EVM Certification EVM Certification Cost Control & Budgeting 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the Budget at Completion (BAC) represent in Earned Value Management?
- The total planned cost for the entire project (Correct answer)
- The actual cost spent so far
- The estimated cost to complete remaining work
- The variance between planned and actual costs
Correct answer: The total planned cost for the entire project
BAC is the total approved budget allocated for the entire project scope.
Question 2: Which formula is used to calculate the Estimate at Completion (EAC) when future work is expected to proceed at the planned rate?
- EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) (Correct answer)
- EAC = BAC / CPI
- EAC = AC + ETC
- EAC = BAC - CV
Correct answer: EAC = AC + (BAC - EV)
When future performance is expected at the planned rate, EAC = AC + (BAC – EV), meaning remaining work is done at budget.
Question 3: A project has a CPI of 0.85. What does this indicate about the project's cost performance?
- The project is over budget — getting only $0.85 of value per dollar spent (Correct answer)
- The project is under budget and performing efficiently
- The project is on budget with minor variance
- The project schedule is behind by 15%
Correct answer: The project is over budget — getting only $0.85 of value per dollar spent
A CPI below 1.0 means the project is over budget, delivering less value than the money spent.
Question 4: What is the Variance at Completion (VAC) formula?
- VAC = BAC - EAC (Correct answer)
- VAC = EV - AC
- VAC = BAC - AC
- VAC = EV - PV
Correct answer: VAC = BAC - EAC
VAC = BAC – EAC shows the projected difference between the original budget and the expected final cost.
Question 5: On an EVM project, the Cost Variance (CV) is calculated as:
- EV minus AC (Correct answer)
- PV minus AC
- BAC minus EV
- AC minus PV
Correct answer: EV minus AC
CV = EV – AC; a positive CV means the project is under budget, while a negative CV means over budget.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of the To-Complete Performance Index (TCPI)?
- To determine the cost efficiency needed to meet a financial target for remaining work (Correct answer)
- To measure the ratio of earned value to planned value
- To forecast the total cost at project completion
- To calculate the schedule variance in cost terms
Correct answer: To determine the cost efficiency needed to meet a financial target for remaining work
TCPI shows the required cost efficiency ratio on all remaining work to meet the BAC or EAC target.
What does the Budget at Completion (BAC) represent in Earned Value Management?