Publisher's Synopsis
The CCE Certification requires that an individual has an education and/or work experience in a related field (more precisely, a field that emphasizes cost management). The candidate must demonstrate acquired knowledge through successfully passing a written exam after submitting an acceptable technical paper on a cost engineering subject. This professional paper must be at least 2,500 words. The actual CCE exam has four parts that are 1 hour and 45 minutes each. Part I has 50 multiple-choice questions. Parts II, III and IV use a combination of compound questions and multiple choice questions. Coverage is extensive. Also, with the introduction of the TCMF, multiple disciplines are integrated into the cost management effort so you are expected to know a lot more than basic cost estimation and control techniques. Even though the exam is divided into 4 parts, you will have to take 4 parts in the same day. Also, topics covered in the different parts are in fact highly related. Therefore, there is no reason why you should study on a part by part basis. We highly recommend that you study for the exam "as a whole" - this will give you a clearer picture on the big picture and on the various details. You may think of cost engineering as an adjunct of traditional engineering. The key objectives of cost engineering are: 1, to arrive at accurate cost estimates; and 2, to avoid cost overruns. Cost engineering encompasses a wide range of cost-related aspects of engineering management. Keep in mind, awareness of the related costs is a key factor in making the proper choice of engineering approaches to take. Although the cost engineering exam focuses primarily on the various cost analysis and estimation techniques, basic background knowledge of certain "business management" related disciplines will definitely help for those who have little experience on topics outside of the scope of traditional engineering. To be honest, without possessing solid knowledge on these topics a candidate will have a very tough time mastering the skills of cost engineering. This is especially true when the TCMF (Total Cost Management Framework) methodology is in place to integrate Asset, Operations and Project Management into a single model. Therefore, we have included coverage on these basic knowledge in our study notes for you.
