PMI-PBA Practice Questions
Prepare for PMI-PBA with more than an answer.
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
- Level
- Professional
- Valid for
- 3 years
Domains covered on the exam 5
- Needs Assessment18%
- Planning22%
- Analysis35%
- Traceability and Monitoring15%
- Evaluation10%
- 1
A business analyst is working with stakeholders to define acceptance criteria for a new online payment feature. Which of the following represents a well-formed, testable acceptance criterion?
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Correct answer: C
This is a well-formed acceptance criterion because it is specific, measurable, and testable. It follows the 'Given-When-Then' format, clearly stating the context, action, and expected outcome. The other options are subjective ('easy to use'), vague ('effectively'), or describe a general capability without a clear test case.
- 2
A project is nearing its deployment date. The business analyst needs to confirm with stakeholders that all their initial requirements have been met by the solution. Which of the following techniques would be most appropriate for this final confirmation?
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Correct answer: C
A formal walkthrough or review session is the most appropriate technique. This allows the business analyst to present the finalized requirements and demonstrate how they are traced to the delivered solution components, providing a structured forum for stakeholders to confirm that their needs have been met and to provide formal approval or sign-off.
- 3
A business analyst is using a diagram to show the flow of data between external entities and a system, and the processes that transform the data. The diagram does not show the sequence or timing of events but focuses purely on data movement and transformation. Which diagram is being used?
graph TD subgraph System P1[Process 1: Validate Order] P2[Process 2: Fulfill Order] DS1[(D1: Orders)] end Customer -- Order --> P1 P1 -- Validated Order --> DS1 DS1 -- Order to Fulfill --> P2 P2 -- Shipment Info --> WarehouseShow answer details
Correct answer: C
The description and the diagram perfectly match a Data Flow Diagram (DFD). A DFD illustrates how data is processed by a system in terms of inputs and outputs. It shows external entities (Customer, Warehouse), processes (Validate Order, Fulfill Order), data stores (Orders), and the flow of data between them. It explicitly does not show control flow or sequence.
- 4
During solution evaluation, a business analyst compares the actual performance of a newly implemented inventory management system against the metrics defined in the business case. The analyst finds that while the system is functioning as specified, inventory carrying costs have not decreased as expected. This discrepancy indicates a problem with what?
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Correct answer: C
The problem is with business value realization. The solution was built correctly according to specifications (verification), but it is not delivering the expected business benefit (value). This is a critical part of solution evaluation, as it assesses whether the project successfully solved the underlying business problem, not just whether the software works.
- 5
A business analyst is facilitating a meeting where stakeholders are debating the priority of several features. The Head of Sales insists a new reporting feature is critical, while the Head of Operations argues that an inventory tracking improvement is more urgent. To resolve this conflict and move forward, what should the business analyst do FIRST?
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Correct answer: C
The most effective first step is to bring the discussion back to an objective foundation. By referencing the project's business objectives and the pre-defined prioritization criteria (e.g., ROI, strategic alignment, risk reduction), the BA can help stakeholders evaluate the features against a common, agreed-upon framework. This depersonalizes the conflict and facilitates a data-driven decision.
- 6
A business analyst for a retail company is examining a preliminary requirements register, shown below. While the register captures the business need and priority, the project manager states that it's insufficient for sprint planning with the agile development team. Which critical attribute is missing from this list that is essential for estimating work and planning iterations?
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Correct answer: C
While acceptance criteria, value scores, and dependencies are all important attributes, the most critical missing piece for sprint planning is the estimated effort or size (e.g., in story points). The development team needs this information to determine how many items they can realistically commit to in an iteration. Without an estimate of size or complexity, capacity planning is impossible.
- 7
During the initial phase of a project to develop a new logistics management system, the business analyst is tasked with identifying all individuals who could be affected by the project's outcome or could influence it. The goal is to prevent scope creep later by addressing concerns early. Which activity is the BA performing?
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Correct answer: C
Stakeholder analysis is the process of identifying project stakeholders and assessing their interests, influence, and potential impact on the project. This is a foundational activity in business analysis, performed early to ensure all relevant parties are considered throughout the project lifecycle, which helps in managing expectations and preventing scope creep.
- 8
A business analyst is working on a complex project with numerous interconnected functional requirements. To ensure that the development and testing teams have a clear understanding of how a requirement delivers business value and to prevent 'gold plating', the BA needs to link each functional requirement back to its source. What is this practice called?
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Correct answer: B
Requirements traceability is the process of tracking requirements throughout the project lifecycle. This involves linking requirements to their origins (e.g., business objectives, stakeholders) and to other artifacts (e.g., designs, code, test cases). It is essential for impact analysis, managing change, and verifying that the solution meets the business needs.
- 9
A project team is adopting an agile approach. The business analyst needs to select techniques for prioritizing the product backlog that are collaborative and encourage a shared understanding of value among stakeholders. Which TWO of the following techniques are most suitable for this purpose? (Select TWO)
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Correct answer: A, C
MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) is a collaborative technique used to reach a common understanding with stakeholders on the importance they place on the delivery of each requirement.
Buy a Feature is a collaborative game where stakeholders are given a limited budget of play money to 'buy' the features they want most. This forces them to prioritize and discuss trade-offs, making it highly suitable for agile environments.
- 10
A business analyst is preparing for a requirements workshop with key stakeholders from sales, marketing, and operations for a new CRM system. To ensure the workshop is productive, the BA needs to create a document that outlines the session's purpose, participants, agenda, and expected outcomes. What is this document called?
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Correct answer: C
A workshop agenda is the key planning document for a facilitated session. It communicates the purpose, inputs, participants, time-boxed activities, and desired outputs to all attendees, setting clear expectations and ensuring the meeting stays focused and productive.
