Foundational project management knowledge across predictive, agile, and business analysis approaches for the PMI CAPM examination, with a worked explanation on every practice question.
Free sample questions
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lock_openFree samplePredictive, Plan-Based Methodologieshard
A small project network has five activities. Activity A (3 days) and Activity B (6 days) both start the project. Activity C (8 days) follows A. Activity D (4 days) follows B. Activity E (5 days) starts only after both C and D finish, and E ends the project. Which path is the project's critical path?
- AA to C to E, with a total duration of 16 dayscheck_circle Correct
- BB to D to E, with a total duration of 15 days
- CA to C to E, with a total duration of 11 days
- DB to D to E, with a total duration of 18 days
The critical path is the longest continuous path through the network, which determines the earliest possible project finish. Adding activity durations along each complete path gives A to C to E at 16 days and B to D to E at 15 days. The longest of these, 16 days, is the critical path because any delay to its activities delays the whole project.
Why A is correct: The critical path is the longest continuous path through the network. A to C to E sums to 3 plus 8 plus 5, which is 16 days, longer than the only other path B to D to E at 15 days, so it sets the earliest project finish and its activities have zero total float.
Why B is wrong: B to D to E is the near-critical path at 15 days and carries only 1 day of total float. It is tempting because it starts with the longest single activity, B at 6 days, but a longer path exists, so it is not critical.
Why C is wrong: This correctly names the longest path but miscalculates its length, most likely by dropping activity E from the sum. The path A to C to E actually totals 16 days, not 11, so the duration stated here is wrong.
Why D is wrong: This selects the near-critical path and also overstates its length, probably by adding an activity that is not on it. B to D to E totals 15 days, and in any case it is not the longest path, so it is not the critical path.
lock_openFree samplePredictive, Plan-Based Methodologieshard
A scheduler has completed both the forward pass and the backward pass on a predictive project schedule and now wants to explain to the team what the critical path actually represents. Which statement correctly describes the critical path?
- AIt is the sequence of activities with the greatest total float, which gives the schedule its maximum flexibility.
- BIt is the longest path through the network, and its activities have zero total float.check_circle Correct
- CIt is the path that contains the single longest-duration activity in the whole schedule.
- DIt is the shortest path through the network, along which any delay is absorbed by available float.
Critical path activities lie on the longest network path and carry zero total float, so any delay to them delays the project. The forward and backward passes reveal that the longest path has identical early and late dates, producing zero total float. That absence of slack is what makes those activities critical and defines the project's shortest possible duration.
Why A is wrong: This inverts the concept. Activities with large total float can be delayed without affecting the finish date, so they are the least constraining, not the critical path. Critical activities have the least float, not the most.
Why B is correct: The critical path is the longest duration path from start to finish, so it drives the earliest completion date. Because there is no slack anywhere along it, each of its activities has zero total float, meaning any delay pushes the project end out.
Why C is wrong: A long individual activity may sit on a short path, while many shorter activities in sequence can form a longer path. Critical path length comes from the sum along a path, not from any one activity, so this is a common trap.
Why D is wrong: This reverses the definition. The shortest path has the most slack and delays there are indeed absorbed by float, which is exactly why it is not critical. The critical path is the longest path and has no float to absorb delay.
lock_openFree samplePredictive, Plan-Based Methodologieshard
Activity Q has an early finish on day 12. Its only successor, activity R, has an early start on day 15. Activity Q does not lie on the critical path, and the backward pass gives Q a late finish on day 18. Based on these figures, what are Q's free float and total float?
- AFree float of 6 days and total float of 3 days
- BFree float of 3 days and total float of 3 days
- CFree float of 3 days and total float of 6 dayscheck_circle Correct
- DFree float of 0 days and total float of 6 days
Free float uses a successor's early start while total float uses an activity's own late finish, so the two values often differ. Free float equals the earliest start of the successor minus the early finish of the activity, 15 minus 12 equals 3. Total float equals the activity's late finish minus its early finish, 18 minus 12 equals 6. Different reference points produce different amounts of slack.
Why A is wrong: This swaps the two values. Free float looks at the successor's early start and equals 3 days, while total float uses the late finish and equals 6 days. The larger number is total float, so the figures are reversed here.
Why B is wrong: Treating free float and total float as equal is a frequent error. They coincide only when an activity's delay would immediately push its successor, which is not the case here, so the two values differ.
Why C is correct: Free float is the successor's early start minus Q's early finish, 15 minus 12, giving 3 days. Total float is Q's late finish minus its early finish, 18 minus 12, giving 6 days. The two measures answer different questions and correctly differ here.
Why D is wrong: Assuming free float is zero because Q is off the critical path is wrong. Free float is the successor early start minus Q's early finish, 15 minus 12, which is 3 days, not zero.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are on the CAPM exam?
- The PMI Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam has 150 (135 scored) questions and runs for 180 minutes. The format is multiple choice, closed book.
- What score do I need to pass CAPM?
- PMI does not publish a fixed pass mark for CAPM, so treat any "X%" figure you see elsewhere as unofficial. Examworthy gives you a per-domain readiness score so you can judge when you are ready across every domain.
- How much does the CAPM exam cost?
- The exam costs 300 USD to sit. Practising on Examworthy is free to start, with a worked explanation on every question.
- Is there a CAPM practice exam?
- Yes. Examworthy's exam mode runs a timed CAPM practice exam (mock) paced to match the real exam, scored per domain so you can see exactly where you stand against the blueprint. Timed mocks are free with an account.
- How does Examworthy help me prepare for CAPM?
- Every practice question carries a worked explanation and a per-distractor rationale, mapped to the official blueprint domains. You learn why each answer is right or wrong, not just the letter.
- Is Examworthy affiliated with PMI?
- No. Examworthy is not affiliated with or endorsed by PMI. Our questions are original, blueprint-aligned practice material; we never reproduce live exam items.
Examworthy is not affiliated with or endorsed by PMI. All questions are original, blueprint-aligned practice material. We never reproduce live exam items. CAPM and related marks belong to their respective owners.
