PMI-SP Critical Path Method 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project has four paths with durations of 22, 25, 25, and 18 days. Which statement about the critical path is correct?
- There is one critical path of 25 days
- There are two critical paths, both 25 days long (Correct answer)
- The critical path is 22 days because it has the most risk
- The critical path cannot be determined without float values
Correct answer: There are two critical paths, both 25 days long
When two or more paths share the longest duration, all of them are considered critical paths.
Question 2: In CPM, what does a 'near-critical path' signify to a project scheduler?
- A path that has already been delayed
- A path with very little float that could become critical if delayed slightly (Correct answer)
- A path that runs parallel to the critical path with equal duration
- A path containing only mandatory dependencies
Correct answer: A path with very little float that could become critical if delayed slightly
Near-critical paths have minimal float and require monitoring because small delays can make them critical.
Question 3: Which scheduling technique extends CPM by incorporating resource constraints into the network analysis?
- GERT
- PERT
- Critical Chain Method (Correct answer)
- Monte Carlo simulation
Correct answer: Critical Chain Method
Critical Chain Method (CCM) modifies the critical path to account for resource availability and dependencies.
Question 4: Activity G has an Early Start of day 10, Early Finish of day 16, Late Start of day 14, and Late Finish of day 20. What is the Total Float?
- 4 days (Correct answer)
- 6 days
- 2 days
- 0 days
Correct answer: 4 days
Total Float = Late Start − Early Start = 14 − 10 = 4 days (or Late Finish − Early Finish = 20 − 16 = 4 days).
Question 5: When performing a forward pass in CPM, what value is carried forward when two predecessor activities converge on a single successor?
- The minimum Early Finish of the predecessors
- The maximum Early Finish of the predecessors (Correct answer)
- The average Early Finish of the predecessors
- The Early Finish of the longest predecessor only
Correct answer: The maximum Early Finish of the predecessors
The successor's Early Start equals the maximum Early Finish of all its predecessors, ensuring all predecessors are complete.
Question 6: A scheduler compresses the schedule by adding resources to critical path activities. This technique is called:
- Fast tracking
- Schedule crashing (Correct answer)
- Resource leveling
- Scope reduction
Correct answer: Schedule crashing
Crashing adds resources (cost) to shorten critical path activity durations and compress the overall schedule.
Question 7: Which type of dependency between activities is inherent to the nature of the work and cannot be changed by the project team?
- Discretionary dependency
- External dependency
- Mandatory dependency (Correct answer)
- Preferential dependency
Correct answer: Mandatory dependency
Mandatory dependencies (hard logic) are required by the nature of the work, such as needing a foundation before building walls.
PMI-SP Critical Path Method 2
A project has four paths with durations of 22, 25, 25, and 18 days.
Which statement about the critical path is correct?