AACE PSP Practice Test: Planning & Scheduling Professional

Last revised: September 28, 2026

Prepare for AACE Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) with public practice pages, scheduling drills, timed mock exams, schedule-control scenarios, forecasting practice, and detailed explanations in PM Mastery.

Independent exam preparation

Mastery Exam Prep and PM Mastery are independent study tools and are not AACE International. For eligibility, applications, documentation, fees, or exam booking, contact AACE International directly at certification@aacei.org.

Practice preview

Use this page to start the web app before longer mixed practice. For a public question-style check, use the quick review and the free-practice page in this exam section; the interactive app remains the primary practice path.

  • cheat sheet : CPM logic, schedule development, updates, float, resources, risk, and delay analysis.
  • Free practice exam : Try 119 free AACE PSP questions across the exam domains, with answers and explanations, then continue in PM Mastery.

AACE PSP exam snapshot

For current eligibility, fees, delivery rules, and policy details, see the official AACE PSP detail page .

Official source check: Last checked May 5, 2026 against AACE International's PSP detail page.

AACE lists a 5-hour closed-book PSP exam with 119 simple multiple-choice and compound scenario questions across Planning and Scheduling, plus one communication memo assignment. Confirm current eligibility, fees, calculator rules, and delivery policies directly with AACE before booking.

  • Vendor: AACE International
  • Official credential: Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP)
  • Route family: planning, scheduling, schedule control, and schedule analysis
  • Best fit: planners and schedulers who own schedule development, monitoring, forecasting, and communication

PSP-style decisions usually reward the answer that protects schedule logic, reveals the real driver of date movement, and turns updates into defensible control or recovery action.

Official PSP exam format notes

Official detailWhat to expect
Time limit5 hours maximum
Question section119 simple multiple-choice and compound scenario questions
Main scored domainsPlanning (36) and Scheduling (83)
Written component1 communication memo response based on a given scenario
Resource ruleClosed book
Passing standardoverall average of 70% or higher
Maintenance notePSP is valid for 3 years and must be maintained through recertification or reexamination

How the PSP format changes preparation

Exam featurePreparation implication
Planning and scheduling splitStudy both the planning rationale and the schedule mechanics: scope breakdown, activities, logic, constraints, float, critical path, and updates.
Scheduling-heavy scenariosFocus on what actually drives the finish date, whether logic is valid, and which recovery action preserves a credible schedule.
Communication memo taskRehearse short schedule narratives: cause of movement, affected path, confidence level, assumptions, and recommended control action.
Closed-book formatPractice schedule logic and calculations until you can reason from the network and update data without reference lookup.

What PSP is really testing

  • whether you can build and maintain a logical schedule model rather than only operate a scheduling tool
  • whether you can evaluate progress, variance, float, critical path, and recovery choices
  • whether you can communicate schedule impacts to stakeholders without hiding assumptions or logic problems

Route decision checkpoint

Choose PSP when…Choose another route when…
your strongest exam need is schedule logic, critical path, progress updates, and recovery choicesyour real need is earned value and integrated performance measurement, where EVP fits better
your market expects AACE project-controls scheduling recognitionyour employer specifically expects PMI’s scheduling credential, where PMI-SP may be the better comparison

How PSP differs from nearby routes

If you are deciding between…Main distinction
PSP vs EVPPSP focuses on schedule logic and control; EVP integrates schedule with scope, cost, and earned value.
PSP vs PMI-SPBoth are scheduling-specialist lanes; PSP is the AACE project-controls route, while PMI-SP is the PMI route.
PSP vs PMPPSP is scheduling depth; PMP is broad project leadership.
  • PMI-SP for the closest PMI scheduling-specialist comparison
  • PMP 2026 for broader delivery, stakeholder, value, planning, and monitoring scenarios
  • PMI-PMOCP for governance and reporting practice

How to use live practice efficiently

  1. Confirm whether your employer or market expects AACE PSP, PMI-SP, or broader PMP recognition.
  2. Practice schedule logic decisions: relationships, constraints, float, critical path, progress updates, and recovery trade-offs.
  3. Write the cause-and-effect story behind every date movement instead of only calculating the new finish date.
  4. Use the PM Mastery practice page above if PSP is your target.

PSP decision filters

  • Logic before dates: verify activities, dependencies, calendars, constraints, float, and critical path before accepting a finish-date answer.
  • Update quality: decide whether progress data, status date, actuals, remaining duration, and out-of-sequence work support the conclusion.
  • Control action: separate reforecasting, recovery, acceleration, resequencing, resource adjustment, and stakeholder communication.
  • Memo discipline: explain the driver of movement, affected path, confidence level, assumptions, and recommended action in plain language.

When PSP practice is enough

Use varied mixed attempts to identify weak topics, correct guesses and answers you recognize. A practice percentage is not a validated prediction of passing; compare your work with the current official outline and use the study and review guidance to plan the next step.

Web preview and premium practice

  • Web/public preview: the free-practice page lets you check question style and explanations.
  • Premium: interactive AACE PSP practice in PM Mastery with topic drills, mixed sets, timed mock exams, detailed explanations, and progress tracking across web and mobile.

What to open next

  • Need the AACE family map? Open AACE .
  • Need PMI scheduling comparison? Open PMI-SP .

PSP schedule-control map

Use this flow when a question asks whether a project schedule can support a reliable control decision. PSP scenarios usually reward strong logic, update discipline, critical-path interpretation, and realistic recovery analysis.

    flowchart LR
	  A["Scope and execution plan"] --> B["Activities, logic, and calendars"]
	  B --> C["Duration and resource assumptions"]
	  C --> D["Baseline and quality review"]
	  D --> E["Progress update and actuals"]
	  E --> F["Critical path and float analysis"]
	  F --> G["Forecast, risk, and recovery narrative"]

Mini Glossary

  • Constraint: Date rule or limit that may affect schedule calculation.
  • Calendar: Working and nonworking time applied to activities or resources.
  • Schedule risk analysis: Review of uncertainty in durations, logic, and paths.
  • Acceleration: Action intended to shorten schedule duration, often with cost or risk tradeoffs.
  • Narrative report: Written explanation of schedule status, drivers, impacts, and actions.

Open AACE PSP in PM Mastery

Use this live AACE PSP page for web and app access, public practice pages, timed mocks, topic drills, plans, and related PM Mastery exam links.

PSP Quick Reference

Schedule topicStrong PSP habit
Critical pathexplain what drives the finish date
Constraintsdistinguish target dates from logic-driven dates
Updatesverify actuals, progress, remaining duration, and logic
Recoveryevaluate feasible acceleration before forcing dates
Narrativestate cause, impact, confidence, and action

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