Free Construction Management and Estimation MCQs with Answers
80 Construction Management and Estimation MCQs from Civil Engineering, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
Construction management covers planning, scheduling, resource control, contracts, procurement, site organisation, safety, quality assurance and project documentation. Estimation includes quantity take-off, rate analysis, bill preparation, valuation and cost control, with attention to the difference between direct and indirect costs and between an estimate, a tender and a final account.
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80 questions · page 4 of 4
- A. An allowance for work not sufficiently defined at tender stage
- B. A fixed payment for work already completed on site
- C. A deduction made for defective materials after inspection
- D. An advance paid to the contractor before mobilisation
Explanation: A provisional sum is an allowance for work whose scope or quantity cannot be defined accurately when tenders are invited.
Correct answer: An allowance for work not sufficiently defined at tender stage- A. To record the daily output of reinforcement workers
- B. To list reinforcement bar sizes, shapes, lengths, and quantities
- C. To show the planned sequence of concrete placement activities
- D. To calculate the electrical load of a reinforced concrete building
Explanation: A bar bending schedule provides the information needed to cut, bend, identify, and place reinforcement bars.
Correct answer: To list reinforcement bar sizes, shapes, lengths, and quantities- A. The horizontal distance for transporting excavated soil
- B. The volume of soil compacted in one working layer
- C. The vertical distance through which excavated soil is moved
- D. The number of passes made by a compaction roller
Explanation: Lift is the vertical distance through which excavated or deposited material is moved.
Correct answer: The vertical distance through which excavated soil is moved- A. To certify the final quality of completed construction work
- B. To record the names of workers assigned to each activity
- C. To show the sequence in which project activities are completed
- D. To list agreed unit rates for commonly measured work items
Explanation: A schedule of rates contains unit prices for specified work items and can support valuation or pricing where final quantities are not…
Correct answer: To list agreed unit rates for commonly measured work items- A. When varied work cannot be priced reliably from existing rates
- B. When the whole project is awarded for one fixed lump sum
- C. When the contractor has completed all work before payment begins
- D. When only the employer's permanent staff perform the work
Explanation: Daywork is used for instructed work whose quantities or nature make normal unit-rate pricing impractical.
Correct answer: When varied work cannot be priced reliably from existing rates- A. The contractor's confidential calculation of expected profit
- B. The employer's estimate used to assess the reasonableness of bids
- C. The final amount certified after all construction defects are corrected
- D. The total value of materials purchased by the contractor
Explanation: An engineer's estimate is prepared for the employer before or during tendering to indicate the expected project cost and help evaluate…
Correct answer: The employer's estimate used to assess the reasonableness of bids67. Which document most directly shows the condition and layout of a completed construction project?
- A. The original feasibility report
- B. The contractor's tender programme
- C. The approved as-built drawings
- D. The preliminary abstract of cost
Explanation: As-built drawings record the work as actually constructed, including approved changes from the original design.
Correct answer: The approved as-built drawings- A. To replace all training and supervision of site workers
- B. To calculate the quantities of materials used on site
- C. To approve the contractor's monthly payment certificate
- D. To authorise and control specified high-risk activities
Explanation: A permit-to-work system formally authorises hazardous activities after required precautions, isolations, and responsibilities are…
Correct answer: To authorise and control specified high-risk activities- A. The difference between discounted benefits and discounted costs
- B. The difference between planned and actual quantities of concrete
- C. The percentage of project work completed at a given date
- D. The total number of resources assigned to a project activity
Explanation: Net present value discounts future project cash inflows and outflows to the present and calculates their net difference.
Correct answer: The difference between discounted benefits and discounted costs- A. To increase the measured dimensions of the completed structure
- B. To account for unavoidable losses during handling and installation
- C. To replace the contractor's obligation to store materials safely
- D. To include the employer's land acquisition and design expenses
Explanation: A reasonable wastage allowance covers losses caused by cutting, breakage, spillage, or handling during construction.
Correct answer: To account for unavoidable losses during handling and installation- A. Number of rooms in the building
- B. Total height of the proposed building
- C. Current cost per unit of plinth area
- D. Average wall thickness of the building
Explanation: The plinth area method uses a known or assessed rate per unit area, such as cost per square metre.
Correct answer: Current cost per unit of plinth area- A. The site has passed the safety inspection
- B. The contractor has submitted the lowest tender
- C. The project has received its final payment
- D. The design and detailed estimate are technically adequate
Explanation: Technical sanction is approval of the detailed design, specifications, quantities and estimated cost by the competent technical authority.
Correct answer: The design and detailed estimate are technically adequate- A. Placing an order and receiving the required item
- B. Starting excavation and completing the foundation
- C. Submitting a tender and opening the bids
- D. Measuring completed work and making payment
Explanation: Lead time covers the waiting period from placing an order until the material, equipment or service becomes available for use.
Correct answer: Placing an order and receiving the required item- A. To replace the contract drawings and specifications
- B. To document decisions, responsibilities and agreed actions
- C. To calculate the exact quantity of every completed item
- D. To authorize payment without measurement or certification
Explanation: Meeting minutes create a formal record of decisions, assigned responsibilities, deadlines and unresolved issues.
Correct answer: To document decisions, responsibilities and agreed actions- A. The contractor's profit multiplied by project duration
- B. A single fixed price for the complete project
- C. Recorded labour time plus the cost of materials used
- D. The lowest price submitted by competing contractors
Explanation: A time-and-materials contract pays for verified labour hours and materials, usually with an agreed markup or fee.
Correct answer: Recorded labour time plus the cost of materials used- A. The contractor's legal claims against the employer
- B. Only the names of responsible site supervisors
- C. Only the physical dimensions of completed work
- D. Budgeted cost values linked to planned work
Explanation: A cost-loaded schedule links planned activity costs with dates and quantities of work.
Correct answer: Budgeted cost values linked to planned work- A. The value recovered from an asset at the end of its useful life
- B. The original purchase price of an asset before construction
- C. The annual rent received from an occupied property
- D. The cost of repairing an asset after ordinary maintenance
Explanation: Salvage value is the estimated amount recoverable when an asset is retired, sold or dismantled.
Correct answer: The value recovered from an asset at the end of its useful life- A. Current market rent of the property
- B. Estimated useful life of the asset
- C. Original construction area of the asset
- D. Number of occupants using the asset
Explanation: Straight-line depreciation spreads depreciable cost evenly over the estimated useful life.
Correct answer: Estimated useful life of the asset- A. To determine the legal ownership of the completed building
- B. To record the contractor's daily attendance at the site
- C. To coordinate when materials, equipment and services are required
- D. To replace the approved construction method statement
Explanation: A procurement schedule identifies required items, ordering dates, delivery dates and responsible parties.
Correct answer: To coordinate when materials, equipment and services are required- A. Delay damages payable for late completion
- B. Unforeseen excavation work with no defined scope
- C. The contractor's fixed annual office overhead
- D. A specified supply item whose final selection or price is unsettled
Explanation: A prime cost sum is an allowance for a particular item, commonly supplied by a nominated or selected supplier, when its exact cost is not…
Correct answer: A specified supply item whose final selection or price is unsettled