Communication is examined as a managed activity, not a soft skill. The PMQ wants you to plan communication deliberately — who needs what, how often, in what form — and to know the strengths and limits of each method and the barriers that get in the way.
What communication covers in the PMQ
- The communication plan: audiences, content, frequency and channel
- Communication methods and their trade-offs (verbal for interaction, written for the record)
- Barriers to communication and how to overcome them
- Reporting: what to report, to whom, and how often
- The link between good communication and stakeholder engagement
Where candidates lose marks
Treating more communication as better communication. Relevance and tailoring matter more than volume.
Assuming verbal and written are interchangeable. One gives interaction, the other an audit trail.
Reporting the same thing to everyone. Reports are tailored to the audience's needs.
Free, timed, exam-style questions across the twelve PMQ topics — with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown at the end.
Start a free practice testCommunication questions, answered
Why plan communication rather than just doing it?
A communication plan makes sure the right people get the right information, in the right form, at the right frequency. Relevance and tailoring matter more than volume — unplanned communication tends to miss stakeholders or drown them.
When is verbal communication better than written?
Verbal is better for interaction, discussion and immediate feedback; written is better for a formal record and an audit trail. The two are not interchangeable, and the exam tests the distinction directly.
The other eleven topics
Independent study material, not affiliated with or endorsed by APM. Always check the official APM website for the current syllabus. APM does not publish a fixed pass mark for the PMQ.