Skip to main content
The Exam Simulator Questions are FULLY UPDATED for the Current Exam!

Realistic Questions

Time and time again our students tell us that the questions from The PM Exam Simulator are very close to the real exams. How do we achieve this? Through a lot of work, attention to detail, and updating questions on almost a daily basis!

Here's how. For the Project Management Professional (PMP)® questions we began with a team of seven certified PMP® experts who developed the original set. Since then, each question has gone through several iterations of improvements in order to update them to the most current exam standards. We also receive regular Live Feedback™ from our students, which often prompts us to update the questions and/or explanations. Many of the questions reference A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). Last but not least, we review lessons learned from students to identify any new trends and topics in order to modify existing questions, develop new questions, and replace those that are no longer relevant.

We apply the same approach to the questions for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® as well as the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® exam. This continuous improvement process ensures that we have the highest possible quality of exam questions for you in the simulator.

Questions in the Simulator

The number and type of questions in the simulator is dependent on which exam you are preparing for. Here is an overview:

Criteria PMP® Simulator PMI-ACP® Simulator CAPM® Simulator
Number of Questions 1,930+ 480 650
Number of Exams 4 4 5
Separate Quiz Pool Yes No No
Situational questions Yes Yes Yes
Knowledge-based questions Yes Yes Yes
Interpretational questions Yes Yes Yes
Technique-based questions Yes Yes Yes
Formula-based questions Yes Yes Yes
PMBOK® Guide knowledge questions Yes No Yes

PMP Exam Question Types You Will Be Tested On

The PM Exam Simulator™ will test you on the following types of exam questions (please consult the table above to see which question type to expect on which Project Management Institute (PMI)® exam):

  • Situational questions:

    The vast majority of the questions on the PMP exam are situational. These questions test your ability to apply theoretical know-how to real-life project management situations. Some questions are short and vague, others are long and ambiguous. The idea behind this is that in real life you will be handed both relevant and irrelevant information. Your task is to identify what is relevant, ignore what doesn't matter, and then act upon the real issues. Be sure to read and accurately identify the actual question being asked of you, so that you can eliminate the useless information. Often, situational questions will offer answer choices, all of which may seem to be reasonably correct, so it is vital that you identify if the question is asking you the BEST choice, or the NEXT choice, or the EXCEPTION, or the ONLY answer.

  • Interpretational questions:

    These test your ability to deduce a situation or condition from the description of status or problem. For example, the PMP simulator may ask: "If your project has an SPI and a CPI both greater than 1, how well is your project performing?". To solve this, you will need to know how SPI and CPI relate to the project's performance. Or the PMI-ACP simulator will show you a burndown chart and ask you to determine if the team is on schedule or off schedule.

  • Technique-based questions:

    This question type provides a snapshot of a situation, like a network diagram, and asks you to provide an element that is inherent in that diagram such as forward pass or backward pass.

  • Formula-based questions:

    There are dozens of formulas that you may need to remember for your PMP® exam. While there are typically only a few calculational questions on the exam, and the required calculations are not particularly difficult, practicing these questions will help test your understanding of the formulas as well as your ability to apply them during the exam.

  • Knowledge-based questions:

    Find out how familiar you are with specific areas of the guide, such as “Which of these processes are not part of the Initiating Process Group?” or “What is the degree of control and influence of a directive PMO?" A knowledge-based question may also ask you to identify a chart, graph, figure, etc.

Detailed Explanations

The simulator clarifies each question in detail because in order to understand the correct answer it is often not enough to simply know that "B is correct". This is achieved by providing a detailed explanation for each question.

The answer commentary is highly valued by our students because it helps you understand the concepts and thinking behind each question. It allows you to quickly understand why you may have chosen the wrong answer and learn from it.

Per Answer Choice Explanations

The pinnacle of our explanations is the detailed reasoning provided for each answer choice, including the incorrect ones. Knowing the rationale behind the incorrect answer choices and being able to understand why they have been eliminated is as equally important as acknowledging why the selected choice is considered the best answer to the question asked.

Some questions, where answers are obvious, do not include per-choice explanations. For example, calculation-, definition-, and/or fact-based questions may rely on general explanations only as answers for those questions are either correct or incorrect without a doubt. Regardless, we made an extra effort and included per-choice explanations even in some of those questions.

Reference

Each question is supported by a relevant reference. The PMP and CAPM exams often refer to the PMBOK® Guide, while the PMI-ACP exam typically uses the Agile Practice Guide as well as additional sources recommended by the PMI® as part of the PMI-ACP exam "Reference Materials". Having a reference with page number or chapter/section name allows you to read up on a subject you want to study in more depth and understand the reasoning behind the correct answer.

Screen Shot

This screenshot shows a CAPM exam simulator question, as you see it in the review mode after completing an exam:

Detailed explanations

The question is repeated at the top and the correct answer is highlighted. The gray box below includes a section for "Explanation" and "Reference".

We first see a general explanation of the concept that underlies the question, followed by the per answer choice explanation where you learn exactly why a particular answer choice (A, B, C and D) is correct or incorrect.

Finally the reference indicates where you can read up on the topic.

Training for Project Management Professional (PMP)®, PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®
Company
Customer Service
Resources
Exam Prep Training

Copyright © 2008 - 2025 OSP International LLC.
The PM Exam Simulator is a mark of OSP International LLC. PMI, PMBOK, PMP, PgMP, PfMP, CAPM, PMI-SP, PMI-RMP, PMI-ACP, and PMI-PBA are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.