Tips for Passing the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) Exam

Tips for Passing the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) Exam

Next in our project manager's blog series we share insight from our Senior Project Management Lecturer, Sue Hopgood, with some top tips on how to prepare for the Project Management Qualification (PMQ) exam and secure your professional qualification.

The Project Management Qualification (PMQ) is a valuable accreditation to add to your portfolio and CV. It aims to give existing and aspiring project management professionals everything they need to know to be confident in managing future projects, whatever their size and complexity.

Traditionally, it has been a tough exam to pass, with a three-hour typed exam. However, in response to a recent review of the qualification, the APM has given the PMQ examination an overhaul. The new exam goes live in September 2024. In this blog we look at some of the changes and give some hints and tips to ensure you are well prepared to take the exam.

Make sure you have enough experience

The APM has been very clear that candidates “…will likely have two to three years as a project professional or be actively undertaking a project management apprenticeship or degree.” If you don’t yet have experience, could you find a way to shadow a colleague so that you can find out more about their job?

Another option would be to take the Project Fundamentals Qualification. Although this is not a prerequisite for the PMQ, it covers the relevant topics to a superficial level and gives learners a good understanding of what project managers do.

Either of these routes will help you to understand how much project management experience you already have. Many people don’t realise that they have spent years managing projects because they didn’t have that as an official job title. Think of all the work you have delivered to a deadline, working with others to get it all done. Some of your experience will come from your personal life. If you have organised a wedding or a group holiday, for example, those are projects. A project doesn’t have to be big budget.

Once you are happy that you have some understanding of what is involved when managing a project then it will be time to look for a training course.

Select your course

The PMQ contains many examinable topics so consider whether you want to go for an intense short course or whether a course spread out, part time, over a few weeks will be better for you. If you have successfully taken previous qualifications that taught the syllabus within a week then that might be a good option. If you prefer to take time to reflect and apply your learning, then choose a course that runs for 2 or 3 days a week over a few weeks.

Claim reasonable adjustments if you are eligible

All reasonable adjustment requests must be submitted to the APM Qualifications Team at least 12 working days before your exam date, along with your supporting documentation. They consider each request on an individual basis and then confirm your eligibility within five working days. Your course organisers should send you instructions on how to request this.

Understand how the qualification is assessed

Thankfully, the new PMQ exam is no longer a fully type-written exam. It is still completed online but, instead of 3 hours, you now have 2.5 hours with a break in the middle and a mixture of question styles.

Once you have navigated through the introduction and instruction pages of the exam, the timer begins counting down and you begin Part A of the live examination. Part A is made up of 20 questions and you can answer the questions in any order using the various navigation tools. You can flag questions that you wish to return to.

See my blog which explains the different question styles that you will be given to answer, plus tips on time management. You should answer all the questions, unlike the previous exam where you picked 10 out of 16 possible questions to answer.

Be prepared: create a library of PMQ exam questions and answers

During your course, your instructor should be setting homework so that you can practice exam questions. Create a library of these potential questions and answers. Even better, trade answers with others on your course and learn from them. Take a look at the official syllabus in the APM PMQ Handbook.

Seize any opportunity to get feedback from your instructor so that you can improve your exam technique for the written answers.

Can you create your own questions based on these learning outcomes and then write sample answers for them? If so, you can add these to your library. Seize any opportunity to get feedback from your instructor so that you can improve your exam technique for the written answers.

Format your typed answers

Once you start the exam, you will type some of your answers into a text box that has similar formatting to Microsoft Word. This means that you can: change font size; make it bold, italic or underlined; align the text to the left, centre or right; and indent the text. Use these formatting features, if you have time, to make your response easier for the marker to see your main points.

Use your time wisely

Be aware that the timer will show the full duration of the exam. You can take the break whenever you are ready to submit the 20 questions from Part A. Given that the exam is 2 hours and 30 minutes long, aim to complete Part A within 1 hour 15 minutes. This should give you enough time to complete the 20 questions in Part B. Remember that you can’t go back to Part A once you have started your break.

If you qualify for extra time, this will give you another 38 minutes to complete the exam, so aim to complete Part A within 1 hour 34 minutes so that you have enough time for Part B.

If you don’t keep an eye on the clock during Part A, then you risk running out of time for Part B and your long response answers will likely lack sufficient depth to get full marks.

Take a break if you need one

Once you have completed Part A, you can take a break of up to 30 minutes before starting Part B. During your break it is okay to leave the room, for example to make a cup of coffee or use the toilet. You may leave the room for the entirety of the break.

If you don’t need the full break, that’s no problem. Simply proceed to Part B when you are ready. As in Part A, you may answer the questions in any order using various navigation tools.

So, what’s the pass mark?

We don’t know! We’re told that each PMQ paper will be reviewed by a team of examiners. They will set the pass mark for each one. This way, a slightly easier exam paper will have a slightly higher pass mark, and a harder paper will have a slightly lower pass mark. We look forward to finding out from our learners what their pass mark was.

When will I find out if I passed?

The APM promise to email your results within 8 weeks of completing your exam.

Good luck!

Find out more…

• Read more details of the new PMQ exam, including the syllabus, in the APM PMQ Handbook
• You can download the APM glossary of project management terms here.
• This article talks about the change to the new exam
• Once the new exam is live, we expect there to be further information on the APM PMQ webpage

Author: Sue Hopgood

Senior Project Management Lecturer at MKC Training

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Study with MKC Training

If you would like to learn more about this qualification or join our next course, check out our Project Management Qualification (PMQ) here.

You may also be interested in the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ).

Learn more about our other project and programme management courses.