The answer is that the project is over budget and behind schedule. This conclusion is drawn from interpreting EV, PV, and AC data through earned value analysis: the Cost Performance Index (CPI) is 0.833, calculated as EV divided by AC, which is below 1.0 and signals a cost overrun, while the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is 0.909, calculated as EV divided by PV, which is also below 1.0 and confirms the project is lagging behind its planned timeline. On the PMP exam, this type of question tests your ability to quickly compute and interpret CPI and SPI from raw EV, PV, and AC figures, often appearing in scenario-based items where you must assess overall health without additional context. A common trap is focusing only on one metric—for instance, seeing a low CPI and assuming the project is simply over budget, while missing the schedule delay revealed by the SPI. To remember the formulas, think of CPI as “cost” (AC in the denominator) and SPI as “speed” (PV in the denominator); both must be above 1.0 for a healthy project.
PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of process — managing technical aspects. 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.
Your project is 50% complete, and your earned value analysis shows: EV = $200,000, PV = $220,000, AC = $240,000. Based on this data, what is the most accurate assessment of the project's performance?
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
CPI = EV/AC = 200,000/240,000 = 0.833 (over budget); SPI = EV/PV = 200,000/220,000 = 0.909 (behind schedule). The project is both over budget and behind schedule.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 this is correct
CPI < 1 means over budget; SPI < 1 means behind schedule.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The project is under budget and ahead of schedule
Why it's wrong here
Both CPI and SPI are less than 1, indicating over budget and behind schedule.
✗
The project is over budget but ahead of schedule
Why it's wrong here
SPI < 1 indicates behind schedule, not ahead.
✗
The project is under budget but behind schedule
Why it's wrong here
CPI < 1 indicates over budget, not under.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
Identify which PMP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — This question tests Process — Managing Technical Aspects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The project is over budget and behind schedule — CPI = EV/AC = 200,000/240,000 = 0.833 (over budget); SPI = EV/PV = 200,000/220,000 = 0.909 (behind schedule). The project is both over budget and behind schedule.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which PMP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your project is halfway through its schedule. Earned value analysis shows: EV = $120,000, PV = $150,000, AC = $140,000. What is the best interpretation of the project's performance?
medium
A.The project is behind schedule but under budget.
✓ B.The project is behind schedule and over budget.
C.The project is on schedule and under budget.
D.The project is ahead of schedule but over budget.
Why B: SPI = EV/PV = 0.8, indicates behind schedule. CPI = EV/AC = 0.857, indicates over budget. The project is both behind schedule and over budget.
Variation 2. At the midpoint of your 18-month project, the earned value analysis shows: EV = $450,000, PV = $500,000, AC = $550,000. What should you be most concerned about?
medium
A.The project is ahead of schedule but over budget.
✓ B.The project is both behind schedule and over budget.
C.The project is on schedule and on budget.
D.The project is behind schedule but on budget.
Why B: With EV < PV and EV < AC, the project is behind schedule and over budget. The cost performance index (CPI) is 0.82, indicating cost efficiency is poor. Both schedule and cost are concerns, but cost overrun is more severe.
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This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI 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 PMP exam.
Question Discussion
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