Quick Reference
PMP® Formula Cheat Sheet
The essential 2026 formulas for Cost, Schedule, and Communications.
Earned Value Management
CV (Cost Variance) EV – AC
Negative is Over Budget | Positive is Under Budget
SV (Schedule Variance) EV – PV
Negative is Behind Schedule | Positive is Ahead
CPI (Cost Index) EV / AC
Efficiency: > 1.0 is Good | < 1.0 is Bad
Estimating & Channels
PERT (Beta) (O + 4M + P) / 6
Weighted average for activity duration
Comms Channels N(N-1) / 2
Calculates complexity between N stakeholders
Standard Deviation (P – O) / 6
Measures the level of risk/uncertainty
Want the PDF Version?
Our full 10-page PMP Exam Success Guide is available for students.
Download PDF Cheat Sheet