Track AACE Certified Cost Technician (CCT) practice status, review cost-technician route fit, and request a PM Mastery coverage update.
AACE Certified Cost Technician (CCT) is the route for candidates building foundational cost-engineering and total cost management skills before moving toward deeper professional cost-control work.
PM Mastery does not have dedicated AACE CCT web practice yet. Use this page to confirm whether you need the technician-level cost route or should compare directly with CCP, CEP, or broader PM foundations.
For current eligibility, fees, delivery rules, and policy details, see the official AACE CCT detail page .
CCT-style decisions usually reward the answer that shows basic cost-management discipline: clear terminology, traceable assumptions, consistent cost structure, and awareness of how cost work supports project decisions.
| Official detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Time limit | 3 hours maximum |
| Question section | 100 simple multiple-choice questions |
| Main scored domains | Supporting Skills & Knowledge (50) and Process & Technical Skills Knowledge (50) |
| Resource rule | Open book using AACE’s CCT Primer and Skills & Knowledge of Cost Engineering only, in binder form |
| Passing standard | 70% or higher |
| Maintenance note | CCT is valid for 4 years and is not eligible for recertification |
| Exam feature | Preparation implication |
|---|---|
| Technician-level cost scope | Build reliable command of cost terminology, basic processes, estimate support, cost control support, and total cost management vocabulary. |
| 100 multiple-choice questions | Practice quick recognition of the best cost-management action, not long-form calculation workflows. |
| Open-book approved references | Organize references so you can confirm details quickly, but study enough that you are not searching for every term. |
| Non-recertifiable credential | Treat CCT as a foundation route that can support later movement into CCP or other professional-level controls credentials. |
| Choose CCT when… | Choose another route when… |
|---|---|
| you need technician-level cost engineering and total cost management foundations | you already own broad cost-control decisions, where CCP is likely more appropriate |
| you are early in cost/project-controls work or formalizing fundamentals | your work is primarily estimate development, where CEP is the professional estimating route |
| your main gap is cost language, cost structure, and basic decision support | your target is general project-management foundations, where CAPM is broader |
| If you are deciding between… | Main distinction |
|---|---|
| CCT vs CCP | CCT is technician-level foundation; CCP is broad professional cost-engineering depth. |
| CCT vs CEP | CCT covers cost-engineering fundamentals; CEP is professional estimating depth. |
| CCT vs CAPM | CCT is cost/project-controls focused; CAPM is general PM foundation. |
| CCT vs CST | CCT is cost-focused; CST is scheduling-focused. |