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Critical Path Method PMP Practice Questions

Test yourself with 7 free, scenario-based PMP practice questions on critical path method, drawn from the Process domain of the exam and aligned to PMBOK 8. Work through each scenario before revealing the answer — every question includes an explanation of why the correct choice is right. For randomized, interactive practice across all topics, use the practice question tool.

Question 1 of 7

A project network has three paths: Path A (A→B→C) = 18 days, Path B (A→D→E→C) = 22 days, and Path C (A→F→C) = 15 days. Activity D has a duration of 8 days. What is the total float of Activity F?

  1. A.0 days — Activity F is on the critical path
  2. B.4 days — Path C can slip 4 days before affecting the project end date
  3. C.7 days — Path C can slip 7 days before affecting the project end date
  4. D.3 days — Activity F has limited float based on its path duration
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

The critical path is Path B at 22 days. Total float = Critical Path Duration - Path Duration containing the activity. Activity F is on Path C (15 days). Total float of Path C = 22 - 15 = 7 days. This means activities on Path C can collectively slip up to 7 days without delaying the project. Activity F's total float is 7 days. Path A has 22 - 18 = 4 days of float. Path B (critical) has 0 float.

Question 2 of 7

A project manager is performing the critical path analysis. Activities and durations are: Start→A (3 days), A→B (5 days), A→C (7 days), B→End (4 days), C→End (2 days). What is the critical path and its duration?

  1. A.Start→A→B→End = 12 days
  2. B.Start→A→C→End = 12 days
  3. C.Start→A→B→End = 12 days and Start→A→C→End = 12 days — the critical path cannot be determined
  4. D.Both paths are 12 days; there are two critical paths
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D

Path 1: Start→A→B→End = 3 + 5 + 4 = 12 days. Path 2: Start→A→C→End = 3 + 7 + 2 = 12 days. Both paths equal 12 days, meaning the project has two critical paths. Having two critical paths increases scheduling risk — any delay on either path delays the project. When both paths have zero float, both are critical. This is a valid and important scenario that project managers must recognize and monitor carefully.

Question 3 of 7

During a project review, the project manager discovers that a non-critical activity with 5 days of total float has used 3 days due to a delay. What should the project manager do NEXT?

  1. A.Reassess the schedule network to determine the updated float and near-critical paths
  2. B.Immediately crash the activity to recover the lost float
  3. C.Accept the situation since 2 days of float remain and there is no immediate threat
  4. D.Issue a change request to extend the project deadline
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A

Consuming float reduces scheduling flexibility and can change which activities are near-critical. The project manager must reassess the network to understand the updated float distribution, identify any newly critical paths, and determine whether corrective action is needed. Simply accepting 2 remaining days ignores that further delays on this path could make it critical. Crashing immediately is premature without full analysis. A change request is not yet warranted.

Question 4 of 7

What is the difference between free float and total float?

  1. A.Free float is the time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project; total float is the time it can be delayed without delaying its successor
  2. B.Free float is the time an activity can be delayed without delaying its immediate successor; total float is the time it can be delayed without delaying the project end date.
  3. C.Free float applies to critical activities; total float applies to non-critical activities
  4. D.They are interchangeable terms for the scheduling flexibility of an activity
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B

Free float measures how much an activity can slip without impacting its immediate successor's early start. Total float measures how much an activity can slip without impacting the project's overall completion date. Free float ≤ Total float always. An activity on the critical path has zero total float (and zero free float). A non-critical activity may have free float = 0 but total float > 0 if delaying it would delay a successor but not the project end.

Question 5 of 7

A project team is using the critical path method and identifies that the project completion date is 5 days beyond the required delivery date. Which action would be MOST effective to compress the schedule while minimizing cost impact?

  1. A.Add resources across all project activities simultaneously — a broad acceleration effort prevents new bottlenecks from forming as the project attempts to recover the schedule delay.
  2. B.Fast-track the entire project by running all activities in parallel — overlapping all work simultaneously provides the fastest schedule recovery regardless of the rework risk introduced.
  3. C.Evaluate crashing options on critical path activities, starting with those that have the lowest cost-per-day to crash.
  4. D.Reduce quality standards on lower-priority deliverables to create schedule margin that can be redirected toward recovering the critical path activities causing the delay.
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

The most cost-effective compression strategy is crashing critical path activities in priority order of lowest crash cost per day saved. Only critical path activities affect the project end date — crashing non-critical activities wastes money. Fast-tracking all activities is impractical and massively increases risk. Adding resources everywhere is inefficient. Reducing quality violates quality standards and is not a recognized compression technique.

Question 6 of 7

You have a project with a critical path of 30 days. You apply fast-tracking and overlap two activities by 5 days. A rework period of 3 days becomes necessary due to the overlap. What is the NET impact on the project schedule?

  1. A.The schedule is compressed by 5 days to 25 days
  2. B.The schedule is extended by 3 days to 33 days
  3. C.The net impact cannot be determined without knowing which activities were overlapped
  4. D.The schedule is compressed by 2 days to 28 days
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D

Fast-tracking gained 5 days by overlapping activities, but the rework required 3 additional days. Net schedule compression = 5 - 3 = 2 days. The project now ends in 30 - 2 = 28 days. This scenario illustrates the risk inherent in fast-tracking: rework due to overlapping activities can negate the schedule gains. Project managers must weigh potential rework when evaluating fast-tracking options.

Question 7 of 7

Which THREE statements about the critical path are TRUE?

Select all that apply.

  1. A.The critical path is always the longest path through the project network
  2. B.Crashing a non-critical activity will shorten the project duration
  3. C.There can be multiple critical paths in a project network
  4. D.If a critical path activity is delayed, the project end date is delayed by the same amount
  5. E.Activities on the critical path have zero total float
Show answer and explanation

Correct answers: A and C and E

True statements: Critical path activities have zero total float — any delay directly impacts the project end date. The critical path is the longest path through the network, determining the minimum project duration. Multiple critical paths can exist when two or more paths have equal longest duration, increasing scheduling risk. False: Crashing non-critical activities does not shorten the project — only critical path activities affect the end date. (E) is not always true — if a critical path activity has resource flexibility or if a parallel path absorbs the delay, the impact may be mitigated.

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