The Program Management Professional (PgMP) exam is a certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). It is designed for professionals who manage multiple related projects that work together to achieve one goal. This certification is for people who have already worked as project managers and want to show their skills in managing complex programs. The PgMP is known as a high-level certification, and it helps show that the person can lead and manage important programs within an organization.

To take the PgMP exam, candidates need to meet certain experience requirements. People who have a four-year college degree must have at least four years of experience in both project management and program management. Those who do not have a four-year degree need more experience in program management—at least seven years—along with four years in project management. All the experience must have been gained in the last 15 years. It is also important that the program management work involved managing several projects at once, not just working on one project at a time.

The exam includes 170 multiple-choice questions. These questions must be answered in four hours. Twenty of the questions do not count toward the final score, but test takers will not know which ones. PMI does not share the exact score needed to pass, and the exam is not graded on a fixed percentage scale. Instead, PMI uses a sound psychometric analysis to determine the passing score. This means the score needed to pass can change slightly, but test takers should aim to understand the topics deeply and perform well on all parts of the test.

The PgMP exam is offered in English and Simplified Chinese. It covers important areas such as aligning programs with business goals, managing benefits, and working with stakeholders. The test also looks at how well the person can lead and control different parts of a program. Earning the PgMP shows that the person has strong leadership and organizational skills. It also proves they can handle the pressure and responsibility of managing several projects that affect a business in a big way.