Track AACE Certified Scheduling Technician (CST) practice status, review scheduling-technician route fit, and request a PM Mastery coverage update.
AACE Certified Scheduling Technician (CST) is the route for candidates building foundational planning and scheduling skills before moving toward professional scheduling work.
PM Mastery does not have dedicated AACE CST web practice yet. Use this page to confirm whether you need the technician-level scheduling route or should compare directly with PSP, PMI-SP, or broader PM foundations.
For current eligibility, fees, delivery rules, and policy details, see the official AACE CST detail page .
CST-style decisions usually reward the answer that protects basic schedule discipline: clear activities, logical relationships, realistic constraints, maintained progress data, and understandable schedule communication.
| Official detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Time limit | 3 hours maximum |
| Question section | 100 simple multiple-choice questions |
| Main scored domains | Input & Data (19), Creating Schedule (48), Maintain Schedule (15), and Input & Deliverables (18) |
| Resource rule | Open book using AACE’s CST Primer and PSP Study Guide only, in binder form |
| Passing standard | 70% or higher |
| Maintenance note | CST is valid for 4 years and is not eligible for recertification |
| Exam feature | Preparation implication |
|---|---|
| Scheduling-technician scope | Study schedule inputs, activity definition, logic, calendar assumptions, progress updates, outputs, and basic schedule communication. |
| 100 multiple-choice questions | Practice choosing the best schedule-process action quickly, especially when activity logic or update data is incomplete. |
| Open-book approved references | Know where schedule terms and process references sit, but build enough fluency that reference lookup is only a backup. |
| Non-recertifiable credential | Treat CST as a foundation route that can support later movement into PSP or other scheduling/project-controls credentials. |
| Choose CST when… | Choose another route when… |
|---|---|
| you need technician-level scheduling foundations inside the AACE total cost management framework | you already own integrated schedule development and analysis, where PSP is likely more appropriate |
| your main gap is activity logic, relationships, progress updates, float, and basic schedule communication | your target is cost foundations, where CCT is the cost-side equivalent |
| you want a scheduling foundation before professional-level recognition | your employer specifically asks for PMI’s scheduling credential, where PMI-SP may be the better comparison |
| If you are deciding between… | Main distinction |
|---|---|
| CST vs PSP | CST is technician-level scheduling foundation; PSP is professional scheduling depth. |
| CST vs CCT | CST is scheduling-focused; CCT is cost-focused. |
| CST vs PMI-SP | CST is foundational; PMI-SP is PMI’s scheduling specialist route. |
| CST vs CAPM | CST is scheduling-specific foundation; CAPM is general PM foundation. |