A practical PgMP® study plan: 30-day intensive, 60-day balanced, and 90-day part-time schedules with weekly focus by domain and tips for using the Mastery Cloud app.
This page answers the question most candidates actually have: “How do I structure my PgMP® prep?”
Pick a timeline, then follow the loop: Syllabus → drills → review misses → mixed sets.
Choose a plan based on hours per week:
| Time you can commit | Recommended plan | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 12–18 hrs/week | 30‑day intensive | fast coverage + heavy practice |
| 7–10 hrs/week | 60‑day balanced | steady progress + room for review |
| 4–6 hrs/week | 90‑day part‑time | slower pace + repetition |
PgMP domain weights (PMI ECO, March 2024):
| Domain | Weight | What to be good at |
|---|---|---|
| Program Life Cycle Management | 44% | charters/roadmaps, integrated planning, controls, change/risk/issues, transition/closure |
| Stakeholder Engagement | 16% | stakeholder analysis, negotiation, communications, maintaining support |
| Strategic Program Alignment | 15% | business case, mission, financial framework, integration opportunities |
| Governance | 14% | stage gates, KPIs, escalation, information systems and decision rights |
| Benefits Alignment | 11% | benefits plans, measurement, sustainment, benefits register |
Use the weights as your default time split, then adjust based on weak areas discovered in practice sets.
Target pace: ~12–18 hours/week.
Goal: cover the syllabus quickly, then harden decision instincts through drills and mixed sets.
| Week | Focus | What to do | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Program lifecycle core | Charters, roadmaps, integrated plans, KPIs, and PMIS. Daily drills + miss log. | Syllabus • Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 2 | Controls + execution | Issues/changes/risks, audits, variance analysis, reporting, governance decisions. | Syllabus • Practice |
| 3 | Stakeholders + governance | Engagement planning, expectation management, stage gates, escalation, decision rights. | Cheatsheet • Practice |
| 4 | Benefits + final review | Benefits plans/register, sustainment/transition, then mixed sets + miss-log cleanup. | Practice • FAQ |
Target pace: ~7–10 hours/week.
Goal: cover each domain with reinforcement and spaced repetition.
| Weeks | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Program Life Cycle Management | Build the “program operating system”: plans, controls, reporting, closure/transition. |
| 4 | Stakeholder Engagement | Stakeholder matrix, engagement plan, negotiation, communications. |
| 5 | Strategic Program Alignment | Business case, mission, funding framework, integration opportunities. |
| 6 | Governance + Benefits Alignment | Stage gates, KPIs, escalation; benefits plan/register and sustainment. |
| 7–8 | Mixed review | Mixed sets + revisit weak objectives; practice “best next step” decisions. |
Target pace: ~4–6 hours/week.
Goal: slow-and-solid coverage with repetition and steady practice.
| Month | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Program lifecycle | Charters/roadmaps → integrated planning → reporting and controls. |
| 2 | Stakeholders + governance | Engagement + communications + stage gates + escalation. |
| 3 | Benefits + alignment + consolidation | Benefits measurement/sustainment + strategic alignment, then mixed sets and miss-log cleanup. |