How to pass your APM Project Management (PMQ) exam

The APM are introducing the 7th edition of their Body of Knowledge this summer and exams under BOK 6 can be sat until the end 2020. So to give you the best chance of exam success before the 7th edition comes in, we caught up with our expert APM trainer, John, who shares his tips and advice to help you pass your Project Management Qualification exam the first time.

John has over 45 years experience in project management and is praised for his direct approach to training, boasting some of the best pass rates in the industry, so we really hope you find this episode useful.

Training ByteSize have been training students in APM Project Management subjects successfully for over 20 years, and have built a wide portfolio of supporting qualifications including Portfolio, Programme and Project Management.

Happy listening!

www.trainingbytesize.com

Transcript

spk_0:   0:04
Hello and welcome to bite sized project management. The ultimate podcast for anyone. Conception. Advice on project management qualifications. I'm your host Amy from training, Bite size and stay with discussing How to Pass your a P M P. M Q. It Sam. Over the past 10 years, training bite size has trained thousands of people in the AP MPM kid. So we do consider us Selves to be pretty well experienced in this field. So without further ado, let's get straight into it. I'm delighted to be doing today by John John is an absolute expert when it comes to project management with over 45 years experience. So John Welcome.

spk_1:   0:41
Thank you very much.

spk_0:   0:42
Can we stop by explaining soullessness? The former of the A P M Pam Q Exane?

spk_1:   0:47
Yes, absolutely going to take a couple of minutes to get through this, but I want to make sure everybody understands it properly. Firstly, the exam duration is three hours. That includes all reading and writing time, but there's a small allowance after the three hours for administration. For some people with medical evidence of certain conditions, a PM will, if it's approved, allow a certain amount of additional time. This normally equates to 45 minutes, but that has to be arranged in advance. You're offered 16 questions on you. Choose which 10 of those you're going to answer. It doesn't matter which ones you pick in terms of Mark's. All questions carry equal marks on If you're familiar with the syllabus, each of the 12 learning outcomes within the syllabus is going to be included where more than one question addresses the same learning outcome. A PM guarantee to address different assessment criteria. So you will not get to very similar questions in the exam, and it will be spread over the whole syllabus. The vast majority of answers you give will be what a PM called s, a style that doesn't really imply the formal essays. You just merely means hand written, but there might be a very small amount of mathematics included in the paper. Just before we finish, you might be aware there's an option for currently registered prints, too practitioners to set a two hour version of the examination. We could have a very long discussion later, but we generally try to discourage that. We believe the chances of passing the shorter exam reduced compared to the three hour exam. But if you wanted more details just getting contact with us,

spk_0:   2:17
how easy is it to understand the exam questions?

spk_1:   2:20
I would say the slight bias in my point off, from my point of view, very easy questions of asked using very simple key words. There are only four keywords currently on. This helps you structure your answer in a way that could easily attract good marks. Each question is also introduced by stating which syllabus areas being addressed on my personal opinion is questions in a p m cu paper now easier to understand than ever before. If there's any risk of ambiguity than the question, will offer some advice to resolve the ambiguity.

spk_0:   2:50
So how was the exam marked

spk_1:   2:52
as a general rule, making it very simple in very simple terms for essay style, answers in very simple terms should be awarded to marks when you add any real value to the answer on adding value to your answer implies, including a sentence or a bullet point. If that's what the question requires, which shows relevant knowledge or understanding, each complete answer would attract a maximum of 50 marks. If a mathematical answers requested. A correct answer will be awarded five marks under all circumstances and shown workings, which is correct but lead to an incorrect answer, will be awarded two and 1/2 marks. You'll know you'll be enough to carry out a calculation. If the question includes the keyword determined. The key word determine is a request for a mathematical answer on There's a maximum of four determined elements within a single question, which means the maximum number of marks for maths in a single question is 20 out of 50. Generally speaking, though, papers contain only one question of this sort on, there are few crept papers around with no maths in whatsoever. So generally there will not be a lot of mathematics in the examination.

spk_0:   3:54
That's brilliant. Some really good tips in there. So what the Examiner's looking for in their answers,

spk_1:   4:01
very simply, they're looking for you to demonstrate knowledge about project management and understanding of the concepts of project management. Answers, therefore have to demonstrate knowledge and then add on mohr information to show deeper understanding. You might also be asked possibly to discuss the benefits and challenges of different aspects of project management maybe compare different aspects of project programme and portfolio management on occasionally offer relevant examples to illustrate knowledge or understanding. However, be careful with examples. They've got to genuinely show knowledge or understanding.

spk_0:   4:35
Do you have any hints or tips to help generate ideas during the examination?

spk_1:   4:39
Yes, absolutely. The way I would generate ideas is to try to use knowledge in one area to help explain the importance of another aspect of project management. So try to practise cross relating topics. For example, how is the business case dependent on risk management unless the question has restricted you to talk from the perspective of one particular role in the team, feel free to move to the perspective of different roles, for example, view something within project management, maybe a process from the viewpoint of the sponsor that maybe shift positions of the project manager on snow on. Also, if the question hasn't restricted you from doing so, feel free to move around the phases of the life cycle. Every aspect of project management has a slightly different emphasis as you go from phase two phase, but I think the most powerful way of generating ideas is put yourself in the position off one of the roles implied within the question or mentioned it. The question on the ideas tend to flow quite freely.

spk_0:   5:36
So what about detail, then? Because you've said that the exam is three hours long, so it's clear that the examiners are looking for that detail. Is there anything people can do to help generate this?

spk_1:   5:46
Yes, on. It might be worth pointing out that one of the commonest reasons for people under performing is not to give enough detail in explanations and descriptions. Now every training organisation will offer you ways of adding detail to your answers. We firmly believe that the best way to do this comes naturally, and this is to use Kipling's questions, based on an old written by Rudyard Kipling. Now leave you to find the old in your own time. But basically, Kipling's questions say, Make sure you say what it is you need to say. Then say why you've said that or why it's important and then keep same wives had previous point, really, to the point of which you think you're boring The Examiner. Then if you still short of something to say, say about how things work how things happen, how we go about whatever you're talking about and then include maybe comment about when it's done or when it's important or when it's a problem. Obviously depends on the question, but when could mean in which phase or more commonly, under which circumstances? But then, if you still short of something to say, say, who's responsible, who's accountable, who would be involved? Who would be interested? And that's using Kipling's questions, works in day to day life as well. Now I've met quite a few journalists on the PM Q course, and they instantly recognise that technique as away. They're trained to your method they're trained to use to make sure there was gather a full storey when they're out in the field and then report a full storey through the media. Very, very powerful technique.

spk_0:   7:12
Brilliant. Sometimes people don't do us well aside, like when it comes to the exam, so can you tell us what we come and causes of underperformance are and how people can avoid these

spk_1:   7:23
absolutely all of the reasons for failing the exam or underperforming in the exam, in my view, quite manageable. Now there's no order on these. I'm just going to give you my opinions a very common reason for people certainly scoring lower than expected. Maybe even not getting to the magical 55% is simply running out of time. Careful time management discipline to make sure you move on when you getting towards the end of a question to the next are all ways of managing that. A very common reason for people under performing on this seems to be very common eyes misinterpreting the question. In other words, answering the question hasn't been asked or misinterpreting the emphasis in the question. For example, the question asked about the benefits of doing a process. Where is your answer? Then described the process. For example, that's missing the point of the question. Ignoring the keywords occasionally causes people Teo score lower marks than expected. But I would say the commonest reasons at the moment things change from month to month is not giving sufficient information in answers. In other words, insufficient depth of explanation in sufficient depth when describing something, and they are the top reasons can't rank them, but they're always the top four reasons.

spk_0:   8:36
That's fantastic. You've got some great advice there. Thank you so much I can imagine. Your training sessions are absolutely jam packed with anecdotes and tips. So finally, is there anything you will make sure you tell students before they sit the exam?

spk_1:   8:49
Absolutely. A Fraser occasionally uses the difficult of the PM cure exam is overestimated. The level to which you need to prepare pre prepared in order to set it successfully is underestimated. So be fully prepared in terms of knowledge and also spent some time thinking around the different topics and certainly of practise writing some sample answers on. We will build that practise into any course you take with us either distance learning he learning or in the classroom or blended. Don't feel constrained by the terminology in a PM's body of knowledge, the examiners will accept any terminology or phraseology as long as it's clear and unambiguous. Make sure you're very focused on the questions being asked. Make sure you fully understand the question in the first place before you try to answer it, and then keep reviewing the question. Make sure you fully understand the depth of answer required by the keywords. Be absolutely fastidious with your time management and make sure everything you write genuinely adds value to what you've already written, but very difficult under exam conditions. Try to relax as much as you can, but be willing to state the obvious. And the reason I say that is the Examiner's don't know. You know something is obvious unless you write it down. Very simple rules or manageable.

spk_0:   10:10
John. It has been an absolute pleasure talking to you today. Thanks so much for your time. On all the advice. You're welcome. So that's it for this episode of bite sized protect management. We hope you'll tune in again soon for another edition, and so then you can find out more about the certifications and training packages do you offer on our website training. Bite size dot com sites very much listening.