Free Practice Questions for IFMA CFM Exam

Facility managers promote sustainability by implementing a recycling program and effectively communicating its results. This ensures:

Waste reduction and increased recycling efforts.

Employee engagement in sustainability initiatives.

Compliance with environmental policies and corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals.

Why the other options are incorrect:

(A) Shortening cafeteria hours affects operations but does not contribute directly to sustainability.

(C) Routine janitorial inspections are part of maintenance, not a sustainability initiative.

(D) A fitness program promotes health but does not directly enhance sustainability​.

Service delivery data should be used to enhance Service Level Agreements (SLAs) by:

Benchmarking performance to set realistic, data-driven goals.

Identifying inefficiencies and implementing targeted improvements.

Providing accountability in vendor and in-house service expectations.

Using the data for marketing (A), salary increases (C), or bonus payments (D) does not directly enhance operational performance​.

The IFMA Risk Management competency states that effective mitigation starts with identifying risks and hazards​.

Option D (Correct): Risk assessment ensures hazards are identified and mitigated before escalation.

Option B (Predictive maintenance) is preventative, but not risk mitigation.

Mitigation focuses on eliminating risks before they impact operations​.

Analyzing cost and performance is the foundation of outsourcing success as it:

Defines the scope of services required.

Identifies efficiency gaps in current operations.

Ensures financial feasibility and aligns expectations.

Without proper analysis, negotiation (A), planning (B), and provider selection (C) could lead to unrealistic contracts, cost overruns, or service failures​.

The first step should be to investigate the reasons for being over budget (D) before making major project changes.

A cost overrun could be due to inaccurate estimates, scope changes, or unforeseen conditions. Understanding the cause allows for informed decision-making.

Why not other options?

(A) Delaying a portion of the project may not be necessary and could lead to inefficiencies.

(B) Seeking a change order should only be done after understanding why costs have increased.

(C) Removing infrastructure upgrades without proper evaluation could negatively impact long-term functionality.

The planned maintenance to corrective maintenance ratio (Option C) measures the effectiveness of preventive maintenance compared to unplanned repairs.

Why Option C is Correct?

A higher planned maintenance ratio means fewer emergency breakdowns and lower repair costs.

Tracking this ratio helps assess maintenance efficiency and justify preventive maintenance investments.

IFMA’s Operations & Maintenance Core Competency emphasizes the importance of balancing planned and corrective maintenance to optimize resources.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect?

Option A (Work being done right the first time): This measures quality control, not the ratio of planned vs. corrective maintenance.

Option B (Serving occupant needs): While maintenance affects occupants, this ratio specifically assesses cost-effectiveness of preventive strategies.

The most critical issue is alignment (Option B) because facilities must support organizational objectives.

Why Option B is Correct?

Alignment ensures that facility operations contribute to business efficiency, growth, and sustainability.

FM must adapt to business needs, whether it’s through workspace planning, technology integration, or cost management.

IFMA’s Leadership & Strategy Core Competency states that FM should align with corporate strategy to optimize resources and support business functions.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect?

Option A (Coordination): Coordination is important, but alignment ensures that coordination efforts serve strategic goals.

Option C (Understanding): Understanding is a prerequisite, but alignment is the actionable outcome of that understanding.

As-built drawings are final drawings that capture the actual field conditions after construction and reflect any changes made during the construction process. They differ from the original construction documents as they:

Include modifications that occurred during construction.

Document the exact locations of utilities, walls, mechanical systems, and other elements.

Serve as a reference for future maintenance, renovations, and facility management.

Why the other options are incorrect:

(A) Construction drawing bid set refers to pre-construction documents used for contractor bidding, not post-construction conditions.

(B) Architectural drawings after design development represent the design intent, not the final built conditions.

(D) Space program prior to design development is part of initial planning, unrelated to as-built documentation​.

Solar energy generation (B) does NOT contribute to a company's carbon footprint because it is a renewable energy source that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Why not other options?

(A) kWh consumption directly impacts carbon emissions.

(C) Fossil fuel use is a primary contributor to carbon footprints.

(D) Stormwater runoff affects water pollution but is not a direct carbon emission factor.

Performing independent audits (Option B) ensures financial transparency, accountability, and compliance with industry standards.

Why Option B is Correct?

Internal or external audits verify accuracy, compliance, and identify errors.

Maintains credibility and trust with tenants.

IFMA’s Finance & Business Core Competency highlights audits as a best practice in lease accounting.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect?

Option A: Internal checks help but do not provide independent verification.

Option C: Having a tenant’s accountant review internal records creates a conflict of interest.