diff --git a/src/_ert/events.py b/src/_ert/events.py
index 0f810286f9e..99033c7e833 100644
--- a/src/_ert/events.py
+++ b/src/_ert/events.py
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ class ForwardModelStepRunning(ForwardModelStepBaseEvent):
     event_type: Id.FORWARD_MODEL_STEP_RUNNING_TYPE = Id.FORWARD_MODEL_STEP_RUNNING
     max_memory_usage: Union[int, None] = None
     current_memory_usage: Union[int, None] = None
+    cpu_seconds: float = 0.0
 
 
 class ForwardModelStepSuccess(ForwardModelStepBaseEvent):
diff --git a/src/_ert/forward_model_runner/reporting/event.py b/src/_ert/forward_model_runner/reporting/event.py
index ece3d893408..8bf13dee238 100644
--- a/src/_ert/forward_model_runner/reporting/event.py
+++ b/src/_ert/forward_model_runner/reporting/event.py
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ def _job_handler(self, msg: Union[Start, Running, Exited]):
                 **job_msg,
                 max_memory_usage=msg.memory_status.max_rss,
                 current_memory_usage=msg.memory_status.rss,
+                cpu_seconds=msg.memory_status.cpu_seconds,
             )
             self._dump_event(event)
 
diff --git a/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/evaluator.py b/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/evaluator.py
index bb7f91cc05e..4afe8e97971 100644
--- a/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/evaluator.py
+++ b/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/evaluator.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import asyncio
+import datetime
 import logging
 import traceback
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager, contextmanager
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@
 )
 from ert.ensemble_evaluator import identifiers as ids
 
+from ._ensemble import FMStepSnapshot
 from ._ensemble import LegacyEnsemble as Ensemble
 from .config import EvaluatorServerConfig
 from .snapshot import EnsembleSnapshot
@@ -161,12 +163,20 @@ async def _stopped_handler(self, events: Sequence[EnsembleSucceeded]) -> None:
             return
 
         max_memory_usage = -1
-        for fm_step in self.ensemble.snapshot.get_all_fm_steps().values():
+        for (real_id, _), fm_step in self.ensemble.snapshot.get_all_fm_steps().items():
+            # Infer max memory usage
             memory_usage = fm_step.get(ids.MAX_MEMORY_USAGE) or "-1"
             max_memory_usage = max(int(memory_usage), max_memory_usage)
+
+            if cpu_message := detect_overspent_cpu(
+                self.ensemble.reals[int(real_id)].num_cpu, real_id, fm_step
+            ):
+                logger.warning(cpu_message)
+
         logger.info(
             f"Ensemble ran with maximum memory usage for a single realization job: {max_memory_usage}"
         )
+
         await self._append_message(self.ensemble.update_snapshot(events))
 
     async def _cancelled_handler(self, events: Sequence[EnsembleCancelled]) -> None:
@@ -425,3 +435,24 @@ async def run_and_get_successful_realizations(self) -> List[int]:
     def _get_ens_id(source: str) -> str:
         # the ens_id will be found at /ert/ensemble/ens_id/...
         return source.split("/")[3]
+
+
+def detect_overspent_cpu(num_cpu: int, real_id: str, fm_step: FMStepSnapshot) -> str:
+    """Produces a message warning about misconfiguration of NUM_CPU if
+    so is detected. Returns an empty string if everything is ok."""
+    now = datetime.datetime.now()
+    duration = (
+        (fm_step.get(ids.END_TIME) or now) - (fm_step.get(ids.START_TIME) or now)
+    ).total_seconds()
+    if duration <= 0:
+        return ""
+    cpu_seconds = fm_step.get(ids.CPU_SECONDS) or 0.0
+    parallelization_obtained = cpu_seconds / duration
+    if parallelization_obtained > num_cpu:
+        return (
+            f"Misconfigured NUM_CPU, forward model step '{fm_step.get(ids.NAME)}' for "
+            f"realization {real_id} spent {cpu_seconds} cpu seconds "
+            f"with wall clock duration {duration:.1f} seconds, "
+            f"a factor of {parallelization_obtained:.2f}, while NUM_CPU was {num_cpu}."
+        )
+    return ""
diff --git a/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/identifiers.py b/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/identifiers.py
index 31cccb84be3..918b11779ad 100644
--- a/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/identifiers.py
+++ b/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/identifiers.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 ERROR: Final = "error"
 INDEX: Final = "index"
 MAX_MEMORY_USAGE: Final = "max_memory_usage"
+CPU_SECONDS: Final = "cpu_seconds"
 NAME: Final = "name"
 START_TIME: Final = "start_time"
 STATUS: Final = "status"
diff --git a/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/snapshot.py b/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/snapshot.py
index 00448fbd728..35e0157944f 100644
--- a/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/snapshot.py
+++ b/src/ert/ensemble_evaluator/snapshot.py
@@ -346,6 +346,7 @@ def update_from_event(
             if type(event) is ForwardModelStepRunning:
                 fm["current_memory_usage"] = event.current_memory_usage
                 fm["max_memory_usage"] = event.max_memory_usage
+                fm["cpu_seconds"] = event.cpu_seconds
             if type(event) is ForwardModelStepStart:
                 fm["stdout"] = event.std_out
                 fm["stderr"] = event.std_err
@@ -384,6 +385,7 @@ class FMStepSnapshot(TypedDict, total=False):
     index: Optional[str]
     current_memory_usage: Optional[int]
     max_memory_usage: Optional[int]
+    cpu_seconds: Optional[float]
     name: Optional[str]
     error: Optional[str]
     stdout: Optional[str]
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/ensemble_evaluator/test_ensemble_evaluator.py b/tests/unit_tests/ensemble_evaluator/test_ensemble_evaluator.py
index 11f01658b84..668527b6017 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/ensemble_evaluator/test_ensemble_evaluator.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/ensemble_evaluator/test_ensemble_evaluator.py
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 import asyncio
+import datetime
 from functools import partial
 from typing import cast
 
 import pytest
+from hypothesis import given
+from hypothesis import strategies as st
 
 from _ert.events import (
     EESnapshot,
@@ -17,7 +20,13 @@
     event_to_json,
 )
 from _ert.forward_model_runner.client import Client
-from ert.ensemble_evaluator import EnsembleEvaluator, EnsembleSnapshot, Monitor
+from ert.ensemble_evaluator import (
+    EnsembleEvaluator,
+    EnsembleSnapshot,
+    FMStepSnapshot,
+    Monitor,
+)
+from ert.ensemble_evaluator.evaluator import detect_overspent_cpu
 from ert.ensemble_evaluator.state import (
     ENSEMBLE_STATE_STARTED,
     ENSEMBLE_STATE_UNKNOWN,
@@ -465,3 +474,30 @@ async def test_ensure_multi_level_events_in_order(evaluator_to_use):
                 if "reals" in event.snapshot:
                     assert ensemble_state == ENSEMBLE_STATE_STARTED
                 ensemble_state = event.snapshot.get("status", ensemble_state)
+
+
+@given(
+    num_cpu=st.integers(min_value=1, max_value=64),
+    start=st.datetimes(),
+    duration=st.integers(min_value=-1, max_value=10000),
+    cpu_seconds=st.floats(min_value=0),
+)
+def test_overspent_cpu_is_logged(
+    num_cpu: int,
+    start: datetime.datetime,
+    duration: int,
+    cpu_seconds: float,
+):
+    message = detect_overspent_cpu(
+        num_cpu,
+        "dummy",
+        FMStepSnapshot(
+            start_time=start,
+            end_time=start + datetime.timedelta(seconds=duration),
+            cpu_seconds=cpu_seconds,
+        ),
+    )
+    if duration > 0 and cpu_seconds / duration > num_cpu:
+        assert "Misconfigured NUM_CPU" in message
+    else:
+        assert "NUM_CPU" not in message