LSSBB – Sample Test Paper with Answer

1: Black Belts and Master Black Belts are often tasked with conducting a closed-
loop assessment of a Six Sigma methodology or project. This type of formal
evaluation is done to ensure that the methodology was followed correctly and
to assess its results. The following are questions that are likely asked in this
assessment EXCEPT:

1. what new opportunities developed from the methodology?

2. what are the project’s pro-forma projections?
3. how accurate were the SWOT projections?
4. how were challenged and difficulties assessed?

Your answer: -
Answer: B - The following question is not asked in a closed-loop assessment: what
are the project’s pro-forma projections?

Key Takeaway: Black Belts and Master Black Belts conduct closed-loop
assessments of Six Sigma methodologies to make sure that all aspects have
been implemented. These assessments are also used to assess whether the
methodologies had led to the desired outcomes. For example, an as

2: Kaoru Ishikawa worked with other quality professionals such as W.E. Deming
to advance quality management. Among his philosophies was for a company
to put quality as its greatest priority and not short term profits. Ishikawa is also
credited with the development of:

1. CTQ diagram
2. kaizen diagram
3. SWOT analysis
4. cause-and-effect diagram

Your answer: -
Answer: D - Ishikawa is also credited with the development of the cause-and-effect
diagram.

Key Takeaway: A cause-and-effect diagram is a quality improvement and

control tool that matches a process component’s cause with its effects. The
goal of this type of diagram is to provide a visual display to employees and
management in understanding where in a given process problems are likely to
occur and lead to defects in a product or service.

3: To capture the Voice of the Customer (VOC), it is important to collect data

from a large, representative sample of the target customer base. To collect
this data, Six Sigma practitioners can use:

1. government records
2. surveys and questionnaires
3. census data
4. case studies

Your answer: -
Answer: B - Surveys and questionnaires can be used to collect data about a target
customer base.

Key Takeaway: Data collection is important in gaining information about an

organization’s target customer base. To capture the voice of their customers,
business professionals can use surveys and questionnaires to gather
information about their attitudes, preferences, demographics, and purchasing
habits. The goal of using surveys and questionnaires is to gather objective
and up-to-date information about customer requirements.

4: Design for Test is a design technique that offers a benefit of:

1. customer satisfaction tests

2. defect diagnosis
3. manufacturability
4. smaller process variation

Your answer: -
Answer: B - Design for test is a design technique that offers a benefit of defect
diagnosis.

Key Takeaway: Design for test, as a design technique, aims to introduce a

testing capability in the manufacture of electronic. The goal of this technique
is to introduce and validate the capability of diagnosing product defects. For
example, a standard oven may have a function that provides a light warning to
consumers that there is defect in the product.

5: Richard is promised an amount equal to $10,000 in two years if he keeps his

investment with his family’s restaurant. He is offered an annual interest rate of
5%. What is the Net Present Value (NPV) of Richard’s investment?

1. $9,070
2. $7,090
3. $9,090
4. $3,070

Your answer: -
Answer: A - The NPV of Richard’s investment is $9,070.

Key Takeaway: To calculate the NPV of an investment with a known return

date and known interest rates over a period of time, the following formula is
used: P = A (1 + i)-n. An NPV provides an estimate of how much money is
needed to invest currently in order to gain a set amount in the future.

6: In an Interrelationship Digraph, a(n) _______ and ______ relationship

between two variables is depicted visually.
1. internal; external
2. diversion; conversion
3. cause; effect
4. antecedent; precedent

Your answer: -
Answer: C - In an Interrelationship Digraph, a cause and effect relationship between
two variables is depicted visually.

Key Takeaway: Interrelationship Digraphs are simple visual representations

that show the cause and effect relationship between two or more variables.
This type of representation is important in helping team members understand
how different project variables interact with one another and their possible
outcomes. For example, a delay in the processing of client complaints in
customer service would affect technicians who are tasked with addressing
these concerns.

7: Project scope can be limited by the following factors EXCEPT:

1. geography
2. demographics
3. organizational structures
4. ten year financial projects

Your answer: -
Answer: D - Project scope can be limited by a number of factors including
geography, demographics and organizational structures.

Key Takeaway: A project scope details the time and resources that are
necessary to turn inputs into a product or a service. Project scope can be
limited by a number of factors that include geography, demographics and
organizational structures. Other sources of limitation include process
boundaries, relationships with stakeholders such as customers, vendors, and
contractors.

8: The Define phase is the first phase of Six Sigma’s DMAIC cycle. If this phase
is not planned for and carried out thoroughly, a project may stall and not
transition to other phases successfully. Which of the following project
statements is well-defined?

1. Encourage vendors to pay their invoices on time by threatening legal action

2. Improve employee morale by increasing cooperation
3. Reduce the reject rate of service B from 30% to 10% within 2 calendar years
4. Launch a nationwide CEO recruitment campaign

Your answer: -
Answer: C - "Reduce the reject rate of service B from 30% to 10% within 2 calendar
years" is a well-defined project statement.
 Key Takeaway: Well-defined project statements are important in that they
present a concrete goal that that has a time limit and a measurable outcome.
In this example, a period of 2 years provides a guideline for employees to plan
their activities to reach this goal while the percentage reduction of 20 is a
measurable goal.

9: A Black Belt practitioner states in a project report that “we are 95% confident
that the average age of consumers of Product A are between 34 and 38
years”. What does a confidence interval denote?

1. they are 5% confident about the average age of the population

2. they are 95% confident about the average age of the sample
3. they are 5% confident about the average age of the sample
4. they are 95% confident about the average age of the population

Your answer: -
Answer: D - A confidence interval denotes that they are 95% confident about the
average age of the population.

Key Takeaway: In the above example, the practitioner is 95% confident that
the average age of the population consumers of Product A are between 34
and 38 years. Since the average age is calculated based on a sample and not
the population, a confidence level is considered an inferential tool. In other
words, an inference or an educated guess is made about the population
based on the characteristics of the sample.

10: According to the Central Limit Theorem, regardless of the population from
which data is drawn, the sampling distribution of the mean when sufficiently
large is:

1. normally distributed
2. abnormally distributed
3. skewed towards the outliers
4. skewed towards the standard deviation

Your answer: -
Answer: A - The sampling distribution of the mean, when sufficiently large, is
normally distributed.

Key Takeaway: When a sample is sufficiently large, the distribution around

the mean of the data set is said to be normal. The approximation of the
sample distribution to that of the population improves as the sample size
increases.

11: A Black Belt practitioner at DuPont Industries uses a process map, SIPOC, in
his project. What does the P stand for in this acronym?

1. process
2. product
3. population
4. preliminary

Your answer: -
Answer: A - The P stands for Process.

Key Takeaway: Process maps are important in providing a visual guide to all
project members about processes, inputs, outputs, and stakeholders. SIPOC
stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Output, and Customers. The goal of a
SIPOC diagram is to connect a project's inputs and processes with desired
outputs that match customers' requirements and needs. Customers can be
both internal and external depending on the nature of the output such as
reports, products, or services.
12: A Black Belt practitioner constructs a control chart to display a process mean
and its outer limits. In the chart above, what does LCL stand for?

1. lower cycle length

2. lower control limit
3. lower cycle limit
4. lower control length

Your answer: -
Answer: B - LCL stands for Lower Control Limit

Key Takeaway: Lower Control Limits (LCL) are calculated as three standard
deviations below the mean of a process. For example, if a single production
cycle takes an average of 53 minutes, an LCL can be calculated using this
mean and standard deviation. An LCL is useful in setting limits to product
quality so that they continue to fulfill client requirements despite variations
around the mean of the process.

13: Which of the following areas (A or B) represents a range of special,

unexpected variation?

1. Neither
2. Not enough information available
3. A
4. B

Your answer: -
Answer: D - B represents a range of special, unexpected variation.

Key Takeaway: Unlike common variation, special variation is unexpected and

not inherent to the process that is to be controlled. For example, if a
production cycle with a consistently narrow variation produces half of its
regular outputs, then a special variation has occurred. Typically, when special
variation is measures, the data points fall above or below the Upper Control
 Limit and the Lower Control Limit which are 3 standard deviations each from
the mean.

14: Process capability (Cp) describes a process, often in a stable manufacturing

environment, that leads to the production of a product that conforms to client
and design specifications. An ideal process will have a Cp value:

1. greater than one

2. less than one
3. equal to one
4. within one standard deviation of mean

Your answer: -
Answer: A - An ideal process will have a Cp value that is greater than one.

Key Takeaway: An ideal process, usually in a stable manufacturing

environment will have a Cp value that is greater than one. This means that the
process of three-sigma limit is contained within both the client and the design
specification.

15: Which of the control charts must have at least 20 subgroups of observed
values to judge whether a process is in control or not?

1. R-chart
2. C-chart
3. P-chart
4. Y-chart

Your answer: -
Answer: A - An R-chart must have at least 20 subgroups of observed values to
judge whether a process is in control or not.

Key Takeaway: An R-chart contains data collected from a business or

industrial process at regular intervals. It measures the sample range over time
which is a measure of dispersion. An R-chart must have at least 20 subgroups
of observed values with each subgroup containing 3 to 6 observations. This
minimum number of observations allows a manager to observe whether the
variation falls within the upper and lower control limits.

16: In a simple linear regression line, the rate of change of one variable is
measured against another. The resulting equation is listed below. What does
the term (b0) stand for?

1. intercept
2. slope
3. random error term
4. known error term

Your answer: -
Answer: A - The term b0 stands for intercept.

Key Takeaway: In a simple linear regression equation an unknown value of

variable Y is predicted from a known value of variable X. The other
components of the equation include two coefficients that are derived from a
set of data that match values of variables X and Y. b0 represents the y-
intercept value (when x=0) when this data is plotted and a line of best fit is
drawn.

17: A Black Belt practitioner is hired to identify a number of Critical to Price (CTP)
factors in an effort to streamline and reduce costs associated with
manufacturing Product A. The following are CTP factors EXCEPT:

1. component costs
2. assembly costs
3. shipping costs
4. loan refinancing costs

Your answer: -
Answer: D - Loan refinancing costs are not a CTP factor.

Key Takeaway: Critical to Price (CTP) factors are factors that influence the
costs of a process. To manufacture Product A, a number of costs including
components, assembly and shipping would be included in the construction of
a CTP tree.

18: A Six Sigma practitioner is likely to use advanced quantitative analysis to

optimize business or industrial processes. Through process mapping and
modeling, the practitioner can match the processes inherent to the project to
multiple variables required by requirement or customer needs. This tool is also
referred to the:

1. capability-requirements analysis
2. FMEA analysis
3. capability-complexity analysis
4. C&E analysis

Your answer: -
Answer: C - This tool is also referred to as the capability-complexity analysis (CCA).

Key Takeaway: Capability-complexity analysis (CCA) is a Six Sigma analytic

tool that matches the capability an organization’s processes with the complex of
products and services that are developed from these processes. CCA uses a
number of quantitative, process mapping and modeling in order to optimize
business or industrial processes.
19: Researchers at a car manufacturing plant are conducting a double-blind,
controlled study to compare 2 brake systems. What does double-blind mean
in this context?

1. only blind attendants are used

2. special types of blinds are used
3. samples are kept confidential from customers
4. samples are kept confidential from testers

Your answer: -
Answer: D - Double-blind experimental design means that samples are kept
confidential from testers.

Key Takeaway: To make sure that testers’ knowledge of which brake system
is being tested, they are kept unaware until the experiments are finished. This
type of experimental design is also referred to as a double-blind study and it is
used extensively to increase the validity of experimental data.

20: The following are examples of One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
EXCEPT:

1. F-test
2. Tukey Kramer
3. Levene test for homogeneity of variance
4. Tukey multiple comparison

Your answer: -
Answer: D - Tukey multiple comparison is not an example of ANOVA.

Key Takeaway: ANOVA is a type of inferential analysis that compares the

means of several populations. For example, a car manufacturer may be
interested in the mean highway gas mileage of several of its mid-sized
models. Tukey multiple comparison is an example of ANOVA.

21: In the coefficient of variation formula below, what does the (S) stand for?

1. sigma
2. standard deviation
3. sum of squares
4. sum of rectangles

Your answer: -
Answer: B - The S stands for standard deviation.

Key Takeaway: The Coefficient of Variation measures relative variation in a

data set and is always shown as a percentage. The standard deviation of a
data set is divided by the mean which shows a variation relative to the mean
of the data set. This type of statistic can be used to measure the variation of
two data sets; for example, the dimensions of pencils produced by two
 machines can be compared in terms of variation to gauge their precision.

22: A normally distributed data should approximate the theoretical normal

distribution. What is the interquartile range of a normal distribution?

1. 1.33 standard deviations

2. 1.67 standard deviations
3. 1.96 standard deviations
4. 2.67 standard deviations

Your answer: -
Answer: A - The interquartile range of a normal distribution is 1.33 standard
deviations.

Key Takeaway: An interquartile range is also known as the midspread and it

is a statistical measure of dispersion. This range is equal to the difference
between the third and first quartiles and has a value of 1.33 standard
deviations.

23: According to a national grocery store chain manager, only 6% of consumers

who have surveys mailed to their homes return them filled out completely.
What is this type of sampling error called?

1. non-response error
2. non-return error
3. lazy consumer error
4. mailing error

Your answer: -
Answer: A - This type of sampling error is called the non-response error.

Key Takeaway: A non-response error occurs when the people who respond
to a survey are different than those who do not respond. The information
gained from such a survey risks being skewed and unrepresentative of the
larger population. For example, if the 6% of consumers returning the surveys
in this example are mostly elderly consumers, the manager may not gain
much information from other types of consumers.

24: A company wishes to compare the expected mileage of eight different types
of car tires. Which of the following statistical tests is best suited for the
analysis?

1. multiple regression
2. ANOVA
3. paired-difference test
4. Z-test

Your answer: -
Answer: B - ANOVA is the statistical test best suited for this analysis.
 Key Takeaway: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is a statistical test that
evaluates the differences among means of three or more samples. In this
example, each of the eight car tires would be tested and its average expected
mileage is recorded. ANOVA analysis determines whether at least 2 of the
tires have significantly different mileages.

25: Machines A and B have been showing disparate efficiency and defects per
unit rates despite similar variation in quality at purchase time. If the mean
squares between the two machines is 250 and the mean squares from each
machine 100, what is the value of the FSTAT?

1. 0.4
2. 5.0
3. 2.5
4. 4.0

Your answer: -
Answer: C - The value of the FSTAT is 2.5.

Key Takeaway: The F-statistic (FSTAT ) in ANOVA tests the hypothesis about
the means of the two machines. The FSTAT is calculated by dividing the mean
squares between the samples and the mean squares from each machine as
follows: FSTAT = MSA/MSW = 250/100 = 2.5. In other words, The FSTAT is the
ratio of the among estimate of variance and the within estimate of variance.