How to resit your exam

Before resitting your exam, we recommend taking the time to review your preparation and performance. For many of APMG’s certifications, candidates receive exam feedback by syllabus area — either directly from APMG or via their Accredited Training Organisation (ATO). This feedback highlights the areas where improvement is needed. This feedback highlights areas for improvement.

Once your results have been processed, you can view the feedback by logging into the Candidate Portal and navigating to the ‘Details’ tab next to your exam.

However, it’s not just about understanding the syllabus. Other factors, such as your mindset on the day, can also affect your performance. Understanding what went wrong can help you adjust your approach.

Based on our experience, the following strategies have helped candidates succeed when resitting their exams:

• Create a structured, realistic study plan and stick to it.
• Allocate extra time to review the topics you found most challenging.
• If you trained with an Accredited Training Organisation, contact them to find out if they offer additional support. Some organisations may run workshops or study groups.
• Tailored information is available for both the Change Management and AgilePM exams
  • Change Management Exam – Questions and Answer Guide
  • AgilePM sample exam questions, answers and study tips.

Reflect and analyse

• Review the feedback we have sent.
• Be honest and identify specific areas of weakness and topics that need more focus.
• Reflect on your exam strategy and how you approached the paper. You could create a timing plan for your exam - this is a simple breakdown of how much time to spend on each section or question during the exam.
• Look again at the advice you were given by your trainer / Accredited Training Organisation.

Set clear goals

• Many people find it helpful to set a target score for the resit as this helps them focus and stay motivated.
• Be clear about what time you can spend on revising.

Create a study schedule

• Allocate time for a study plan to cover all topics.
• Focus on the areas of weakness.
• Set specific milestones to track progress.
• Book your resit so you have an objective to work towards.

Gather study materials

• Assemble your course notes and previous study guidelines and the syllabus.
• Obtain any additional information available from your trainer / Accredited Training Organisation.
• Consider joining a study group / forum that may be run by your trainer / Accredited Training Organisation.

Consider active learning

• Many people find active learning a constructive way to revise. Techniques such as summarising, questioning, and explaining the material to someone else can be effective.

• If you are a visual person, consider using Mind Maps and Flash Cards or any other visual aid.
• Look at the sample paper from APMG and practice under timed conditions.

Monitor progress

• Review progress against your study schedule on a weekly basis.
• If you are struggling to make the dates, be realistic and revise the plan.
• Use the schedule to motivate yourself.

Final review

• A couple of days before the exam, conduct a comprehensive review of all topics.
• Be honest and identify areas that may still need improvement.
• Retake the sample exam to reinforce and build confidence.

Exam day

• Read all instructions carefully, and don’t hesitate to ask your invigilator / proctor if anything is unclear.
• For Objective Testing Examinations (OTE), make sure you know how many answers are expected for each question — this may vary, so check each one carefully.
• Review any generic case study materials before attempting the questions. If a section of the case study is specific to a question, wait until you reach that question to read it, as it may not be relevant elsewhere.
• Remember your timing plan and try to stick to it.
• Start by answering the questions you feel most confident about. You don’t have to complete the paper in order — if a question is difficult, flag it and move on
• Once you’ve completed your first pass through the paper, return to the flagged questions and continue the process until all questions are answered.

And good luck.