BC Kentei Production Management Operations Grade 3 practice test with answers – free sample questions

Correct answer: A

The purpose of production management is to maintain an optimal balance among Quality (Q), Cost (C), and Delivery (D) to satisfy customer requirements; the shop floor must never arbitrarily lower design quality standards or delay delivery dates merely to reduce manufacturing cost. The statements regarding the 3M input-to-output transformation process, the meaning of QCD, and the trade-off relationships among Q, C, and D are all correct. (Textbook: Basics of Work Management - Production Systems)

Correct answer: B

Total allowance rate = 3% + 5% + 7% = 15% (0.15). Under the external ratio method (外掛け法), the standard time per unit is calculated as: Standard time = Net time × (1 + Total allowance rate) = 120 × (1 + 0.15) = 120 × 1.15 = 138 seconds. The value 132 seconds omits the 5% fatigue allowance rate; 141 seconds wrongly divides by (1 − 0.15) using the internal ratio method (120 ÷ 0.85 ≈ 141.2 seconds); 145 seconds miscalculates the allowance rate. (Textbook: Basics of Work Management - Setting Standard Time)

💡 Standard time formula under the external ratio method: Standard time = Net time × (1 + Total allowance rate). Here, 120 seconds × (1 + 0.03 + 0.05 + 0.07) = 138 seconds.

Correct answer: B

Holding a large amount of work-in-process (WIP / 仕掛品) inventory between processes increases waiting and retention time, which lengthens manufacturing lead time, ties up working capital, and consumes factory floor space. A core objective of process management is to reduce work-in-process inventory while still meeting delivery dates. All other statements are correct. (Textbook: Basics of Process Management - Concept of Process Management)

Correct answer: D

Short-term scheduling (小日程計画) is an operational schedule covering one day to one week that assigns daily work sequences to individual machines and workers on the shop floor, and it is adjusted flexibly in response to daily production progress. Decisions on new factories or capital investment belong to long-range corporate planning by top management. (Textbook: Basics of Process Management - Production Scheduling)

Correct answer: A

Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) represents the average operating time between one failure and the next; therefore, a LARGER MTBF value means fewer failures and higher equipment reliability. Conversely, a smaller Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) means faster repairs and better maintainability. (Textbook: Basics of Equipment Management - Concept of Equipment Management)

💡 Equipment reliability and maintainability: a LARGER MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) means higher reliability; a SMALLER MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) means better maintainability. Availability = MTBF ÷ (MTBF + MTTR).

Correct answer: C

In the illustration, cardboard boxes are stacked neatly on a wooden pallet resting on the floor (パレット置き). Under the Material Handling Liveliness Index (運搬活性示数 = 4 − number of manual actions needed among piling up, placing onto a support, lifting up, and pulling away): loose on the floor is 0 (needs all 4 actions); boxed or bundled on the floor is 1; stacked on a pallet (as shown) eliminates 'piling up' and 'placing onto a support', leaving only 'lifting up' and 'pulling away' (4 − 2 = 2); on a wheeled cart is 3; moving on a conveyor is 4. (Textbook: Basics of Material Handling and Logistics - Liveliness Index)

💡 Material Handling Liveliness Index (0 to 4): Loose on floor = 0; Boxed on floor = 1; Stacked on a wooden pallet = 2 (only lifting up and pulling away needed); Wheeled handcart = 3; Moving conveyor = 4.

Correct answer: D

Because 'true quality characteristics' (真の特性 — customer desires like 'writes smoothly' or 'durable') are often qualitative and difficult to measure directly on a factory line, manufacturers translate them into quantifiable physical or chemical parameters measurable with factory instruments (such as ink viscosity, ball diameter, tensile strength, or mAh capacity), which are called 'substitute quality characteristics' (代用特性). Claiming that substitute quality characteristics cannot be quantified with factory measuring instruments is incorrect. (Textbook: Quality Control - Concept of Quality Control)

💡 Quality pairs: Quality of design = targeted quality; Quality of conformance = manufactured quality. True quality characteristics = what consumers seek; Substitute quality characteristics = quantifiable factory metrics.

Correct answer: A

Direct manufacturing cost = Direct material cost (4,000,000) + Direct labor cost (2,500,000) + Direct expenses (500,000) = 7,000,000 yen. Manufacturing Cost (製造原価) = Direct manufacturing cost (7,000,000) + Manufacturing overhead (1,800,000) = 8,800,000 yen. Total Cost (総原価) = Manufacturing Cost (8,800,000) + Selling, general and administrative expenses (1,200,000) = 10,000,000 yen. The combination of 7,000,000 and 8,800,000 yen confuses direct cost with manufacturing cost; 8,300,000 and 9,500,000 yen omits direct expenses of 500,000 yen. (Textbook: Cost Management - Cost Structure)

💡 Cost structure formulas: Direct cost = Direct material + Direct labor + Direct expenses. Manufacturing Cost = Direct cost + Manufacturing overhead. Total Cost = Manufacturing Cost + SG&A expenses.

Correct answer: A

In delivery management (納期管理), the fundamental rule is delivering the exact required quantity on the exact specified delivery date (Just-In-Time). Shipping products early without the customer's consent crowds the customer's warehouse space, increases inventory holding costs, and disrupts receiving schedules, while unnecessary advance production in the factory delays urgent orders. (Textbook: Delivery Management - Concept of Delivery Management)

💡 In delivery management, both delivery delay and unauthorized early delivery must be avoided: early delivery crowds the customer's storage space, increases inventory costs, and delays urgent orders.

Correct answer: C

Under the Industrial Safety and Health Act (労働安全衛生法), an Industrial Physician (産業医) is legally required to patrol the factory workplace in person at least once every month (or at least once every two months if the employer consents and weekly patrol results from the Health Officer are reported monthly) to inspect working conditions and take immediate health protection measures when needed. A Health Officer (衛生管理者) must patrol at least once a week. (Textbook: Safety and Health Management - Safety and Health Management System)