How to prepare for your PuMP Certification Exam

Congratulations on deciding to formalise your PuMP knowledge by taking the PuMP Certification exam.

We want you to do the best you can, so we’ve compiled these tips to help you prepare before you sit the exam, and also be in the best state you can be while you sit the exam.

Firstly, a reminder about what PuMP Certification means…

PuMP is certified by APMG, the world’s leading accreditation and exam institute for professional certifications. APMG host our PuMP exam and perform the grading, issue your official certificate (when you pass), and also provide you with this cool badge:

How to prepare yourself before your sit the exam:

Because PuMP is quite a different way of approaching performance measurement, it does require some unlearning of bad KPI habits and new learning of the techniques through the 8-step process. Just attending the workshop or taking the training isn’t enough to bed these learnings down. You’ll do a much better job with the exam if you spend a few hours of revision and practice:

1. Review the workbook, especially the PuMP technique slides and the explanation pages that follow these throughout the workbook.
2. Read through the examples in the workbook and evaluate how well you think they have followed the PuMP techniques.
3. Read through the case study, to get a sense of a complete PuMP implementation from Step 1 to Step 8.
4. Practice each of the PuMP techniques, following the activity instructions in the workbook, but applying the techniques to your own goal. Even better, complete a PuMP Pilot with a small Measures Team.

How to be in the best state while you sit the exam…

We’ve put together a few tips below to help prepare yourself for the exam. These tips are based on what we’ve learned over the years about the main reasons why people don’t pass the first time (around 8%):

1. If English is not your first language, contact us to have your exam time limit increased.
2. Have a good internet connection.
3. Remember that the purpose of the exam is to deepen your learning, not judge your knowledge.
4. Choose a space without interruption or distraction.
5. Pace yourself well through the exam – with a full minute per question to read it and review all the options and to check again the option selected.

All the best with the PuMP exam, and again, I’ll be thrilled when you pass and join our tribe of PuMP Certified performance measurement practitioners!

Stacey Barr
the Performance Measure Specialist