Practice Test Geeks(CST) Certified Scheduling Technician Practice Test
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Time Management & Resource Allocation 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.

Read the first 7 Time Management & Resource Allocation flashcards as text

  1. A project schedule shows a Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 0.75. This means the project is:

    Answer: 25% behind schedule — only 75 cents of work done per $1 planned

    SPI = EV / PV; an SPI of 0.75 means only 75% of the planned work has been earned, indicating the project is behind schedule.

  2. In resource allocation, 'leveling' differs from 'smoothing' primarily because leveling:

    Answer: May extend the project end date to resolve overallocations

    Resource leveling may change the project end date by delaying activities beyond their float, whereas smoothing respects the current end date.

  3. A scheduler is managing a project where one activity has a total float of -5 days. The MOST appropriate immediate response is to:

    Answer: Compress the schedule through crashing or fast-tracking to eliminate the negative float

    Negative float indicates the project end date will be missed; schedule compression techniques must be applied to recover the lost time.

  4. What is the primary purpose of a resource breakdown structure (RBS) in project scheduling?

    Answer: To categorize and organize project resources by type and category

    The RBS is a hierarchical structure that organizes resources by category and type, facilitating resource planning and allocation.

  5. Which scheduling technique uses three-point estimates and calculates the standard deviation of the critical path to predict schedule risk?

    Answer: PERT analysis

    PERT uses optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates to calculate expected durations and uses standard deviation to quantify schedule uncertainty.

  6. A project team member reports they are working at 120% allocation for three consecutive weeks. According to resource management best practices, this situation is MOST likely to cause:

    Answer: Burnout, errors, and reduced long-term productivity

    Sustained over-allocation beyond 100% leads to fatigue, quality issues, and eventual productivity decline, increasing schedule and cost risk.

  7. The critical chain method (CCM) differs from the critical path method (CPM) primarily by:

    Answer: Removing individual activity buffers and placing them as project and feeding buffers

    CCM consolidates individual safety buffers into strategically placed project buffers and feeding buffers, protecting the constraint path.