Worth 33% of the PMI PMP (PMP) exam. CertClue has 296 questions on this objective.
Every PM eventually faces conflict among team members or stakeholders, and PMI exams expect you to match the situation described to the one conflict-handling technique that fits best, not just to define the terms.
Exam tip. If a scenario shows the PM making a unilateral, fast decision under a safety or compliance emergency, the answer is force/direct, not collaborate, even though collaborate is usually the best-outcome answer on the exam.
PMI expects you to distinguish between several similarly named stakeholder tools; each classifies or documents stakeholders along different dimensions, and picking the wrong one is a common exam trap.
Exam tip. If a question mentions legitimacy or urgency as a classification factor, the answer is the salience model, not the power-interest grid, which only uses power and interest.
PMP questions rarely ask which leadership style is best. They describe a team and a moment, and ask which style fits. The answer turns on two things: how capable the team is at this particular task, and how committed they are to it. A team that has done the work ten times needs delegation; the same team facing an unfamiliar technology needs direction, and offering delegation there reads as abandonment.
Exam tip. When a stem says the team is experienced, any answer where the project manager assigns detailed tasks is wrong, even if it sounds diligent.
Conflict questions almost always offer one answer that resolves the conflict, one that escalates it, one that avoids it and one that gathers information. The PMP position is that the project manager addresses conflict directly and early, at the lowest level, in private, and treats it as a team issue rather than a personality issue. Escalation is a later step, not a first one.
Exam tip. Answers containing remove the team member, tell the sponsor immediately or let them work it out are almost always distractors.
A communications plan answers who needs what information, when, in what form and from whom. The two failures the exam tests are sending everyone everything, which trains people to ignore you, and relying on push communication for anything that needs agreement. The third, less obvious, is failing to confirm that the message was understood rather than merely delivered.
Exam tip. If a stem describes a misunderstanding after a status report was sent, the fix is interactive communication, not a better report.
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1. A project manager increases team members' base salaries and improves their office equipment, expecting this to significantly boost motivation and engagement. According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, what is the most likely outcome?
In Herzberg's two-factor theory, salary and working conditions are hygiene factors, their absence causes dissatisfaction but their presence does not, by itself, create lasting motivation, which instead comes from motivator factors such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, and meaningful work. Expecting substantial, lasting motivation from pay and equipment alone misapplies the theory, since hygiene factors only prevent dissatisfaction rather than driving engagement. Claiming no effect at all overstates the case, since these changes can still prevent active dissatisfaction. Assuming higher pay creates unhealthy competition is not what the theory predicts and is not supported by the scenario.
2. Two senior developers on a hybrid delivery team disagree strongly over the technical design for a critical module, and the disagreement is starting to affect team morale ahead of a demo. There is still time before the demo. What should the project manager do FIRST?
With adequate time and a strong working relationship worth preserving, collaborate or problem solve is generally the strongest conflict resolution technique because it produces a win win outcome both parties can support. Escalating to the sponsor is premature since this is a team level technical disagreement, not something outside the project manager's authority. Separating the developers avoids the conflict rather than resolving it. Directing the team to a single approach without discussion is forcing, which can resolve the immediate issue quickly but tends to breed resentment and does not use the strongest available option.
3. Which of the following is the clearest EARLY warning sign of team disengagement that a project manager should watch for?
A noticeable decline in participation and a drop off in volunteering for new work are classic early indicators that a team member is disengaging, often before more serious problems appear. Taking previously scheduled vacation time is a normal, planned event with no connection to disengagement. Asking clarifying questions during planning is a sign of engagement and thoroughness, not withdrawal. Requesting formal training reflects continued investment in growth and capability, which runs counter to disengagement.
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