Objectives in this domain

Apply scope management techniques including requirements collection, scope definition, and decomposition into a work breakdown structure (WBS).
Section 2.1medium
Develop a project schedule using activity sequencing, duration estimation, and the critical path method to identify total float and the longest path.
Section 2.2hard
Apply cost, quality, risk, and procurement planning in a plan-based project, including cost baselines, risk responses, and contract types.
Section 2.3medium
Interpret project performance using earned value basics, including schedule and cost variance, to support project controls and change management.
Section 2.4hard

Sample question from this domain

Free 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 days 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.

Other domains in this exam

Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts36% of the exam
Agile Frameworks/Methodologies20% of the exam
Business Analysis Frameworks27% of the exam

See also the CAPM cert hub, the study guide, and the cheat sheet.