GPM-b™ Overview — What’s Tested and How to Prepare

High-level GPM-b™ overview: exam format snapshot, what’s covered (Sustainable Methods + Delivery Methods), common pitfalls, and a practical prep loop.

GPM-b™ tests whether you can recognize and apply sustainable project management fundamentals: identify impacts, set measurable objectives, integrate sustainability into plans and decisions, and communicate performance credibly.

For the latest official exam details and requirements, see: https://www.pmi.org/certifications/green-project-manager-basic-gpm-b

Official exam snapshot (requirements v3.1)

Source: GPM-b Certification Requirements (v3.1).

  • Education requirements: none
  • Experience requirements: none (six months on projects is recommended)
  • Format 2 (without RPL): 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours
  • Format 1 (with RPL): 75 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes
  • Passing grade: at least 70% correct
  • Certification validity: 5 years

What GPM-b covers (high-level)

This site’s syllabus is organized into two domains:

  • Sustainable Methods: impact analysis, objectives/metrics, governance, and reporting foundations.
  • Delivery Methods: how sustainability shows up in initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure decisions.

What questions tend to reward

  • Impact-first thinking: “What does this decision change for people, planet, and prosperity?”
  • Evidence over slogans: measurable objectives, KPIs, acceptance criteria, and traceable reporting.
  • Trade-offs under constraints: cost/schedule/quality choices that still protect sustainability commitments.
  • Governance discipline: clear ownership, approvals, and escalation when impacts or compliance risks appear.
  • Lifecycle realism: downstream operational impacts and end-of-life considerations, not just delivery outputs.

Common pitfalls

  • Treating sustainability as a branding paragraph instead of a set of measurable requirements and controls.
  • Ignoring supply chain / procurement effects (supplier selection, contract terms, evidence).
  • Reporting “activities” instead of outcomes (no baseline, no targets, no verification).
  • Approving changes without evaluating impact on sustainability objectives.
  • Confusing compliance with sustainability (you often need both).

A practical prep loop

  1. Use the Syllabus as your coverage checklist.
  2. After each section, review the matching part of the Cheatsheet and write a short “miss log.”
  3. Do focused drills in Practice, then re-drill the objectives behind every miss.
  4. Finish with mixed sets to force transfer across impact analysis, planning, governance, and reporting scenarios.