The Most Important Tips for Passing the PgMP Certification Exam

One of the more sophisticated credentials in the field of project and program management is the PgMP (Program Management Professional) credential, which is provided by the PMI (Program Management Institute). In comparison to the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, this one is regarded as the next step up. The PgMP certification examination, unlike the PMP certification examination, cannot be prepared for by by reading a few books.

In fact, it's necessary to show that one has knowledge of a number of program management principles in addition to having experience managing programs. There are only about 3000 PgMP professionals globally, compared to about a million PMP certified experts, which is not surprising given the PgMP's more stringent criteria.

You should consider getting this certification if any of the following is true:

• You already have your PMP certification and expect to stay in the project and program management profession. Getting the PgMP certification can help you learn and understand a number of best practices in the area of program management that you can then apply to your daily work as an experienced program manager.
• You want to learn more about managing large and complex programs. The PgMP certification brings into perspective the overall organizational elements that have a direct and indirect influence in the delivery of an organization’s complex and large projects and programs. Having this knowledge can help you with managing large and complex programs in organizations.
• You want to advance your knowledge in the area of program management. The PgMP certification can help you master Program Management’s best practices that PMI has compiled with the help of worldwide experts in an overall program management framework.

A key point to note is that the PgMP certification involves two separate evaluations. The first evaluation is a panel review, which prequalifies candidates before allowing them to take the PgMP certification exam. For example, the PMI requires that the candidate possesses a number of years of relevant experience in project and program management before they can be allowed to take the exam. Although PMI’s requirements to take the examination can change, a person is expected to have a minimum of 15 years of program management experience before they can appear for the PgMP certification examination. Also, you are expected to disclose in detail about your work experience that should demonstrate your program management experience.  

Once the PMI organization validates a candidate’s experience, they are allowed to take the multiple-choice examination, which is the second of the two evaluations. A successful clearing of the exam certifies the candidate as a Program Management Professional (PgMP certified).

Having passed this examination along with helping many others with this process, I have compiled some tips that can help would-be applicants apply and pass the PgMP certification examination. Here are those tips in no particular order.

Recording your work experience

Although many candidates don’t realize it, identifying the right project and program experience in the PgMP application process is one of the foundational elements of applying for a PgMP certification. This is for three reasons:

• First, the PMI wants to ensure that you have the right experience before you are even allowed to appear for the PgMP certification examination. In PMI’s view, this means that you have had the experience to manage complex projects and programs with minimal supervision, the projects and programs should have been complex enough to have spanned multiple organizational functions, you should have managed various aspects of the projects such as cost, schedule, risks, dependencies, etc., and that you are adept at managing resources. Also, the expectation is that as a program manager you have deep knowledge in various disciplines such as finance, communication, influencing people, conflict resolution, and others. You, therefore, want to select and mention experiences that can demonstrate your qualification to take the exam.
• The second reason for properly defining your experience is that your ‘experience summaries’, which you are required to include as part of your application process will need to refer to this experience. You should, therefore, be able to delve deeper into this experience and relate to it the various program management domains. Not being able to identify and select the right experience will thus influence your documentation of your ‘experience summaries’ section of the PgMP certification application.
• The third reason for ensuring that you identify the right experience for your application is that it will help you in the preparation for your multiple-choice exam. As you try to comprehend the various concepts, you will need to connect them with your real-life experience. Selecting the right experience will, therefore, greatly aid your preparation.

In short, investing the time to properly recall and define the relevant experience and articulating it effectively in the PgMP application can go a long way in your PgMP certification journey.

Working on your ‘Experience Summaries’

As part of the application, you are required to submit five ‘experience summaries’ in which you have to demonstrate your program management experience related to the programs that you have managed. You will, therefore, have to specify the programs that you have managed and relate your experience to various program management principles. Remember, as mentioned earlier, the PMI organization isn’t interested to confer the PgMP certification based on anyone’s theoretical knowledge alone. Rather, they want to know that you actually have had experience managing programs and have applied good program management practices. In this context, it is usually recommended that candidates review the Standard of Program Management Guide before filling out the application, get an understanding of the various domains and concepts, and then try to relate those to your experiences. You can then use that background to fill out the application and the experience summaries.

Study the ‘Standard of Program Management’ Guide thoroughly

This may sound like a simplistic tip but a number of experienced program managers try to take the exam by simply relying on their experience. That strategy will not work in the case of the PgMP certification examination. Remember, the PgMP tests you on various program management principles, which are documented in the Standard of Program Management guide. That means you must familiarize yourself with the terminology, concepts, and the program management principles as they are defined by that standard. Also, ensure that you study from the correct edition because the PMI is continuously evolving the framework and the underlying principles. The PMI.org website can provide you with the latest edition.

Master the concepts behind the tables and figures provided in the ‘Standard of Program Management’ guide

The tables and figures included in PMI’s ‘Standard for Program Management’ guide have been produced thoughtfully and summarize a number of key program management principles. Many have stated that a number of questions on the examination are known to cover the concepts underlying those tables and figures. So, ensure that you take the time to master those concepts. These tables and figures also serve to provide a quick review of the many key concepts that are covered in the guide.

Learn PMI’s PMBOK principles

Ensure that you study and understand the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) principles, which are covered in PMI’s PMBOK® Guide, which is also used as the basis for the PMP examination. As most who usually take the PgMP examination already have earned their PMP certification, this shouldn’t be too difficult as this would mostly entail brushing up on that knowledge. Additionally, not knowing the PMBOK concepts can make it difficult for you to learn a number of program management concepts. To be on the safe side, it is advised to thoroughly study the PMBOK Guide at least once as that not only can provide you with an excellent foundation but can also make the learning of the program management concepts much simpler. Also, the PgMP examination is known to bring a number of questions (e.g. earned value calculations), which are covered in the PMBOK guide and not in the Standard of Program Management guide.

Learn about program management from other sources

The PMI emphasizes that candidates shouldn’t merely rely on any specific sources (e.g. the Standard for Program Management Guide) to prepare for the PgMP certification examination. While the PMI guide is essential to get everyone on the same page regarding PMI’s program management framework and principles, a candidate should further build his or her program management knowledge from other sources as well. For example, the many articles posted on the PMI website itself provide excellent coverage of a number of various program management principles. One of the advantages of those articles is that they are mostly authored by those who are PMP and PgMP certified making those articles even more relevant and appropriate for your PgMP learning needs.

Learn widely on other related topics

A program manager, unlike a project manager, has a large circle of influence and interacts with a number of stakeholders across the organization as well as external to the organization. As part of their job, a program manager, therefore, must possess a number of other skills for them to be successful. The PMI, for example, recommends that program managers have advanced skills in finance, cross-cultural awareness, leadership, communication, influencing, negotiation, and conflict resolution. As a program manager, you should, therefore, look to build those skills and read and learn extensively about those topics.

Understand the definition and purpose of each of the mentioned artifacts, phases, activities, etc.

The Standard for Program Management guide covers a number of program management domains, activities, documents, artifacts, phases, etc. that make up the PMI’s program management framework. You must learn all of them clearly and their role in progressing a program towards delivering tangible business outcomes. As there are many, they can easily become confusing and difficult to remember. After the initial read, some of the concepts may even seem similar making it difficult to differentiate one from the other. One of the techniques that you can use is to list all of the key concepts individually during your initial read along with mentioning their specific purpose. Once you have this kind of a cheat sheet ready, it can make it a lot easier to review the content quickly and to eventually master it with time.

Correlate concepts to real-life experience

An important point to remember is that rather than testing your theoretical knowledge of the program management principles, the PgMP certification exam tests your understanding of those concepts as applied in real life. A number of questions on the exam are real-life case studies, which you will need to understand and answer in the short time that you have. Therefore, when studying for the program management concepts from the Standard for Program Management guide, try to correlate those principles with your actual work experience of managing projects and programs. That will not only make those concepts easier to understand but will also reinforce the value of those concepts.

Join local Meetup groups and PMI Chapters

One of the best ways to learn about the PgMP exam and what it entails is from people who have been through the experience, i.e. from those who have actually prepared for the exam, taken it and passed it themselves. You can meet such individuals by joining your local PMI chapter and related meetup groups. Also, if your workplace encourages you to take these certification exams, then look to meet people in groups at your workplace who either have such certifications or are looking to get certified. By partnering and collaborating with them, you can share and learn a lot more than merely sifting through guides and books.

Study the PgMP Certification Handbook

Last but not least, ensure that you thoroughly read the PgMP® Certification Handbook. In its 41 pages, the handbook covers a number of useful topics including numerous tips that range from completing your initial application to taking the exam. Unfortunately, it’s common for a number of candidates see their applications returned simply because they didn’t take the time to properly fill out the application and their work experience as required by the PMI’s PgMP panels. Therefore, take the time to review the handbook in detail before you even start your journey for the PgMP certification.

‍