PM² Foundation
About the best practice
| IP owner: | PM² Group® |
| Accreditation institute: | Van Haren Certify |
| Examination institute: | certN |
PM² is a project management methodology developed by the European Commission to enable project managers to deliver solutions and benefits to their organizations. It has been designed with the needs of European Union Institutions and projects in mind but is transferable to any organization.
PM² is a light and easy-to-implement methodology that can be tailored to the specific needs of project teams. It is supported by a comprehensive training programme and an active community. (More info about PM².)
Certification definition
The PM² Foundation certification is part of the PM² Group certification program. This program is a public certification program based on the internal certification guidelines of the European Commission with the same levels of theoretical and practical knowledge. Both programs have exams with the same covered topics, the required level of understanding, number of questions, passing score, and exam time.
Candidates who achieved the PM² Foundation certificate have the same level of expertise about PM² as the PM² Certified” certificate for EU staff organized by the European Commission’s Centre of Excellence in PM² (CoEPM²).
Certification requirements
Candidates external to the EU Commission can become certified by passing the PM² Foundation certification exam. EU staff can become certified by passing the PM² Certified exam organized by the European Commission’s Centre of Excellence in PM² (CoEPM²).
Vouchers for the certification exam are available through accredited trainers and Van Haren Group.
Certificate renewal
The PM² Foundation certificate is valid for life.
Exam format
The general exam regulations apply to this exam.| Attempts per voucher: | 1 |
| Number of questions: | 100 |
| Passing score: | 70% |
| Time: | 75 minutes |
| Open-book: | No |
| Language: | German English Spanish French Italian |
| Invigilation: | In-person Online |
| Question type: | Multiple choice |
Exam Syllabus
The following table is an overview of the topics examined in the certification exam.| #questions | Level(s) of Cognition | Category | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓡ key project concepts | ||
| 6 | ✓ | Ⓓ key project concepts | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓡ key PM² concepts | ||
| 6 | ✓ | Ⓓ key PM² concepts | ||
| 2 | ✓ | Ⓡ roles | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓓ roles | ||
| 8 | ✓ | Ⓡ phases | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓓ initiation | ||
| 6 | ✓ | Ⓓ project handbook | ||
| 2 | ✓ | Ⓓ closing | ||
| 6 | ✓ | Ⓓ planning | ||
| 2 | ✓ | Ⓡ planning | ||
| 6 | ✓ | Ⓡ monitoring and controlling | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓓ monitoring and controlling | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓡ risk & issue concepts | ||
| 6 | ✓ | Ⓓ risk | ||
| 7 | ✓ | Ⓓ issue | ||
| 3 | ✓ | Ⓡ risk & issue techniques | ||
| 2 | ✓ | Ⓡ change, quality, and requirements | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓓ changes | ||
| 2 | ✓ | Ⓓ quality | ||
| 2 | ✓ | Ⓓ requirements | ||
| 2 | ✓ | Ⓡ communications & stakeholders | ||
| 4 | ✓ | Ⓓ communications & stakeholders | ||
More information about the levels of cognition
- Level 1 - Knowledge: This level requires candidates to recall specific information or facts. They should demonstrate the ability to remember and recognize details, terms, or concepts from their learning materials.
- Level 2 - Comprehension: At this level, candidates are expected to show their understanding of the acquired information. They should be able to interpret, explain, and summarize. Candidates must go beyond mere memorization and demonstrate that they can grasp the meaning and implications of the information they have learned.
- Level 3 - Application: The focus at this level is on candidates’ ability to apply their acquired knowledge in practical situations. They should be able to use what they have learned to solve problems, apply principles, or implement strategies in real-world scenarios.
- Level 4 - Analysis: Analysis involves candidates breaking down complex concepts into smaller parts and comprehending the relationships between them. Candidates must display the ability to analyze information, identify components, and understand the underlying connections between them.
- Level 5 - Synthesis: At this level, candidates are expected to exhibit the ability to create something new by combining different ideas, concepts, or elements. Candidates must demonstrate their capacity to generate hypotheses, design experiments, or develop original solutions to problems. Synthesis involves creativity and the integration of different elements to form a novel whole.
- Level 6 - Evaluation: This level requires candidates to use judgments or assessments based on criteria and evidence. Candidates must critically analyze information, compare and contrast different perspectives, and make informed decisions. They should demonstrate the ability to evaluate the quality, validity, and reliability of information, arguments, or solutions.
Reference Material
The reference material for the PM² Project management foundation exam is:
PM² Project management methodology Guide 3.1
- Authors: European Commission, Digit Centre of Excellence in Project Management (CoEPM²)
- ISBN: 978-92-68-10314-2
- Publisher: Publications Office of the European Union
You can download the manual for free on the website of the European Commission.
Trainer accreditation
Van Haren Learning Solutions organizes the trainer accreditation for this certification program. More information on the accreditation process can be found on their website.