You’ve done the work.
Chartership makes it count.
Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) is the profession’s highest standard of recognition, independent proof of competence that clients, employers and peers already understand.
ChPP is prestigious for a reason. It is not easy to obtain, and that is the point. This page explains the benefits it brings and how PM Elevation can help you succeed.
The profession’s highest standard of recognition.
ChPP is awarded through independent assessment against the APM Competence Framework, across technical knowledge, professional practice and ethical behaviour. It isn’t a course you attend or a subscription you hold. It’s recognition you earn, and on success you join the public Register of Chartered Project Professionals.
On the fence? The three doubts we hear most, and where they land.
What Chartership does for your career.
For working project professionals, Chartered status is the clearest signal you can send about the level you operate at, and the most durable investment you can make in how far you go next.
What Chartered professionals do for your business.
The value of Chartership doesn’t stop with the individual. For the organisations that employ them, a Chartered workforce is a commercial asset, an assurance position, and a retention strategy all in one.
The work of Chartership is real, but the uncertainty is the part people underestimate, not the effort. Most candidates already have the competence. What slows them down is evidencing it against the criteria. That’s the part we make certain.
Which pathway is right for me?
APM offers different pathways to ChPP, depending on where you are starting from. Use the helper below to find the right one for you.
Your route is Pathway 1: Full assessment
Without a recognised assessment, APM assesses the whole standard: your technical knowledge and your professional practice. This is the normal starting point.
- You write
- 7 core competences and 16 electives, plus ethics.
- At interview
- Professional practice, technical knowledge and ethics. Up to 2 hours.
Your route is Pathway 2: Assesses: Professional practice
Your technical knowledge is already recognised, so APM assesses your professional practice.
- You write
- 7 core competences and 5 electives, plus ethics.
- At interview
- Professional practice and ethics. Technical knowledge is not re-tested. Up to 1 hour 30.
Your route is Pathway 3: Assesses: Technical knowledge
Your professional practice is already recognised, so APM assesses your technical knowledge.
- You write
- 7 core competences and 1 elective, plus ethics.
- At interview
- Technical knowledge and ethics. Your practice is not re-tested. Up to 1 hour.
Your recommended route is Pathway 3: Assesses: Technical knowledge
With both recognised, we recommend Pathway 3. Of the routes open to you, it has the shortest interview and the fewest electives to evidence.
- You write
- 7 core competences and 1 elective, plus ethics.
- At interview
- Technical knowledge and ethics. Your practice is not re-tested. Up to 1 hour.
Holding both also lets you choose Pathway 2 if you prefer, which assesses your professional practice instead.
Your route is Pathway 4: Organisation assessed
Your recognised assessment already covers technical knowledge and professional practice, so there is no written application to prepare, just a single professional discussion.
We support Pathway 4 through our work with organisations, rather than through the Academy.
Not sure whether yours counts for Pathway 4? Check APM’s list of recognised assessments (opens in a new tab).
Recognised assessments for technical knowledge
Any one of these means APM accepts your technical knowledge as already assessed.
- APM Project Professional Qualification
- APM Practitioner Qualification (PQ)
- Anglia Ruskin University (London) MSc in International Project Management
- Arden University BSc in Project Management
- Aston University MSc Project Management
- Cranfield University MSc in Programme and Project Management
- Coventry University MSc Project Management (up to 31 January 2026)
- Kent Business College Certified PMO Professional (Level 6)
- London Institute of Business and Technology Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management
- Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University MSc Project Management
- Queen Mary University of London MSc Engineering Management
- Reykjavik University Advanced Master of Project Management (AMPM)
- Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Business School MSc Project Management (including Post-graduate Diploma in Project Management)
- The University of the West Indies MSc Project Management (including module PRMG 6009 or PRMG 6013)
- University of Exeter MSc Project Management (Online)
- University of Leeds MSc Engineering Project Management
- University of Plymouth BSc (Hons) Project Management
- University of Reading, School of the Built Environment MSc Project Management (evidence of CEM335 required up to September 2024)
- University of South Wales BSc Construction Project Management
- University of South Wales MSc Construction Project Management
- University of Winchester MSc Project Management
- Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick MSc Programme and Project Management
- York St John University MSc Project Management / Post-graduate Diploma in Project Management
Where an assessment has a validity date, your certificate needs to be current when you apply. This is APM’s list as we last checked it, on 15 September 2026, and APM revises it.
APM’s latest list of recognised assessments (opens in a new tab)Recognised assessments for professional practice
Either of these means APM accepts your professional practice as already assessed.
- APM Project Management Qualification. You need to validate your experience with APM to confirm it as your recognised assessment for professional practice.
- Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification (awarded post December 2006)
Where an assessment has a validity date, your certificate needs to be current when you apply. This is APM’s list as we last checked it, on 15 September 2026, and APM revises it.
APM’s latest list of recognised assessments (opens in a new tab)Recognised assessments for Pathway 4
Each of these assesses technical knowledge and professional practice together, which is what Pathway 4 needs. Most are employers’ own schemes.
- APM Group Praxis Framework Professional
- APM Registered Project Professional (RPP)
- AtkinsRéalis Certified Project Professional (ACPP) (previously ADS&T PM Competency Assessment)
- BAE Systems plc BAE Systems Assessment and Accreditation Process
- bp PLC bp Certified Project Professional (bpCPP)
- Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd (BSP) BSP Project Engineering (PE2) / Project Services (PS2) Job Competency Profile (JCP)
- Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd Front-End Development Manager, Level 2
- Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited Renaissance Project Academy: Project Engineering Level 2 (PE2) / Project Services Level 2 (PS2)
- Sellafield Ltd Sellafield Project Manager Level 2 Assessment
- Shell plc Level 2 and 3 project professional roles via the Shell Project Academy’s Assessment and Accreditation Process (awarded up to 30 April 2026)
- Siemens Senior Project Management Certification
- University of Cumbria Masters in Project Leadership
Where an assessment has a validity date, your certificate needs to be current when you apply. This is APM’s list as we last checked it, on 15 September 2026, and APM revises it.
APM’s latest list of recognised assessments (opens in a new tab)Compare all four routes What each pathway asks of you
-
Pathway 1: Full assessment
- You hold
- No APM recognised assessment. This is the normal starting point.
- You write
- 7 core competences and 16 electives, plus ethics.
- At interview
- Professional practice, technical knowledge and ethics. Up to 2 hours.
-
Pathway 2: Assesses: Professional practice
- You hold
- A recognised assessment for technical knowledge.
- You write
- 7 core competences and 5 electives, plus ethics.
- At interview
- Professional practice and ethics. Technical knowledge is not re-tested. Up to 1 hour 30.
-
Pathway 3: Assesses: Technical knowledge
- You hold
- A recognised assessment for professional practice.
- You write
- 7 core competences and 1 elective, plus ethics.
- At interview
- Technical knowledge and ethics. Your practice is not re-tested. Up to 1 hour.
-
Pathway 4: Organisation assessed
- You hold
- A recognised assessment that covers both at once, such as APM RPP or an employer’s own scheme.
- You write
- No written application.
- At interview
- A single professional discussion.
What APM means by a recognised assessment
APM recognises a qualification, or an organisation’s own development programme, once it has checked that it assesses part of the chartered standard. Holding one means APM accepts that part as already assessed, so you do not evidence it again.
- Technical knowledge
- APM Project Professional Qualification (PPQ), APM Practitioner Qualification, and a number of university project management degrees. That is Pathway 2.
- Professional practice
- APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) with validated experience, and PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP). That is Pathway 3.
- One of each
- Holding one for technical knowledge and one for professional practice lets you choose Pathway 2 or 3. We recommend Pathway 3, for its shorter interview and single elective.
- Pathway 4
- APM Registered Project Professional (RPP), APM Group’s Praxis Framework Professional, and a number of employers’ own schemes, each of which assesses both at once.
Those are examples, not the list. APM holds the list and revises it, so check what you hold against it.
APM’s list of recognised assessments (opens in a new tab)Take the next step toward recognition.
Two routes, depending on who you are. Choose yours below.
Join the Academy
Self-paced, multi-media learning that takes you from the fundamentals to a strong application and confident interview, so you can start building toward Chartered status today.
- APM endorsed technical knowledge modules
- Start immediately, learn at your own pace
- Optional live sessions and 1:1 coaching
Talk to us about Recognised Assessment
A bespoke route to APM Recognised Assessment for your internal scheme. Start with a free, no-obligation consultation to scope the work and map the route.
- 30 minutes, by video or phone. A conversation, not a pitch.
- Leave with a clear, honest view of your route
Straight answers for people deciding.
Detail on pathways and pricing lives on the Academy and organisations pages. Anything else, get in touch and we’ll talk it through.