CCP Exam Formulas: The Complete Study Reference

Why a formula reference actually matters for the CCP exam

Domains 1, 2, 4 and 6 together carry the large majority of the CCP's 119 multiple-choice questions, and a meaningful share of them are calculation-based — earned value indices, time-value-of-money problems, expected monetary value. None of the individual formulas are complicated. What separates candidates who burn 4 minutes staring at a scenario from those who answer in 90 seconds is fluency: instantly recognising which formula a scenario calls for and running the calculation without re-deriving it from first principles. That fluency only comes from repetition well before exam day — see the full domain breakdown in our CCP syllabus guide.

Does AACE give you a formula sheet during the exam?

Yes. The CCP exam is closed-book, but AACE provides an on-screen formula/reference sheet during the actual exam sitting, alongside permission to bring a stand-alone, battery-operated calculator. So this guide isn't about smuggling notes past exam security — it's a practice reference. Candidates who've already drilled these formulas until recall is automatic move faster and second-guess themselves less than candidates meeting a reference sheet for the first time, mid-exam, under pressure. Knowing a formula exists on a sheet somewhere and being able to apply it correctly in 90 seconds are two very different skills.

Earned Value Management (EVM) formulas — Domains 1 & 4

Worked example (same scenario as our CCP practice questions, so you can cross-check): BAC = $2,000,000, EV = $800,000, AC = $1,000,000, PV = $900,000.

• CV = 800,000 − 1,000,000 = −$200,000 (over budget)
• SV = 800,000 − 900,000 = −$100,000 (behind schedule)
• CPI = 800,000 ÷ 1,000,000 = 0.80
• SPI = 800,000 ÷ 900,000 = 0.89
• EAC = 2,000,000 ÷ 0.80 = $2,500,000
• ETC = 2,500,000 − 1,000,000 = $1,500,000
• VAC = 2,000,000 − 2,500,000 = −$500,000 (forecast to finish half a million over budget)
• TCPI = (2,000,000 − 800,000) ÷ (2,000,000 − 1,000,000) = 1.20 — the team must run 20% more cost-efficient than planned on the remaining work just to hit the original budget

Other EAC formulas you may see

AACE's reference material covers more than one EAC formula, each built on a different assumption about the remaining work — the exam expects you to recognise which assumption a scenario implies, not just plug numbers into one memorised version.

Engineering economics / time value of money — Domain 2

Worked example — present value (matches Question 5 in our practice questions): the present value of $50,000 received 3 years from now at a 6% discount rate is PV = 50,000 ÷ (1.06)³ ≈ $41,981. The most common exam trap here is compounding forward (future value) when the question actually asks you to discount backward (present value) — read which direction the scenario is asking before you touch the calculator.

Worked example — straight-line depreciation: an asset costs $120,000, has an estimated salvage value of $20,000, and a useful life of 10 years. Annual depreciation = (120,000 − 20,000) ÷ 10 = $10,000 per year.

Risk formula — Domain 6

Expected Monetary Value (EMV) = Probability × Impact. A risk with a 30% chance of occurring and a $150,000 cost impact has an EMV of 0.30 × 150,000 = $45,000 — see the full worked scenario, including the contingency-vs-management-reserve distinction the exam likes to test alongside it, in Question 3 of our practice questions.

Scheduling formula — Domain 5

Total Float = Late Start − Early Start (equivalently, Late Finish − Early Finish). Zero float means the activity sits on the critical path; any positive float means it doesn't. See a full worked float calculation in Question 4 of our practice questions.

Quick-reference: every formula on one table

How to actually memorise these — not just read them

1. Week 1 — untimed. Work through each formula with a calculator and no clock, until you can state what each one measures without looking it up.
2. Week 2 — timed, isolated. Drill single calculations against the clock — aim for under 90 seconds per formula once the numbers are given.
3. Week 3 onward — inside full scenarios. Move to scenario-style questions like our CCP practice questions, where you first have to recognise which formula applies before you calculate.
4. Final weeks — full-length simulations. Formulas under fresh conditions are easy; formulas as question 87 of 119, three hours into a 5-hour sitting, are the real test. That's exactly what our mock exam strategy is built to train.

This sequencing slots directly into week 5–8 of our 12-week CCP study plan, which is when Domains 1, 2 and 4 — the formula-heaviest domains — get the most study time.

This page covers the formulas themselves so you can start drilling them today. Enrolled students on CCP Complete Self-Paced Preparation also get a downloadable formula sheet built for quick reference during the three included full-length simulations, alongside memo samples and a cost-engineering terminology guide — the same study set used throughout the program's Mock Exams module.

These formulas are one part of the full syllabus — see our complete CCP Certification Guide for eligibility, exam format, cost and a full study plan, or start structured, domain-weighted preparation with CCP Complete Self-Paced Preparation.