CST Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CST exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
CST exam key facts
- The Certified Scheduling Technician exam consists of 100 simple multiple-choice questions. Source
- The Certified Scheduling Technician examination has a maximum time limit of 3 hours. Source
- An overall score of 70% or higher is required to pass the Certified Scheduling Technician exam. Source
- The Certified Scheduling Technician examination fee is US$260 for AACE members and US$390 for non-members. Source
- Once cleared by AACE, candidates have six months to take the CST exam up to three times. Source
- The Certified Scheduling Technician certification is valid for 4 years. Source
📋 CST Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CST Topics to Study (44)
✍️ Sample CST Questions & Answers
1. A CST professional encounters an unfamiliar situation while performing cost-loaded schedule integration duties. What is the most appropriate first action?
When facing unfamiliar situations in cost-loaded schedule integration, the most appropriate action is to consult relevant standards, guidelines, or a qualified supervisor. This ensures safety, accuracy, and compliance while building professional knowledge.
2. What is resource allocation in project management?
Resource allocation in project management involves identifying, assigning, and managing the various resources (e.g., personnel, equipment, materials, budget) required for project tasks. The primary goal is to distribute these resources efficiently and optimally across all tasks. This ensures that every activity has what it needs to be completed on time and within budget, preventing both over-commitment and under-utilization.
3. In schedule compression, crashing is most effective when applied to activities that have:
Crashing prioritizes critical path activities with the lowest cost slope — the least additional cost per unit of schedule reduction.
4. When should a schedule contingency reserve be released during a project?
Schedule contingency is released when the risk event it was reserved for actually occurs, ensuring the buffer is used intentionally rather than consumed arbitrarily.
5. Which tool best helps visualize dependencies between project tasks?
A Network Diagram is the best tool for visualizing dependencies between project tasks. It graphically represents tasks as nodes and uses arrows to show the logical relationships and sequence in which tasks must be completed. This visual representation helps project managers understand the flow of work, identify critical paths, and manage the interconnections between various project activities effectively.
6. In a PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method) network, a Start-to-Start relationship with a lag of 2 means:
An SS+2 relationship requires the successor to wait 2 days after the predecessor has started before the successor can begin.
🎯 Free CST Practice Tests
📖 CST Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for CST
An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:
- A timed, full-length CST mock exam — 100 questions in 180 minutes with a 70% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
- A fixed CST question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
- Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
- A printable CST cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- CST flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free CST practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy
Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- web.aacei.org — Test delivery, exam format, retake policy, score release, eligibility, fees, passing score, renewal, retake fee, time limit · verified Oct 2026