FP&A

QUIZ
#2

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 INTRO
5 questions to test
your FP&A skills.

Don’t forget to
share your score in
the comments!
Nicolas Boucher
 Question 1
How do you calculate the
margin variance?
A. Price effect + Volume effect + Cost
effect
B. Price effect + Volume effect + Cost
effect + Mix effect
C. Price effect + Volume effect + Mix
effect

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Nicolas Boucher
THE ANSWER
 Answer 1
How do you calculate the
margin variance?
A. Price effect + Volume effect + Cost
effect
B. Price effect + Volume effect + Cost
effect + Mix effect
C. Price effect + Volume effect + Mix
effect

Nicolas Boucher
 Question 2
In Project Controlling, what
is the earned value of a
project?
A. % of real completion x Budget value
B. Cash in - cash out
C. % of revenue

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Nicolas Boucher
THE ANSWER
 Answer 2
In Project Controlling, what
is the earned value of a
project?
A. % of real completion x Budget value
B. Cash in - cash out
C. % of revenue

Nicolas Boucher
 Question 3
What is the best way to
forecast efficiently the
salary costs?
A. Summing up each of the forecasted
salary costs of all employees
B. Actual average salary costs per FTE x
planned FTE x salary increase factor
C. Actual salary costs x salary increase
factor

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Nicolas Boucher
THE ANSWER
 Answer 3
What is the best way to
forecast efficiently the
salary costs?
A. Summing up each of the forecasted
salary costs of all employees
B. Actual average salary costs per FTE x
planned FTE x salary increase factor
C. Actual salary costs x salary increase
factor

Nicolas Boucher
 Question 4
What is the best order to
plan your budget?
A. Headcount > Sales > Cash
B. Cash > Headcount > Sales
C. Sales > Headcount > Cash

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Nicolas Boucher
THE ANSWER
 Answer 4
What is the best order to
plan your budget?
A. Headcount > Sales > Cash
B. Cash > Headcount > Sales
C. Sales > Headcount > Cash

Nicolas Boucher
 Question 5
How can you use the IBCS
standards?
A. To standardize reports
B. To analyse costs
C. To plan a project

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THE ANSWER
Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 5
How can you use the IBCS
standards?
A. To standardize reports
B. To analyse costs
C. To plan a project

Nicolas Boucher
Thank you for
taking the Quiz.
Now, share your
score in the
comments!

Check the next pages

for more explanations
on the answers.
Nicolas Boucher
 BONUS:
Explanations on
the answers

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 1
How do you calculate the
margin variance?
B. Price effect + Volume effect + Cost
effect + Mix effect

Here we analyse the Gross Profit Margin where: Margin = Sales -

Cost of sales

You can leverage the PVM analysis to identify the effect impacting
Price per unit
the margin.
Sales
Simply add the Costs component to the PVMVolume
analysis.
Margin
Cost per unit
Costs
Volume

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 1

Price per unit

Sales
Volume
Margin
Cost per unit
Costs
Volume

Margin variance =
Price effect + Volume effect + Cost effect + Mix effect

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 2
In Project Controlling, what
is the earned value of a
project?
A. % of real completion x Budget value

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 2
Earned value: monetary value of real work
done (differs from actual costs incurred)
using following measurement methods per
work package:
○ Units completed
○ Incremental milestones
○ Start-finish (binary method 0 % or
100%)
○ Individual judgemental
○ Level of effort (actual costs to
budget)

Earned value = % of real completion (based

on methods listed above) x Budget value

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 3
What is the best way to
forecast efficiently the
salary costs?
B. Actual average salary costs per FTE x
planned FTE x salary increase factor

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 3
Planning new headcounts and salary costs:

Bottom up approach (more detailed)

1. Obtain the last headcount status per
department
2. Plan attrition (people retiring), replacement,
headcount growth or reduction
3. Calculate for each employee the salary costs
4. Add all the employees salary costs together to
have the total salary costs

Top down approach (more efficient)

Planned Salary costs =

actual average salary costs per FTE * planned
FTE * salary increase factor

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 4
What is the best order to
plan your budget?
C. Sales > Headcount > Cash

Nicolas Boucher
Answer 4

Nicolas Boucher
 Answer 5
How can you use the IBCS
standards?
A. To standardize reports

The International Business

Communication Standards (IBCS®) are
practical suggestions for the
consistent design of reports,
presentations, dashboards and the
charts and tables they contain.
www.ibcs.com

Nicolas Boucher
Answer 5

Nicolas Boucher