PMI-PBA Sample Exam Questions

By Fadi Salampmi-pba

Here are sample exam questions for the PMI-PBA® (Professional in Business Analysis) certification:

Scenario 1: Need Assessment

You are a business analyst working on a new project to improve the customer service process at your company. During your initial assessment, you identify that one of the key issues is the long wait time for customers to get assistance.

Question: What technique would you use to gather more information about the root cause of the long wait times?

  1. Brainstorming
  2. Root Cause Analysis
  3. Focus Groups
  4. Benchmarking

Scenario 2: Planning

You have been tasked with developing a business analysis plan for a project aimed at implementing a new inventory management system. You need to identify the stakeholders who will be involved in the project.

Question: Which stakeholder identification technique would be most appropriate for this stage of the project?

  1. RACI Matrix
  2. Stakeholder Register
  3. Stakeholder Analysis
  4. Interviews

Scenario 3: Analysis

As a business analyst, you are analyzing the requirements for a new software application. You need to ensure that the requirements are complete, clear, and consistent.

Question: Which of the following techniques is most effective in verifying and validating the requirements?

  1. Prototyping
  2. Document Analysis
  3. Workshops
  4. Peer Reviews

Scenario 4: Traceability and Monitoring

During the project execution phase, you need to ensure that all requirements are being tracked and managed effectively. You want to maintain traceability from the initial requirements to the final deliverables.

Question: Which tool or technique is most commonly used for maintaining requirements traceability?

  1. Traceability Matrix
  2. Gantt Chart
  3. Fishbone Diagram
  4. SWOT Analysis

Scenario 5: Evaluation

The project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system has been completed. You need to evaluate the success of the project and determine if it met its objectives.

Question: Which of the following measures would be most appropriate for evaluating the success of the CRM system implementation?

  1. Number of customer complaints
  2. Increase in sales revenue
  3. User satisfaction survey results
  4. Employee turnover rate

Scenario 6: Enforcing Scrum Rules

You are part of a Scrum team working on a software development project. The team is experiencing some difficulties in adhering to the Scrum rules and processes, and there is a need for someone to ensure that these rules are followed correctly.

Question: In this scenario, who is primarily responsible for enforcing the established rules and processes to ensure the team operates effectively and adheres to Agile principles?

  1. The Scrum Master
  2. The development team
  3. The stakeholders
  4. The product owner

Scenario 7: Traceability Tools

You are managing a project where maintaining traceability of requirements is crucial. You have a range of tools at your disposal to ensure that all requirements are tracked and changes are managed effectively. However, not all tools are commonly used for traceability.

Question: Among the various tools available for maintaining traceability in project management, which of the following is not considered one of the most commonly utilized tools to track requirements and changes throughout the project lifecycle?

  1. Trace matrices
  2. Traceability chain
  3. Decision trees
  4. Specification trees

Scenario 8: Conducting Retrospectives

As a member of a Scrum team, you are preparing to conduct a retrospective meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to review the team’s performance, discuss what went well, and identify areas for improvement. It’s essential to determine the most appropriate time to hold this meeting to gain maximum value from the discussion.

Question: During the project lifecycle, at which specific time is it most common for the team to conduct a retrospective meeting to review their work and identify areas for improvement?

  1. At any given time
  2. At the beginning of every iteration or sprint
  3. At the end of every iteration or sprint
  4. At the end of a release

Scenario 9: Identifying Stakeholders

You have developed a RASCI chart to define roles and responsibilities for a new project. One of the key tasks is to identify and engage with stakeholders who will be impacted by the project. This task needs to be assigned to the most appropriate role within the project team.

Question: In this scenario, who is most likely responsible for identifying and engaging with stakeholders throughout the project?

  1. The business analyst
  2. The development team
  3. The sponsor
  4. The Scrum Master

Scenario 10: Monitoring Requirements

As a business analyst, you are responsible for managing requirements throughout their lifecycle. You need to ensure that all requirements are tracked, documented, and verified to meet the project’s objectives. Multiple methods can be used to monitor these requirements effectively.

Question: In the context of managing requirements throughout their lifecycle, what methods would a business analyst typically use to monitor and track these requirements from inception to completion?

  1. Traceability artifacts or tools
  2. Use models, documentation, and test cases
  3. All of these
  4. None of these

Scenario 11: Utilizing Decision Trees

While working on a project, you frequently use decision trees to analyze and manage business rules. However, decision trees can also be applied to other areas within project management to address various issues and challenges.

Question: Besides working on business rules, in which other areas of project management might you find decision trees being applied to analyze and resolve issues?

  1. Quality management
  2. Quantitative risk assessment
  3. Scope management
  4. Project time management

Scenario 12: Brown Cow Model Analysis

You are utilizing the Brown Cow Model to analyze and improve business processes within your organization. The model helps you visualize both the current situation and the desired future state of a process. It’s important to identify where the current situation is represented in the model.

Question: When utilizing the Brown Cow Model to analyze business processes, in which section of the model would you typically find a representation of the current situation or the “as-is” state of the process?

  1. Upper left corner
  2. Lower left corner
  3. Lower right corner
  4. Upper right corner

Scenario 13: Requirements Elicitation Challenges

During the requirements elicitation phase of a project, you encounter various challenges. One of the primary difficulties is gathering and documenting stakeholders’ needs and expectations accurately. Identifying the main challenges in this phase is essential for successful project outcomes.

Question: What is considered one of the primary challenges faced by business analysts during the requirements elicitation phase, which involves gathering and documenting stakeholders’ needs and expectations for a project?

  1. Recording the voice of the customer
  2. Too many techniques to choose from
  3. Too little time
  4. Managing scope

Scenario 14: Stakeholder Analysis

You are conducting stakeholder analysis as part of your project management activities. This analysis aims to identify and address key aspects of stakeholder engagement to ensure project success. It’s important to recognize the various elements that this analysis seeks to uncover.

Question: When conducting stakeholder analysis as part of project management activities, what are the key aspects that this analysis aims to identify and address to ensure effective stakeholder engagement and project success?

  1. Each stakeholder’s interest in the project
  2. Potential conflicts in stakeholder viewpoint/interests that must be balanced
  3. Communication needs of each stakeholder throughout the phases of the project
  4. All of these

Scenario 15: Communication and Collaboration Technology

You are responsible for selecting communication and collaboration technology for your project team. Several factors influence your choice, and it’s important to consider the most critical one to ensure effective interaction and information sharing among team members.

Question: Which factor is most influential in determining the choice of communication and collaboration technology that will be used by the project team to facilitate effective interaction and information sharing?

  1. Costs
  2. Availability of technology
  3. Project environment
  4. Documentation

Answers

Here are the answers to the PMI-PBA® sample exam questions along with the justification:

Scenario 1: Needs Assessment

You are a business analyst working on a new project to improve the customer service process at your company. During your initial assessment, you identify that one of the key issues is the long wait time for customers to get assistance.

Question: What technique would you use to gather more information about the root cause of the long wait times?

  1. Brainstorming
  2. Root Cause Analysis
  3. Focus Groups
  4. Benchmarking

Answer: Root Cause Analysis

Justification: Root Cause Analysis (RCis a technique used to identify the underlying reasons for a problem or issue. In this scenario, you need to determine the root cause of long wait times. RCA will help you uncover the fundamental issues contributing to the long wait times, enabling you to develop effective solutions.

Scenario 2: Planning

You have been tasked with developing a business analysis plan for a project aimed at implementing a new inventory management system. You need to identify the stakeholders who will be involved in the project.

Question: Which stakeholder identification technique would be most appropriate for this stage of the project?

  1. RACI Matrix
  2. Stakeholder Register
  3. Stakeholder Analysis
  4. Interviews

Answer: Stakeholder Analysis

Justification: Stakeholder Analysis is a technique used to identify and assess the interests and influence of stakeholders involved in a project. At this stage, it is crucial to understand who the stakeholders are, their roles, and their impact on the project. Stakeholder Analysis helps you gather this information systematically.

Scenario 3: Analysis

As a business analyst, you are analyzing the requirements for a new software application. You need to ensure that the requirements are complete, clear, and consistent.

Question: Which of the following techniques is most effective in verifying and validating the requirements?

  1. Prototyping
  2. Document Analysis
  3. Workshops
  4. Peer Reviews

Answer: Peer Reviews

Justification: Peer Reviews involve having colleagues or other experts review the requirements to ensure they are complete, clear, and consistent. This collaborative approach allows for multiple perspectives and helps identify any gaps, ambiguities, or inconsistencies in the requirements.

Scenario 4: Traceability and Monitoring

During the project execution phase, you need to ensure that all requirements are being tracked and managed effectively. You want to maintain traceability from the initial requirements to the final deliverables.

Question: Which tool or technique is most commonly used for maintaining requirements traceability?

  1. Traceability Matrix
  2. Gantt Chart
  3. Fishbone Diagram
  4. SWOT Analysis

Answer: Traceability Matrix

Justification: A Traceability Matrix is a tool used to track the relationships between requirements and other project artifacts, such as design, development, and testing. It helps ensure that all requirements are addressed throughout the project lifecycle and that changes are managed effectively.

Scenario 5: Evaluation

The project to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system has been completed. You need to evaluate the success of the project and determine if it met its objectives.

Question: Which of the following measures would be most appropriate for evaluating the success of the CRM system implementation?

  1. Number of customer complaints
  2. Increase in sales revenue
  3. User satisfaction survey results
  4. Employee turnover rate

Answer: User Satisfaction Survey Results

Justification: User satisfaction survey results provide direct feedback from the users of the CRM system, indicating their level of satisfaction with the system’s performance and usability. This measure is critical for evaluating whether the implemented system meets the users’ needs and contributes to the project’s success.

Scenario 6: Enforcing Scrum Rules

You are part of a Scrum team working on a software development project. The team is experiencing some difficulties in adhering to the Scrum rules and processes, and there is a need for someone to ensure that these rules are followed correctly.

Question: In this scenario, who is primarily responsible for enforcing the established rules and processes to ensure the team operates effectively and adheres to Agile principles?

  1. The Scrum Master
  2. The development team
  3. The stakeholders
  4. The product owner

Answer: The Scrum Master

Justification: The Scrum Master is primarily responsible for ensuring that the Scrum team adheres to Agile principles, rules, and processes. The Scrum Master acts as a coach for the team, guiding them in following Scrum practices and helping to remove any impediments that may hinder their progress. By enforcing the rules and processes, the Scrum Master ensures that the team operates effectively and remains aligned with Agile principles.

Scenario 7: Traceability Tools

You are managing a project where maintaining traceability of requirements is crucial. You have a range of tools at your disposal to ensure that all requirements are tracked and changes are managed effectively. However, not all tools are commonly used for traceability.

Question: Among the various tools available for maintaining traceability in project management, which of the following is not considered one of the most commonly utilized tools to track requirements and changes throughout the project lifecycle?

  1. Trace matrices
  2. Traceability chain
  3. Decision trees
  4. Specification trees

Answer: Decision trees

Justification: Decision trees are primarily used for decision-making and analyzing business rules, rather than for maintaining traceability of requirements. The most commonly used traceability tools in project management include trace matrices, traceability chains, and specification trees, which help track requirements and changes throughout the project lifecycle.

Scenario 8: Conducting Retrospectives

As a member of a Scrum team, you are preparing to conduct a retrospective meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to review the team’s performance, discuss what went well, and identify areas for improvement. It’s essential to determine the most appropriate time to hold this meeting to gain maximum value from the discussion.

Question: During the project lifecycle, at which specific time is it most common for the team to conduct a retrospective meeting to review their work and identify areas for improvement?

  1. At any given time
  2. At the beginning of every iteration or sprint
  3. At the end of every iteration or sprint
  4. At the end of a release

Answer: At the end of every iteration or sprint

Justification: In Scrum, retrospective meetings are typically held at the end of each iteration or sprint. This allows the team to reflect on their performance during the sprint, identify what went well, and discuss areas for improvement. Conducting retrospectives at the end of each sprint helps the team continuously improve their processes and performance.

Scenario 9: Identifying Stakeholders

You have developed a RASCI chart to define roles and responsibilities for a new project. One of the key tasks is to identify and engage with stakeholders who will be impacted by the project. This task needs to be assigned to the most appropriate role within the project team.

Question: In this scenario, who is most likely responsible for identifying and engaging with stakeholders throughout the project?

  1. The business analyst
  2. The development team
  3. The sponsor
  4. The Scrum Master

Answer: The business analyst

Justification: The business analyst is typically responsible for identifying and engaging with stakeholders throughout the project. They gather requirements, facilitate communication between stakeholders and the project team, and ensure that stakeholder needs are understood and addressed. The business analyst plays a key role in stakeholder management and engagement.

Scenario 10: Monitoring Requirements

As a business analyst, you are responsible for managing requirements throughout their lifecycle. You need to ensure that all requirements are tracked, documented, and verified to meet the project’s objectives. Multiple methods can be used to monitor these requirements effectively.

Question: In the context of managing requirements throughout their lifecycle, what methods would a business analyst typically use to monitor and track these requirements from inception to completion?

  1. Traceability artifacts or tools
  2. Use models, documentation, and test cases
  3. All of these
  4. None of these

Answer: All of these

Justification: Business analysts use a combination of traceability artifacts or tools, models, documentation, and test cases to monitor and track requirements throughout their lifecycle. These methods help ensure that requirements are accurately captured, verified, and managed from inception to completion, supporting the successful delivery of the project.

Scenario 11: Utilizing Decision Trees

While working on a project, you frequently use decision trees to analyze and manage business rules. However, decision trees can also be applied to other areas within project management to address various issues and challenges.

Question: Besides working on business rules, in which other areas of project management might you find decision trees being applied to analyze and resolve issues?

  1. Quality management
  2. Quantitative risk assessment
  3. Scope management
  4. Project time management

Answer: Quantitative risk assessment

Justification: Decision trees are commonly used in quantitative risk assessment to evaluate the potential outcomes of different decisions and their associated risks. By visualizing the decision-making process and analyzing the probability and impact of various risks, decision trees help project managers make informed decisions and develop effective risk mitigation strategies.

Scenario 12: Brown Cow Model Analysis

You are utilizing the Brown Cow Model to analyze and improve business processes within your organization. The model helps you visualize both the current situation and the desired future state of a process. It’s important to identify where the current situation is represented in the model.

Question: When utilizing the Brown Cow Model to analyze business processes, in which section of the model would you typically find a representation of the current situation or the “as-is” state of the process?

  1. Upper left corner
  2. Lower left corner
  3. Lower right corner
  4. Upper right corner

Answer: Lower left corner

Justification: In the Brown Cow Model, the lower left corner represents the current situation or the “as-is” state of the process. This section focuses on understanding the existing processes and identifying any inefficiencies or issues. The model then helps visualize the desired future state in other sections, enabling the organization to plan and implement improvements.

Scenario 13: Requirements Elicitation Challenges

During the requirements elicitation phase of a project, you encounter various challenges. One of the primary difficulties is gathering and documenting stakeholders’ needs and expectations accurately. Identifying the main challenges in this phase is essential for successful project outcomes.

Question: What is considered one of the primary challenges faced by business analysts during the requirements elicitation phase, which involves gathering and documenting stakeholders’ needs and expectations for a project?

  1. Recording the voice of the customer
  2. Too many techniques to choose from
  3. Too little time
  4. Managing scope

Answer: Recording the voice of the customer

Justification: One of the primary challenges in requirements elicitation is accurately recording the voice of the customer. This involves understanding and documenting stakeholders’ needs, expectations, and preferences. Effective elicitation techniques are essential to capture this information accurately and ensure that the project meets the stakeholders’ requirements.

Scenario 14: Stakeholder Analysis

You are conducting stakeholder analysis as part of your project management activities. This analysis aims to identify and address key aspects of stakeholder engagement to ensure project success. It’s important to recognize the various elements that this analysis seeks to uncover.

Question: When conducting stakeholder analysis as part of project management activities, what are the key aspects that this analysis aims to identify and address to ensure effective stakeholder engagement and project success?

  1. Each stakeholder’s interest in the project
  2. Potential conflicts in stakeholder viewpoint/interests that must be balanced
  3. Communication needs of each stakeholder throughout the phases of the project
  4. All of these

Answer: All of these

Justification: Stakeholder analysis aims to identify each stakeholder’s interest in the project, potential conflicts in stakeholder viewpoints or interests, and the communication needs of each stakeholder throughout the project phases. Addressing these aspects ensures effective stakeholder engagement and contributes to the overall success of the project.

Scenario 15: Communication and Collaboration Technology

You are responsible for selecting communication and collaboration technology for your project team. Several factors influence your choice, and it’s important to consider the most critical one to ensure effective interaction and information sharing among team members.

Question: Which factor is most influential in determining the choice of communication and collaboration technology that will be used by the project team to facilitate effective interaction and information sharing?

  1. Costs
  2. Availability of technology
  3. Project environment
  4. Documentation

Answer: Project environment

Justification: The project environment is the most influential factor in determining the choice of communication and collaboration technology. The environment includes the team’s geographic distribution, the nature of the project, and the team’s working style. Selecting technology that aligns with the project environment ensures effective interaction and information sharing among team