MSP® Qualification Overview

APMG-International accredits a network of training organisations including their trainers and course materials, to be able to offer MSP® courses and examinations.

There are currently three qualifications available for MSP; Foundation, Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner.

The exam formats are as follows:

Foundation

• Multiple-choice
• Forty minutes duration
• 50 questions
• 30 correct answers or more are required to pass
• Closed-book.

Practitioner

• Objective testing
• Two-and-a-half hours duration
• 9 questions
• 180 marks available
• 90 marks or more are required to pass
• Open-book (only the MSP Guide is allowed).

Advanced Practitioner

• Essay based
• Two-and-a-half hours duration
• 3 questions
• 75 marks available
• 38 marks or more are required to pass
• Open-book (other material in the form of course notes, examples, copies of presentations, etc. can be used during this examination but no electronic aids, such as laptops, may be used).

Re-Registration

All MSP Practitioners and/or Advanced Practitioners should be re-registered within 3-5 years of their original certification. Find out more about the Re-Registration Examination.

Route to Certification

Candidates have to pass the Foundation exam (with a pass at 60% or more if taken on or after 1st March 2008) before attempting the Practitioner exam. Once candidates have passed the Foundation exam they may take their Practitioner examination. If a candidate wishes to sit the Advanced Practitioner examination before they have their results from the Practitioner exam, they may do so. However, MSP candidates who pass the Advanced Practitioner exam yet fail the Practitioner exam, must re-sit the Practitioner exam within 24 months to validate their Registered Advanced Practitioner Status. If the candidate does not complete within the 24 months, the candidate will be required to re-sit the Advanced Practitioner exam as well.

If a candidate chooses to sit the Foundation Examination only, and passes, they will receive a "Foundation Examination" certificate stating that they have passed. However, if a candidate sits the Foundation Examination, Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner Examination on the same day, and passes all three, they will receive an "Advanced Practitioner Examination" certificate, but not any other certificate.

How to Take the Exams

There are two main routes towards obtaining the MSP qualifications - you can sit the exams at the end of a training course provided by an Accredited Training Organisation, or study privately and then book the exam, held at our Open Centre.

Recommended Reading

All official MSP publications are available from APMG-Business Books.

Managing Successful Programmes 2007 Edition - £45