Certification Exam Practice Questions

Certified Public Manager (CPM) Certification Exam Practice Questions And Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant Download Pdf

• Which of the following is the primary role of a public manager?
• Generate profits for stakeholders
• Ensure effective and efficient public service delivery
• Reduce employee workload at all costs
• Implement personal leadership styles exclusively

Rationale: The public manager focuses on delivering public services

effectively and efficiently, balancing resources and public needs.

• Which leadership style emphasizes employee participation and

collaboration in decision-making?

• Autocratic 1 / 4

• Laissez-faire
• Democratic
• Transactional

Rationale: Democratic leadership encourages input from team

members, fostering collaboration and shared decision-making.

• In public sector budgeting, what is a performance-based budget

primarily focused on?

• Historical spending trends
• Results and outcomes
• Department hierarchy
• Legal compliance alone

Rationale: Performance-based budgeting links funds to measurable

outcomes to improve accountability and effectiveness.

4. The term “span of control” refers to:

• The number of departments in an organization
• The total budget a manager oversees
• The number of subordinates directly reporting to a manager
• The level of authority a manager has over policy decisions

Rationale: Span of control indicates how many employees a manager

can effectively supervise.

• Which of the following is a key principle of strategic planning in public

management?

• Daily task assignments 2 / 4

• Setting long-term goals and aligning resources
• Micromanaging staff
• Ignoring stakeholder input

Rationale: Strategic planning requires defining long-term goals,

setting priorities, and aligning resources to achieve desired outcomes.

6. Ethical public managers must primarily consider:

• Profit maximization
• Public interest and fairness
• Political popularity
• Personal gain

Rationale: Ethics in public management centers on serving the public

with fairness, integrity, and accountability.

• Which performance appraisal method uses behaviorally specific

examples to evaluate employees?

• Graphic rating scale
• Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)
• Ranking method
• Critical incident method

Rationale: BARS evaluates employee performance using specific

behavioral examples tied to performance levels.

• The process of dividing tasks and responsibilities among employees is

called: 3 / 4

• Delegation
• Workforce allocation
• Supervision
• Motivation

Rationale: Workforce allocation or delegation ensures tasks are

assigned appropriately to match skills and responsibilities.

• Which management theory focuses on understanding employee needs

and motivation?

• Scientific management
• Human relations theory
• Systems theory
• Contingency theory

Rationale: Human relations theory emphasizes the importance of

social factors and employee satisfaction in productivity.

• Which of the following best defines “organizational culture”?
• Company profits
• Shared values, beliefs, and norms within an organization
• Number of employees
• Legal structure of the organization

Rationale: Organizational culture shapes behaviors and expectations

within the workplace.

11. A key advantage of participative decision-making is:

• Faster decision implementation
• / 4