Grade-1 Cost Engineer Examination study plan
Grade-1 Cost Engineer Examination · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Cost Case Analysis
Map the Domain 4 syllabus into its recurring case types (cost estimation, bid evaluation, contract price adjustment, claim and change-order settlement, cost variance analysis) and note the calculation inputs each type demands
Build a one-page formula sheet covering the cost case toolkit: total cost method, similar-project method, coefficient adjustment, price index adjustment, earned value indicators (BCWP, BCWS, ACWP, CV, SV, CPI, SPI)
Work through three complete worked case calculations by hand, writing every intermediate step rather than jumping to the answer
Set up a personal error log and record the first entries: unit slips, index base-year mistakes, and misread scope
Your checkpoint
A formula sheet plus a handwritten worked-solution notebook containing at least three fully solved case calculations with intermediate steps shown
Cost Case Analysis
Solve six case exercises on construction cost composition and unit price build-up, separating labor, material, machinery, management fee, profit, and tax
Practice converting between quota-based pricing and bill-of-quantities comprehensive unit price, identifying which cost items shift between the two
Drill bid evaluation cases: determine the evaluation base price, apply the composite scoring rules, and rank bidders
Time yourself on two cases at 25 minutes each to build exam pacing
Your checkpoint
A completed set of six case solutions with a self-scored tally showing at least 70% of available marks
Cost Case Analysis & Construction Engineering Valuation
Solve four case exercises on contract price adjustment: material price escalation clauses, index-based adjustment, and legal/regulatory changes
Compute quantity adjustment cases where bill-of-quantities deviations exceed the contractual threshold and unit rates must be renegotiated
Link each case back to the Domain 2 valuation rules that govern it, so the calculation and the rule are learned together
Write a one-paragraph decision rule for when to use each adjustment method
Your checkpoint
Four solved adjustment cases, each annotated with the governing valuation rule and the trigger condition that activates it
Cost Case Analysis & Construction Engineering Cost Management
Solve three claim and change-order cases: delay claims, disruption, and variation valuation with overhead and profit treatment
Prepare a settlement calculation for a case involving advance payment, retention, and progress payment deductions
Review Domain 1 cost planning content (cost estimation stages, target cost, cost control cycle) and connect it to the settlement cases just solved
Sit a timed 90-minute mini-mock of Domain 4 cases under exam conditions
Your checkpoint
A timed mini-mock script with a score report listing every lost mark and its cause
Construction Engineering Cost Management & Construction Engineering Valuation
Build a comparison table of cost estimation methods (unit cost, budget quota, similar project, coefficient) with their applicability and accuracy ranges
Work through value engineering and design-optimization exercises, computing function cost and value index for at least two alternatives
Practice bill-of-quantities compilation rules: project coding, feature descriptions, and unit selection for structural and finishing items
Solve ten comprehensive unit price build-up problems covering management fee and profit calculation bases
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of estimation methods plus ten completed unit price build-ups with correct fee and profit bases
Construction Engineering Technology and Measurement
Draw and label the construction process for earthwork, formwork, reinforcement, and concrete for a simple frame structure, listing the measurement rules that follow each step
Compute quantities for a small building: excavation volume, backfill, formwork contact area, and concrete volume
Memorize the key measurement thresholds and deduction rules (openings, columns, beams, slab intersections) by writing them from memory and checking
Solve five measurement questions that mix reading a description with choosing the right rule
Your checkpoint
A quantity take-off sheet for one small building with excavation, formwork, and concrete volumes, plus a from-memory rules sheet checked against source
Construction Engineering Technology and Measurement & Construction Engineering Cost Management
Review construction technology for foundations, masonry, and steel structure, writing the key process parameters and quality control points for each
Connect technology choices to cost consequences: at least three worked examples where a construction method changes the unit price
Revisit Domain 1 cost control tools (earned value, variance analysis) and apply them to a short construction-schedule scenario
Redo every item in the personal error log from weeks 1-6 without looking at the original solution
Your checkpoint
A technology-to-cost linkage note with three worked examples, plus a clean error-log redo scored against the originals
Cost Case Analysis & Construction Engineering Cost Management & Construction Engineering Valuation & Construction Engineering Technology and Measurement
Sit two full-length timed mock exams and record per-domain scores both times
Analyze the score gap between the two mocks and drill only the weakest domain until the gap closes
Condense all notes into a two-page final review sheet limited to formulas, thresholds, and decision rules
Rehearse exam logistics: time allocation per domain, order of answering, and the habit of showing calculation steps
Your checkpoint
Two scored full mock exams with a per-domain trend table and a two-page final review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: You can solve a standard cost case from a blank page in under 25 minutes with all intermediate steps written and no formula sheet in front of you.
Week 4: Your timed Domain 4 mini-mock scores at least 60% of available marks, and your error log shows no repeated error type from weeks 1-4.
Week 6: You can produce a complete quantity take-off for a small building, with excavation, formwork, and concrete volumes, in under 40 minutes and match the reference within 5%.
Week 8: Both full mock exams score at least 65% overall with no single domain below 55%, and the second mock is higher than the first.