Introduction
Anyone who watched our recent Provek webinar “How to avoid Project Failure” will know that projects are all about change. All products go through cycles of change delivered through project management, whether it’s down to advances in technology, changes in strategy, external factors or a continuous improvement approach. The Association for Project Management (APM) have been going through their very own change process with their flagship PMQ qualification which is live at the beginning of September. So why should you take it and what are the major changes?
Why should you take the PMQ exam?
Firstly, the PMQ is a great qualification to support you delivering successful projects. It’ s knowledge-based, looks good on your CV and is widely respected across industry sectors. Previous iterations have been tricky, mainly down to the depth of detail, format and a solid three hours of typing – although expert guidance from our professional trainers, meant our pass rates were way above national average.
The APM have listened to feedback and changed the format of the exam as well as some of the topics to align to developments in project management theory and practice. Of course this doesn’t necessarily mean the exam is easier, but it is more relevant and more accessible for all candidates.
What are the major changes?
So what does the new exam look like?
- 2.5 hours and an optional break of up to 30 minutes between the two parts
- 40 questions and 90 marks, four different question formats including multiple choice
- No generic pass mark – it will vary depending on which exam paper you’re given, similar to how GCSE and A Levels are graded (the Angoff method for anyone who loves statistical analysis)
New areas of content:
- Diversity and inclusion
- Sustainability
- Assurance
- Transition Management (handover to BAU)
- Ethics, compliance and professionalism
- Solutions development
Changes to existing content
There are a number of changes to existing content, for example, emotional intelligence is now included in Leadership – a sensible approach to expand this learning objective given that strong soft skills are so important for the Project Manager. Some previous detail has been reduced e.g. portfolios and types of estimating, so if you’ve taken the exam before and failed, it’s definitely worth attending one of our two-day conversion courses to get you up to speed with the new and amended content as well as the new format.
The exam is still closed book
The exam is still closed book, unlike comparable exams (Prince2 Practitioner or AgilePM Practitioner) so you’ll have to spend a good amount of time revising – the APM recommend that you spend at least 40 hours revisiting the content and going through practice questions – and that’s in addition to attending a training course.
Tools to help with revision
If you struggle to remember knowledge (and there is a lot of it!) there are lots of tools out there to help you with revision – anyone who has children going through GCSE’s will be familiar with Quizlet or Kahoot where you can turn your notes into digital flashcards and create practice tests.
Other useful techniques are getting your family to test you, keep a copy of your notes in the car or listen to podcasts while you’re out on a run. One of our delegates who was taking the exam in January created Christmas tree decorations which showed core pieces of knowledge, so every time they looked at the tree it supported their revision. They even put paper slips with knowledge into their Christmas Crackers! They passed the exam so be as creative as you like with your revision.
PMQ training with Provek
Since we took part in the APM pilot last September our team have been working away diligently to understand the new content and creating our exceptional new PMQ training course. Although it’s a knowledge-based exam and everyone wants to pass, it’s also important that you know how to apply the theories on your projects so there’s a lot of scenario-based learning which is more effective in embedding the skills and behaviours. This is where it’s a real advantage that our Trainers have extensive project management experience and can answer the trickier questions, regardless of industry sector, because they’ve all been there.
It’s still a tough exam but the APM have done a great job bringing the content up to date and making it much more accessible. It’s definitely worth doing – see you on one of our training courses soon!
Helen Grindley, Managing Director, Provek
