mediumMultiple Choice
PK0-005 Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. ``` Project Status Report (Month 3 of 12) Planned Value (PV): $500,000 Earned Value (EV): $450,000 Actual Cost (AC): $480,000 Budget at Completion (BAC): $2,000,000 ```
Refer to the exhibit. What is the cost variance (CV) and schedule variance (SV)?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between cost and schedule variance formulas, and the trap here is confusing which metric uses Actual Cost (AC) versus Planned Value (PV), leading candidates to swap the CV and SV calculations or misread the exhibit values.
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
✓
CV = -$30,000; SV = -$50,000
The cost variance (CV) is calculated as Earned Value (EV) minus Actual Cost (AC). From the exhibit, EV = $100,000 and AC = $130,000, so CV = $100,000 - $130,000 = -$30,000. The schedule variance (SV) is EV minus Planned Value (PV); with PV = $150,000, SV = $100,000 - $150,000 = -$50,000. Both negative values indicate the project is over 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.
- ✓
CV = -$30,000; SV = -$50,000
Why this is correct
Cost variance is earned value minus actual cost, and schedule variance is earned value minus planned value. Both negative figures indicate the project is over budget and behind schedule, matching the exhibit's values of -$30,000 and -$50,000 respectively.
- ✗
CV = -$20,000; SV = -$20,000
Why it's wrong here
Equal variances of -$20,000 do not match the exhibit, where cost and schedule variances differ. It tempts because averaging or misreading the earned-value columns yields a single repeated figure, and would be correct only if AC and PV each exceeded EV by exactly 20,000.
- ✗
CV = -$50,000; SV = -$30,000
Why it's wrong here
These values swap the cost and schedule figures: the exhibit's cost variance is not -$50,000 and its schedule variance is not -$30,000. It tempts because both magnitudes appear in the data, and would be correct if AC exceeded EV by 50,000 and PV exceeded EV by 30,000.
- ✗
CV = $30,000; SV = $50,000
Why it's wrong here
Positive variances indicate the project is under budget and ahead of schedule, contradicting the exhibit's overspend and delay. It tempts because the magnitudes match the earned-value figures, and would be correct if actual cost fell below earned value and earned value exceeded planned value.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 954 original PK0-005 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.