APM PMQ Exam Hints and Tips 2026

Last updated: April 2026

Hi there, I’m Callum and I’m the lead APM trainer for Training ByteSize. I wanted to share some details and pointers around the APM PMQ that I think will help if you’re preparing to revise for and sit this exam. I sat the new-format exam myself in September 2024 to get a proper feel for how it works, and I’ve been training cohorts through it ever since, so this is based on first-hand experience of the current format, not the old essay-based version.

Some quick introductory advice

Before I get too detailed, a couple of things to have in mind. This exam covers twenty-four learning objectives, and the exam will ask you questions on all twenty-four of them. That means you need a really good breadth of knowledge when tackling this exam – you can’t afford to neglect any of the learning objectives in your revision.

The other thing is that each learning objective has learning outcomes, some have multiple, and some only have one or two. When you’re revising, it’s worth checking your knowledge by seeing what the learning outcomes are asking, as they can give you a good indication of what the questions will be testing you on in the actual exam. Each learning outcome can only be asked about once in the real exam, so one outcome equates to one question. There are over seventy learning outcomes spread across the twenty-four learning objectives, so not all of them can be asked about (there are forty questions in the exam), but making notes and testing your knowledge against the learning outcomes is a great way to prepare as it makes sure everything is covered. There really is a lot of information to remember for this exam, I’m afraid. If you want a structured starting point for your revision, I’ve written a separate guide on revising for the APM PMQ exam.

Key facts about the PMQ exam

Before we go into the detail, here are the headline facts. It’s a two-and-a-half hour exam with a mix of multiple choice, drop-down box, short-form and long-form questions. There are forty questions in total with ninety marks available. There’s no defined pass mark as the exam uses the “Angoff method”, which essentially means a dynamic pass mark that depends on the difficulty of the paper – the harder the paper, the lower the pass mark; the easier the paper, the higher the pass mark. The pass mark is allocated by the APM, and you won’t know what it was until you get your results back.

How the two halves of the exam work

The exam is split into two halves, with twenty questions in each half. They’re equally weighted and both halves contain a mix of all four question types – so all the written questions aren’t just in one half and the multiple choice in the other; all types will be found in both halves.

There’s a break between the two halves, and depending on how you sit the exam, this break may be optional or mandatory. If you sit the exam via the usual route – in your own time in your own space using the self-invigilator method – then the break is optional. If you sit the exam with an invigilator present (either in person, or via Zoom or Teams) then the break is mandatory and you cannot skip it.

How the timing works also differs slightly. If you’re doing the exam in your own time, you’ll decide when to initiate the break, so if you spend too long on the first half you’ll lose time in the second. Vice-versa, if you spend less time on the first, you’ll have more for the second. That said, you want to allow one hour and fifteen minutes for each half – they’re equally weighted, so there’s no point rushing the first half to bank time for the second. Keep an eye on your timer (it’s always on screen at the top).

The break is optional in the sense that you must initiate it. You submit your first half by clicking “finish section” in the top right corner. Once you’ve done this, you cannot go back to this section – so make sure you’ve answered all twenty questions and checked over any you weren’t sure about before you click. Once the break begins, you’ll see a timer counting down from thirty minutes, and also a button to start the next section. If you want to get straight on with part two, just click that and carry on.

If you’re doing the exam with an invigilator present, the exam will automatically assign you one hour and fifteen minutes for each half. If you reach the end of the timer on the first half, it’ll automatically push you into the break. The break screen looks the same, but it’s missing the “continue” button – you have to wait for the thirty-minute timer to run down, and the exam will then automatically begin your second half.

The break is a proper break, so feel free to leave the exam space and try to relax a bit. You can’t take any notes out of the room or bring any back in, but there’s nothing stopping you having revision materials outside the exam space if you want to do a quick check on anything. Personally, I’d recommend giving your brain a breather and grabbing a drink or something to eat instead.

The four question types

A quick note before we get into each type: the exam uses a positive marking scheme. If a question is worth multiple marks and you get one part right and another wrong, you’ll still score for the correct part. This applies to the select-from-list, short-form and long-form questions.

Multiple choice questions

At a glance these are the most straightforward, as they all share the same format: four possible answers, only one correct. There are twenty of these, so they make up half the total questions, but they’re only worth one mark each – so only twenty of the ninety total marks are available from multiple choice.

The main advice I have (and this applies to all question types, actually) is to read the full question. I take the view that the multiple choice questions are trying to catch you out. I’ve seen so many marks lost because people have missed the word “not” in the question and answered with something that “is” instead. Read the question very carefully to spot these traps, and read all four answers carefully before choosing.

If you get stuck, flag it (there’s a flag button in the bottom right corner) and come back later – they’re only worth one mark, so there’s no point spending ages on one. If you’re still unsure when you come back, use process of elimination to narrow it down and have a guess. Even without elimination you have a one-in-four chance; with some elimination you greatly increase your odds.

Some multiple choice questions come with a list of six statements, and you have to select which combination of them is correct. There are still four options (A, B, C, D) to choose from, but these can throw people because of the amount of reading. I’d still use process of elimination, but apply it to the six statements: if one seems iffy, dismiss it, then see which answer options still work.

Select-from-list questions

These are essentially a version of multiple choice, but presented differently. Two marks are available, and there are five of these across the forty questions – so ten marks maximum. You’ll be given some text with gaps in the paragraphs that have a drop-down button. When you click it, you get a list of four statements or words to align with the content. The exam often makes all four statements seem plausible, so these can be a bit trickier than they look. Two drop-downs per question means two marks available, and positive marking applies – get one right, the other wrong, and you’ll still pick up a mark.

Short-form questions

Short-form questions also carry two marks each, with five across the paper – ten marks in total. These are written-style questions, though they don’t require much writing – the text box is limited to ninety-nine characters, so the most you can write is a relatively short sentence. They often ask for straight facts, like “name two financial reviews” or “name a team development model and provide a description.” I find these tend to be more buzz-word heavy – you need to use the correct language and terminology for the models and the steps in processes.

Long-form questions

The bulk of your marks come from long-form questions. They’re worth five marks each, and there are ten of them – so fifty of the ninety total marks are available here. It’s worth making sure you practise answering these as part of your revision.

My main advice is to keep your answers specific and succinct. I’d recommend using bullet points, with each bullet point representing your attempt at one mark. Bullet points stop you rambling by their nature.

When I say specific, I mean avoid generalising where you can. For example, if a question asks for benefits of assurance, a general answer like “Increases stakeholder confidence in the project” is true and would score a mark. But it makes it harder to find four more distinct points. Being specific opens up more options: “Increases stakeholder confidence that the project milestones are being achieved” means another separate answer could be “Increases stakeholder confidence that the project scope is being met.” Specific answers help you generate more points around the same theme.

Succinct means don’t ramble. For one mark, you’re looking at maybe one to two sentences. Any more than two sentences for one mark is probably meandering. Not that writing a bit more is wrong – it’s just taking up time that might be better spent on other questions. You don’t want to be rushing a five-mark question with a minute left on the clock.

Pitfalls to avoid on long-form questions

“Explain” style questions

Explain questions are a common reason for people losing marks, so watch out for these. If the question asks you to explain something, you must not just give one-word answers (though I’d avoid one-word answers for any long-form question anyway). If a question asks you to explain a process and you just list the steps, you won’t get the marks. Explain questions want more detail.

The way I approach these is to consider “what” and “why” in your answer, a short description of what it’s asking, and then a reason for it. If the question uses “explain what”, the emphasis is on the description. If the question uses “explain the purpose of” or “explain the reasons for”, the emphasis shifts to the why. Remember to read the full question to spot the word “explain” in the first place, miss it and you’ll lose marks. If you want to go deeper on how command verbs like “explain”, “describe” and “outline” change what’s being asked of you, I’ve written a micro-lesson on command verbs in the APM exams.

Scenario questions

The other long-form question type to be careful of is the scenario-based question. If the question provides a scenario, your answer must consider that scenario – look for language like “in this project” or “using the example” in the question – and reference details provided. If your answers are generic, you typically won’t be awarded the marks because you’re not answering the question provided.

For example: “Here’s a wind-farm project (followed by details), why is it important to manage stakeholder expectations in this project?” Your answer must reference those details. If the project is described as “controversial”, you need to use that word in your answer.

Scenario questions can be tricky because it’s easy to bring outside context into them – “well, this is what I’d do in my company in that situation.” That can sometimes be helpful, but don’t overthink it and start adding details from your own experience that weren’t in the question. Keep your answer based on the information in the question, not hypotheticals you’ve invented.

My exam-day strategy

A few final tips that I’ve found make a real difference on the day.

Bring a piece of blank scrap paper. You’re allowed one (it can’t have existing notes on it), and I find getting thoughts out early in the exam is really helpful. Brain-dumping diagrams, processes, buzz-words and acronyms onto scrap paper right at the start of the exam is useful when you’re two hours in and your brain is just a blob of mush.

Flag and move on. If you get stuck, flag the question and move on. Don’t spend ages on one thing – it eats into your limited time.

Use a three-pass approach. Rather than trying to find all the long-form questions to do first, work through them in order. Answer them if you’re happy with them, flag and skip if you’re not. That’s your first pass. As you go, make a note of the long-form question numbers, because your second pass should prioritise any long-form questions you’ve flagged. Your third pass is for any short-form questions. Any passes after that are for tricky multiple choice. This keeps the pace up and gives you a clear view of how much time you have left for flagged questions once you’ve done your first pass.

Do your system checks early. If you’re doing the exam remotely, you’ll get an email around a week before your exam date with system check instructions. Don’t leave these. If you find on exam day that your computer doesn’t work, there won’t be time to resolve it, and the APM won’t be very sympathetic. Check and set up your device well in advance.

If I have any other thoughts I’ll update this post with further info. In the meantime, please feel free to email us with any questions about the PMQ – whether it’s about revision or booking the exam.

Cheers, and I may see you on a course sometime 😊

Callum

Book your APM PMQ course here.