Program Management Professional (PgMP)® Exam Prep Course

The course is for people who already run, or are about to run, programs rather than individual projects. That typically means:

- Program managers and senior project managers moving into program roles

- Portfolio managers and PMO leads

- Programme directors and delivery leads responsible for groups of related projects

- Experienced project managers working towards PgMP as a next step after PMP

It suits people who have done the work and now want the vocabulary, structure and credential to go with it.

What you'll learn

• How programs differ from projects and portfolios, and why that difference shapes every decision you make.
• How to connect a program to organisational strategy, and how to keep it connected when the strategy moves.
• How to define, plan, measure and sustain benefits — including benefits that appear long after the program closes.
• How to run the program life cycle: definition, delivery and closure, and the decisions that sit at each transition.
• How to map, prioritise and engage stakeholders whose interests conflict, and who you have no authority over.
• How to set up governance that supports delivery rather than slowing it down, and how to work with a governance board.
• How to manage the things that only appear at program level: interdependencies, shared resources, competing priorities, and change that ripples across projects.
• How the PgMP application and panel review work, and how to write experience summaries that stand up to scrutiny.
• How to read scenario-based exam questions and identify what is really being asked.

Day one — Foundations, strategy and benefits

Morning

• Welcome, introductions and how the three days work
• Projects, programs and portfolios: what actually changes
• The eight principles behind The Standard for Program Management
• The program management performance domains
• The PgMP certification: application, panel review, exam, and what to expect from each

Afternoon

• Strategic program management: aligning a program to organisational strategy
• Business case, program charter and program roadmap
• Environmental assessments and organisational readiness
• Benefits management: identification, analysis and planning
• Benefits delivery, transition and sustainment
• Practice questions and review

Day two — Life cycle, stakeholders and governance

Morning

• The program life cycle: definition, delivery, closure
• Program definition: formulation and planning
• Program delivery: managing components, interdependencies and transitions
• Program closure: transition and benefits handover
• Supporting activities across the life cycle — change, risk, resources, procurement, quality, communications

Afternoon

• Stakeholder management: identification, analysis and prioritisation
• Engagement planning and managing conflicting interests
• Influencing without authority
• Governance: boards, roles, decision rights and escalation
• Governance across the life cycle, including phase gates and health checks
• Practice questions and review

Day three — Consolidation, application and exam readiness

Morning

• Review of all five exam areas and how they interact
• Working through complex, cross-domain scenarios
• The panel review in detail: how it is assessed and what reviewers look for
• Writing your experience summaries — guided workshop
• Common reasons applications are returned, and how to avoid them

Afternoon

• Exam technique: reading scenarios, spotting distractors, managing four hours
• Full timed practice set with group review
• Identifying your weaker areas and what to do about them
• Building your revision plan
• Next steps: submitting your application, booking the exam, and using your 90 days of support

Each day runs from 9:00 to 17:00, with a break in the morning, an hour for lunch, and a break in the afternoon.

You do not need anything in particular to attend the course. You do need to meet PMI's criteria to apply for the certification, and it is worth checking these before you book.

PMI accepts one of three combinations. All experience must be non-overlapping and gained in the last 15 years.

With a secondary school diploma or global equivalent 48 months of project management experience or an active PMP, plus 84 months of program management experience.

With a bachelor's degree or higher 48 months of project management experience or an active PMP, plus 48 months of program management experience.

With a bachelor's degree from a GAC-accredited programme 36 months of project management experience or an active PMP, plus 36 months of program management experience.

Once your application is accepted and your exam fee is paid, you also need to pass the panel review before you can schedule the exam. It's worth starting your application before the course, so you can use the three days to work on it.

This course prepares delegates for the Program Management Professional (PgMP)® certification from PMI.

Exam Details:

• 170 multiple-choice, scenario-based questions
• Four-hour duration
• Delivered through Pearson VUE test centres or online proctoring

The PgMP exam is not included in the course fee. Candidates must apply, pay for and schedule the examination directly with PMI after their application has been approved.

None

 

What's included

• Course materials. A full workbook covering every exam domain, with worked examples, summary sheets and space for your own notes.
• The Standard for Program Management — Fifth Edition. PMI's official publication, and the primary reference for the exam. Yours to keep.
• 200+ sample exam questions. Scenario-based, written in the style of the real exam, with explanations of why each answer is right and the others are not.
• 90 days of post-course support. Email access to your trainer after the course, for questions on the syllabus, your application, or your revision plan.

The exam fee is not included. You pay that to PMI directly as part of your application.