Quick Answer
The correct answer is that the project is over budget and behind schedule. This conclusion comes directly from interpreting earned value indices: a CPI of 0.8 means the project is earning only $0.80 for every dollar spent, indicating cost inefficiency and an over-budget condition, while an SPI of 0.9 means the project is progressing at 90% of the planned rate, signaling a schedule delay. On the CompTIA Project+ PK0-005 exam, this type of question tests your ability to read CPI and SPI values without calculation—a common trap is confusing values above 1.0 (good) with those below 1.0 (bad). Remember, both indices use 1.0 as the baseline: below 1.0 is trouble, above 1.0 is favorable. A handy memory tip is “Less than one? Underdone” — meaning under budget performance and under schedule progress.
This PK0-005 practice question tests your understanding of project management concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A project is in the execution phase. The project manager discovers that the actual cost performance index (CPI) is 0.8 and the schedule performance index (SPI) is 0.9. What does this indicate about the project?
The project is on budget but behind schedule.
Why wrong: CPI<1 means over budget, not on budget.
The project is over budget and ahead of schedule.
Why wrong: SPI<1 means behind schedule, not ahead.
The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.
Why wrong: CPI and SPI less than 1 indicate over budget and behind schedule.
The project is over budget and behind schedule.
CPI=0.8 (over budget), SPI=0.9 (behind schedule).
Answer choices
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 over budget and behind schedule.
A CPI of 0.8 means the project is earning only $0.80 for every $1.00 spent, indicating it is over budget. An SPI of 0.9 means the project is progressing at 90% of the planned rate, indicating it is behind schedule. Therefore, the project is both over budget and behind schedule, making option D correct.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The project is on budget but behind schedule.
Why it's wrong here
CPI<1 means over budget, not on budget.
The project is over budget and ahead of schedule.
Why it's wrong here
SPI<1 means behind schedule, not ahead.
The project is under budget and ahead of schedule.
Why it's wrong here
CPI and SPI less than 1 indicate over budget and behind schedule.
The project is over budget and behind schedule.
Why this is correct
CPI=0.8 (over budget), SPI=0.9 (behind schedule).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the direction of the index values, mistakenly thinking a CPI or SPI below 1.0 means under budget or ahead of schedule, when in fact values less than 1.0 indicate unfavorable performance (over budget or behind schedule).
Detailed technical explanation
The Cost Performance Index (CPI) is calculated as Earned Value (EV) divided by Actual Cost (AC); a CPI below 1.0 indicates cost overrun. The Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is EV divided by Planned Value (PV); an SPI below 1.0 indicates schedule delay. In earned value management (EVM), these indices are used to forecast project completion costs and dates, with CPI and SPI trends often signaling the need for corrective action or re-baselining.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the PK0-005 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Project Management Concepts — This question tests Project Management Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: The project is over budget and behind schedule. — A CPI of 0.8 means the project is earning only $0.80 for every $1.00 spent, indicating it is over budget. An SPI of 0.9 means the project is progressing at 90% of the planned rate, indicating it is behind schedule. Therefore, the project is both over budget and behind schedule, making option D correct.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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