If you are revising for the APM PMQ from a book, a course handout or a blog post written before late 2024, there is a good chance you are preparing for an exam that no longer exists. The essay paper is gone. The fixed 55% pass mark is gone. Several topics people still revise hard, including critical chain and earned value interpretation, came out of the syllabus.
The APM Project Management Qualification is now a 2.5-hour, 40-question, 90-mark mixed-format exam, sat online under remote proctoring, with a pass mark that changes from one exam version to the next. This post sets out the current APM PMQ exam format, explains how the pass mark is actually decided, and flags the syllabus changes that catch out candidates using older material.
What Changed, and When
The old PMQ was ten essay questions in three hours. That version closed to new sittings in September 2024, with the final resits on the old paper completed by 4 October 2024, and the mixed-format exam replaced it.
The rewrite went deeper than the question types. The syllabus was re-anchored to the APM Competence Framework, the same framework behind Chartered Project Professional status, rather than to the APM Body of Knowledge. That is why the emphasis moved from recalling definitions towards describing how you would apply something on a real project.
The practical consequence for you is simple. Study material that still describes essays, a 55% threshold or a Body of Knowledge chapter structure is out of date, however polished it looks. A lot of it still ranks well in search.
The APM PMQ Exam Format in 2026
The exam is 40 questions worth 90 marks in total, delivered online.
| Question type | Questions | Marks each | Total marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Look at the right-hand column before you plan your revision. The ten long-response questions carry 50 of the 90 marks available. More than half the paper rests on your ability to write a structured answer under time pressure, not on recognising the right option in a list.
The exam runs in two parts of 20 questions, each with 1 hour 15 minutes, and you may take a break of up to 30 minutes between them. Part 1 cannot be reopened once you submit it, so there is no coming back to a question you meant to revisit after the break.
Exam Tip: With 90 marks across 150 minutes of exam time, you have roughly 1 minute 40 seconds per mark. A five-mark long-response question deserves about eight minutes. Candidates who overwrite the early long responses run out of time in Part 2, where the marks are identical.
How the Pass Mark Works Now
There is no published fixed pass mark. APM uses a modified Angoff method, where a panel of subject-matter experts reviews each question, judges how a borderline competent candidate would perform on it, and sets the threshold for that specific exam version from those judgements.
That means the pass mark moves slightly between papers to compensate for differences in question difficulty. A harder paper carries a lower threshold, an easier one a higher threshold. The figure often quoted as indicative is around 55%, which is the old fixed mark, so treat it as a rough planning assumption rather than the number you will be measured against.
Two things follow from this:
- You will not know the exact threshold for your paper in advance, and it is not printed on the paper.
- Targeting a comfortable margin above the mid-fifties is the sensible approach, because the threshold can sit above it.
Results come by email from APM, typically within six to eight weeks of the sitting. That is a long wait compared with most IT certifications, so book any follow-up training or a resit slot with that gap in mind.
What the Competence Framework Syllabus Added and Removed
The syllabus covers 24 competencies drawn from the APM Competence Framework, broken down into 73 learning outcomes that define exactly what can be assessed.
Four areas were brought in that older material does not cover at all:
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Sustainability
- Ethics, compliance and professionalism
- Transition management
Several topics came out, including critical chain methodology and the interpretation of earned value. Candidates working from a pre-2024 textbook regularly spend an evening on earned value calculations that cannot be examined, and none on transition management, which can.
If you are choosing revision material, the quickest way to check whether it is current is to search it for sustainability and transition management. If neither appears, the book predates the rewrite.
Cost, Eligibility and Renewal
The APM exam fee is £349 plus VAT as of April 2026, charged separately from any training course you buy. A resit means booking a new exam slot and paying the fee again, which is a strong argument for sitting it when you are genuinely ready rather than when your course ends.
There are no formal entry requirements. APM recommends around two to three years of project experience, and that recommendation carries real weight now the exam rewards applied judgement over recall. The PMQ is the natural step up from the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification rather than a starting point.
Once you pass, the qualification does not expire. There is no renewal cycle and no continuing education requirement, which sets it apart from CompTIA and ISACA credentials that need periodic renewal.
How to Revise for a Mark Scheme Like This
The mark distribution should drive your study plan.
- Practise writing long responses to time. Five marks usually means five distinct, relevant points. Write them as a short structured answer, not an essay, and stop when you have made them.
- Learn the competencies as actions, not definitions. The exam asks what you would do and why, so revise each topic as a decision you would take on a project.
- Cover the four new areas properly. They are the areas most likely to be thin in your notes and least likely to be covered in second-hand material.
- Sit full mock papers in two parts. The split-exam structure, with no going back to Part 1, is worth rehearsing before exam day.
- Track marks, not percentages of questions answered. Twenty multiple-response questions are worth the same as four long responses.
Our APM PMQ course is built around the current 40-question structure, with practice questions weighted the way the real paper is weighted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the APM PMQ equivalent to?
The PMQ sits at Level 4 on the UK qualifications framework, broadly equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree. In career terms it is aimed at practising project managers with a couple of years of experience, which puts it in similar territory to the PMP in seniority, though the PMP has formal experience requirements that the PMQ does not.
How difficult is the APM PMQ exam?
The difficulty sits in the written answers rather than the content. Fifty of the 90 marks come from ten long-response questions, so candidates who know the material but write slowly or vaguely lose marks that recall alone cannot recover. Training providers report pass rates in the seventies, and most failures trace back to time management and unstructured answers.
Which is better, PMP or APM?
Neither is better outright, and the honest answer is geographical. The APM PMQ is recognised primarily in the UK, where APM is the chartered body, and the PMP is the stronger currency internationally, particularly in the US and the Middle East. If you plan to work in the UK, the PMQ is the more direct route, and it is also the recognised step towards Chartered Project Professional. Our PMP verdict for 2026 goes into the PMP side in detail.
Is APM PMQ worth it?
It is worth it if you work in the UK and want a qualification that employers here recognise and that feeds into chartership. The combined cost of training plus the £349 plus VAT exam fee is significant, so the case is strongest when an employer is funding it or when you are moving into project management formally rather than doing the work informally. It does not expire, which improves the return over a career.
Do I need the APM PFQ before the PMQ?
No. There are no prerequisites for the PMQ, and experienced project managers often go straight to it. The PFQ is useful if you are new to the discipline and want the terminology in place first, because the PMQ assumes you already understand how projects are structured.
Ready to Start Practising?
The PMQ rewards candidates who have written answers under time pressure before exam day, not candidates who have only read about the syllabus. Practice questions weighted the way the real paper is weighted are the fastest way to find out whether your long responses are actually earning five marks.
Create a free CertCrush account and start practising against the current APM PMQ format today. If you are still deciding between project management routes, our CAPM and PMP comparison for 2026 and PRINCE2 7 Foundation study plan cover the main alternatives.