P3OF Exam Format | P3OF Course Contents | P3OF Course Outline | P3OF Exam Syllabus | P3OF Exam Objectives

Multiple choice examination questions

50 questions per paper with one mark available per question

40 minutes duration

30 marks required to pass (out of 50 available) – 60%

Closed book.



The P3O® certification scheme has been developed to offer two levels of certification, Foundation and Practitioner. AXELOS has accredited PeopleCert as our Examination Institute (EI) and PeopleCert then accredits a network of Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs), including their trainers and course material. The ATOs and accredited trainers offer P3O training courses and examinations.



The purpose of the Foundation certification is to confirm that you have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the P3O guidance to interact effectively with, or act as an informed member of, an office within a P3O model. The Foundation certification is a pre-requisite for the Practitioner certification.



The Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P3O®) guidance provides advice, supported
by discussion and examples, on how to develop a governance structure that helps optimize
an organizations investment in change alongside its Business as Usual work.
P3O qualifications are currently offered are two levels: Foundation and Practitioner.
The primary purpose of the syllabus is to provide a basis for accreditation of people involved
with P3O. It documents the learning outcomes related to the use of P3O and describes the
requirements a candidate is expected to fulfil in order to demonstrate that these learning
outcomes have been achieved at each qualification level.

The target audience for this document is:

 Exam Board

 Exam Panel

 APMG Assessment Team

 Accredited Training Organizations

This syllabus informs the design of the exams and provides accredited training organizations
with a breakdown of what the exams will assess. Details on the exam structure and content
are documented in the P3O Foundation and Practitioner Designs.



The purpose of the Foundation qualification is to confirm that a candidate has sufficient
knowledge and understanding of the P3O guidance to interact effectively with, or act as an
informed member of, an office within a P3



The candidate should understand the key principles and terminology within the P3O
guidance. Specifically the candidate should understand the:

 High-level P3O model and its component offices

 Differences between Portfolio, Programme and Project Management

 Key functions and services of a P3O

 Reasons for establishing a P3O model

 Differences between types of P3O model and the factors that influence selection of the most appropriate model

 Processes to implement or re-energize a P3O

 Tools and techniques used by a P3O

 Purpose and major responsibilities of the defined roles



Level Topic

Key PPM definitions:

1. PPM

2. Portfolio, programme and project

3. Portfolio, programme and project management

4. Business as Usual

What a P3O is:

1. Definition of P3O

2. The potential elements of a P3O model and their definitions Understand key concepts relating to the Overview, Principles of a P3O model and its elements including the Introduction to P3O.

Specifically to identify:

Key concepts of a P3O:

1. The objectives of and differences between portfolios, programmes and projects

2. The objectives of and differences between portfolio, programme and project management and how they help to deliver change
The organizational context of P3O:

1. The relationship between Business as Usual, change and PPM

2. How the elements of a P3O model align to portfolio, programme and project lifecycles

How a P3O provides a decision-enabling/deliverysupport model and how each P3O model element helps to deliver change
What a P3O is:

1. The relationships between the elements in a P3O model and the organization

2. The objectives and key functions of each P3O model element