What the APM PMQ is
The APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) is the knowledge-based qualification most UK employers ask for when they want a project manager who understands the discipline. It is awarded by the Association for Project Management — APM — and is based on the APM Body of Knowledge 7th edition, the profession's reference for what a project professional should know. It is broadly equivalent to rqf level 4.
It is a knowledge qualification, not a competence one: it tests whether you understand the concepts and can apply them to a scenario, not whether you have run a project. That is why it can be prepared for with structured study and practice — and why exam technique, not just knowledge, decides your result.
Where it fits in the APM ladder
APM's qualifications form a progression. Knowing the shape of it helps you pick the right starting point.
The entry-level award: a one-hour, 60-question multiple-choice exam on the core terms and concepts. No experience needed, and a natural first step before the PMQ.
The knowledge-based benchmark most employers ask for: a 2.5-hour, scenario-based exam across the whole Body of Knowledge. The qualification this section prepares you for.
A competence-based assessment for those already applying project management in a real role — the step beyond the PMQ.
APM's highest standard: chartered status, assessed against experience and professional practice rather than by an exam.
The exam format and marks
The PMQ is a 2.5-hour, scenario-based exam of 40 questions worth 90 marks, sat in two parts with an optional 30-minute break between them. It is not a straight multiple-choice test: half the marks come from objective questions and half from written answers. That mix is what most people underestimate. Note that once you submit Part 1 it locks — you cannot go back to it — so pace the early questions.
| Question type | Number | Marks each | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple response | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Select from a list | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Short response | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Long response | 10 | 5 | 50 |
| Total | 40 | — | 90 |
What the PMQ covers
The exam draws across the whole Body of Knowledge. These are the twelve areas our practice is organised into, and roughly what each asks about. Each has its own free practice and guide.
| Topic | Typically covers |
|---|---|
| Governance Arrangements | Sponsorship, boards, roles, decision gates and assurance |
| Planning | The plan, estimating, scheduling and the management plans |
| Life Cycles | Linear, iterative and hybrid life cycles and their phases |
| Scope Management | Requirements, breakdown structures and configuration |
| Resource, Scheduling & Optimisation | Resource planning, smoothing, levelling and critical path |
| Project Management Fundamentals | What a project is, and the context it runs in |
| Communication | Communication planning, methods and stakeholder reporting |
| Quality | Quality planning, assurance, control and continual improvement |
| Stakeholder Management | Identification, analysis, engagement and influence |
| Leadership | Leadership styles, motivation and team development |
| Risk & Issue Management | Identifying, analysing and responding to risk and issues |
| Project Success & Benefits | Success criteria, benefits management and reviews |
A free timed practice test across the twelve topics, with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown at the end — so you find out which areas are actually costing you marks.
Sit the free practice testThe pass mark, and why there isn't a fixed one
Don't aim to scrape a number. Aim to be consistently comfortable across every topic, because you cannot know in advance which sitting's threshold you'll meet.
How the written answers are marked
This is the single most important thing to understand about the PMQ, and the thing candidates who only revise content miss. The objective questions (multiple-response and select-from-list) are marked automatically. The short-response and long-response questions are marked by an examiner, and they award roughly one mark for each distinct, relevant point you make.
So a 5-mark question is not asking for one brilliant paragraph — it is asking for around five separate, relevant points. The practical consequences are direct: make your points distinct and easy to find, don't repeat the same point in different words (it only scores once), and match the depth to the command verb. An answer the marker can't follow can't be credited — an unclear or disjointed answer makes it hard for the marker to be confident you've shown the knowledge.
Command verbs: the words that decide your marks
Every written question opens with a command verb — state, explain, describe, and so on — and it tells you exactly how much the marker wants. Misreading it is the most common way to lose marks you actually knew: answering an "explain" as if it were a "state" throws away the marks that live in the reasoning. Learn what each one demands.
| Command verb | What it asks for | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| State / Identify | Give a clear, concise fact or point. No explanation needed. | Usually 1 mark — one point per mark. |
| List | Give a number of separate points or items, briefly. | One mark per correct item, so give as many as the marks ask for. |
| Outline | Give the main features or general principles, briefly — the shape of it, not the detail. | A point plus a few words of context. |
| Describe | Give a fuller account of the characteristics or features of something. | Each developed point earns a mark; more detail than 'outline'. |
| Explain | Make clear WHY or HOW — give reasons, causes or justification, not just what. | The reason is the mark. A point with no 'because' rarely scores on an explain. |
| Differentiate / Distinguish | Identify the differences between two things, ideally side by side. | Each genuine point of difference earns a mark. |
| Interpret | Turn the information given into a conclusion or its meaning. | The conclusion, with the reasoning that leads to it. |
How to answer a written question
A repeatable process that works for every short- and long-response question:
Worked examples: weak vs strong answers
The difference between half marks and full marks is rarely knowledge — it's how the answer is built. Here are two long-response questions with a weak and a strong answer to each, and why the marks differ.
A software project is three weeks from a major release. A senior stakeholder emails the project manager demanding a significant new feature be added before launch, warning that a key client expects it.
Explain three actions the project manager should take in response to this request. (6 marks)
Explain — so each action needs a reason, not just a name.
The project manager should raise a change request, talk to the stakeholder, and update the plan.
Why it drops marks: Three actions are named, but none is explained. On an 'explain' question a bare list like this typically scores about half marks — the marker can't see WHY each action matters.
1. Log the request as a formal change through the change control process, because an undocumented change bypasses assessment and lets scope creep in unchecked. 2. Assess the impact on time, cost, quality and risk before agreeing anything, because a feature added three weeks from release could jeopardise the whole launch, and that trade-off is the sponsor's decision, not the project manager's. 3. Communicate the assessed options back to the stakeholder and escalate the decision to the sponsor or change authority, because the project manager delivers the agreed scope but does not own the business case — the authority to change it sits above them.
Why it scores: Each of the three actions is paired with a clear 'because' that shows APM knowledge — change control, impact assessment across the four dimensions, and the sponsor/manager accountability split. That is what turns three actions into six marks.
Midway through a construction project, two departments are in open conflict over who gets a shared, scarce specialist resource. The dispute is delaying both workstreams.
Describe two approaches the project manager could use to resolve this conflict. (4 marks)
Describe — give a fuller account of each approach, not just its name.
The project manager could use compromising or collaborating.
Why it drops marks: The two approaches are correct but only named. 'Describe' asks for a fuller account, so this scores roughly one mark of the four.
1. A collaborating (problem-solving) approach: the project manager brings both departments together to find a solution that meets both their underlying needs — for example re-sequencing the schedule so each gets the specialist at a different, non-critical time. It takes longer but preserves the working relationship and often produces the best outcome. 2. A compromising approach: each department gives up part of its claim — for instance sharing the resource on a split rota — reaching a workable middle ground quickly. It is faster than collaborating and useful under time pressure, though neither side is fully satisfied.
Why it scores: Each approach is named, described in the project's own context, and given its trade-off. Full marks come from the account and the context, not the label.
The most common ways candidates lose marks
Almost all of these are technique, not knowledge — which means they're the cheapest marks to win back.
Answering the wrong depth: treating an 'explain' (needs a reason) as a 'state' (just the fact). The missing 'because' is the missing mark.
Too few points for the marks: writing one good point on a 5-mark question and stopping.
One dense paragraph instead of distinct points, so the marker can't see where each mark is.
Using your employer's in-house terminology instead of APM's. Write as an APM project manager, not as your company.
Repeating the same point in different words — it only scores once, however many times you say it.
Running out of time in Part 1 (it locks when submitted) by over-writing the early questions.
Describing a tool when the question asked why it is used, or listing when it asked you to differentiate.
PFQ or PMQ: which to sit
The PFQ and the PMQ are different levels, not alternatives. You do not need the PFQ to sit the PMQ.
| PFQ | PMQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | RQF Level 3 | RQF Level 4 |
| Questions | 60 multiple choice | 40, mixed format |
| Duration | 1 hour | 2.5 hours |
| Pass mark | 60% (36 of 60) — published | Not published (around 55% indicative) |
| Best for | A first step / core terminology | The employer benchmark |
If you are new to project management and want a confidence-building win, the PFQ is a gentle first exam. If you already have some grounding and want the qualification employers recognise, go straight to the PMQ.
What it costs and how to book
Most people take the PMQ through an APM Accredited training provider, which bundles tuition and the exam. Prices vary widely by format — self-paced online is usually the cheapest (often several hundred pounds including the exam), with virtual and in-person classroom courses costing more. Compare on what's included: tuition, mock exams, the exam sitting itself, and whether a re-sit is covered. A study-only option (no exam) is cheaper if you plan to book the exam directly.
APM membership is optional and separate; it isn't required to sit the exam, though members get discounts and resources. Always confirm current fees and booking routes with APM and your chosen provider before you commit.
How much study you need
Most APM Accredited providers suggest around 80–120 hours of structured study, typically over a few weeks to a few months alongside work. Reading alone won't do it — because half the marks are written, you have to practise producing answers to the marks, not just recognising the right one.
Around two to three years of project experience is recommended, but it is not a formal requirement — the PMQ tests knowledge, so it can be prepared for from a standing start with enough structured study.
Prerequisites: None. You do not need the PFQ, a degree, or any prior qualification to sit the PMQ.
Exam day: online, closed book, invigilated
The PMQ is closed book — no notes, no Body of Knowledge to hand. Sat online through a remote invigilator (proctored), or at an accredited provider's centre. If you sit it remotely you'll need a quiet, private room, a clear desk, photo ID, and a stable connection; the invigilator will check your environment before you start.
Two on-the-day habits pay off. First, use the on-screen highlighter to mark the command verb, the marks available and the key facts in each scenario, so you answer the question actually asked. Second, manage time by the marks: budget roughly one minute per mark, which keeps you from over-writing a 1-mark question and running short on a 5-mark one. If you need a reasonable adjustment (extra time, rest breaks), arrange it with APM or your provider in advance with supporting evidence — it can't be added on the day.
An eight-week study plan
A preparation structure for the PMQ, assuming you are working and can find four or five hours a week. It is our suggestion, not an APM recommendation.
Free, timed, exam-style questions across all twelve topics — with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown. No account needed to start.
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