ICDL Project Planning (ICDL)

Expect a mix of multiple-choice questions covering concepts and terminology plus practical tasks completed in project management software. The practical section is where most marks sit, so practise creating and editing a schedule in a tool rather than only reading theory.

Question counts and time limits vary by syllabus version and test centre, so the awarding body publishes the current figures. Check its official site or ask your accredited centre before booking rather than relying on secondhand numbers.

The concepts are approachable; the difficulty is precision under time pressure. Candidates lose marks on dependency direction, lag and lead, constraint types and calendar settings - small details that silently distort the schedule. If you can build a correct network diagram unaided, you are close to ready.

Retake rules, waiting periods and any fees are set by the awarding body and your test centre, not by the exam content. Ask your centre about its retake policy when you book so you know the cost and timing before results day.

Follow the natural build order: fundamentals and scope, then work breakdown, then dependencies, then estimating, then scheduling and critical path, then resource levelling, then baselines and tracking. Each stage depends on the previous one, so skipping ahead to critical path without solid dependency knowledge backfires.

Linking tasks in the wrong direction, confusing total float with free float, using constraints where logic should be used, forgetting that resource calendars differ from project calendars, and misreading a levelled schedule as a logic change. Practise identifying each of these in a sample schedule.

The syllabus is tool-neutral in its concepts, but the practical tasks are performed in a project management application. Learn one tool thoroughly - how it stores dependencies, calendars, constraints and baselines - and the concepts transfer to others.

There is no official figure. Realistically, allow several weeks of regular hands-on practice if you are new to scheduling software, and less if you already build schedules at work. Build at least two complete projects from scratch before sitting the exam.

No. ICDL Project Planning is a digital-skills certification focused on practical planning competence; it is not a substitute for institute-based project management credentials and is not endorsed by them. Treat it as evidence of tool-and-technique competence, not as a professional project manager licence.

Confirm with your test centre: identification requirements and any permitted reference material are centre-specific. Most practical exams are closed-book, so memorise where key functions sit in the software and how to read a Gantt chart and network diagram without notes.