Exploring Exam Design

Mike Griffiths is an experienced project manager, author and consultant who works for PMI as a subject matter expert. Before joining PMI, Mike consulted and managed innovation and technology projects throughout Europe, North and South America for 30+ years. He was co-lead for the PMBOK Guide—Seventh Edition, lead for the Agile Practice Guide, and contributor to the PMI-ACP and PMP exam content outlines. Outside of PMI, Mike maintains the websites www.LeadingAnswers.com about leading teams and www.PMillustrated.com, which teaches project management for visual learners.

  Career Development   Using PMI Standards  

When studying for a new credential, a certain amount of “knowing what you are up against” information is useful to help study smarter and prevent worrying about certain things that don’t matter. So along the lines of “know thy enemy”, let’s dig into certification and examination design.

First of all, some certifications are poorly designed. A 30-question, multiple-choice exam is not going to provide a comprehensive evaluation of experience, knowledge or skills. We will focus our attention on the more rigorously designed credentials that hiring managers also look for. Assessments should at least meet ISO/IEC 17024 requirements to assure good design, robust testing and sound methodology. This standard applies to any kind of professional credential (not just project management) and is also used by medical, legal and teaching organizations to assess candidates.

APMG’s PRINCE2 and DSDM credentials along with PMI’s PMP, PgMP and ACP credentials are examples, but not an exhaustive list, of project management certifications that meet ISO/IEC 17024 criteria. To ensure successful candidates have fundamental knowledge about the subject area, have first-hand experience with the practice area, and can answer questions about it, credentials have three components: education, experience and examination.

This is why to take the…

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