APM PMQ vs PRINCE2: which one should you take?
The APM PMQ vs PRINCE2 choice depends on your goal: start with PRINCE2, a project method, to match UK job ads, or the PMQ for membership of APM (the Association for Project Management). In October 2026, PRINCE2 appeared in 14% of the ads for UK project managers and the word PMQ in 4.3% of the ads (Adzuna, a job-ad search site).
The APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) is APM's 2.5-hour online exam on all key areas of project management. PRINCE2 (Projects In Controlled Environments) is a process-based method: it sets out the processes, roles and stages for running a project. PeopleCert, a certification company, runs its exams at two levels, Foundation (the entry level) and Practitioner (applying the method).
Costs · Which first · Renewal
Show the numbers
| Item | Ads | Share of ads |
|---|---|---|
| PRINCE2 | 840 | 14% |
| Agile | 723 | 12% |
| PMP | 430 | 6.9% |
| APM PMQ | 268 | 4.3% |
| Jira | 164 | 2.6% |
| ITIL | 40 | 40 of 6,205 |
| PMI-ACP | 12 | 12 of 6,205 |
| IPMA | 10 | 10 of 6,205 |
APM PMQ or PRINCE2: which do employers name more?
Instant answer from October 2026 job ads. No email needed.
PRINCE2 is named in more job ads in the United Kingdom.
Source: Adzuna job ads, October 2026.
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Which do UK employers ask for, the PMQ or PRINCE2?
To match the credentials UK project-manager ads name, start with PRINCE2. Of the 6,205 UK ads for "project manager" we counted on Adzuna in October 2026, 840 contained PRINCE2 and 268 contained the word PMQ.
The PRINCE2 count covers any level, since the counted word is just PRINCE2, so it cannot tell you whether employers want Foundation or Practitioner; check the ads you plan to apply to. The PMQ figure is a lower bound: an ad that writes only "Project Management Qualification" is not in it. An ad can also mention a credential without requiring it, so read both counts as mentions, not entry rules.
Our project-manager role page shows the other credentials and skills UK employers name.
How do the APM PMQ and PRINCE2 compare?
They test different things. The PMQ checks broad project management knowledge in written answers; PRINCE2 checks one method, at two levels. Prices below include value added tax (VAT, the UK sales tax).
| APM PMQ | PRINCE2 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Awarded by | APM, which calls itself the only chartered membership body for the project profession in the world | PeopleCert, which bought PRINCE2's owner, AXELOS, in 2021 |
| What it tests | All key areas of project management; 24 learning objectives aligned with the APM Body of Knowledge (8th edition) | One process-based method; version 7 adds a people element, sustainability and digital and data management |
| Entry rule | None formal; APM describes candidates with two to three years of project work, or on a project management apprenticeship or degree | Foundation: no prerequisite listed. Practitioner: one listed certification, such as PRINCE2 7 Foundation or the PMQ |
| Exam format | 2.5 hours online, 40 questions, 90 marks; 60 of the marks come from short and long written answers; about 75 hours of study on average (APM) | Foundation: 60 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, closed book. Practitioner: 56 questions and sub-questions worth 70 marks, 150 minutes, open book |
| Passing score | Varies by exam version; no fixed number published | 60% at both levels |
| Price | Open exam (exam only, booked directly with APM): £528 for APM members, £648 for non-members | £543 Foundation bundle, £604 Practitioner bundle; each bundle is the exam plus a learning kit |
| Renewal | None stated by APM | Every three years: 60 CPD (continuing professional development) points, or another exam in the same suite |
| UK project-manager ads, October 2026 | 4.3% (word PMQ) |
14% (PRINCE2, any level) |
Source: APM pages and PMQ handbook (version 6, April 2026), read October 12, 2026; PeopleCert product, renewal and UK store pages, checked October 3, 2026; ad shares from Adzuna, UK project-manager ads, October 2026.
What does each exam test?
The PMQ is a written test of the whole discipline; PRINCE2 Foundation is a closed-book multiple-choice test of one method.
The PMQ mixes 30 shorter questions with 10 long written answers worth 5 marks each, so 50 of its 90 marks come from the long answers. APM's handbook puts average total study time at 75 hours. You take the open exam online at home with remote invigilation (supervision by webcam), and results come within eight weeks.
PRINCE2 7 Practitioner is open book: you may use the official PRINCE2 manual during the exam, as a paperback you have annotated and tabbed or as the official eBook. Foundation is closed book (no notes allowed).
Neither APM nor PeopleCert publishes a pass rate, so no source measures which exam is harder. The practical difference: the PMQ asks you to write answers about the whole discipline, while PRINCE2 asks you to know and apply one method.
Show the numbers
| Item | APM PMQ | PRINCE2 Foundation | PRINCE2 Practitioner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 40 questions | 60 questions | 56 questions |
| Exam time | 150 minutes (2 h 30 min) | 60 minutes (1 h) | 150 minutes (2 h 30 min) |
| Passing score | – | 60% | 60% |
| Format | Multiple response, select from list, short response and long response questions (90 marks) | Multiple choice | Objective testing |
| Book | – | closed book | open book |
| Languages | – | 14 languages | 14 languages |
| Where you take it | online, proctored | test center · online, proctored | test center · online, proctored |
How much does each route cost?
For one exam, PRINCE2 Foundation costs less: £543 against £648 for the PMQ open exam (£528 for APM members). Both PRINCE2 levels, Foundation then Practitioner, come to £1,147 in PeopleCert's UK store; the PMQ followed by Practitioner costs £1,252 for a non-member. The PMQ price is for the exam only, while each PeopleCert bundle is an exam voucher (the prepaid right to take the exam) plus a learning resource kit (official study material).
| Route | Parts | Total, our arithmetic |
|---|---|---|
| PRINCE2 Foundation only | £543 Foundation bundle | £543 |
| PRINCE2, both levels | £543 Foundation bundle + £604 Practitioner bundle | £1,147 |
| PMQ only, non-member | £648 PMQ open exam | £648 |
| PMQ only, joining APM as an Associate member | £170 Associate membership (one year) + £528 member exam | £698 |
| PMQ, then PRINCE2 7 Practitioner, non-member | £648 PMQ open exam + £604 Practitioner bundle | £1,252 |
| PMQ, then PRINCE2 7 Practitioner, joining APM as an Associate member | £170 + £528 + £604 | £1,302 |
Source: APM open exam and membership pages; PeopleCert UK store (check dates under Sources); prices include VAT except where noted below. Totals are our sums of the listed prices.
Joining APM only for the member price does not pay off on its own: Associate membership (APM's lowest-priced paid grade) at £170 a year plus the £528 member exam comes to £698, which is £50 more than the £648 non-member price. Full membership costs £215 a year. APM's membership page does not say whether its fees include VAT, and we did not check which grades get the member exam price, so confirm with APM before joining. A PMQ resit (APM's word for a retake after a fail) costs £471.60 as an open exam and uses a different paper. The open exam is APM's exam-only route, booked directly with APM all year and paid by card. The other route is a course from an APM-accredited training provider, which sets its own price; APM's handbook puts tutor time at about 32 hours, in general a five-day workshop.
Show the numbers
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Foundation only: Foundation exam | £543 |
| Foundation, then Practitioner: Foundation exam | £543 |
| Foundation, then Practitioner: Practitioner exam | £604 |
| Practitioner only, with an accepted prior certificate: Practitioner exam | £604 |
Can the PMQ replace PRINCE2 Foundation?
Yes, for entry to Practitioner. PeopleCert lists the Project Management Qualification (PMQ) among the certifications of which you need one before PRINCE2 7 Practitioner, next to PRINCE2 7 Foundation, older PRINCE2 certificates and other bodies' certificates such as the PMP.
So a PMQ holder can skip the £543 Foundation bundle. That saves money only if you already hold the PMQ: as a non-member starting fresh, the PMQ route costs £105 more than both PRINCE2 levels (£1,252 against £1,147). The member exam price is £120 lower, but Associate membership adds £170 a year. Take the PMQ first for what APM attaches to it, not to cut the cost of PRINCE2. Our PRINCE2 page covers both levels in full.
Which should you take first?
Start with PRINCE2 if you want to match the credentials UK project-manager ads name; start with the PMQ if APM membership or chartered status is your goal. If you have no goal yet, start with PRINCE2 Foundation, and first ask your employer which of the two it will pay for.
PRINCE2 first suits a project coordinator or junior project manager applying to UK employers. The first step is the Foundation bundle at £543; Foundation lists no prerequisite. Add Practitioner (£604) once you run projects that use the method, or if the ads you target ask for it.
The PMQ first suits someone with two to three years of project work, or on a project management apprenticeship, who wants an APM career path. The PMQ counts toward Full membership of APM (MAPM) under Route One, APM's membership route for people with an accepted qualification, which also needs three years of evidenced project management experience. APM describes the PMQ as a pathway toward Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), its chartered standard, if you also meet APM's experience requirements and go through its validation process. We have no data on what APM membership or ChPP adds to hiring or pay. Our APM PMQ page covers that route.
Both routes work in either order. PMQ holders go straight to Practitioner. PRINCE2 holders can take the PMQ with no extra entry step, since APM sets no formal entry requirement. APM's entry-level Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) is not required before the PMQ.
If you are also weighing the Project Management Professional (PMP), our PMP vs PRINCE2 comparison covers it, and IPMA vs PRINCE2 covers the IPMA levels.
Do the APM PMQ and PRINCE2 expire?
PRINCE2 must be renewed every three years; APM states no renewal rule for the PMQ.
PeopleCert's renewal page lists "PRINCE2 Project Management (5th, 6th, and 7th editions)" among certifications that need renewing every three years from the original certification date. You either log 60 CPD points (20 a year) through PeopleCert Plus, its membership at £129 a year in the UK, or pass another exam in the same suite. Over three years, the membership route comes to £387 (three years at £129, our arithmetic).
APM's PMQ page, open exam page and handbook state no expiration date or renewal requirement for the PMQ. If you use the PMQ for an APM membership application, APM says accepted qualifications must be current and valid during the assessment, so confirm with APM that your PMQ still counts before you apply. In practice, PRINCE2 costs you CPD time and a fee, or a new exam, every three years; for the PMQ, APM names no such cost.
What we did not check
- Course prices from APM-accredited training providers, and PRINCE2 course prices.
- The PRINCE2 resit price and how PeopleCert delivers PRINCE2 exams online.
- Whether every APM membership grade gets the member exam price.
- An official study-hour figure for PRINCE2.
- Whether PeopleCert's renewal rule applies to Foundation as well as Practitioner; its page names "PRINCE2 Project Management" without splitting the levels.
- Pass rates: neither APM nor PeopleCert publishes one.
- Pay: no source measures pay for PMQ or PRINCE2 holders.
Sources
- Adzuna job-ad counts, UK project-manager ads, October 2026; counted words
PMQandPRINCE2; analysis: CertWorthIt. - APM, read October 12, 2026: Project Management Qualification, PMQ handbook (version 6, April 2026), open online exams and prices, online exams: what to expect, membership, accepted qualifications, Body of Knowledge and about APM.
- PeopleCert, checked October 3, 2026: PRINCE2 7 Foundation, PRINCE2 7 Practitioner (entry list re-read October 12, 2026), renewal rules, PeopleCert Plus, exam FAQ and AXELOS acquisition. The "process-based" description of PRINCE2 comes from PeopleCert's ESG report, read October 12, 2026.
Questions people ask
Is the APM PMQ better than PRINCE2 for UK jobs?
It depends on what you want next. To match the credentials that UK project-manager ads name, start with PRINCE2, a project method that sets out the processes, roles and stages for running a project, whose exams the certification company PeopleCert runs. In October 2026, PRINCE2 appeared in 14% of the ads for project managers in the UK and the word PMQ in 4.3% of the ads (Adzuna, a job-ad search site). The PMQ figure is a lower bound, because ads that write only Project Management Qualification are not in it. Choose the APM PMQ (the Project Management Qualification from APM, the Association for Project Management) if you want Full membership of APM (MAPM) or APM's pathway toward Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) status.
Does the APM PMQ let you skip PRINCE2 Foundation?
Yes, for entry to PRINCE2 7 Practitioner. PeopleCert, which runs the PRINCE2 exams, lists the Project Management Qualification (PMQ), which we read as the one from APM (the Association for Project Management), among the certifications that give entry to Practitioner, the higher PRINCE2 level (PeopleCert page read October 12, 2026). A PMQ holder can skip Foundation, the entry level, which PeopleCert's UK store sells as a £543 bundle of an exam voucher (the prepaid right to take the exam) and a learning kit. The Practitioner bundle costs £604 (value added tax, or VAT, the UK sales tax, included; prices checked October 3, 2026).
Which is cheaper, the APM PMQ or PRINCE2?
For a single exam in the UK, PRINCE2 Foundation costs less: £543 in the UK store of PeopleCert, the PRINCE2 exam body, against £648 for the APM PMQ open exam for non-members (£528 for members of APM, the Association for Project Management). Both prices include value added tax (VAT, the UK sales tax); PeopleCert's was checked October 3, 2026 and APM's October 12, 2026. The PMQ price is the exam only, while the PeopleCert bundle adds a learning kit. Both PRINCE2 levels (£543 Foundation + £604 Practitioner) come to £1,147 by our arithmetic; the PMQ then Practitioner, as a non-member, to £1,252. Joining APM for the member price adds a membership fee of £170 a year or more.
Do the APM PMQ and PRINCE2 expire?
PRINCE2 does; for the APM PMQ, APM states no rule. PeopleCert, which runs the PRINCE2 exams, says PRINCE2 certifications (5th, 6th and 7th editions) must be renewed every three years (checked October 3, 2026). You either log 60 CPD points (continuing professional development, 20 a year) through its PeopleCert Plus membership, £129 a year in the UK, or pass another exam in the same suite. APM, the Association for Project Management, states no expiration date or renewal rule for its Project Management Qualification (PMQ) on the pages and handbook we read in October 2026.
Do you need experience for the APM PMQ or PRINCE2?
Neither sets a formal experience rule for UK candidates. APM, the UK's Association for Project Management, names no entry requirement for its Project Management Qualification (PMQ). Its handbook (read in October 2026) describes candidates with two to three years of project work, or on a project management apprenticeship or degree. PeopleCert, the PRINCE2 exam body, lists no prerequisite for PRINCE2 7 Foundation, the entry level. PRINCE2 7 Practitioner, the higher level, needs one listed certification, such as Foundation or the PMQ (PeopleCert, checked October 2026).