APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) - Blended learning

There are no formal pre-requisites for this course. However, to be successful in the examination it is recommended that participants should have either:

• Have two-to-three years’ experience in a project management role
• Have embarked on a project management apprenticeship or degree programme.

Learners who don’t satisfy either criteria should first consider the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ).

Target Audience

This course is designed for:

• Project Managers with 2-5 years’ experienced in the role.
• People who have passed the Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) or a similar project management qualification (such as PRINCE2) and are seeking the next step.
• Highly experienced project managers who are interested in progressing towards Chartership.

The PMQ syllabus is based on APM’s Competence Framework. There are 24 individual learning objectives spread across four key areas. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Setting up for success – Analyse the optimum delivery model for a project and determine how it should be effectively governed throughout its life cycle.
2. Preparing for change – Judge whether a project represents value-for-money and decide whether the business (or customer) is ready for any resultant change.
3. People and behaviours – Lead and motivate the project team throughout a project and engage with internal and external stakeholders in a professional and ethical manner
4. Planning and managing deployment - Plan and deliver a project in a way that respects the key constraints of schedule, budget, and quality. You will also be able to manage risk and scope change in a proactive and structured manner.

Preparation for the PMQ exam – Identify and bridge gaps in your existing knowledge and answer each of the four styles of question that will be asked during the PMQ exam.

The full list of 24 PMQ learning objectives can be found below. Each of these topics will be covered during your course. Full details of the content for each learning objective can be found in the syllabus section of the PMQ Handbook. The Handbook can be downloaded from APM’s website.

Setting up for Success

1. Life cycles
2. Governance arrangements
3. Sustainability
4. Business case

Preparing for Change

5. Procurement
6. Reviews
7. Assurance
8. Transition management
9. Benefits management

People and Behaviours

10. Stakeholder engagement and communication management
11. Conflict resolution
12. Leadership
13. Team management
14. Diversity and inclusion
15. Ethics, compliance, and professionalism

Planning and Managing Deployment

16. Requirements management
17. Solutions development
18. Quality management
19. Integrated planning
20. Schedule management
21. Resource management
22. Budgeting and cost control
23. Risk and issue management
24. Change control

Delivery Method

This Blended Learning course consists of three key stages.

Self-paced learning – will take approximately 53 hours to complete. It is critical that this is completed prior to attending the instructor-led event. Our digital platform provides a combination of written content, video, quizzes and sample exam questions giving you tools to track your progress and manage your own learning. This is accessed through vital-source – details will be provided in your booking confirmation.

Instructor-Led live event – this lasts 3 days and is attended after you have completed your self-paced learning.

Exams and Assessments

You will sit the online PMQ exam on the final afternoon of your live event. Therefore, you must complete your digital learning before attending the live event and sitting the exam. After booking this course you will receive further instructions on how to book the exam. You will have 12 months from the time of booking this course to access your digital course content, although the live event and exam will take place prior to this and before the digital content access has ended.

• Use of any study materials is not permitted during the exam.
• Duration: 2.5 hours and completed in two parts. There will be a break of up to 30 minutes between part-1 and part-2. The break is in addition to the 2.5 hours exam time. You cannot go back to Part-1 of your exam after it is submitted. 40 questions worth a total of 90 marks. You will attempt all questions.
• 20 ‘multiple response’ questions (worth 1 mark each)
• 5 ‘select the missing words’ questions (worth 2 marks each) 5 ‘short-response’ questions (worth 2 marks each)
• 10 ‘long-response’ questions (worth 5 marks each)
• APM has implemented a variable pass-mark for each exam paper that will be determined by the difficulty of the specific paper that you are assigned.
• The APM will release your exam results within 8 weeks of sitting the exam
• You will receive a QA attendance certificate on the final day of the live event.

Reasonable adjustments policy

The exam provider (APM) allows additional time for candidates who have a disability, short or long-term condition, such as dyslexia, severe visual impairment, ASD or severe rheumatoid arthritis. Upon booking you will receive a full guide on this. At least 12 working days’ notice will be required for processing this request. Learners failing to advise QA and provide evidence when requested, may not be allowed the additional support offered via the policy. QA Exam Administration can be contacted by email exam.admin@qa.com or by phone 44(0) 1793 696162.

Also Included

Learning Materials – your learning materials will comprise the following:

• Qualification Handbook – the APM’s official resource that covers all of the key PMQ information that you need to know including the syllabus, exam format and logisitical details. We will provide you with a link to the APM website for this
• Learner Study Pack – produced by QA, these supplementary materials will help guide you through each syllabus topic using a variety of techniques. The pack comprises a learner guide and exercise booklet.