Free PMI-PBA Practice Questions
10 free, exam-style PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) practice questions with answers and
explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the
full free PMI-PBA practice test to study every exam domain.
Question 1
An organization documents 'reducing customer churn by 15% over 18 months' as a target. This is BEST classified as:
- A measurable business need driving the entire initiative
- A technical specification handed to the development team
- A non-functional requirement built into the new system
- A test case to be executed during user acceptance testing
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A - A measurable business need driving the entire initiative
Question 2
A project has NPV of $200,000 and IRR of 8%. The hurdle rate is 12%. What does this indicate?
- The project must be deferred until the hurdle rate is lowered
- The project should be rejected because IRR is below the hurdle
- The project should be accepted because NPV is currently positive
- The project's payback period is automatically too long to consider
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B - The project should be rejected because IRR is below the hurdle
Question 3
A project's lifecycle is described as 'hybrid.' This typically means:
- All work follows strict predictive methods through every phase
- The project alternates between predictive and adaptive phases sequentially
- All work follows fully adaptive methods without any planning gates
- Predictive governance combined with adaptive delivery practices
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D - Predictive governance combined with adaptive delivery practices
Question 4
A change request is submitted. The FIRST step the BA should perform is:
- Implement the change in the source code as fast as possible to save time
- Skip change control entirely if the requestor is a senior executive sponsor
- Update the requirements baseline immediately to reflect the proposed change
- Log the request in the change tracking system before any other action
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D - Log the request in the change tracking system before any other action
Question 5
An interview with a sponsor focuses BEST on:
- Detailed technical implementation choices for the development team to use
- Business goals, success criteria, vision, and high-level expectations
- Specific UI button labels and screen layouts for the new application
- The exact source code modules that will need refactoring during build
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B - Business goals, success criteria, vision, and high-level expectations
Question 6
A weighted scoring approach to prioritization is BEST when:
- Multiple options must be compared against multiple criteria with weights
- The team needs a fast categorical sort with no quantitative analysis at all
- Customer satisfaction survey data is the only input available for ranking
- There is only a single criterion that matters for the prioritization choice
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A - Multiple options must be compared against multiple criteria with weights
Question 7
A common confusion is that PMI flipped the definitions of validation and verification between PMBOK editions. Which is the CURRENT (correct) usage?
- Verification = right thing built; Validation = built right (the two are reversed)
- Both terms mean exactly the same thing and the distinction is no longer relevant
- Verification = built right; Validation = right thing built (current PMI usage)
- Only validation matters in modern projects; verification has been deprecated
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C - Verification = built right; Validation = right thing built (current PMI usage)
Question 8
The RTM and RACI matrix differ in that the RTM:
- Links requirements to other artifacts (work-to-work) for traceability
- Links work to people via Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed
- Is identical in scope and purpose to the RACI matrix in modern projects
- Replaces the RACI matrix entirely in projects that have any audit needs
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A - Links requirements to other artifacts (work-to-work) for traceability
Question 9
A solution passes all functional tests but users find it unusable. Which test was inadequate?
- Unit testing of individual source code modules in isolation by the developers
- Smoke testing performed as a quick build verification before further test runs
- Integration testing of how components communicate with each other in the system
- User acceptance testing focused on real-world usability and business outcomes
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D - User acceptance testing focused on real-world usability and business outcomes
Question 10
A common confusion is that UAT is sometimes mistakenly classified as verification. The CORRECT classification is:
- Verification - UAT checks that requirements are well-formed and internally consistent
- Both equally - UAT is interchangeably classified as either V&V activity in practice
- Validation - UAT confirms the solution meets actual business needs and user expectations
- Neither - UAT is a separate quality activity not related to V&V at all in modern practice
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C - Validation - UAT confirms the solution meets actual business needs and user expectations