APM PMQ
APM PMQ topic

Leadership questions for the APM PMQ

Leadership styles, motivation, team development and management.

Practise this free
Available on iOS and Android

Leadership is examined through models — situational leadership, Tuckman, the common motivation theories — and through scenarios that ask which style or stage applies. Knowing the model is half the mark; applying it to the situation described is the other half.

What leadership covers in the PMQ

  • Leadership styles and situational leadership (adapting to the team's maturity)
  • Tuckman's forming–storming–norming–performing–adjourning
  • Motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor) and what they imply for a PM
  • The difference between leadership and management
  • Building, developing and sustaining a team

Where candidates lose marks

Picking one 'best' leadership style. Situational leadership says the right style depends on the team.

Misplacing the Tuckman stages — storming is conflict, norming is cohesion.

Confusing Herzberg's hygiene factors (remove dissatisfaction) with motivators (create satisfaction).

Test yourself on leadership

Free, timed, exam-style questions across the twelve PMQ topics — with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown at the end.

Start a free practice test

Leadership questions, answered

What is situational leadership?

The idea that there is no single best leadership style — the right style depends on the maturity and competence of the team. An effective leader adapts their approach to the situation rather than leading everyone the same way.

What do Tuckman's stages describe?

How teams develop over time: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Storming is the conflict stage; norming is where cohesion forms. Getting the order right — especially storming before norming — is a common exam point.

The other eleven topics

Governance Arrangements
Sponsorship, boards, roles and responsibilities, decision gates and assurance.
Planning
The project management plan, estimating, and the subsidiary management plans.
Life Cycles
Linear, iterative and hybrid life cycles, phases and the extended life cycle.
Scope Management
Requirements, breakdown structures, and configuration management.
Resource, Scheduling & Optimisation
Critical path, resource smoothing and levelling, and schedule optimisation.
Project Management Fundamentals
What a project is, its context, and the project environment.
Communication
Communication planning, methods, barriers and reporting.
Quality
Quality planning, assurance, control and continual improvement.
Stakeholder Management
Identifying, analysing, engaging and influencing stakeholders.
Risk & Issue Management
Identifying, analysing and responding to risks, and managing issues.
Project Success & Benefits
Success criteria, benefits management, and project reviews.
Read the complete APM PMQ guide

Independent study material, not affiliated with or endorsed by APM. Always check the official APM website for the current syllabus. APM does not publish a fixed pass mark for the PMQ.