FREE CAPM PRACTICE
CAPM domain practice for clearer project decisions
These original teaching exercises build practical distinctions across the four current CAPM domains: project management fundamentals, predictive planning, agile methods, and business analysis. They are separate from protected prediction reports and are designed to make the reasoning behind a project decision visible.
Use a section when you want a focused refresh, then try the exercise without looking at the feedback. Review the explanation for the decision rule, not just the answer. This is educational practice, not an official PMI exam or a score conversion.
Practice the skill, then review the reasoning
A schedule activity has an early start of day 6 and a late start of day 10. What is its total float?
A Scrum Team needs to inspect the increment with stakeholders and adapt future product work after discussing what changed in the market. Which event should it use?
A team writes, “The search screen should be easy to use.” Which next step creates the strongest acceptance evidence?
Start by naming the project condition
Many project scenarios become simpler when you classify the condition accurately. A project is temporary and creates a unique result; operations are ongoing. An assumption is unconfirmed, a constraint is a limit, a risk is uncertain, and an issue exists now. Each category leads to a different practical action.
For a risk, assign an owner, response, trigger, and review point. For an issue, make the impact and required decision visible, then use the agreed escalation route when the team cannot resolve it. For an assumption, identify the evidence or person that can confirm it.
Read the predictive plan through its logic
A predictive schedule is more than dates in a spreadsheet. Work packages are decomposed into activities, activities are connected by dependencies, and milestones mark important zero-duration events. The critical path is generally the path that determines the planned duration, so delay on an activity with no float can affect the finish date.
Controls make variance visible. A schedule baseline is the approved reference for timing. Earned value compares completed work with planned value and actual cost. Use a measure to prompt analysis, then investigate causes and trade-offs before deciding on a recovery action.
Use agile practices to shorten learning cycles
Adaptive delivery is useful when feedback can change a better decision. An ordered Product Backlog makes candidate work visible. A Sprint Goal gives selected work a coherent purpose, while Developers plan how to create an increment that meets the definition of done.
Inspect the right thing at the right time. A Daily Scrum adapts near-term work toward the Sprint Goal. A Sprint Review brings outcome and stakeholder feedback into the next product decision. A retrospective improves the team’s own way of working. Keep workflow policies visible so a board shows reliable state, not personal interpretations.
Connect needs, evidence, and acceptance
Business analysis is not a single document. Choose elicitation for the question: interview for depth, survey for breadth, observation for real behavior, and workshop for a shared decision. Represent information in forms that clarify it, such as process flows, decision tables, data models, user stories, or use cases.
A clear acceptance criterion describes an observable condition for completion and acceptance. After a solution is released, return to the expected outcome. Compare an agreed post-launch measure with the baseline and interpret the result in context. Delivery on time is useful, but it is not by itself evidence of benefit.
Questions about this practice
How should I choose between predictive and agile questions?
Look for the decision context. Stable, regulated, or tightly defined work often needs plan-based control. Meaningful uncertainty, rapid feedback, and incremental value can support adaptive work. Some scenarios reasonably use a hybrid approach.
What is the fastest way to improve on CAPM scenarios?
Name the decision being asked, identify the project condition or artifact, eliminate options that skip governance or evidence, then explain why the remaining action fits the context.
Do acceptance criteria replace user stories?
No. A user story explains who needs something and why. Acceptance criteria make the expected outcome clear enough to verify. They work together.
Can a short practice result predict an official CAPM score?
No. A short practice result is useful for identifying concepts to review. It is not an official PMI result, a scaled-score conversion, or a pass guarantee.
References
- PMI — CAPM Examination Content Outline
- PMI — Practice Standard for Scheduling
- The Scrum Guide, 2020
- IIBA — Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria Insight
- Atlassian — Product Roadmap Guide
Updated October 25, 2026 · PassPredictor