PK0-005 Project Life Cycle Practice Question
A project has a cost performance index (CPI) of 1.2 and a schedule performance index (SPI) of 0.9. Which of the following is true?
⚠ Common exam trap
PK0-005 often tests the interpretation of CPI and SPI, and candidates may mistakenly associate CPI with schedule or confuse the meaning of values greater or less than 1.
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
✓
The project is under budget and behind schedule.
CPI of 1.2 indicates the project is under budget (cost efficiency is good), and SPI of 0.9 indicates the project is behind schedule (schedule efficiency is poor). Therefore, the project is under budget and behind 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.
- ✗
The project is over budget and behind schedule.
Why it's wrong here
A CPI of 1.2 means costs are below budget, so the project is under budget, not over. The SPI of 0.9 does correctly indicate behind schedule, which makes the option tempting by pairing one accurate reading with a false one; CPI above 1.0 always signals favourable cost performance.
- ✗
The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.
Why it's wrong here
CPI of 1.2 means earned value exceeds actual cost, so the project is under budget; SPI of 0.9 means earned value trails planned value, so it is behind schedule. The option reverses the schedule interpretation, which is the axis being tested.
- ✗
The project is over budget and ahead of schedule.
Why it's wrong here
SPI of 0.9 correctly indicates the project is behind schedule, not ahead, because earned value is less than planned value. CPI of 1.2 does mean under budget, so the cost half is right; the schedule half is inverted.
- ✓
The project is under budget and behind schedule.
Why this is correct
CPI above 1.0 means earned value exceeds actual cost, so the project is under budget; SPI below 1.0 means earned value trails planned value, so it is behind schedule. Both indices together satisfy the stem's stated values.
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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.