Several PMP candidates on one of the PMP preparation message boards asked for an explanation of a PMP exam practice question that they had encountered. The members on the message board found it to be a very difficult question.

Difficult question? Not if you can see the BIG CLUE that PMI has provided.

QUESTION:

You are the project manager for an academic textbook publisher managing the development and deployment of the publisher’s new printing and binding equipment. Your quality control team leader has advised you that the latest control chart data reflects that the last 7 books produced were outside the lower control limit. What action should you take as the project manager?

A. Stop the printing of the books.
B. Work with the production team to bring the future
printing within the control limits.
C. Look for the non-random causes for the variations.
D. Plan to fix the 7 books.

This question offers an excellent example of how PMI designs PMP exam questions and how to be more successful answering them. PMI has provided a BIG CLUE to the correct answer, if you can see it.

The purpose of this question is to determine whether or not you know what the “rule of seven” is. If don’t know what it is, then you will probably spend time analyzing and thinking about the answer, which is EXACTLY what PMI wants you to do if:

* you don’t know what the the question is really asking or . . .
* you don’t know what the “rule of seven” is

“Ratna” said that A. [Stop the printing of the books.] is the correct answer.

She is correct.

Her explanation:
“Since the process is out of control, you stop production and then investigate the cause.”

What she says is true. If a process is out of control, you should stop the process and investigate the cause.

However this does not completely explain why “A” is the correct answer.

So, why is “A” the correct answer? Some people wondered why the answer is not “C.”

From: Saif Al-Riyami:

“I think C is the one, C. Look for the non-random causes for the variations. Because it could be that the readings are wrong.”

“Niranjan, PMP” responds:

“Saif,

Since it is assumed that you have done a good planning and QA (quality assurance) it becomes evident that the readings cannot be wrong. That is why DOE (design of experiments) and similar tools are there. But as far as control charts in QC (quality control) are concerned, you are sure that there is some fault in production. So till you find the root cause and fix the problem you should stop the production.

Therefore, the correct answer is A.”

This line of thinking brought him to the correct answer, HOWEVER, he has over analyzed the question. He has missed the BIG CLUE that the PMP test authors have authors have given him:
“the latest control chart data reflects that the last 7 books produced were outside the lower control limit.”

They are referring to “the rule of seven” (see page 196 in the PMBOK Guide, 4th Ed.):
“A process is considered out of control when a data point exceeds a control limit or if seven consecutive points are above or below the mean.”

Why is “B” (Work with the production team to bring the future printing within the control limits.) incorrect?  The production team should definitely try to bring the future printing within the control limits. However, it probably would not be necessary for you, as the PM, to work with them to accomplish this; or if you do, your role would be minimal if at all.

In any case, don’t miss the forest for the trees. What this question is trying to determine is:
“Do you understand what the rule of seven is?”

= = = =

This example shows us:

1. How the PMP exam authors design PMP exam questions
2. How to be more successful answering the questions

Basically, PMI wants to filter out those who understand the concepts from those who do not understand them.

Let’s take the example of three PMP candidates, each of whom encounters this question on their exam.

Candidate 1 is familiar with the Project Quality Management processes and concepts, including the “rule of seven.”

Candidate 2 is also familiar with the Project Quality Management processes and concepts, but somehow did not learn or grasp the “rule of seven” or simply missed this concept during his exam preparation.

Candidate 3 has done some preparation for his exam, however, he crammed through his studies. Maybe he took one of those “boot camp” prep classes where you are clueless on Monday morning, you cram through the week and, hopefully, pass the exam on Friday – - then promptly forget everything you learned during the week by the time the following Monday comes along. He might have also wasted a lot of time trying to MEMORIZE the over 500 ITTOs, instead of using his time productively, understanding the concept of ITTOs and the basics of the 42 PM processes.

So how do each of them approach this question when they encounter it on the exam?

Candidate 1 reads the questions and the answer choices. He quickly picks up on the big clue (”rule of seven”). He then verifies, from the language of the question, that the scenario described is, indeed, an example of the “rule of seven” concept.

It takes him about 25 seconds to successfully answer the question.

Candidate 2 reads the questions and the answer choices. Having some familiarity with Project Quality Management as described in the PMI standards and, perhaps, some work experience with quality management — but not knowing about the “rule of seven” — he spends time analyzing and thinking and analyzing some more. Even though the “rule of seven” concept has eluded him he still figures out (correctly) that the process described in the scenario is out of control and he marks the correct answer.

It takes him about 75 seconds to successfully answer the question. Three times as long as Candidate 1.

Candidate 3 reads the questions and the answer choices. He has some kind of blurry recollection from his whirlwind week at “boot camp” that there was something to do with “7″ when dealing with control charts. He also wasted a lot of time memorizing ITTO charts — time that could have been better spent understanding the concepts. When he sees answer D. “Plan to fix the 7 books” he jumps on that answer.

It takes him about 60 seconds to INCORRECTLY answer the question.

So, how does this fit in with PMI’s design of PMP questions?

You can see how Candidate 3 was “tricked.” PMI has done this on purpose to catch those candidates who tried to cram for the exam or to catch those candidates who may have grasped the concepts, but who have not developed a good test taking STRATEGY. This is why it’s so important to use and practice a good set of test practice questions in order to make yourself familiar with how the test is set up, how PMI designs and frame the questions, and the types of tricks and traps that PMI deliberately throws in your path in order to separate the PMPs from the PMP wannabes.

Both Candidate 1 and Candidate 2 have selected the correct answer. However, Candidate 1 will do better on the exam than Candidate 2. Candidate 2 is taking up precious time over-analyzing the question, while Candidate 1 was able to answer the question quickly and use the time he saved to deal with questions that may require more time.

In addition, Candidate 2 didn’t know the correct answer right away. He may not have been 100% confident of his answer and may have marked it for review. He will then spend even more precious time going back to verify his answer. He may even go back and CHANGE his answer, even though he originally had the correct answer.

This is what PMI wants Candidate 2 to do. This is their way of separating someone who actually understands the answer from someone who is not 100% sure.

____________________________________________

At a PMI focus group I attended (and that PMI paid me to participate in) back in December, 2006, we agreed that the level of knowledge expected of a PMP is NOT that of someone with 10 or 20 years experience or with the breadth of knowledge of someone who has been practicing project management for that long. Nor do we expect our PMPs to have the deep knowledge of, say, an academic researcher with many years of academic and research experience in the project management domain.

The level of knowledge and experience that is expected is that of someone with 3 or 4 years experience in the profession (even though, in fact, many PMPs do, indeed, have much more).

THEREFORE the questions on the PMP exam should be reasonably straight-forward and not require anyone to read too much into them or bring any advanced project management concepts into their analysis and answering of the questions. Candidates should not have to apply the depth of analysis that, say, a legal scholar or a judge would apply to his analysis of a point of law. If you recognize which concept the question is testing you on and you understand the concept, you should not have to waste time with deep analysis but, rather, should be able to get right down to answering the question.

In general, PMI will not give you a question where the question is unclear or the correct answer has a lot of ambiguity to it. They’re not asking for your “opinion.” If they were, then there would be essay questions on the exam. Instead, they are asking you pretty straight forward questions that have one and only one correct response.

In the end:
The sample question we’re discussing here is very straight forward. All the question is trying to determine is whether or not you understand what the “rule of seven” is. That’s all. Very simple. It doesn’t need 15 years of PM experience or a certificate in Total Quality Management or Six Sigma to answer it.

Jerry Bucknoff, PMP