Level 4 exam — Microsoft Project

Exam — fresh questions

12 questions to validate level 4 with Meriem, project manager in an engineering & construction (BTP) company in Algiers: tables and analysis views, custom fields and indicators, earned value (EVM), reports and dashboards, timeline and sharing.
Answer everything, then click Check: your score and explanations will appear.

4 · Recall

1. What do groups do in a Project schedule?

They reorganize rows into categories with headers and subtotals They hide all tasks that do not match a criterion They permanently delete irrelevant tasks They shorten task durations to balance the schedule

A group hides nothing: it arranges rows by category with subtotals, whereas the filter reduces what you see.

4 · Application

2. Meriem wants “all late tasks, by owner, by size”. What does she combine?

A simple change to the Cost table, without filter or sort A “late” filter, a group by owner and a sort by delay A deletion of tasks without an owner, then a PDF export A red graphical indicator, without touching the project views

Filtering “late tasks”, grouping “by owner” then sorting by size produce the targeted analysis view.

4 · Arbitration

3. Meriem's display looks “broken”: tasks have disappeared. What does she check first?

Whether the project file was corrupted by a virus Whether the resources have lost their entered rates Whether a filter or group is still active in the view Whether the project calendar has been replaced by another

An incomplete display very often comes from a filter left active: you clear it (No Filter) before concluding there is a bug.

4 · Recall

4. What is a custom field in Project?

A fixed column provided by Microsoft and impossible to rename A ready-to-use report from the project's Report tab A material resource added to the Resource Sheet A renamable free field, fed by a formula

Custom fields (Text, Number, Cost, Flag…) can be renamed and calculated by a formula from other fields.

4 · Application

5. Meriem wants an eye to spot cost overruns at once. What does she create?

A graphical indicator (traffic light) connected to the cost variance A dependency link between the task and the finish milestone A resource calendar for the site team A summary task encompassing all project expenses

A graphical indicator displays a green/orange/red dot according to a field's value: the eye goes straight to tasks at risk.

4 · Recall

6. What do PV, EV and AC represent in earned value?

Three dot colors used by traffic lights Planned, earned and actual: planned budget, work accomplished, cost spent Three resource types: work, material and cost Three calendar levels: project, resource and task

PV = planned value, EV = earned value (work accomplished), AC = actual cost: the three values at the root of EVM.

4 · Application

7. Meriem's CPI is 0.9 mid-way. How does she interpret it?

She is ahead of schedule and well under budget The SPI is necessarily greater than 1, so all is well She gets 0.90 € of value per euro spent: likely overrun The project's total amount has been divided by two

CPI = EV/AC below 1: you spend more than the value produced; a 0.9 mid-way announces a final overrun if nothing changes.

4 · Arbitration

8. Meriem's EVM indicators are empty. Which prerequisite is most often missing?

Too many cost resources assigned to the project A resource calendar that is too restrictive An odd number of milestones in the schedule A baseline that has not been saved

Without a saved baseline or up-to-date progress tracking, there is no PV or EV/AC: baseline and tracking are the prerequisites of EVM.

4 · Recall

9. What do you find in Project's Report tab?

Dynamic reports (Dashboard, Costs, Progress…) The Resource Sheet and its hourly rates Custom fields and their formulas Project and resource calendars

The Report tab offers dynamic pages mixing charts, tables and indicators, updated in real time.

4 · Arbitration

10. Meriem hesitates between keeping reporting in Project or exporting to Excel. What does she retain?

You must systematically export everything to Excel, never a Project report Stay in Project for routine reporting, export for tailor-made analysis Always send the raw .mpp file to recipients without Project A detailed Gantt chart suits management better than a dashboard

Built-in reports stay up to date and are enough for routine reporting; you export to Excel (pivot tables) or Visio for tailor-made work.

4 · Recall

11. What is the Timeline in Project?

A report exported only to Visio for diagrams A table listing resources and their hourly rates A streamlined time line presenting phases, milestones and major tasks A filter listing only the project's critical tasks

The Timeline is the “one-page” summary time line (phases, milestones, major tasks), ideal for communicating to management.

4 · Application

12. Meriem wants to share the schedule with a partner who does not have Project. What does she do?

She sends them the raw .mpp file as is She prints the complete Gantt chart without setting the page layout She gives up: sharing is impossible without Microsoft Project She exports to PDF (or copies the Timeline for a presentation)

PDF export is universal; the Timeline copies into PowerPoint for a presentation. Avoid sending the raw .mpp without Project.

What's next?

Score ≥ 80 %: move on to Level 5 — multi-project, collaboration & automation with Meriem.
Score between 50 % and 80 %: review the section(s) you missed (4.1 tables/filters, 4.2 custom fields, 4.3 earned value, 4.4 reports, 4.5 timeline), reread the course, then retake the test.
Score < 50 %: reread the whole level 4 while applying each 48h challenge (build an analysis view, light up traffic lights, read earned value, produce reporting, adapt the timeline) before trying again.
And after? Keep your analysis views, your indicators, your EVM reading, your reports and your timeline: level 5 puts them to work for multi-project, collaboration and automation.