Quick Answer
The answer is 5 days. This is correct because total float is calculated by subtracting the early start from the late start, or the early finish from the late finish; here, late start (10) minus early start (5) equals 5 days. Total float represents the amount of time a non-critical activity can be delayed without impacting the project’s overall completion date, making it a key metric for schedule flexibility. On the CompTIA Project+ PK0-005 exam, this concept tests your ability to distinguish between critical and non-critical paths, and a common trap is confusing total float with free float or misapplying the formula to critical path activities, which always have zero float. A reliable memory tip is to think “Late minus Early” for both start and finish—if the result is positive, the activity is non-critical; if zero, it’s on the critical path.
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 manager is working on a construction project and needs to calculate the total float for a non-critical path activity. The activity has an early start of day 5, late start of day 10, early finish of day 15, and late finish of day 20. What is the total float?
15 days
Why wrong: 15 is the activity duration, not float.
20 days
Why wrong: 20 is the late finish, not float.
5 days
Total float = late start - early start = 5 days.
10 days
Why wrong: 10 is the difference between late finish and early start, not total float.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
5 days
Total float is calculated as Late Start minus Early Start (or Late Finish minus Early Finish). Here, Late Start (10) minus Early Start (5) equals 5 days. This represents the amount of time the activity can be delayed without affecting the project's overall completion date.
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.
15 days
Why it's wrong here
15 is the activity duration, not float.
20 days
Why it's wrong here
20 is the late finish, not float.
5 days
Why this is correct
Total float = late start - early start = 5 days.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
10 days
Why it's wrong here
10 is the difference between late finish and early start, not total float.
Common exam traps
The trap here is confusing activity duration (Early Finish minus Early Start) or individual dates (Late Start or Late Finish) with the float calculation, leading candidates to pick 15, 20, or 10 days instead of correctly computing the difference.
Detailed technical explanation
Total float is a critical path method (CPM) metric that applies only to non-critical path activities; critical path activities have zero float. The formula Total Float = Late Start - Early Start (or Late Finish - Early Finish) assumes a forward and backward pass through the network diagram. In real-world construction projects, miscalculating float can lead to improper resource leveling and schedule compression decisions.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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: 5 days — Total float is calculated as Late Start minus Early Start (or Late Finish minus Early Finish). Here, Late Start (10) minus Early Start (5) equals 5 days. This represents the amount of time the activity can be delayed without affecting the project's overall completion date.
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 11, 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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