CAM Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CAM facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which condition requires a variance analysis report (VAR) from a Control Account Manager? → A cost or schedule variance exceeds established thresholds
2. During execution, a CAM wants to change the earned value method on an in-progress work package to improve reported performance. This is: → Prohibited, because changing methods on open work distorts performance measurement
3. A work package planned as level of effort (LOE) will always show what schedule variance? → Zero, because BCWP always equals BCWS
4. What distinguishes an 'issue' from a 'risk' in program management terminology? → An issue has already occurred, while a risk is a potential future event
5. In risk-adjusted scheduling, what is 'schedule margin'? → A designated buffer of time placed before key events to protect against schedule risk
6. Actual costs in a control account should be recorded in a manner consistent with which other element? → The way the corresponding budget was planned and earned value is claimed
7. Under EIA-748, work authorization documents must exist before work begins primarily to ensure that: → All effort is tied to authorized scope, schedule, and budget with clear responsibility
8. A work package has PV of $60,000, EV of $45,000, and AC of $50,000. What are the cost and schedule variances? → CV = −$5,000 and SV = −$15,000
9. A CAM leaving the company is asked by their new employer to bring copies of control account plans. Taking them would be: → A breach of confidentiality and misappropriation of proprietary information
10. In variance analysis and risk response, a 'workaround' is best defined as: → A response to a risk event that was not previously identified in the risk register
11. Management reserve may properly be used to: → Budget newly identified in-scope work arising from realized risks
12. In an EVM toolset, actual costs typically flow into the cost engine from which source system? → The corporate accounting or ERP system
13. Which file-based mechanism is commonly used to move monthly performance data between a contractor's EVM system and government analysis tools? → Standardized electronic data formats such as the IPMDAR JSON/XML datasets
14. Which risk response strategy involves transferring risk responsibility to a third party? → Risk transfer
15. A teammate asks a CAM to sign off on completed work the CAM has not verified. The CAM should: → Verify the work personally or through objective evidence before signing
16. Which entity audits contractor accounting systems and incurred costs supporting EVMS data on government contracts? → Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
17. What does a Schedule Performance Index (SPI) value less than 1 indicate? → Project is behind schedule
18. Which document formally conveys scope, schedule, and budget authority to a CAM? → The work authorization document
19. Which element ties a control account to the responsible organizational unit, ensuring single-point accountability? → The intersection of the WBS and the organizational breakdown structure (OBS)
20. Which of the following is a key element of maintaining data integrity in earned value management? → Ensuring performance is claimed only per pre-defined earning rules
21. Freezing changes to budgets and earned value within the current accounting period primarily protects what? → The integrity of current-period performance measurement
22. A control account with a $400,000 BAC is 60% complete with ACWP of $270,000. What is the cost variance? → -$30,000
23. A customer representative privately asks a CAM to share a competitor's pricing data seen during a prior engagement. The CAM should: → Refuse, as sharing it would violate procurement integrity and confidentiality rules
24. A CAM is asked by a program manager to set earned value equal to actual costs to eliminate a cost variance. What should the CAM do? → Refuse, because manipulating earned value violates EVMS integrity requirements
25. What is a fundamental principle of Foundational Concepts & Principles in Control Account Manager Certification practice? → Following established standards and best practices
26. A CAM needs to add newly authorized in-scope work to a control account. Which is the correct source of budget? → Undistributed budget allocated through a formal budget change request
27. A control account shows SV = −$50,000 but the tasks driving it have large total float. How should the CAM characterize the schedule impact? → Unfavorable earned value schedule variance with no immediate critical-path impact
28. What is the role of a code of conduct in Control Account Manager Certification practice? → It establishes expected behavioral and professional standards
29. When schedule performance is also expected to affect future costs, which EAC approach is most appropriate? → EAC = AC + (BAC − EV) ÷ (CPI × SPI)
30. A CAM sees repeated favorable cost variances caused by front-loaded budget in early work packages. What EVMS risk does this create? → A rubber baseline that masks true performance and defers problems to later periods