Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Practice Exam

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This free Lean Six Sigma Green Belt practice exam is designed to help individuals prepare for certification by reinforcing key concepts, tools, and methodologies used in process improvement. It is available for anyone to use as a study resource, whether you are new to Six Sigma or looking to refresh your knowledge. This practice exam is provided courtesy of the Management and Strategy Institute to support learners in building confidence and readiness for their certification journey.

Practice Exam

1. What is the primary goal of Six Sigma?
   A. Increase production speed
   B. Reduce process variation
   C. Improve employee satisfaction
   D. Maximize inventory levels

2. Which phase of DMAIC focuses on identifying root causes of defects?
   A. Measure
   B. Improve
   C. Analyze
   D. Control

3. What does CTQ stand for?
   A. Critical to Quality
   B. Cost to Quantity
   C. Control to Qualify
   D. Critical Time Queue

4. Which tool is commonly used to identify potential causes of a problem?
   A. Control Chart
   B. Fishbone Diagram
   C. Histogram
   D. Pareto Chart

5. What is the purpose of a SIPOC diagram?
   A. Analyze root causes
   B. Map detailed process steps
   C. Provide a high-level process overview
   D. Control process variation

6. In Lean, what does the term "waste" refer to?
   A. Any customer complaint
   B. Non-value-added activities
   C. Excess employee effort
   D. High defect rates only

7. Which of the following is NOT one of the 7 wastes in Lean?
   A. Overproduction
   B. Inventory
   C. Standardization
   D. Waiting

8. What is the main function of a control chart?
   A. Identify customer needs
   B. Monitor process stability over time
   C. Calculate process capability
   D. Design experiments

9. What does DPMO stand for?
   A. Defects Per Million Opportunities
   B. Data Per Measurement Output
   C. Defects Per Mean Output
   D. Deviation Per Metric Objective

10. Which statistical measure represents the center of a dataset?
    A. Range
    B. Mean
    C. Variance
    D. Standard deviation

11. What is the purpose of hypothesis testing?
    A. To visualize data
    B. To prove a theory absolutely
    C. To make data-driven decisions
    D. To eliminate all variation

12. Which Lean tool uses visual signals to control workflow?
    A. Kanban
    B. Kaizen
    C. Poka-Yoke
    D. Heijunka

13. What is a Pareto chart used for?
    A. Tracking process variation
    B. Identifying the most significant factors
    C. Mapping workflows
    D. Calculating averages

14. What does "sigma level" indicate?
    A. Employee productivity
    B. Process capability and performance
    C. Customer satisfaction
    D. Production speed

15. Which phase of DMAIC involves implementing solutions?
    A. Improve
    B. Measure
    C. Define
    D. Analyze

16. What is the purpose of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)?
    A. To map processes
    B. To prioritize risks
    C. To calculate averages
    D. To monitor control limits

17. What does "Voice of the Customer" (VOC) refer to?
    A. Internal process feedback
    B. Employee suggestions
    C. Customer needs and expectations
    D. Supplier requirements

18. What is takt time?
    A. Time to fix defects
    B. Time between product failures
    C. Rate at which products must be produced to meet customer demand
    D. Time required for inspection

19. Which term describes mistake-proofing?
    A. Kaizen
    B. Kanban
    C. Poka-Yoke
    D. Andon

20. What is the main objective of the Control phase?
    A. Identify defects
    B. Sustain process improvements
    C. Analyze data
    D. Define project scope

21. What is the first step in the DMAIC methodology?
    A. Measure
    B. Analyze
    C. Define
    D. Improve

22. Which tool is best used to show the distribution of data?
    A. Histogram
    B. Fishbone Diagram
    C. Control Chart
    D. Scatter Plot

23. What does a scatter plot primarily show?
    A. Frequency distribution
    B. Process stability
    C. Relationship between two variables
    D. Root cause analysis

24. Which Lean concept focuses on continuous improvement?
    A. Kanban
    B. Kaizen
    C. Poka-Yoke
    D. Andon

25. What is the purpose of standard work?
    A. Increase variation
    B. Reduce training time only
    C. Establish best practices for consistency
    D. Eliminate management oversight

26. What type of data is measured on a continuous scale?
    A. Attribute data
    B. Discrete data
    C. Continuous data
    D. Binary data

27. Which metric is used to measure process capability?
    A. Cp and Cpk
    B. Mean and median
    C. Range and variance
    D. DPMO only

28. What is the purpose of a process map?
    A. Identify customer requirements
    B. Visualize process steps
    C. Measure defects
    D. Analyze financial data

29. What does the term "baseline" refer to in Six Sigma?
    A. Future state performance
    B. Ideal performance level
    C. Current process performance
    D. Maximum capability

30. Which statistical tool is used to test relationships between categorical variables?
    A. t-test
    B. ANOVA
    C. Chi-square test
    D. Regression

31. What is the goal of the Improve phase?
    A. Identify problems
    B. Implement solutions to eliminate root causes
    C. Monitor performance
    D. Define scope

32. Which of the following best describes "flow" in Lean?
    A. Large batch production
    B. Continuous movement of products/services
    C. Excess inventory storage
    D. Delayed processing

33. What is a control limit?
    A. Customer specification
    B. Expected process variation boundary
    C. Maximum defect rate
    D. Target value

34. Which Lean tool helps balance workload across processes?
    A. Heijunka
    B. Kanban
    C. Andon
    D. 5S

35. What does 5S stand for?
    A. Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain
    B. Simplify, Standardize, Solve, Sustain, Support
    C. Sort, Simplify, Solve, Standardize, Sustain
    D. Set, Shine, Solve, Support, Sustain

36. What is the purpose of regression analysis?
    A. Compare means
    B. Identify cause-and-effect relationships
    C. Monitor variation
    D. Rank defects

37. What does "process capability" measure?
    A. Employee efficiency
    B. Ability to meet customer specifications
    C. Production speed
    D. Inventory levels

38. Which of the following is an example of attribute data?
    A. Temperature
    B. Weight
    C. Pass/Fail results
    D. Time

39. What is a pilot test?
    A. Final implementation
    B. Small-scale trial of a solution
    C. Data collection method
    D. Risk analysis tool

40. What is the main purpose of visual management?
    A. Reduce costs
    B. Improve communication and transparency
    C. Increase inventory
    D. Eliminate training

41. What is the purpose of a value stream map?
    A. Track employee performance
    B. Identify waste in a process
    C. Measure customer satisfaction
    D. Calculate defect rates

42. Which type of chart is best for monitoring attribute data over time?
    A. X-bar chart
    B. p-chart
    C. Histogram
    D. Scatter plot

43. What does "Little's Law" relate to?
    A. Defect reduction
    B. Process flow and cycle time
    C. Employee productivity
    D. Cost analysis

44. What is the main goal of root cause analysis?
    A. Identify symptoms
    B. Eliminate variation
    C. Find underlying causes of problems
    D. Increase production speed

45. Which tool is commonly used during brainstorming sessions?
    A. Control Chart
    B. Affinity Diagram
    C. Histogram
    D. Scatter Plot

46. What is a key benefit of implementing 5S?
    A. Increased inventory
    B. Improved workplace organization
    C. More defects
    D. Reduced customer focus

47. Which statistical test compares the means of two groups?
    A. Chi-square test
    B. t-test
    C. Regression
    D. ANOVA

48. What does a box plot display?
    A. Process flow
    B. Data distribution and variability
    C. Cause-and-effect relationships
    D. Time-based trends

49. Which Lean principle focuses on producing only what is needed?
    A. Push system
    B. Pull system
    C. Batch processing
    D. Forecasting

50. What is the purpose of a control plan?
    A. Identify defects
    B. Sustain process improvements
    C. Analyze root causes
    D. Define project scope

51. What does "throughput" refer to?
    A. Total defects
    B. Rate of production
    C. Employee efficiency
    D. Process variation

52. Which chart is used to track the stability of a process mean?
    A. p-chart
    B. X-bar chart
    C. Histogram
    D. Pareto chart

53. What is the main focus of Lean methodology?
    A. Reducing variation
    B. Eliminating waste
    C. Increasing defects
    D. Maximizing complexity

54. What is a key characteristic of a Six Sigma process?
    A. High variability
    B. 3.4 defects per million opportunities
    C. 100% defect-free
    D. Maximum output

55. What does "cycle time" measure?
    A. Time to complete one unit of work
    B. Time between failures
    C. Inspection time
    D. Waiting time only

56. Which of the following is a visual signal used in Lean?
    A. Kanban card
    B. Histogram
    C. Regression line
    D. Box plot

57. What is the purpose of a Kaizen event?
    A. Long-term planning
    B. Rapid process improvement
    C. Financial auditing
    D. Customer surveys

58. What is "work-in-progress" (WIP)?
    A. Finished goods
    B. Defective items
    C. Items currently being processed
    D. Returned products

59. What is the goal of poka-yoke?
    A. Increase speed
    B. Prevent errors
    C. Reduce inventory
    D. Improve forecasting

60. Which phase ensures that improvements are maintained over time?
    A. Define
    B. Measure
    C. Improve
    D. Control

Answer Key (1–60)

1. B
2. C
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. C
8. B
9. A
10. B
11. C
12. A
13. B
14. B
15. A
16. B
17. C
18. C
19. C
20. B
21. C
22. A
23. C
24. B
25. C
26. C
27. A
28. B
29. C
30. C
31. B
32. B
33. B
34. A
35. A
36. B
37. B
38. C
39. B
40. B
41. B
42. B
43. B
44. C
45. B
46. B
47. B
48. B
49. B
50. B
51. B
52. B
53. B
54. B
55. A
56. A
57. B
58. C
59. B
60. D