µP3P Certification Program
| Created: | 2025-02-15 |
| Last updated: | 2025-02-25 |
| Status: | Draft |
Note: This is the trial period for this exam. The micro.P3.express contributors are invited to take the exam, and based on their performance, the exam will be adjusted and improved before it’s made available to the public.
This is the description of the micro.P3.express Practitioner (µP3P) certification program, which is the only exam-based micro.P3.express recognition program.
What does it mean to be a µP3P?
µP3P is a global certification program that defines the minimum level of expertise required to
- take a leadership role in projects that use micro.P3.express, and
- coach others to implement and use micro.P3.express in their projects.
This certification targets micro-projects with approximately 1 to 7 team members. The P3.express Practitioner (P3P) certificate is suitable for larger projects.
How to become certified
Candidates can become certified by
- accepting the code of conduct, and
- passing the µP3P exam.
Post-nominal title
When you hold a µP3P certificate, you can prefix your name with “µP3P”; for example, “John Doe, µP3P”. This post-nominal title can be combined with others, in any order the practitioner sees fit; e.g., “John Doe, ABC, µP3P, DEF”.
Certificate validity
Certificates are valid for life, but they are attributed to the year they were issued; e.g., “µP3P-2025”. The level of confidence in the certificate may decrease as time passes since the exam was taken; for example, a potential employer may be confident in a µP3P-2025 certificate in 2026 but may not be so confident in 2030.
In February of each year, practitioners holding the previous certificate will be invited to take the new exam free of charge. By passing the exam, they will receive the new certificate and qualify for the subsequent free annual exam.
Exam vouchers
After the initial trial period, candidates can buy the exam vouchers from Accredited µP3P Trainers, Accredited µP3P Education Partners, or the examination institute. Relevant links will be added here after the trial period.
Exam voucher price
The µP3P exams will be priced the same as the P3P exams. Following this pricing model,
- The NPV (Net Present Value) of the English version of the exam will remain fixed and will be adjusted annually based on the inflation rates announced by the European Commission.
- The price of each language other than English is set based on the approximate relative purchasing power of people who speak that language in different locations compared to that of English (with a cap).
Format of the exam
The µP3P exam is an open-book exam with 50 questions in 70 minutes.
The exam is currently available in English only, but other languages will be added soon. There’s a language aid feature in the exam that provides an automated translation of the question into any target language for an approximate help.
Candidates must score 67% or higher to pass the exam.
Format of the questions
Each question is either
- multiple-choice, with 2 or more choices, where only one choice should be selected, or
- multiple-answer, with 3 or more choices, where more than one choice should be selected.
When more than one choice is to be selected, it’s always mentioned in the question. Some questions tell you the exact number of choices you should select, and some only give you a hint that you should select more than one choice.
Each question is of one of the following types:
- Scenario-based: About 70% of the questions are based on a short scenario embedded in the question.
- Direct: About 30% of the questions are direct, without a scenario.
Questions are designed to challenge different levels of cognition:
- Cognitive level 1 (20% of questions): recalling
- Cognitive level 2 (55% of questions): recalling + basic analysis
- Cognitive level 3 (25% of questions): recalling + advanced analysis and deduction
There’s no penalty for wrong answers, and all questions have the same weight (1 point).
About 15-20% of the questions in the µP3P exam are similar to the questions in the P3P exam (mostly those related to NUPP and the license).
Syllabus
Questions cover the following topics:
| Group | Topic | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NUPP | 3 |
| 1 | License and rights | 1 |
| 1 | Tailoring | 3 |
| 1 | Context | 6 |
| 2 | Project Manager Hat | 3 |
| 2 | Investor Hat | 2 |
| 2 | Creator Hat | 2 |
| 2 | User Hat | 2 |
| 2 | Sponsor | 4 |
| 2 | Peer reviewer | 2 |
| 2 | Custodian | 2 |
| 3 | Initiations | 5 |
| 3 | Daily Management | 2 |
| 3 | Closures | 2 |
| 3 | Post-Project Management | 2 |
| 4 | Integrated Project Board | 9 |
Exam sources
The following are the sources of information used in the exam questions:
Some questions refer to specific techniques or models that do not appear in any of the resources listed above. These techniques or models are mentioned to provide context for the questions, and candidates do not need to know them to answer the questions correctly.
The Standard µP3P Slide Deck is a good representation of how the information in the above resources can be studied for the exam. Note: The Standard Slide Deck is not an additional source of information for the exam but only a representation of the main sources.
Practice exams
After redeeming a voucher, you’ll have access to a set of practice exams to familiarize yourself with the style of questions and the exam platform.