AACE CCT study plan
AACE CCT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Cost Estimating
Classify estimate types (concept, feasibility, detailed, definitive) by purpose, required input maturity, and expected accuracy range, and write your own comparison table from memory
Compute unit-rate, factored, and parametric estimates for three sample scope packages, showing the arithmetic step by step
Apply escalation, contingency, and allowance adjustments to a base estimate and reconcile the adjusted total
Build a one-page formula and method reference sheet covering cost indexing, productivity factors, and adjustment math
Your checkpoint
A 30-problem estimating drill set completed closed-book with ≥85% accuracy, plus the finished one-page reference sheet.
Cost Estimating & Project Planning and Scheduling
Diagnose and correct every error from the week 1 drill set, tagging each miss as knowledge gap, arithmetic slip, or misread question
Estimate labor, material, equipment, and indirect costs for a small work package and roll them into a summary with overhead and markup
Define scheduling terminology and network logic rules (activity, dependency, lag, lead, constraint, milestone) in your own words
Convert a written scope narrative into a 15-activity precedence list with logical ties
Your checkpoint
A timed 40-question Domain 1 practice section scored ≥75%, with a written error log categorizing every missed item.
Project Planning and Scheduling
Perform a full forward and backward pass on a 12-15 activity network, computing ES, EF, LS, LF, total float, and free float
Identify the critical path and explain how a single logic change shifts it
Compare finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish relationships with realistic construction and engineering examples
Convert a CPM network into a milestone-based bar chart schedule and note where the two views diverge
Your checkpoint
A hand-calculated CPM schedule for a 12-15 activity network showing all early/late dates, float values, and the marked critical path, cross-checked line by line for arithmetic errors.
Project Planning and Scheduling & Cost Estimating
Crash a schedule by two working days, computing cost slope per activity and justifying which activities to shorten first
Apply resource leveling to a network with an over-allocated crew and document the resulting schedule impact
Compute schedule variance in calendar terms when weather, procurement, or approval durations change
Re-drill the weakest two Domain 1 topics identified in your error log
Your checkpoint
A timed 60-question mixed Domain 1 and Domain 2 exam scored ≥75%, with all misses reviewed and re-solved correctly.
Project Monitoring and Control
Compute BCWS, BCWP, and ACWP from a progress narrative and derive CV, SV, CPI, and SPI
Calculate EAC using at least three distinct forecasting formulas and explain when each is the correct choice
Compute TCPI and interpret what it implies about remaining cost performance
Build a progress measurement scheme (percent complete rules, earned value of work packages) for a sample project
Your checkpoint
A 20-computation earned value problem set solved with ≥85% accuracy, each answer annotated with the formula used and its interpretation.
Project Monitoring and Control & Project Planning and Scheduling
Construct a cost-loaded progress curve (S-curve) from weekly data and mark where the project departs from plan
Analyze a variance report and write corrective-action recommendations tied to specific cost accounts
Diagnose schedule slippage using float consumption and near-critical path analysis, then propose recovery options
Re-drill the two weakest Domain 2 computational topics from your error log
Your checkpoint
A one-page earned value and forecasting decision table plus a timed 50-question Domain 3 section scored ≥75%.
Project Cost and Business Management
Calculate NPV, IRR, payback period, and benefit-cost ratio for two competing project alternatives and recommend one
Build a simple cash flow forecast showing funding requirements and the effect of payment timing on project financing cost
Explain change order, claims, and contract type (lump sum, unit price, cost reimbursable) effects on cost risk allocation, using worked examples
Compute productivity, unit cost, and variance from field quantity data
Your checkpoint
A 30-question Domain 4 problem set at ≥80% accuracy plus a completed financial-metrics formula sheet covering all four metric families.
Cost Estimating & Project Planning and Scheduling & Project Monitoring and Control & Project Cost and Business Management
Complete two full-length timed simulations under exam conditions with no reference material
Review every missed item across both simulations and re-solve each to full correctness
Consolidate all four domain formula sheets into one master sheet you can reproduce from memory
Rank remaining weak areas by expected point impact and drill only the top three
Your checkpoint
Two full-length timed simulations averaging ≥80%, with a final one-page remediation list naming the three highest-impact weak areas and the specific drill for each.
Milestones
Week 2: Complete a timed 40-question Domain 1 section at ≥75%; if below, extend Domain 1 review into week 3 mornings before starting new Domain 2 material.
Week 4: Complete a timed 60-question Domain 1 plus Domain 2 exam at ≥75% and demonstrate a hand-built CPM network with correct float values from scratch.
Week 6: Cumulative timed practice average across Domains 1-3 at ≥75%, and all earned value forecasting formulas reproduced from memory without notes.
Week 8: Two full-length timed simulations averaging ≥80% across all four domains, with no domain scoring below 70%.