Cost accounting MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Cost accounting - Download Free PDF

Key Points

Cost accounting - Cost Accounting may be defined as “Accounting for costs classification and analysis of expenditure as will enable the total cost of any particular unit of production to be ascertained with reasonable degree of accuracy and at the same time to disclose exactly how such total cost is constituted”.  

There are various types of cost accounting, such as:

• Standard costing
• Activity based costing 
• Marginal costing
• Service costing
• Job costing 
• Process costing
• Contract costing

Service costing - Service costing, also known as operating costing, is a cost estimation tool used by businesses that offer services. For example, service costing is used by transportation firms, electrical providers, hospitals, movie theatres, hotels, schools, and universities to determine cost per unit.

Process costing - Process costing is a costing approach used mostly in manufacturing, where units are mass-produced in a continuous manner using one or more processes. Manufacturing erasers, chemicals, paper industry, and processed foods are all examples of this.

Contract costing - Contract costing is a type of particular order costing in which work is performed according to the customer's specified requirements and each order is of a long duration. Contractors who perform construction and engineering work such as roads, dams, buildings, canals, railway lines, bridges, a city or town's drainage system, hospital, schools, or colleges buildings or private structures, shipbuilding, and so on use contract costing.

Batch costing - Batch costing is a type of special order costing in which each batch is handled as an independent cost unit, with expenses accrued and calculated individually for each batch. Each batch is made up of a number of similar units. Batch costing is a costing approach used by businesses that produce a similar product or component in large quantities.

Additional Information

Standard costing - The method of calculating the cost of a manufacturing process is known as standard costing. It's a type of cost accounting that allows a company, for example, to budget for miscellaneous expenses such as direct material, direct labour, and overhead for the following year. These companies will also be able to correlate the standard price to the real price.

Activity based costing - A costing approach known as activity-based costing (ABC) assigns overhead and indirect expenses to associated products and services. Unlike traditional costing techniques, this accounting costing method acknowledges the link between expenses, overhead activities, and produced items, attributing indirect costs to products with less arbitrariness.

Marginal costing -  The cost of one more unit of output is known as marginal cost. The notion is used to determine the optimum production quantity for a corporation, where producing further units costs the least amount of money. It's computed by multiplying the change in manufacturing expenses by the change in production quantity.

Job costing - Job costing is a way of accounting used to keep track of the costs of different projects and activities. It entails examining direct and indirect expenses, which are often divided into three categories: labour, materials, and overhead.

The correct answer is Rs. 5.00

Key Points Service Costing:

• The determination of the overall operational cost incurred on each unit of the intangible product is referred to as service costing or operating costing.
• These intangible products or services can take the shape of internal services provided by businesses as part of their supporting activities for the production of items.

Hotel Costing:

• Hotels provide lodging as a service to their guests, which has a high maintenance cost in addition to the fixed cost.
• Depreciation, staff salaries, capital interest, taxes, and other fixed costs are included in the fixed cost.
• Variable costs include things like electricity, temporary worker salaries, and so on.

Important Points Solution:

Service occupied = No. of days x Number of rooms available per night x Percentage occupancy achieved

Service occupied = 30 x 40 x 65%

Service occupied = Rs. 780

Room servicing cost per occupied room-night = Room servicing cost incurred / Service occupied

Room servicing cost per occupied room-night = 3900/780 = Rs. 5.00

The room servicing cost per occupied room-night last period was Rs. 5

The Correct answer is Rs. 8,000 favourable

Key Points Material Usage Variance: 

• The difference between the actual and predicted unit amount required to produce a product is known as the direct material usage variance.
• The formula for this variance is:(standard quantity of material allowed for production – actual quantity used) × standard price per unit of material.
• It is also calculated using the formula: material cost variance = material price variance + material usage variance

Important Points Solution:

  MCV = MPV + MUV

  5000 = -3000  + MUV

  5000 + 3000 = MUV

 MUV = 8000 favourable

 MUV = material usage variance

 MPV = material price variance

 MCV = material cost variance

Note:- As material price variance is 3000 Adverse, a '-' sign has been placed before 3000 in the solution

The correct answer is Material mix variance

Key PointsMaterial Mix variance: 

• In every process, a significant amount of time and money will have been spent determining the exact optimal material mix.
• The difference between the budgeted and actual mixes of direct material costs employed in a production process is known as material mix variance.
• The best material combination will be one that balances the cost of each material with the yield it produces.
• In addition, the yield must meet certain quality norms.

Important Points Formula for Material Mix Variance:

MMV = SP(RSQ — AQ)

Where,

   MMV = Material Mix Variance
   SP = Standard Price
   RSQ = Revised Standard Quantity
   AQ = Actual Quantity

The following formula is used to calculate Revised Standard Quantity

i.e., RSQ = (SQ of each material / Total SQ) x Total AQ

The correct answer is Only Statement 3 is Correct

Important Points

"Statement 1- License fees and Insurance are examples of maintenance costs under transport costing."

Transport Costing:

Transport Costing refers to the determination of the cost per unit of services rendered by a vehicle. Its include Water, Air, Road and Railways. Motor transport includes Buses, Taxies, Private Cars, Carriers and Lorries etc. It helps in controlling, operating and maintenance costs.

The expenses incurred by a transport concern can be classified into three categories- Fixed, maintenance and Operating charges. 

• Fixed Charges- It includes expenses, which remain fixed, whatever may be the distance covered, or trips made. The vehicle may be idle, but these expenses have to be met. Example: Garage rent, insurance premium, road license fee, interest on capital, vehicle tax and others. Hence, Statement 1 is incorrect.
• Maintenance Charges- These expenses are incurred on the repairs and maintenance of the vehicle, so as to keep the vehicle in proper condition. Example: Repairs and maintenance, spares and accessories, wear and tear of tyres and tubes, supervision expenses, painting charges, overhaul expenses.
• Operating Charges- These expenses are incurred on the actual running of the vehicle. They vary with the distance covered or the trips made. They are variable in nature. Example: Petrol or diesel expenses, lubricating oil and grease, salaries and wages of drivers, conductors and others.

"Statement 2- Service costing is also called operation costing."

Service Costing:

• Service costing, also known as Operating Costing is a method of cost ascertainment used in those undertakings which provide services. Example, transport companies, electricity companies, hospitals, cinema houses, schools, colleges etc. use service costing to find out cost per unit.
• Statement 2 is incorrect as Service costing is also known as Operating Costing not Operation Costing

"Statement 3: Lubricating oil and grease is included in Operating Charges."

• As explained above, Petrol or diesel expenses, lubricating oil and grease, salaries and wages of drivers, conductors and others are included in operating charges. Hence, Statement 3 is correct.

Hence, the correct answer is that Only Statement 3 is correct. 

Confusion Points

• There is a difference between operation costing and Operating Costing.
• Operation costing is similar to Process Costing.
• Service costing, also known as Operating Costing is a method of cost ascertainment used in those undertakings which provide services.

Key Points

• Costs that don't directly relate to a certain good or service that you're offering to customers are known as indirect costs.
• Indirect costs are common to several products rather than to be specific products.
• Rather, they focus mostly on operational requirements including overhead, maintenance, and administrative costs.
• Indirect expenditures can easily go unnoticed and necessitate the use of emergency finances, therefore it's critical for business owners to keep track of them.

Important PointsFeatures of Indirect Costs

• Costs that are incurred throughout a number of operations and hence cannot be attributed to particular cost objects are known as indirect costs.
• Products, services, geographic areas, distribution routes, and clients are a few examples of cost objects.
• In contrast, indirect costs are required to run the company as a whole. 
• Since indirect costs do not significantly vary within specific production volumes or other activity indicators, they are regarded as fixed costs.
• Accounting and legal costs, executive salaries, office expenses, rent, security charges, telephone prices, and utility costs are a few examples of indirect costs.

Hence, Indirect cost is that cost incurred by the firm which is common to several products. 

Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS) includes all the costs and expenses related directly to the production of goods. It excludes indirect costs such as overhead and sales & marketing.

Given: 

• Opening inventory = Rs. 3,500,
• Closing inventory = Rs. 1,500, and
• Cost of goods sold (COGS) = Rs. 22,000

Solution:

• Formula of COGS:
  • COGS = Opening inventory + Purchases - Closing inventory
  • 22,000 = 3,500 + Purchases - 1,500
  • 22,000 = 2,000 + Purchases
  • Purchases = 22,000 - 2,000
  • Purchases = 20,000

Therefore, the amount of purchase is Rs. 20,000.

The correct statement is Opening Stock + Net Purchases + Direct Expenses - Closing Stock = Cost of Goods Sold.

Key Points

• Cost of goods sold (COGS) is the cost of merchandise that is sold to the customers.
• It includes the cost of raw materials purchased, direct expenses incurred, the value of opening stock, i.e., the value of the last year’s unsold stock and excludes closing stock if any, i.e., the value of the current year’s unsold stock.
• The formula to calculate COGS is:
  • Cost of Goods Sold = Opening Stock + Purchases + Direct Expenses − Closing Stock.

Statement (I): Accounting profit is a surplus of total revenue over and above all paid-out costs, including both manufacturing and overhead expenses.

Explanation:

In an accounting sense, profit is a surplus of revenue over and above all paid-out costs, including both manufacturing and overhead expenses. 

Accounting Profit = TR – (W + R + I + M)

• where TR = total revenue,
• W = wages and salaries,
• R = rent,
• I = interest, and
• M = cost of materials.

Obviously, while calculating accounting profit, only explicit or book costs, i.e., the cost recorded in the books of accounts, are considered.

Thus, the statement I is correct.

Statement (II): Economic or pure profit is a residual left after all contractual costs have been met, including the transfer costs of management, insurable risks, depreciation, and payments to shareholders sufficient to maintain investment at its current level.

Explanation: 

1. The concept of ‘economic profit’ differs from that of ‘accounting profit’.
2. Economic Profit takes into accounts also the implicit or imputed costs.
3. The implicit cost is the opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is defined as the payment that would be ‘necessary to draw forth the factors of production from their most remunerative alternative employment.’
4. Alternatively, the opportunity cost is the income foregone which a businessman could accept from the second bast alternative use of his resources. 
5. Accounting profit does not take into account the opportunity cost.
6. It should also be noted that the economic or pure profit makes provision also for
   • insurable risks,
   • depreciation, and
   • necessary minimum payment to shareholders to prevent them from withdrawing their capital.
7. Pure profit may thus is defined as a residual left after all contractual costs have been met, including the transfer cost of management, insurable risks, depreciation, and payment to shareholders sufficient to maintain investment at its current level.
8. Thus, Pure Profit = Total Revenue – (Explicit Cost + Implicit Costs). 

Thus, statement II is correct.

Therefore, Both statements are correct.

Key Points

• Batch Costing is that form of specific order costing which applies where similar articles are manufactured in batches either for sale-or use within the company”. 
• A ‘Batch’ according to I.C.M. A., London is “a cost unit which consists of a group of similar articles which maintain its identity throughout one or more stages of production”.

Important PointsFeatures of Batch costing

• Batch costing focuses on a group of identical products produced for the company's own stock, and job costing is concerned with determining the cost of completing works in accordance with customer criteria.
• Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, complicated product parts (such as automobiles, scooters, computers, watches, and televisions), biscuits, food items, and ready-to-wear clothing typically uses batch costing.
• The items produced in a batch are either consumed within a predetermined time frame or are employed for a defined purpose (for example, composite product spare parts are only to be used with a specific model) (e.g., medicines and food products).

Hence, Batch costing is applied in industries where identical products are produced.

Key Points

Break-Even point:

• The point at which there is neither profit nor loss is known as the break-even point.
• The selling price and total cost are equal at the break-even point, and the company is in a neutral position.
• The company makes exactly as much money as it spends

Important Points

To calculate the break-even point in units we use the formula:

Break-Even Point (units) = Fixed Costs ÷ (Sales price per unit – Variable costs per unit)

Break-even point in units = 2,00,000/(50 - 30) = 2,00,000/20 = 10,000 units.

Additional Information

In sales Break-Even Point is calculated using the formula:

Break-Even Point (sales dollars) = Fixed Costs ÷ Contribution Margin.

Key PointsStandard Costing:

• A standard cost system is a method of cost accounting in which standard costs are used in recording certain transactions and the actual costs are compared with the standard costs, to learn the amount and reason for any variations from the standard.
• Standard costing is a technique of cost control.
• The CIMA Official Terminology defines it as “a control technique which compares standard costs and revenues with actual results to obtain variances which are used to stimulate improved performance.”

Important Points

​Steps involved in Standard Costing

1. Setting or establishing standards for each element of cost;
2. Ascertainment of actual cost;
3. Comparison of standard costs and revenues with actual results;
4. Determination and analysis of variances;
5. Taking appropriate corrective action on the basis of ‘management by exception’; and
6. Stimulating improved performance.

Hence, standard costing is a technique that involves a comparison of the actual cost with the standard cost to find variation.

 Key Points

Zero-based Budgeting:

• Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method of planning a budget in which each new period's spending must be supported.
• Beginning with a "zero base," every function inside an organization is examined for its needs and expenditures as part of the zero-based budgeting process.

• In management accounting, zero-based budgeting is creating the budget from scratch, or with a zero-base.
• It entails reassessing each line item on the cash flow statement and providing evidence for each expense that a department will make.

Hence, the budgeting method under which the budget is prepared from the scratch is known as Zero-Based Budgeting.

Important Points

Steps in Zero-based Budgeting

1. Identification of a task
2. Finding ways and means of accomplishing the task
3. Evaluating these solutions and also evaluating alternatives of sources of funds
4. Setting the budgeted numbers and priorities

Additional Information

1. Incremental Budgeting: The concept behind incremental budgeting is that the easiest way to create a new budget is to just make minor adjustments to the one that is already in place.
2. Flexible Budgeting: A flexible budget is a financial plan that includes expected costs and revenues for various output levels. The change in activity volume or intensity is what causes the fluctuation. It establishes the benchmark for calculating the differences between the company's actual performance and its budgeted performance for control purposes.
3. Static Budgeting: A budget that includes predicted values for inputs and outputs that are thought of before the period in question begins is a static budget. Even with changes in sales and production quantities, a static budget, which is a projection of revenues and expenses for a given period, stays the same.

Key Points

Minimum Stock Level:

• A minimum stock level is a threshold value that indicates the level below which actual material stock items should not normally be allowed to fall.
• In other words, a minimum stock level is a minimum quantity of a particular item of material that must be kept at all times.
• The fixing of this level acts as a safety measure. For this reason, the minimum stock level is commonly known as safety stock or buffer stock.​
• Minimum stock Level = Re-ordering Level – (Normal/Average Consumption x Normal/Average Reorder Period)

Hence, the minimum level of stock represents the minimum quantity of stock that should be held at all times.

Additional Information

When determining the minimum level for different stocks, the following variables should be taken into account:

1. The result of the maximum consumption of an inventory item and its maximum delivery time is the reorder level.
2. Consumption rates on average: Consumption rates on average for each inventory item.
3. For each item, the maximum consumption and delivery period are used to calculate the level of reordering.
4. The average time between reorders for each item: The minimum and maximum periods can be averaged to determine this time.

Key Points

Total Cost:

• Total cost comprises fixed costs (costs that occur regardless of the quantity produced) and variable costs (costs incurred with each item produced).
• It also calculates by multiplying the average cost per unit by the number of units produced.
• Formula: Total Cost = Total Fixed Costs + Total Variable Costs​

Important Points

• Both variable and fixed costs are included in the total cost.
• It accounts for all expenses incurred during production or when providing a service.
• Assume, for instance, that a textile business manufactured 1,000 shirts last month at a cost of $9 for each item.
• The business also pays $1,500 in rent each month.
• The overall cost is comprised of a fixed cost of $1,500 each month and a variable cost of $9,000 ($9 x 1,000), totaling a total of $10,500.