Studying the APM PMQ Project Management Qualifications Outside the UK

We get asked quite often about taking the APM PMQ distance learning course exam from outside the UK. This is perfectly possible. Working with the APM we can arrange exams in many cities around the world. To date we have arranged exams in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore, Beijing, Dohar, Dubai, Qatar, Jeda, Abu Dhabi. The exams are held at the offices of the British Council. We can arrange an APM exam at any location that has a British Council office at a date to suit your study plan. You can check which cities are covers by visiting the British Council website at http://www.britishcouncil.org/.

How to study for the APMP

There are three options if you want the study for the APMP from outside the UK. These include:

Option 1 Distance Learning

The first option is to study for the APMP qualification using Parallel Project Training’s APMP distance learning package. This package is based on the APMP study guide which was published by the Association of Project management in partnership with Parallel Project Training. This is the definitive text book for the APMP qualification and this study guide acts as a foundation for the whole programme which also includes online e-learning, podcasts and an online study group. If you are based overseas we will enable the virtual part of this course as soon as you purchase the package and we will ship study guide to you by direct carrier. This normally takes 2 to 3 days. Using the distance learning material it typically takes 60 to 70 hours of study to prepare for the APMP exam. The online study group is there to provide you with coaching on exam technique as you exam date approaches. As the day approaches when you with to take the exam you need to contact us to make the necessary arrangements with the APM and the British Council. These can take 4 to 5 weeks so you need to plan your exam date ahead. More about this later.

Option 2 Distance Learning plus Virtual Coaching

In addition to the distance learning package we can also provide virtual coaching using Adobe connect. This is a highly interactive environment in which we can take you through the course material and practice exam questions using a virtual classroom. Adobe Connect enables us to share presentations documents exam questions and exam answers in real-time. This can be offered as a final exam prep or a structured programme of short sessions spread over several weeks. The online exam prep is perfect for individuals who are preparing for the APM PMQ exam, a structured programme is more suitable if you have a group of people who wish to study for the APM PMQ exam. Typical structured programme will consist of six weekly sessions. The first five cover the contents of the course whilst six is preserved for exam prep. We found the pass rates for this type of program are generally as good if not better than a traditional classroom-based course. We believe this is partly because you have more time to absorb and consolidate the material before taking the exam.

Option 3 Face to Face Training

Final option which suits corporate organisations with groups of 5-6 to train is to range trainer to visit from the UK and deliver the course face-to-face over five day period. The trainer will bring the exam papers with them and also acts as invigilator for the exam on the last day of the course. This is the most expensive option but it does provide the benefit of full-time face-to-face input from experienced trainer.

How to book the exam

The exam procedure is quite simple
1)    You contact us and tell us when you want to take the exam, 5-6 weeks in advance.
2)    We pass this information on the APM who make the arrangement with the British Council.
3)    The APM ship the papers to the British Council.
4)    You go to the British Council office on the day you selected take the exam, pay the local fee. The local fees in the local currency  including courier shipping are published on the British Council website. Look for the the take exam / Professional and university exams part of the British Council website for the country you want to take the exam.
5)    The British Council ship the papers back to the APM for marking.
6)    The results take 10-12 weeks and you are informed of the result by the APM by e-mail.
So you can see, it is perfectly practical to complete the APM PMQ training and qualification outside the UK. Parallel Project Training have significant experience providing distance learning and virtual learning to support the APM PMQ qualification outside the UK. So if you need further information please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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