Practice Test Geeks(CST) Certified Scheduling Technician Practice Test
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Cost-Loaded Schedule Integration Flashcards

7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which cost-loading technique assigns budget to an activity based on the number of units of work completed versus total planned units?

    Answer: Units complete method

    The units complete method calculates earned value by multiplying the unit budget rate by the count of completed units, ideal for repetitive tasks.

  2. A project has BAC = $500,000, EV = $200,000, and AC = $250,000. What is the Cost Variance (CV)?

    Answer: -$50,000

    CV = EV − AC = $200,000 − $250,000 = -$50,000, indicating the project spent $50,000 more than the value of work it completed.

  3. What is the primary risk of using the 'Level of Effort' (LOE) earned value technique for cost-loaded project management activities?

    Answer: LOE EV always equals PV, masking true schedule variance

    Because LOE earned value tracks time passage rather than physical output, EV always equals PV, making SV artificially zero and hiding performance problems.

  4. In an Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), what distinguishes a summary-level planning package from a work package?

    Answer: Planning packages represent future work not yet planned in detail; work packages are fully defined near-term work

    Planning packages hold budget for far-future work that has not yet been planned in sufficient detail to create work packages with discrete tasks.

  5. When analyzing a cost-loaded schedule variance report, a consistently negative SPI combined with a CPI above 1.0 most likely indicates:

    Answer: The project is behind schedule but completing work under budget when it does proceed

    Negative SPI with CPI > 1.0 typically means work is delayed but when resources do work, they are efficient — a schedule risk that is not yet a cost risk.

  6. Which scheduling software feature automatically updates cost curves when activity durations are compressed during schedule crashing?

    Answer: Time-distributed resource loading with cost accounts

    Time-distributed resource loading recalculates cost-per-period spending profiles whenever durations change, reflecting crash costs accurately.

  7. What DCAA/DCMA requirement specifies that a contractor's EVM system must be validated before being relied upon for government contract reporting?

    Answer: The Earned Value Management System (EVMS) Compliance Certification

    EVMS compliance certification (per ANSI/EIA-748) verifies that the contractor's system meets the 32 guidelines before it can be used for formal government cost reporting.