed. Control accounts sit above work packages, and activities are schedule components derived from work packages.

Question 29Project Planning

Which type of organizational structure typically gives the project manager the greatest authority over project resources?

  1. Functional
  2. Weak matrix
  3. Balanced matrix
  4. Projectized Correct answer.

Explanation

In a projectized organization, staff report to the project manager and resources are dedicated to the project, giving the project manager the most authority. Matrix structures share authority with functional managers, and functional structures retain authority with the functional manager.

Question 30Project Planning

In a precedence diagram, a finish-to-start relationship with a two-day lag means what?

  1. The successor cannot start until two days after the predecessor finishes Correct answer.
  2. The successor must start two days after the predecessor starts
  3. The successor can start two days before the predecessor finishes
  4. The successor can finish two days before the predecessor finishes

Explanation

A lag is a directed delay added to a logical relationship. With a finish-to-start relationship plus a two-day lag, the successor cannot begin until two days after the predecessor's finish.

Question 31Project Planning

What does a resource histogram display in project planning?

  1. The number of resources required per time period Correct answer.
  2. The skill levels assigned to each activity
  3. The cost of each resource over the project
  4. The sequence of resource acquisition

Explanation

A resource histogram shows resource demand plotted against time, revealing peaks and valleys in staffing. It is used to identify overallocation and to support resource leveling decisions.

Question 32Project Planning

Which document defines how the project scope will be verified and controlled, including the process for formal acceptance of deliverables?

  1. Scope management plan Correct answer.
  2. Project charter
  3. Quality management plan
  4. Requirements traceability matrix

Explanation

The scope management plan describes how scope will be defined, validated, and controlled, including the formal acceptance process. The requirements traceability matrix links requirements to deliverables but does not define the control process.

Question 33Project Planning

What is the primary purpose of a stakeholder register during planning?

  1. To record the cost of engaging each stakeholder
  2. To list the contractual obligations of the project
  3. To identify stakeholders and document their interests, influence, and engagement needs Correct answer.
  4. To assign activities to individual team members

Explanation

The stakeholder register captures stakeholder identification information, assessment of influence and interest, and classification to guide engagement planning. It is not a cost or assignment document.

Question 34Project Planning

An activity has an optimistic duration of 6 days, a most likely duration of 9 days, and a pessimistic duration of 18 days. Using the PERT weighted average, what is the expected duration?

  1. 11 days
  2. 9 days
  3. 12 days
  4. 10 days Correct answer.

Explanation

The PERT expected duration is (optimistic + 4 x most likely + pessimistic) / 6, which equals (6 + 36 + 18) / 6 = 10 days. The weighting reflects greater confidence in the most likely estimate.

Question 35Project Planning

A planner is estimating durations by comparing the current activity to similar past activities and adjusting for known differences. Which estimating technique is being used?

  1. Bottom-up estimating
  2. Three-point estimating
  3. Parametric estimating
  4. Analogous estimating Correct answer.

Explanation

Analogous estimating uses historical data from similar activities or projects and adjusts for differences in scale or complexity. It is less accurate than detailed methods but useful when limited information exists.

Question 36Project Planning

A project has an early start of 5, an early finish of 12, a late start of 8, and a late finish of 15 for a given activity. What is the free float if the earliest early start among its successors is 13?

  1. 3 days
  2. 0 days
  3. 1 day Correct answer.
  4. 7 days

Explanation

Free float equals the earliest early start of successors minus the activity's early finish, or 13 minus 12 = 1 day. Total float for this activity would be 3 days (late start minus early start).

Question 37Project Planning

A planner is crashing a schedule and must choose among activities on the critical path. Which activity should be selected first to minimize cost impact?

  1. The critical activity with the lowest cost per day of compression Correct answer.
  2. The critical activity with the longest duration
  3. The critical activity with the highest cost per day of compression
  4. The non-critical activity with the most free float

Explanation

Crashing selects critical path activities with the lowest incremental cost per unit of time saved, provided they can be compressed. Compressing non-critical activities does not shorten the project unless they become critical.

Question 38Project Planning

A planner wants to identify the sequence of activities that determines the shortest possible project duration. Which analytical technique should be applied?

  1. Schedule compression
  2. Critical path method Correct answer.
  3. Resource leveling
  4. Monte Carlo simulation

Explanation

The critical path method calculates early and late dates and identifies the longest path through the network, which sets the minimum project duration. Monte Carlo simulation models uncertainty but relies on the network logic established through CPM.

Question 39Project Planning

A project manager is developing a cost baseline for a multi-year project and needs to distribute the budget over time. Which technique is most appropriate?

  1. Cost aggregation
  2. Reserve analysis
  3. Earned value analysis
  4. S-curve funding requirement analysis Correct answer.

Explanation

An S-curve plots cumulative cost over time and is used to establish the funding requirements across the project life cycle. Cost aggregation sums costs by WBS component, while reserve analysis determines contingency levels.

Question 40Project Planning

A planner must determine the total project duration when two paths converge. Path A has a duration of 20 days, Path B has a duration of 24 days, and the merged successor activity has a duration of 6 days. What is the project duration?

  1. 26 days
  2. 50 days
  3. 44 days
  4. 30 days Correct answer.

Explanation

The project duration is governed by the longest path, so Path B (24 days) plus the successor (6 days) equals 30 days. Path A has float relative to Path B and does not extend the total.

Question 41Project Planning

A planner is sequencing activities where the predecessor must start before the successor can start, with overlap allowed. Which relationship type applies?

  1. Start-to-start Correct answer.
  2. Finish-to-finish
  3. Finish-to-start
  4. Start-to-finish

Explanation

A start-to-start relationship means the successor cannot begin until the predecessor begins, and a lag can allow controlled overlap. Finish-to-start is the most common relationship but requires the predecessor to complete first.

Question 42Project Planning

Which planning artifact establishes the criteria that must be met before a phase can be closed and the next phase authorized?

  1. Communications management plan
  2. Work breakdown structure
  3. Resource calendar
  4. Phase gate or stage gate Correct answer.

Explanation

A phase gate or stage gate defines exit criteria that must be satisfied before the project advances to the next phase. It provides governance control points across the life cycle.

Question 43Project Planning

A planner is using a technique that adds buffers at the end of activity chains rather than to individual activities, protecting the project from variation. What is this technique called?

  1. Resource smoothing
  2. Critical chain method Correct answer.
  3. Fast tracking
  4. Precedence diagramming

Explanation

The critical chain method aggregates safety into project and feeding buffers rather than embedding it in individual task durations. This protects the critical chain from variation and resource contention.

Question 44Project Planning

A project manager discovers that two activities are scheduled simultaneously but require the same specialized crane. Which action best resolves the conflict while preserving the project end date?

  1. Remove one activity from the schedule
  2. Add a new predecessor to the critical activity
  3. Delay the non-critical activity within its available float Correct answer.
  4. Compress both activities to run faster

Explanation

Delaying a non-critical activity within its total float resolves the resource conflict without extending the project duration. This is a form of resource leveling that preserves the end date when float is sufficient.

Question 45Project Planning

A planner needs to communicate the planned start and finish dates for each activity, including float, to the project team. Which schedule output is most appropriate?

  1. Resource histogram
  2. Network diagram
  3. Gantt chart with activity dates Correct answer.
  4. Responsibility assignment matrix

Explanation

A Gantt chart displays activities against a time scale and communicates planned start and finish dates, durations, and float. Network diagrams show logic but not the time-scaled date information as clearly.

Question 46Project Planning

A planner is developing a schedule for a research project where the exact activities for later phases are unknown. Which approach best supports progressive elaboration?

  1. A single summary milestone for the entire project
  2. A fully detailed schedule for all phases
  3. A fixed schedule baseline with no updates
  4. Rolling wave planning with planning packages Correct answer.

Explanation

Rolling wave planning elaborates near-term work in detail while leaving future work as planning packages to be detailed later. This supports progressive elaboration when later activities are uncertain.

Question 47Project Planning

A planner is analyzing a network where an activity's late finish equals its early finish. What does this indicate about the activity?

  1. It is a summary activity
  2. It is on the critical path Correct answer.
  3. It has free float but no total float
  4. It has positive total float

Explanation

When an activity's late finish equals its early finish, its total float is zero, which places it on the critical path. Critical path activities have no schedule flexibility without delaying the project.

Question 48Project Planning

A planner is evaluating a schedule where a critical path activity has a negative total float. What is the most likely cause?

  1. The activity has more resources than required
  2. The activity duration was underestimated
  3. An imposed finish date is earlier than the calculated project finish Correct answer.
  4. The schedule contains a logic error in the network

Explanation

Negative total float indicates the calculated project finish exceeds an imposed constraint date, such as a required completion date. This signals the schedule cannot meet the constraint without compression or scope change.

Question 49Project Planning

A planner is comparing two schedule scenarios. Scenario A has a critical path of 40 days with 3 days of total float on a secondary path. Scenario B has a critical path of 38 days with 1 day of total float on a secondary path. Which statement best describes the schedule risk?

  1. Scenario A is riskier because it has more total float
  2. Scenario B is riskier because it has less float on the secondary path Correct answer.
  3. Scenario A is riskier because its critical path is longer
  4. Both scenarios carry identical risk because the critical paths are similar

Explanation

Less float on a near-critical path means smaller variations can turn it critical and extend the project. Scenario B's shorter critical path is offset by the reduced buffer on the secondary path, increasing schedule risk.

Question 50Project Planning

A planner must determine which of two parallel critical paths will drive the project finish when both have equal duration but one contains a high-uncertainty activity. What is the most appropriate analysis?

  1. Assume both paths are equally critical and ignore uncertainty
  2. Select the path with more activities as the driving path
  3. Select the path with the higher probability of exceeding its duration as the driving path Correct answer.
  4. Select the path with the lower cost as the driving path

Explanation

When parallel paths have equal deterministic duration, the path with greater uncertainty has a higher probability of extending the project and should be treated as the driving path for risk management. Deterministic CPM alone does not capture this.