CAPM Predictive Plan-Based Methodologies Practice Question

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 task has 2 days of float

  Why it's wrong here

  Float is schedule slack, expressed as total or free float, and is unrelated to lead time. The term tempts anyone conflating timing adjustments with buffer, but lead time specifically advances a successor's start relative to its predecessor.

• ✗

  The task duration is 2 days

  Why it's wrong here

  Duration is the elapsed working time a task takes to complete, whereas lead time is a scheduling dependency offset. The confusion arises because both are expressed in days, but a two-day lead does not set the task's own duration.

• ✗

  The task cannot start until 2 days after its predecessor finishes

  Why it's wrong here

  A lead time of 2 days means the successor can begin 2 days before its predecessor finishes — an overlap, not a delay. This option describes lag, which inserts waiting time between activities. Lag would be correct if the schedule required a mandatory pause, such as curing concrete before inspection.

• ✓

  The task can start 2 days before its predecessor finishes

  Why this is correct

  Lead time allows a successor task to begin before its predecessor completes, overlapping the two by two days. This satisfies the schedule constraint described in the stem, where the task starts early rather than waiting. It contrasts with lag, which imposes a delay between activities.

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