PK0-005 Project Management Concepts Practice Question
A project has a cost performance index (CPI) of 0.8 and a schedule performance index (SPI) of 1.1. What does this indicate about the project's performance?
⚠ Common exam trap
PK0-005 often tests whether candidates confuse the direction of the indices — assuming any value other than 1.0 means 'bad' — when in fact SPI > 1.0 is favorable (ahead of schedule) while CPI < 1.0 is unfavorable (over budget).
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Over budget and ahead of schedule
CPI of 0.8 is below 1.0, meaning the project is spending more than the value earned — over budget. SPI of 1.1 is above 1.0, meaning more work has been completed than planned at this point — ahead of schedule. Combined, the project is over budget but ahead of schedule.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Over budget and ahead of schedule
Why this is correct
CPI below 1.0 means costs exceed the earned value, so the project is over budget. SPI above 1.0 means earned value exceeds planned value, so work is ahead of schedule. Both indices together confirm overspending alongside schedule acceleration.
- ✗
Over budget and behind schedule
Why it's wrong here
CPI of 0.8 means cost efficiency is below 1, so the project is over budget, but SPI of 1.1 exceeds 1, indicating it is ahead of schedule, not behind. The option is tempting because CPI and SPI are often assumed to move together, yet each index measures a separate dimension independently.
- ✗
Under budget and ahead of schedule
Why it's wrong here
SPI of 1.1 does show the project is ahead of schedule, but CPI of 0.8 is below 1, meaning cost efficiency is poor and the project is over budget, not under. The option is tempting because both indices above 1 would signal favourable performance, which is not the case here.
- ✗
Under budget and behind schedule
Why it's wrong here
CPI of 0.8 means costs exceed value earned, so the project is over budget, not under. SPI of 1.1 indicates ahead of schedule, not behind. The option inverts both indices, which would only fit CPI above 1.0 and SPI below 1.0.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This PK0-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PK0-005 exam.