100+ Free GAQM CPD Practice Questions

Pass your GAQM Certified Project Director (CPD) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card✓ No hidden fees✓ Start practicing immediately

Not publicly disclosed Pass Rate

100+ Questions

100% Free

1 / 100

Question 1

Score: 0/0

Which body issues the Certified Project Director (CPD) credential?

Project Management Institute (PMI)

Axelos

Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM)

International Project Management Association (IPMA)

to track

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: GAQM CPD Exam

100 Qs

Multiple-choice exam

GAQM CPD official page

90 minutes

Exam Time

GAQM CPD official page

70% (70/100)

Passing Score

GAQM CPD official page

$220-$280

Voucher / Premium Package

GAQM CPD pricing

5 years

Certification Validity

GAQM recertification policy

PMP / PRINCE2 / PPM / CPM required

Prerequisite Credential

GAQM CPD eligibility

GAQM CPD is a 100-question, 90-minute AI-proctored exam with a flat 70% (70/100) passing score. The Premium Package costs $280 and includes the mandatory E-Course; the standalone voucher is $220 with two attempts. Candidates need a Bachelor's degree plus an existing PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, PPM, or CPM credential. The certification is valid for 5 years and is geared toward project directors and senior PMs managing programs and portfolios.

Sample GAQM CPD Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your GAQM CPD exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which body issues the Certified Project Director (CPD) credential?

A.Project Management Institute (PMI)

B.Axelos

C.Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM)

D.International Project Management Association (IPMA)

Explanation: The CPD is GAQM's senior-tier project management credential, sitting above the GAQM PPM (Professional in Project Management) and APM (Associate in Project Management). PMI issues PMP/PgMP, Axelos issues PRINCE2, and IPMA issues the four-level ICB credentials.

2Which of the following is an accepted prerequisite credential for sitting the GAQM CPD exam?

A.Six Sigma Green Belt

B.PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)

C.ITIL 4 Foundation

D.CompTIA Project+

Explanation: GAQM requires candidates to already hold one of: PPM (GAQM), PMP (PMI), PRINCE2 Practitioner (Axelos), or CPM (GIAC), plus a Bachelor's degree or equivalent. A soft copy of the prerequisite credential must be emailed to GAQM before the CPD voucher is unlocked.

3How many questions are on the GAQM CPD exam and what is the passing score?

A.50 questions, 60% passing

B.100 questions, 70% passing (70/100)

C.150 questions, scaled passing

D.200 questions, 80% passing

Explanation: Per GAQM's official CPD page, the exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and the candidate must score 70% (70 correct out of 100) to pass. The exam window is 90 minutes and the voucher includes two attempts.

4A project director is reviewing a proposed initiative with a $4M investment cost. Which document formally justifies the project against organizational strategy and authorizes funding gate-by-gate?

A.Project charter

B.Business case

C.Statement of work

D.Risk register

Explanation: The business case is the strategic justification document that links the proposed project to organizational objectives, evaluates options, and forecasts benefits versus costs. It is reviewed at gate decisions throughout the lifecycle. The charter authorizes the project once the business case is approved; SOW is procurement-focused.

5Which lifecycle phase establishes the project's high-level scope, identifies key stakeholders, and produces the project charter?

A.Initiating

B.Planning

C.Executing

D.Closing

Explanation: The Initiating phase formally authorizes a project (or a new phase). Its primary outputs are the project charter and the initial stakeholder register. Detailed scope, schedule, cost, and risk plans are produced during Planning, not Initiating.

6A director is presented with five candidate projects. Three are mandatory regulatory work; two are discretionary. Which capital-allocation concept BEST describes choosing among the discretionary two when budget is fixed?

A.Sunk cost analysis

B.Capital rationing

C.Earned value management

D.Critical chain scheduling

Explanation: Capital rationing is the practice of selecting the optimal mix of projects when the available capital is less than the cost of all positive-NPV opportunities. Mandatory projects are funded first; the discretionary projects are then ranked (typically by profitability index) and selected within the remaining budget.

7Project A has an NPV of $400,000 with an initial investment of $1,000,000. Project B has an NPV of $300,000 on a $500,000 investment. If capital is constrained and the projects are independent, which has the higher profitability index (PI)?

A.Project A (PI = 0.40)

B.Project B (PI = 0.60)

C.They are equal

D.Profitability index cannot be computed without IRR

Explanation: Profitability Index = NPV / Initial Investment. Project A: 400,000 / 1,000,000 = 0.40. Project B: 300,000 / 500,000 = 0.60. Under capital rationing, Project B is preferred because it generates more NPV per dollar invested. PI is a standard tool for ranking competing projects with limited capital.

8A 4-year project requires a $2,000,000 investment and produces equal annual cash inflows of $700,000. What is its simple payback period?

A.2.0 years

B.2.857 years

C.3.5 years

D.4.0 years

Explanation: Simple payback period = Initial Investment / Annual Cash Inflow = $2,000,000 / $700,000 = 2.857 years (about 2 years and 10.3 months). Payback period is a quick screen but ignores the time value of money and cash flows beyond the payback point.

9Which financial metric explicitly assumes that interim cash flows are reinvested at the project's own internal rate of return — an assumption that often overstates returns for high-IRR projects?

A.Net Present Value (NPV)

B.Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

C.Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR)

D.Discounted payback

Explanation: Standard IRR assumes that intermediate cash flows are reinvested at the project's IRR. For projects with very high IRRs this overstates expected returns. MIRR fixes this by reinvesting cash flows at an explicit reinvestment rate (typically the cost of capital), giving a more realistic view.

10A project director uses a stage-gate (phase-gate) governance model. What is the PRIMARY purpose of a gate review?

A.To review individual team-member performance

B.To make a go/kill/hold/recycle decision based on continued business viability

C.To approve travel and expense claims

D.To run a retrospective on the previous sprint

Explanation: Stage-gate (Cooper's model) reviews are governance checkpoints where executives evaluate whether a project should continue (go), be terminated (kill), be paused (hold), or be sent back for rework (recycle). The decision is based on updated business case, risk, and benefits expectations — not on individual performance.

About the GAQM CPD Exam

The GAQM Certified Project Director (CPD) is a senior-tier credential for executives directing multiple concurrent projects, programs, and portfolios. It validates director-level competence in strategic alignment, benefits realization, multi-project communications, enterprise risk, scaled agile, and leadership. Candidates must already hold PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, GAQM PPM, or GIAC CPM, complete the mandatory CPD E-Course, and pass a 100-question, 90-minute AI-proctored exam at 70%. Most exam items are drawn from the six E-Course modules: introduction, aligning goals, multi-project communications, risk communications, tools for managing multiple projects, and leadership.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes)

Passing Score

70% (70 of 100 correct)

Exam Fee

$220-$280 USD (GAQM (online, AI-proctored))

GAQM CPD Exam Content Outline

~15%

Module 1 — Introduction (Project Fundamentals)

Project lifecycle phases, scope management at the director level, project budgets, business case development, and portfolio alignment to organizational strategy.

~15%

Module 2 — Aligning Goals, Projects, and Competencies

Strategic alignment matrices, benefits realization management, OPM3 maturity, competency identification, balanced scorecard, and translating strategy into project selection.

~15%

Module 3 — Organizing Multi-Project Communications

Multi-project information delivery, integrated change control, RACI at the program level, executive reporting cadences, and stakeholder communication strategy.

~20%

Module 4 — Managing Risk Communications

Enterprise and portfolio-level risk identification, qualitative and quantitative analysis, expected monetary value, decision tree analysis, risk response strategies, and reporting risk to sponsors.

~15%

Module 5 — Tools for Managing Multiple Projects

Resource leveling and smoothing across projects, multi-project EVM (CPI/SPI/EAC/ETC/TCPI), portfolio Kanban, scaled agile (SAFe / LeSS / Disciplined Agile) basics, and PMO tooling.

~20%

Module 6 — Leadership

Director roles, situational and transformational leadership, motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor's X/Y), Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes, sponsor engagement, and organizational politics.

How to Pass the GAQM CPD Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 70% (70 of 100 correct)
Exam length: 100 questions
Time limit: 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes)
Exam fee: $220-$280 USD

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

GAQM CPD Study Tips from Top Performers

1Buy the Premium Package ($280) — the E-Course is the single highest-yield study source for the CPD

2Memorize the six EVM formulas (CV, SV, CPI, SPI, EAC, ETC, TCPI) and be able to compute them under time pressure

3Know all five Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes (competing, accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, compromising) and when each is appropriate

4Master Maslow, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and McGregor's Theory X/Y — leadership theory shows up heavily in Module 6

5Understand expected monetary value (EMV) and decision tree analysis for portfolio-level risk responses

6Be fluent in NPV, IRR, MIRR, and payback period — director-level questions test capital rationing across competing projects

7Know the difference between resource leveling (delays the schedule to fix overallocation) and resource smoothing (stays within float)

8Understand OPM3 maturity stages and how a project director uses them to drive organizational improvement

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should pursue the GAQM Certified Project Director credential?

CPD targets project directors, sponsors, steering committee members, PMO leads, and senior project managers responsible for multiple concurrent projects or programs. It is positioned above GAQM's PPM credential and assumes the candidate already holds PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, PPM, or GIAC CPM, plus a Bachelor's degree or equivalent.

What is on the CPD exam?

100 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes drawn from six mandatory E-Course modules: project fundamentals; aligning goals, projects, and competencies; organizing multi-project communications; managing risk communications; tools for managing multiple projects; and leadership. Expect scenario items that test director-level judgment more than rote PMBOK process recall.

Why is the E-Course mandatory?

GAQM explicitly states that most CPD exam questions are drawn from the official E-Course content. The Premium Package ($280) bundles the E-Course; the standalone voucher ($220) does not. Even strong PMPs typically buy the Premium Package because the wording and emphasis of CPD questions track the E-Course closely.

How is GAQM CPD different from PMP and PgMP?

PMP tests generalist project management across all life-cycle processes. PgMP (PMI's program management credential) tests program-level benefits delivery with strict experience verification. CPD sits between the two — it covers portfolio and program concepts plus leadership theory, but it is delivered as a single AI-proctored multiple-choice exam, with the E-Course as the de facto syllabus.

How long is the CPD valid and how do I renew it?

The credential is valid for 5 years. Holders renew by either retaking the CPD exam or completing the GAQM E-Course again for continuing education units (CEUs) before expiration. There is no annual PDU log to maintain between renewals.

How should I prepare in 60-100 hours?

Work through the GAQM E-Course end to end (it is the highest-yield source), then drill scenario questions on portfolio risk, multi-project EVM, conflict modes, and leadership theory. Refresh PMBOK formulas (CPI, SPI, EAC, EMV, NPV, IRR), the ACFE / OPM3 frameworks, and Thomas-Kilmann modes. Aim for 80%+ on practice exams before scheduling.