RACC Certified Research Administrator (CRA) Practice Exam

This item tests how overlapping effort across multiple grants is described when the total commitment exceeds a full-time workload. The correct term is commitment overlap, which happens when the sum of effort assigned to all awards for an individual goes beyond 100 percent of their available time. This signals overcommitment and raises compliance and reporting risks, since sponsors require accurate reflection of how much time is actually devoted to each award and may not permit exceeding 100 percent without approval. Schedule drift describes delays in project timelines, budget overrun refers to spending above the allocated budget, and a generic “personnel overlap” isn’t a standard grant-management term. To prevent commitment overlap, institutions track total effort across all awards, adjust allocations so the total does not exceed 100 percent, and obtain necessary approvals if any adjustments are required.